some nice shops in FL

My trip to Florida is quickly coming to an end so I thought I'd share some information about two quilt shops that I visited during my stay. Both are on Tamiami Trail in Port Charlotte. I have to say that the people in both shops were extremely friendly. There were actually classes going on at both shops when I visited. 

 The first picture shows a view of the Charlotte Sewing Center. This shop holds lots of classes and had a nice newsletter to announce the variety of classes. They focus on Viking and Bernina machines but assured me that my Janome was welcome at the classes. The fabric selection wasn't quite what I am used to (remember I visit Lancaster PA and my favorite shop, Serendipity, where I have thousands of bolts from which to choose.). Charlotte Sewing Center did have a great selection of threads which I really appreciated.

The second picture shows a view of Quilts n More. This shop had a little more fabric, especially fabrics that were bright and colorful. What I liked about this shop was the selection of books and patterns. They sell Janome machines so I was able to buy some new needles there.

I had a chance to meet a fellow quilter who, like me, is a snowbird in our villa community. We had a couple of times to chat and show a little of what we are doing in quilting. She likes to piece quilts but doesn't do applique so it was fun to compare our interests. We also found that we called some techniques by different names. She used the term column quilting to what I refer to as quilt on the go. She also didn't use the term English Paper Piecing but when I described it, that was exactly what she was doing!  She is from Upstate New York and it wasfun to talk about what is happening in quilting in each of our home areas. We agreed to bring our quilting projects next year!