Gail K

Here is a little peek into one of my favorite stores in Atlanta: Gail K Fabrics!

I've been shopping around online for fabrics since I decided to take on the Fall Palette Challenge. I have developed a good idea of what I want, but I'm having a really difficult time getting around to ordering the fabrics I have picked out, because, well - it's a risk and I'm afraid to commit! What if I don't like how the texture of the fabric feels? What if I don't like the way it drapes? What if it is too thick or too thin, or feels cheap!? What if the color is different in person than it is on my computer monitor? These are big concerns, people!

So, I went to Gail K today. Where do I begin with Gail K? For starters, it is a very special place. It is (as far as I know) Atlanta's only independent source for apparel fabrics which, when you think about it, is really quite a shame. We have a few independent quilting/craft fabric shops, but Gail K is a completely different animal, and it fills a very important niche. Inside, you have just about every variety of fabric you might need to make any article of clothing, ever. As you can see from my photo - the goods are stacked to the ceiling. While it can be intimidating to take on Gail K as a shopper, (you really should allow yourself a couple of hours to search through the stacks and shelves and bins) there is a method to their madness. Things are kind of organized, even though they don't seem to be at first glance, and the people that work there are very helpful and can usually point you in the right direction if you are lost.

My only complaint: their hours. They're closed Mondays. All other business days they close at 4pm, except for Thursdays when they close at 7pm. So, I think it might take me a couple more lunch breaks before I find all of the exact fabrics that I want to sew with this fall. But, at least I'll have a lot of fun looking for them, right?!

I'm hoping to have a plan up soon of which patterns and fabrics I'll be using for The Challenge. (You know, even if I haven't actually found all of the fabrics yet!) I'm really excited to get to the point where I'm doing some sewing, but I don't want to jump in too soon with a plan that is only half developed. Better to take it slow and be deliberate rather than rush in like a maniac with a pair of sewing shears in her hand...

Summer on the lake

A couple of weekends ago I ventured across state lines to a lake house birthday celebration with a bunch of my buddies. We had an amazing time - great company, and great food & drink. There was even a boat for tubing and jet skis! Here is where I mention that I am not so cool as to have ever ridden on a jet ski before - so I got to cross that off of my list of things I have never done! Woo hoo! (I love crossing things off of that list).

Now, that I am officially out of vacation mode and have been reinvigorated with rest and fun times, new creative projects will commence!

Arabia Mountain pt. 2 - the beauty

I've read that a few of the plant species on the mountain are endangered, and one or two only exist in a few places in the United States outside of Arabia. I would have loved to have a horticulturist on the hike with us to tell us about all about it! I suppose I'll have to go back some other time so that I can get the specifics. I am fairly sure that the shrub in the photo below is Hawthorne. It is a native to Georgia, and is a foundation shrub in a lot of yards around our area. The ones on the mountain were different from the Hawthorne that I was accustomed to. The were incredibly old, had gnarled trunks, and were covered in moss and lichens. It is really impressive seeing how a plant can adapt and thrive under very difficult growing conditions!

My darling friend Leuwam, who I mentioned in Arabia pt. 1, told me that the little red plants below are a type of Diamorpha. Based on that, I did a little research online and found that one common name for this variety is Small's Stonecrop.

Arabia is the perfect place for lichen lovers! Once you hit a certain elevation they just start covering the rock everywhere. So beautiful!

All of the colors and textures were just incredible and got me really inspired. I have one color scheme in mine that I'd like to pull directly from the tones I saw on our trip!

Arabia Mountain pt. 1 - the oddness

My husband and I both had the day off from work Wednesday, and it was beautiful out, so we decided to finally go visit Arabia Mountain. The nature preserve that surrounds Arabia is only about 20 minutes from downtown Atlanta, but we had never been there before! It is similar to the (in)famous Stone Mountain - minus the Civil War relief sculpture, crowds, laser show, and theme park pageantry. Actually, I suppose that the only way it is like Stone Mountain at all is that it too is a granite outcrop.

I get really inspired when I break my routine and take little trips like this. Especially when it's to such a strange, special place.

It is really an impressive concept to try and grasp that when you're out Arabia - you're actually walking on one gigantic rock! The quiet of the park also really adds to the mystique. We didn't see a single other person when we were exploring! (Of course - we were there on a Wednesday during the middle of the day - weekends are probably more eventful).

My friend Leuwam put it perfectly when she commented that walking on Arabia is like walking on the moon. It even has "craters" that make it feel rather moon-like that, for the most part, are filled with water or odd little plants.

These little man-made masoned stacks of stone marked the trail up the mountain for hikers to follow. They also left some feeling with me of the supernatural. Phenomenon like crop circles and Stonehenge came into my mind, even though I know there is a park ranger somewhere who can take credit for this. It's still fun to imagine the fantastic - even when you know what you are thinking it isn't real!

A visit down to south Georgia

I love the way small towns look, and I like to imagine that I'd love living in one - though in reality I'm not so sure. I wish that more of America's little towns were like they were before the nineteen sixties when the concept of the chain franchise really took off and the importance of the railroad declined. My mom tells me wonderful stories about what downtown Waycross was like when she was a kid. Bustling department stores, cafes, soda fountains, and movie theaters. There was even a beautiful high rise hotel - currently boarded and vacant.

I get a kick out of this little snippet I read about Waycross on Wikipedia: "During the 1950s the city had a tourist gimmick. The local police would stop motorists with out-of-state license plates and escort them to downtown Waycross. There they would be met by the Welcome World Committee and given overnight lodging, dinner and a trip to the Okefenokee Swamp. The tradition faded away after the interstates opened through Georgia."

Now, Waycross has a mall and a Walmart along with a number of other big box retailers. The majority of businesses people patronize are located away from downtown, isolated in seas of parking lots. Still, there is an effort to rehab the historic buildings and homes that have been neglected for so many years, and I think a lot of progress has been made in reviving them. I hope it makes a turn around. I definitely have a special place in my heart for this little town.

One of my primary motivations behind taking photos around town was to capture some of the architectural details on the buildings. Architecture translates easily into pattern in my mind and lately I have been searching out interesting elements to turn into repeat print designs.