When is a cat, not a cat? When she's trouble. This would be Patches. As most of you know, she ownes the place and we work for her. This pillow belongs to Ruthann. I hope she doesn't mind sharing it. Patches sure doesn't mind parking her hairy body on it.

This is Oliver. He's new. Patches keeps thinking that if she spits enough, he will go away! Ha!

Mothers' Fabric (with the help of Patches) opened in October of 2005 with about 500 bolts of fabric and a few notions. Now, there are about 3000 bolts to choose from, the newest patterns, books, stencils, cutters, thread, kits, and more! We are open five days a week in the winter and six in the summer. We also offer classes. And if you don't want to go home, you can stay in our motel! What more could a quilter ask for?

Mother's Fabric is fortunate to have great help. Ruthann is a wiz with color and can pull together kits in no time. Joan and Anne are quick to help and ready with a smile. They don't know it yet, but I'm sure they won't mind making store samples. 

In 1991, my mother and I signed up for a six week course at Georgian College in Owen Sound. The instructor was a local quilter, Eleanor Griffith and the quilt top was Eleanor Burns' log cabin. So you could say that the two Eleanor's were the cause of my quilting addiction.

One day, I mentioned to my husband that there was a wonderful house in the area that would make a great fabric store. He thought about it, and suggested we could share space in Outback Tackle.

Of course, the fabric store needed a name. Wendy's Fabric might have made sense, but we had spent sixteen years answering the phone, 'Wendy's Flowers' - so I thought something different was in order. So I thought about quilters in general and came to the conclusion that most quilters are usually (but not always) women. Also, we all have Grandma's old quilt, or maybe Mom still has it and we can only hope that someday it shall be ours. In our store we have Ted's mother's dining room table (it's too big for our house), and Grandma Lockey's clothes dryer hangs on the wall in the upper level. My mother's dress pattern from 1953 sits on top. So, as a tribute to all mothers, Mothers' Fabric (plural) was named.

After five months of sharing space, the quilters of the area proved to Ted that we needed more space. Thank you ladies and gentlemen! Ted's business moved to the garage, and Mothers' Fabric expanded to fill the space. The name still confuses people, and some days I say, 'Yes, I'm mother'. Usually I say that I am one of many mothers. Then, I point those gentlemen to the garage. 

My Ted died September 26, 2009. This picture was taken 6 days before, at a bass tourney on Boat Lake. Who can predict what life will give you.