Oh my! Few places have the country charm, unique opportunity to see the Amish life experience, and abundance of sewing shopping opportunities like Holmes County Ohio!
This is the third year in a row that I planned a special, albeit small and cozy, sewing retreat with with a few special friends. I wont' name them but you can see from the happy faces that we are quite a well bonded group of friends.
This is the third year in a row that I planned a special, albeit small and cozy, sewing retreat with with a few special friends. I wont' name them but you can see from the happy faces that we are quite a well bonded group of friends.
A few came early and a few arrived late so I'm missing three faces in this photo taken in the Courtyard of the 1847 Millersburg Hotel.
The timing coordinates with my birthday and they always find a way to make it a memorable affair that keeps me glowing for many days afterwards.
The timing coordinates with my birthday and they always find a way to make it a memorable affair that keeps me glowing for many days afterwards.
A Mexican fiesta across from the hotel was full of joy and laughter.
But the icing on the cake "literally" cam afterwards with a custom baked orange cake made by a master baker named Kim and delivered all the way from Virginia Beach by my dear friends June, Debbie, & Don!
In between everyone diving into their projects, eating, sleeping, and sharing the love of sewing, we shopped at the many incredibly special sewing establishments in the area. I have compiled quite a list HERE if you're interested in traveling around the area but I'll highlight a few stops during our 2025 excursions in this post.
THE PLAID SHEEP COMPANY
Karen, the owner of The Plaid Sheep gave my friends a private tour of her store explaining all the fabulous creative possibilities with her unique product line. She coordinates quite a few retreats herself and I'm told they are great fun.
All those little drawers hold treasured pre-cut appliques.
Towels, toweling, and patterns to decorate them are abundant in this shop.
A nice selection of quilt fabric and a bunch of great patterns fill the store and many of them are Karne's very own originals.
Buckeyes go crazy over this one!
The bolts of wool for both applique and rug hooking are part of the line this store carries that is hard to find elsewhere.
After some conversation with Karen I discovered I have some hand-dyed wool strips from her original store in downtown Berlin. Oh how we love to hang on to pretty fabric bundles! I may just hang them on my wall at this point and admire them the way they are. So who says you "have" to use fabric to enjoy it?!? Any one else considering just putting some of your stash on display to enjoy it's beauty?
ZINCKS FABRIC OUTLET
This sign found at Zincks Fabric Outlet says it all! This warehouse style store is huge! You never know what treasures you might find here. One find for me was a full bolt of good quality low priced flannel I can use as substitute for quilting batting when I want a less fluffy project. I also love it as a backing for unusual accents on some garments like this project HERE.
SOMEWHERE SEWING
Visiting with my friend and owner of Somewhere Sewing is always a delight! As you drive up the driveway past their house and their stand alone big building set up for events, you have to take notice of the surroundings. Simply beautiful!
A trip to Holmes County just to visit Somewhere Sewing is well worth the trip! You'll find over 10,000 bolts of fabric, notions, embroidery designs, and a stellar Brother/Babylock dealership here.
CHESTNUT RIDGE SEWING
Met some delightful folks at Chestnut Ridge Sewing, the Bernina dealership just outside of Berlin. Don't judge a book by it's cover! I've driven by this shop before but it is way bigger and better once you get past the front door!
I think my friends were as surprised and delighted as I was.
Such beautifully displayed machines and the fabric and notion selection was really something to see! I never got chance to take a photo of their classroom but it was fuly stocked with gorgeous machines in a state of the art facility.
Seeing class samples is always interesting and their newsletter is chock full of happenings to satisfy your sewing soul!!!
There's so much to see in Holmes County Ohio and exploring with sewing friends make the journey "Sew" enjoyable!
Have you been on a similar excursion or do you know of an area where sewing is part of the destination location? I'd love to hear about it in the comments!
There's so much to see in Holmes County Ohio and exploring with sewing friends make the journey "Sew" enjoyable!
Have you been on a similar excursion or do you know of an area where sewing is part of the destination location? I'd love to hear about it in the comments!
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