As Promised. . . .

Friday, August 28th, 2009

Don’t you just love my titles!!  I never have to look very hard for an event to plan because Janet’s always got an idea that puts me on a roller coaster ride that would make Disney proud.

Although, if a good time is what you want then Summer Sewing Spa was the ticket.  It was absewlutely fabulous.  Old friends and new friends generously and graciously sharing their sewing tips and their spectacular projects along with warm and heartfelt conversations deep into the night.  Both my new and old friends taught me how to make a pillowcase and a sweet little jumper for my grandaughter “Ruby.”

I tried to make a bowl, but it only came out as a trivet (Melonie and Gail did their best with me). And I got all the technical expertise from my buddy Joan to make her beautiful new quilt “Sew Lovely.”  Who could ask for more?

Nobody had to ask, cause more just kept coming during our 4-day respite at the beautiful Christ The King Retreat House.  We had massages, we made scented scrubs and Shania from Muscles in Motion took us gently through stretching exercises to help us sew further into the night.  Then . . . Teri from Mary Kay helped us slough off our old  dead lips, highlight our new eyes and Janet and I found our eyebrows!!!!  Look for hers in the new barn.  About the only thing that could distract us from our fun was when one of the Retreat House chefs brought his new baby in to show us.

Another highlight was spending time with Sandy Pirdy from Creekside Fabrics in Arcarde.  Nina brought her in as our guest teacher and together they featured wonderful projects on the embroidery machines.  Threads were whirring and fingers were pressing buttons as beautiful medallions and flowers magically appeared.  Nina and Sandy were the perfect hosts and all their students completed designs to be proud of.

Then there was the food, the glorious food.  The pool, the glorious pool.  The wine and cheese parties night after night . . . Oh I think I hear Janet’s voice – she’s singing a Simon and Garfunkel tune – “get on the bus Gus and make a new plan Stan.” That’s my cue to spread the word about my new event “The Spooktacular Bus Tour.”  Check out the details on our website, sign-up for the best deal in town and join me on the bus!

Well, this Gabby Goodtime Gal should go now, but I leave you with yet another song . . . the Beatles “I Want to Hold Your Hand” Join hands with all us OLD Gals from the OLD Barn as we share Janet’s vision and our journey to the New Barn.

"We'll put lots of fabric over here..."

"...and we'll put lots more fabric over here..."

And yes Nina – this is your new sewing machine area!

"Perfect. Just perfect."

Posted in Retreat | 1 Comment »

Lots happening around here!

Tuesday, August 25th, 2009

Wow! My first blog post was a hit! Thanks for the comments and feedback. That’s what I need to keep me motivated to write more.

First things first…

I know, you want to see more pictures of the new barn. Well, although there has been lots of action over there, not too much of it is cosmetic. I guess they have to work on the inside of the inside before we can get to the fun stuff. So here goes… how do you like the light switches?

Nice, huh? It may not be too pretty right now, but the gals are looking forward to turning on the lights in one place.

And check this out – Exit signs! Brand new in the box.

Not that I think you will ever want to leave the new store, but just in case, you will know which way to go.

OK, on to something else very important: plumbing. There are two very nice and spacious restrooms planned for the new store, but this week they looked like this:

Stay tuned. I promise this will get better.

Now for something that is a little more fun – choosing carpet. I ordered several samples in several colors. This is how they looked laying on the floor:

You have to agree this is a very important decision. I thought about it for a while. I walked around them and walked around on them. I picked them up and turned them over. I discussed my options with Steve, the carpet guy. Then I invited the electricians to share their thoughts. Doug and his team from Doug’s Electric were very careful with their opinions. Obviously they have been well trained in the art of helping-a-woman-pick-colors. So finally, I did what I had to do… I ordered 12 more samples. (Sorry Steve). I’ll get back to you on the carpet choice.

In the meantime…

This is summer and the Calico Gals have been traveling all over the place. Nina and her husband Paul took a wonderful trip to visit Nina’s sister in Alaska. While there, they took a side trip to British Columbia where this photo was taken.

Wild animals? Beautiful scenery? Great location for a quilt shop? We may never know.

