Amy "domesticat" Q.'s Profile

We weren't extremely hungry when we got here, but we had a mission: hot chocolate. We got a cup each of their signature hot chocolate, with a huge, decadent marshmallow in each one. It's the thickest hot chocolate I've ever had, and on a chilly day in Manhattan it was perfect.

My companion got a chocolate chip cookie; I got a little open-faced apple tart. Both were rich, luscious, and had that sparkly crunch that means "I was baked with real sugar." (In truth, probably something like raw sugar sprinkled on for just that textural effect.)

Can't speak for the rest of the food, but I'll be raving about that hot chocolate for a while.

I was pleased with what I saw. A good mix of current fabrics, plus good standbys and basics -- batiks, Japanese imports, even some feedsack repro fabrics. Saw a couple of wide backing fabrics I've not seen anywhere else, either.

They had some cute Kokka fabrics, and some precut charm squares of Japanese neutrals. If you're a traveling quilter, don't forget their shelf of New York fabrics; I made sure to get some subway map fabric.

Good shop. Worth your time.

An excellent quilt shop that I try to patronize whenever I'm in Minnesota. A wide, impressive fabric selection, plenty of fat quarters and fat eighths for those of you looking for quilting snack food, and helpful staff. Worth the drive, and in a neat, walkable neighborhood, too!

Patches and Stitches is a classic quilt shop for a town the size of Huntsville. It is neither the largest nor the smallest quilt fabric store I have ever been in, but it has a niche, caters to its customers, and serves them well.

They have a good Civil War reproduction fabric area, and they usually have a pretty decent 1930s-repro area, too. Much of the store is devoted to classic fabrics: blenders, overall prints, batiks. They have a small selection of wide backing fabrics.

They also have a lot of cross-stitching materials, which take up half the store. I know nothing of cross-stitching, so someone else should speak about that part of their merchandise.

Pros: they've got a little bit of everything. Tools, stencils, fat quarters, thread, fabric.

Cons: they've only got a little bit of everything. They're not going to carry specific designers or get in the designer du jour you're craving. If your tastes run to Amy Butler, Anna Maria Horner, Denyse Schmidt etc., they are not going to have your fabrics -- you will need to look outside for them. Good, reputable basics, though? They've got them, and the fabrics from the bigger companies are the higher-quality versions that only dedicated quilt shops carry. You'll pay more, but you'll get the GOOD stuff.

They do have a person who takes in longarm quilting projects (for a fee, obviously) so if you're looking for a quilter, they can point you to one.

Sales are rare, maybe once or twice a year. They announce it to their mailing list first. Typically it's a good discount but purchases have a 1/2-yard minimum to get the discount, so be prepared.

They have classes, but I've never taken one.

They don't have a ton of thread, which is disappointing to me. My guess is that there's just not much of a market for it.

It's a good shop. I try to make as many purchases there as possible, to help keep them in business, but I recognize there are some things they aren't going to carry and will never carry, so I get those elsewhere.

LOVE.

McNulty's has earned my loyalty over the years. I've only visited in person once, when I was in town a few years ago, but on that trip I made a point to hunt down a few tea shops. I adore a good, stout, puts-hair-on-your-chest chai, and I'd started to think that I just wasn't going to find it. Anywhere. Ever.

I found it here.

Everyone else has already talked about how the shop looks. I haven't seen it in years; I call in my orders by phone since I'm out of state. I don't know the name of the person who answers, but I know that it's been the same person every time over all the years that I've called.

You can leave your name and credit card number on file with McNulty's, call them up outside of business hours and leave a message with your name / address / phone number and say, "Could you just repeat my last order?"

... and they WILL. It's the kind of pragmatic, no-nonsense customer service that has fallen out of favor these days, and I LOVE that I've found a place that still does it.

I wish they did online ordering, but I don't mind calling in my order. They have what I want and they are professional and courteous about getting it to me.

I envy those of you who can patronize McNulty's in person! I have no idea when I'll be back in New York, but when I am, you'd better believe I'll come by.

This is a conflicted review. For some things, I really really love this store and want to forgive its flaws, but there some things about Blue Bamboo that I truly dislike. If you go in knowing the caveats, you can have an excellent experience, but if you're caught by surprise, you may leave with a sour taste in your mouth.

First, the good. They have, hands-down, the best collection of Asian-themed fabrics I've ever seen in a physical store. I wouldn't be shocked to learn that they carry everything Kona Bay currently has in production, and they carry Robert Kaufman fabrics I've had trouble finding anywhere else. If you are needing Japanese or Chinese fabrics, either large-scale or small-scale, this store is a gold mine.

They have an excellent sale section, some amount of which is out-of-season prints, and a large number of fat quarters in clear plastic shelving scattered throughout the store.

They also carry fat quarters and longer lengths of batiks from Bold Over Batiks, a Minnesota batik company.

Next, the mediocre: the service. I've visited the store a couple of times in 2010, and once in 2011 (I do not live in Minnesota) and have found the service ranges from excellent to grumpy depending on who you happen to approach. This past week I was able to ask "What warm-toned fabrics do you have with a butterfly motif?" and get a good answer, but I've also had some other experiences, which is in the "bad" section. See below.

