Virtual Shop Hop: Quilted Owl, Jefferson, La.
I just got back from a long weekend in the south. My husband and I traveled to Jackson, Mississippi, for a wedding and spent a night in New Orleans because it was just a quick two-and-a-half hour drive away. Plus the flights to New Orleans, were significantly cheaper than the ones to Jackson, so why not spent a night in the French Quarter.
My lovely husband joked that if our marriage vows would have read, “For richer, for poorer and while we visit every quilt shop in a 50 miles radius,” he may not have said, “I do.” But he lovingly accompanied me to three quilt shops and a yarn shop on our mini vacation without too much complaint.
The first of which was Quilted Owl in Jefferson, La., just outside of New Orleans. The Quilted Owl is one of two quilt shops in the area, but my husband requested IĀ pick one and Quilted Owl was closer to our hotel, so it won out.
The shop is in a converted home with several rooms full of fabric. Probably half of the fabric in the Quilted Owl is Civil War reproduction. I was actually pretty surprised by that. I expected to find a quilt shop full of modern prints in a city known for its art and progressive attitudes. But surprises aside, the selection was quite impressive with several rooms in the first floor filled with just about every Civil War repro that’s out there.
But it’s not all Civil War fabrics. The Quilted Owl also has a room devoted to kids fabrics. You’ll also findĀ batiks, 1930s reproductions and, of course, fabric that is distinctly New Orleans with black, green, purple and gold. Knowing travelers like me flock straight to this section, there are coordinated fabric bundles, kits and patterns for Mardi Gras-themed projects ready for purchase.
I flew Spirit Airlines because they had the cheapest fair, not realizing the fair is cheap because everything is a la carte, from the in-flight soda to the carry-on bag. Since I was already paying a ton for a tiny carry-on that was packed with clothes, I limited myself to just buying a fat quarter bundle of the New Orleans fabrics and soft book panel for Angela. I could have easily bought more.
Now that fabric will be added to the pile of yardage I’ve picked up over the years while visiting quilt shops on vacation. Someday I’ll figure out what to do with it. For now, it will sit in the too pretty to use pile.
Quilted Owl is located at 4600 Jefferson Highway, Jefferson, Louisiana. It is about a 20-minute drive from the French Quarter and a 15-minute drive from the airport. Click here to visit the Quilted Owl’s website.
Come back every day this week for my mini southern virtual quilt shop hop as I share photos from all the shops I visited on my travels.