Last week Joan and I attended a quilting retreat at Great Camp Sagamore in the Adirondacks. This beautiful “camp” was the former summer lodge of the Vanderbilt family. I brought my stuff and was given my own little barn to set up a mini Calico Gals studio and quilt shop. How fun! I love history and was thrilled to find one of the original ironing boards used by the Vanderbilt’s staff in my barn. It was just perfect to showcase Joan’s Holiday Spirit Checkerboard Tablerunner.

I also took many photos of the breathtaking scenery. We enjoyed every minute and if you ever get the chance, take the drive up and attend the historical tour. See all of the details at the Great Camp Sagamore website.

When Lynn returns from her travels to Myrtle Beach she promises to post about Summer Sewing Spa and the first staff meeting in the new barn. You will want to get her perspective!

Janet

Posted in Gals on the Go, New Barn! | 4 Comments »

It’s Here!

Wednesday, August 12th, 2009

Welcome to the brand-spanking-new Calico Gals’ blog, aka Gabby Gals. This is the place where we talk about everything that is going on – in and out of the barn.

We’re moving!

That’s right – this is THE big news that I mentioned in the E-newsletter. It’s really happening, the gals are moving to a new location later this fall. Because we have such a beautiful store now, we had a very specific list of items on our wish list for a new store. And I am pleased to say that the new store covers all!

• First of all: Stairs. No More! Not even a step at the door.
• Next: Parking. Space for everyone!
• Next: Lighting. Beautiful windows and lights on switches. Our new store will NOT be strung together with extension cords.
• Next: Comfort. Can you say “Radiant Floor Heating?” Mmmm. Ohhh. Ahhh.

All this and much more is going to be ours because we are getting a brand new barn! Let’s look at a few photos as I tell you all about it…

Front of the New Barn

This photo shows the front view from the street. The owner/builder/landlord is Bob Pomfrey, owner of Pomco Insurance. He’s building this barn as a storage facility for himself and planned to lease the front half. Enter Calico Gals! Now Bob is all on board for putting a quilt shop in the space. He wants to build the best quilt shop ever!

So where is this new place? 3906 New Court Ave. Technically in the town of Dewitt, just over the Town of Salina line and what most would refer to as the Eastwood section of Syracuse. Not far from the Carrier Circle Thruway exit. Not far from the former Syracuse China.

Along the side of new barn

This photo is taken from what will be part of the parking lot, looking forward towards the street. Our half of the barn starts about in the middle and includes the plywood covered door. Next to it will be an overhead door for deliveries. Yippee! Looking farther towards the front you can see another door which someday will have an awning over it. Use your imagination! Isn’t it cute?

No, the barn will not be green. The outside is planned to be a mix of stone and clapboard, earth colors of beige and browns. Again – use your imagination!

Now lets go inside that door with the cute little awning overhead…

Inside looking toward front

Wow, those windows again, looking out this time.

Rafters New Barn

When you look up in a barn, what do you see? Rafters, of course. The ceiling is high and unfinished at the moment. The plans include finishing the ceiling and suspending lights. I have been looking at catalogs and samples of everything from lights to carpet. There are just so many choices! My goal is to take that “barn feeling” into the new place. Well – we might leave a few things (like cobwebs) behind in the old barn. We are confident that the coziness will come with us.

Speaking of cozy – take a look at this:

Inside the new floor

This is what the floor looked like with all of the heating stuff laid out. Kind of reminds me of cross-hatching on a quilt! I have not experienced radiant floor heating, but everyone tells us that we will love it. The cement has been poured over the top of this grid and now the contractors are working on the walls.

The architect, Bob Abbott, is so talented! And he has so many great ideas. One day he came out and toured the old barn to get a feel for what we have and what we do. One of his first thoughts was that the new barn space would not be big enough for all of our stuff! So he went back to the drawing board and took advantage of that high ceiling by designing a mezzanine for our offices and storage. The main retail and classroom space will all be on the main floor, but a look up will feature a beautiful open loft space. Can’t you just see it?

Here is a sneak peak of the loft.

The beginnings of a loft

There is so much more to tell you. One goal of this blog is to take all of us together on the journey to the new store. I hope to post lots of pictures so you can see it happen.

Janet  – Calico Gals store owner, gabby gal, newsletter editor, occasional piecer

Posted in New Barn! | 30 Comments »