Thistle Bee Quilt Shoppe

Located in Victorian Village in picturesque Goldsboro, North Carolina, the shop combines at-home comforts with old-school charm. The store is a cozy 820 square feet in three rooms.

On the front porch a long bench, potted plants, and sometimes a stray cat welcome shoppers to Thistle Bee. Sample quilts welcome all those that come and encourage them to sit outside and find inspiration.

Front row, from left:

Joe McInnis (co-owner), Mary Ellen McInnis (co-owner), and Beverly Varner; back row: Elisabeth McInnis, Kris Maitland, Jean White, and Margaret Cekada.

Shop owner Mary Ellen McInnis, a mother of four, wanted to offer fabrics that appeal to a younger audience. While Mary Ellen favors 1800 reproduction prints, she had her daughter Elisabeth help pick out patterns that might spark a younger generation's interest in quilting.

Mary Ellen and her husband collect antiques to use as props for displays in their store. This vintage suitcase holds fabric squares and shows off a bright reproduction print quilt.

Shop owner Mary Ellen McInnis designed Sweet Baby Blues for Quilt Sampler® Fall/Winter 2011 magazine.

This crib-size quilt in shades of blue is the perfect country keepsake. Mary Ellen McInnis hand-quilted a four-square grid pattern in each block and setting square. The setting triangles feature V-shape parallel lines.

For a scrappier look, quilt tester Laura Boehnke chose a variety of muted tone-on-tones to create a table runner that fits her home's decor year-round. A charm pack is a great way to incorporate a plethora of prints in the 1-1/2" squares of these 5" finished blocks. Her fabrics are is from a Fossil Fern charm pack by Benartex.

For more information about Thistle Bee Quilt Shoppe, visit

thistlebeequiltshoppe.com.