Honey Run Quilters

The quaint exterior of Honey Run Quilters belies an eclectic interior where visitors are treated to a distinctive blend of traditional and contemporary chic. The shop is located in a turn-of-the-century Victorian home in Chico, California.

From left:

Christie Weston, Theresa Wright, Evelyn Slade, JoAnn MacDonald, Carmen Rolfe (owner), Gayle Sparks and Amanda Sorenson.

Providing the unexpected is Carmen's forte. The inside of her Victorian-home shop is set up like a gallery-she mixes trendy with traditional and displays vintage reproduction patterns next to modern samples. "We have a more contemporary flair-more modern-and that seems to be popular," Carmen says.

The shop features Robert Kaufman fabric's jewel-tone jacquards, the entire lines of Amy Butler and Kaffe Fassett, a large selection of batiks, and reproduction patterns for vintage clothing and aprons. More than a dozen classes are held in a building next door and two pattern companies-As You Like It Quilt Design by JoAnn MacDonald and Honey Run Pattern Co. by Theresa Wright and Kari Zietler-are based in the shop.

Rickrack and other embellishments abound at Honey Run Quilters. "We add lots of assorted pieces to our quilts," owner Carmen Rolfe says. "Velvets, silks, linens, corduroy, home decor fabrics-just about anything funky and different."

Silk and velveteen combine with large-scale cotton prints for a sumptuous throw.

In Materials Matters, stippling and echo quilting accent the triangle-squares of each block and the Flying Geese in the inner border. A large floral motif is machine-stitched in each block. A contrasting green thread is used in a sweeping leaf design in each solid cream setting and corner triangle.

Welcome autumn with this variation on Material Matters, a four-block table topper made with the Thimbleberries' Harvest Eve collection for RJR Fabrics. This project would make a wonderful wedding or housewarming gift. The pieces are large and the construction is simple enough that a beginner could stitch it up in no time.

It's all about the fabrics," Carmen Rolfe says. "Quilts are not all tiny pieces anymore. Now, these beautiful fabrics can be the focus."

For more information about Honey Run Quilters, visit www.honeyrunquilters.net.