Autumn beauty is bringing 12 quilt shops together along with hundreds of sewing enthusiasts for a celebration of quilting across northeast Ohio.
The event, The 7th Annual Charming Quilt Shop Tour, runs from Aug 17 to Aug 26. Participants will be traveling across northeast Ohio to quilt shops from Cortland to Youngstown and Akron to Cleveland.
The stitchers are going to the quilt shops to receive free autumn- themed quilt block patterns. Each shop will have the pattern used in a finished quilt project that will be revealed at the start of the The Charming Quilt Shop Tour.
“Shoppers will see an apple, pumpkin, acorn, sunflower, corn, basket and different fall leaf patterns that will be made into quilts and quilted items by the stores,” said Ronnie Rajkovich of Polka Dot Pincushion in Richfield. “It is so delightful to see how each shop presents these patterns creatively in finished, sewn projects.”
Passports are the key that has attracted almost 800 sewing enthusiasts to the Charming Tour in past years because part of the $5 passport entrance fee goes to local charities.
“I like that when I purchase a passport I know a portion of that goes to benefit my local community food bank. That’s why I always buy the passport and the bag. Of course, the bag gives me a discount at each of the store’s all year round, which I like also,” said Shirley Giesy of Cortland.
The passport is a special document that each hopper, as the shoppers are called, gets stamped at each shop. Once the passport is stamped from a visit to each store, the passport also is the key for the hopper to be registered to win prize give-aways.
“Every hopper that goes to all 12 stores receives a three-dimensional silver pincushion charm as well as a chance to win our grand prizes. In addition there are 75 prize bags they can win,” said Rajkovich.
Sewing manufacturers from around the world have donated bundles of fabric, quilt battings, patterns, thread and sewing tools for the event.
The grand prize for this year is a new Bernina 330 Sewing Machine valued at $1400 donated in part by Bernina Store & Sew Much More in Boardman. Second prize is a Gidget2 sewing table and chair valued at $400. Third prize is a set of Omnigear sewing totes with iron and other sewing notions valued at $250.
Each individual shop also donates two, $25 gift certificates, a $100 gift basket and a $150 gift basket. “If hoppers do not make it to all 12 shops over the 9 days, they can register to win the $150 gift basket at each shop,” said Rajkovich.
“I think the quilters love getting the 5-inch fabric squares and putting them together into a quilt. If you go to all 12 shops, you have 60 fabric squares to sew together,” Rajkovich said. “Quilters also love to travel to quilt stores because every store seems to have different fabrics, which makes it so much fun,” Rajkovich said.
Participating shops include: Angelic’s A Quilter’s Haven in Canton, Anna Louisa’s Quilt Shop in Louisville, Bernina Store & Sew Much More in Boardman, Craft Cupboard in Middlefield, Mara’s Fabrics & Gifts in Eastlake, Polka Dot Pincushion in Richfield, Quilter’s Fancy in Cortland, Serendipity Quilting in Hanoverton, Sew Déjà Vu in Stow, The Quilted Thimble in Chesterland, Tiny Stitches in Middlefield and Village Quilts in Canfield.
Tour hours are Thursdays 10 am to 8 pm and Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays 10 am to 5 pm and Saturday August 19 from 10 am to 5 pm and Saturday Aug 27 from 10 am to 4 pm.
Two Anderson buses are available for interested quilters to the stores. The first bus runs on Thursday Aug 17 and travels to 6 quilt shops. The second bus runs on Thursday Aug 24 and runs to the 6 remaining quilt shops. Lunch and goodie bags are included in the cost per reserved seat. Early reservations are recommended and may be made at any of the 12 participating stores.
More information on the tour and passports are available at any of the 12 participating quilt shops or by calling 330-637-3106. In addition, more information is available at www.acharmingquiltshoptour.com.