So, yep, the negative stuff is next:

Blue Bamboo has a 1/2-yard minimum cut. As a result, I have bought LESS from them than I wanted to, simply because ... well, duh, I'm a quilter, and we often work in small amounts. It's the nature of the craft. I will agree that 1/2-yard cuts are sensible when you're dealing with large-scale Asian focus prints, but there just aren't that many small-repeat patterns that I need a half-yard of. If they don't have it in the fat-quarter shelves, tough luck, it's a half-yard or nothing.

They also will sometimes refuse to sell packs of fabric they have on the sales floor. In 2010, when I visited, I verified from their website the night before my visit that they had scrap bags available for sale. When I saw a bin of scraps and inquired about purchasing a bag, I was told they were web-only and they didn't want to make up a bag for me. No sale.

In my 2011 visit, I picked up a sealed bag of scraps next to the Bold Over Batiks fabrics. It was labeled, but didn't have a price, so I asked what it was. The person attending me took the package over to another employee. I overheard her response: "I wanted to turn that into kits, and I don't want to take the time to price it. Tell her it's not for sale."

If it happens once, I assume it's a bad day and shrug it off. If it happens twice on two visits a year apart, I start questioning why I went out of my way, on an out-of-state visit, to patronize this store. If they don't want to take the time to price things, why should I take the time to shop there?

In both 2010 and 2011, Blue Bamboo got much smaller sales out of me than they could have with slightly different store policies and some better customer service. (They probably lost about $100 in sales from me this time.) It's intensely frustrating for me; I love their selection and find great ideas there, but that's twice now that I've walked out feeling that if I'm wanting to spend a couple hundred bucks on fabric, I should go elsewhere.

I almost skipped this store because it looked a little small on the outside. This would have been a mistake on my part.

Disclaimer: I'm a quilter, so I only looked at quilting fabrics; I can't speak to the rest of the store.

What I saw, though, pleased me. Their selection is not huge, but what struck me was that it was well-curated. They don't have a lot of fat quarters, but so what -- I asked one of the employees and was told they are happy to cut any amount you need, even down to 1/8 yard. (Take THAT, Blue Bamboo. Hmph.)

Fabrics: I saw Kokka and Echino linen-cotton blends, a few of Heather Ross' "Far Far Away" linen-cotton blends (I was stunned -- I've never seen these on the bolt before!), and lovely voiles from Anna Maria Horner and Tula Pink. For the less-luxury but still lovely quilting section, I saw a lot of Alexander Henry prints, which always makes me smile -- AH does quality stuff.

I saw beautiful silk ribbons.

I was delighted with the customer service; I was checked on early in my visit, left alone to browse, and learned tidbits about the designers whose work I was purchasing when I took the bolts up to the counter.

The oilcloths were delightful -- made me wish I had a project that needed them!

This store won't be for everyone. They are definitely a specialty shop, and my impression is that they cater to apparel sewing more than they do quilting, but if their apparel fabrics are as carefully chosen as their quilting cottons/linens, this store is worth visiting.

What a fun, delightful place. A friend brought me a 4-pack of truffles from here one visit, and every time I've come to St. Paul since, I've stopped by here for a treat.

Handmade chocolates. No crappy stuff, just good chocolate and good flavoring and plenty of it. I've tried several flavors -- pears WIlliam, spiced chai, creme de menthe, amaretto -- and been pleased by all. I recall one that had chile heat in it that was especially delightful, but I'm a sucker for chiles+chocolate.

You'll have to park on the street, but I've never had an issue finding a good parking spot. All in all, the kind of independent artisan shop you want to support when you're visiting a new town. I'll be back.

WIN.

Tiny. Call ahead; you probably can't get in without a reservation.

We shared the tiger prawn ravioli - tender, flavorful, with a flavorful but light sauce. Delightful.

Jeff had the coq au vin and loved it; I had the duck confit. The duck was meltingly tender, with a crisp skin, but the standout? The potatoes. Thin rounds, perfectly fried (browned exterior, fluffy interior) and a small amount of rich, intense sauce.

Amazing.

Good, attentive, but non-pushy service. Can't speak for the wine list, but the food was top-notch.

An excellent experience, start to finish.

I only get to shop at Satin Moon when I happen to be in San Francisco. It was the source of a wild-goose chase last year -- "where was that amazing little fabric store I stumbled into?"

Every time I have gone in the shop, I have been treated with kindness and interest by the owners. They carry beautiful fabrics. They are aware of the quality of their wares, and I've noticed they put the most time toward helping the customers who recognize the quality of what's available for sale.

I have received thoughtful, insightful help every time I have come into this shop. I've chatted with them about everything from silk brocades to Liberty of London cottons. They are knowledgeable, opinionated, and tasteful -- and they have never, ever led me wrong.

For the person who mentioned that Satin Moon doesn't have a lot of quilting fabrics: this is true. By quantity, not much, but by quality, first-rate. There's a rack of Liberty cottons, and a rack of gorgeous Japanese cottons. If you want sheer volume, you should go to Britex -- but if you love a smaller, carefully-curated collection, go here.