Sewcation Road Trip!

SAGANews has guest blogers- your SAGA Board!
This contribution is from President Elect Lisa Hawkes.

We’re going on a Sewcation, and as long as we have the car, we might as well stop along the way and fill it up with what else? FABRIC of course! So to get your creative juices flowing, we have some suggestions for a few little side trips you might want to plan along the way.

First on our list, is the granddaddy of them all – Farmhouse Fabrics! This stop will take you two hours out of your way if you are coming down I 95, not to mention the time you will spend once you get there, but where else where you find a warehouse full of heirloom quality fabrics? Located in Beech Island, South Carolina, which is neither a beach nor an island, we all want to go to fabric heaven and this is as close as you can get!

If allotting two hours is just too much and you are still traveling down I 95, you could take a side trip to Cary, North Carolina and Elegant Stitches instead. Located one hour off 95 via 64, when you drive that hour back to the highway via 40, you will at least be an hour further down 95. Elegant Stitches features beautiful heirloom fabrics and quilting supplies. Don’t’ forget your SAGA number to receive your 10% discount. Cary is also a lovely spot to grab some lunch before you continue on your way.

If you are coming from the west along I-10, you are really in luck! Peanut Butter and Jelly Kids in Mobile, Alabama is a mere 7 miles off the highway! Specializing in heirloom techniques, laces, and carrying novelty fabrics as well, there is just no excuse for not stopping. SAGA members receive 10% off here too!

Coming down I-75 through Georgia, you won’t find an heirloom fabric shop, but don’t worry, there will be plenty to choose from at market once you get to Orlando! In the meantime you will just have to satisfy yourself with Gail K’s Fabrics  instead. Billed as a fabric store comparable to the Garment District in NYC; it's abundantly stocked with bolts of fabrics, tubes of buttons, yards of trim, boxes of swatches, and rolls of batting.  Gail’s is located in Atlanta, just a mile or two off the highway.

If you manage to arrive in Orlando a little early, you might want to check out The Sewing Studio and the Bernina Sewing Centre. The Sewing Studio hosts our own Orange Blossom Stitchers. The shop carries a large variety of quilting and athletic fabrics as well as the Amanda Jane pleater. Don’t forget to print out their coupons before you go. The Bernina Sewing Center of St. Mary’s, Florida will be providing our sewing machine rentals for convention and will have a booth at market, but they won’t be able to bring their 3500 bolts of fabric with them so you might want to swing on by.

Hope you enjoyed our first Sewcation Road Trip blog post, check in again for another Sewcation update and find out some fun and fabulous places to stop along your route!