Atlanta Area Quilt Shop Ownership Changes

February 16, 2026

Lots of exciting changes are happening in the ATL sewing and quilting community! I quilt, so of course, my focus is on quilt shops, yet there’s much to share that’s sewing related. Grab your beverage of choice and read on!

Cottontail Quilts in Kennesaw has a new owner! Dawn, one of the long time employees, has taken the helm to lead the shop on its next journey. I visited the shop on Saturday as they were unpacking loads of new merchandise. P.S. There’s also a dog-friendly book store one block over called The Brown Dog. Sadie thoroughly enjoyed her visit there.

Cabin Fever Quilt Studio in Ellijay has been sold. Connie will stick around to teach classes and help the new owner for a while. Look for the transition to happen in early March and the shop will also get a new name.

Quilt ‘N Kaboodle in Cleveland is currently for sale. It’s a great shop – not exactly close to me, but does serve a large swath of Northeast Georgia. I hope they find a buyer, so the couple running it can retire and enjoy the grandkids.

Local news applicable to all greater ATL fabric and sewing enthusiasts:

Mood Fabrics is opening an Atlanta satellite location at Ponce City Market later this spring.

Alpha Plus Fabrics is now open in Stone Mountain. It’s along the lines of Fine Fabrics and Gail K. Fabrics – great for garment sewists.

Ashby Sewing in Kennesaw now offers apparel fabrics and is offering garment construction classes. This is much needed in the northwest ATL suburbs. They’ve also added Necchi brand sewing machines to their product offerings.

Kennesaw State University now offers a BFA in Textiles and Surface Design.

The Southeast Fiber Arts Alliance offers classes, events and resources for all textile enthusiasts.

The Southeastern Quilt & Textile Museum offers a variety of hands-on programs open to the general public. Many are kid-friendly and most are free.

QuiltCon returns to AmericasMart in February 2027.

The All Southeast Shop Hop covering Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina runs August 1 – September 30, 2026. Many north Georgia quilt shops are participating.

Nothing’s official yet, but I heard that the Stitching Atlanta Shop Hop will return this coming July.

Georgia Celebrates Quilts Show will be held at the Cobb Civic Center in Marietta June 4th-6th. You’ll also be able to catch the ECQG’s Matriotism exhibit, which is currently on display at the Atlanta History Center.

That’s all for now. Hope to see you at a stitchy business or event sometime soon!

Photo by Suzy Hazelwood on Pexels.com

Stop getting your bloomers in a bunch!

February 13, 2026

A birth certificate shows the name you were given at birth, plus other information such as time, date, city and state of birth.

If you’ve been married, divorced or otherwise gone before a judge to change your legal name, YOU DO NOT GO BACK AND CHANGE YOUR BIRTH CERTIFICATE – despite what some of the political and media talking heads would lead you to believe.

Instead, obtain a certified copy of your marriage certificate, divorce decree or other legal paperwork documenting the circumstances surrounding your name change. Contact the Clerk of Court in the county where the event was recorded to obtain certified copies. Costs and timeframe for document delivery will vary. Keep this paperwork with your birth certificate to document your current name.

Need a copy of your birth certificate? Check with your parents, to see if they still have it. If not, order a certified copy from the Department of Vital Records in the state where you were born. This may cost about $20 and take 1-2 weeks to arrive.

Is it fair that the onus is primarily on women to have to take these extra steps to document a name change? Not necessarily, but I’m the one who chose to change my last name to match my husband’s. Yes, it was a hassle to have to change everything after we got married 35 years ago, including my passport – which I’d obtained in college to participate in a study abroad program.

Keep your important documents (birth certificate, marriage certificate, divorce decree, adoption/guardianship paperwork, passport, deed, car titles, wills, healthcare directives, POA, Social Security card, etc.) in a small locked fireproof box in your home. You can easily grab it in case you need to leave in an emergency situation.

Why do we hang on to these documents? That certified copy of our marriage certificate finally saw the light of day again in 2021 when I added hubby to my health insurance plan during open enrollment as part of our preparations for early retirement.

Small lockable fireproof box available as mass retailers for about $35.00

Middle Georgia Shop Hop – The Farewell Tour

February 10, 2026

Back in February 2020, Boomer, Sadie and I participated in our very first Middle Georgia Shop Hop. Since retirement, Sadie and I have continued this annual event. Today, we made our last trek to visit all of the participating shops. Why? This week marks the Middle Georgia Shop Hop’s grande finale.

As usual, I purchased the two quilt block kits from each shop and got my passport stamped.* At Couture Fabrics. I found the perfect border fabric to complete my project from the Myrtle Beach quilt retreat. Big Girl was allowed to come in and help select fabric. 🙂 My “treat” was a bundle of gorgeous Ruby Star Society fabrics Sew Senoia had specially curated for the upcoming Luau Mystery 5-0 sew along that begins in March. I’d participated in the initial Aloha Mystery 5-0 last year (with a different shop) and had a lot of fun. At 4:10 p.m., I turned in my completed passport and headed home.

There’s a new shop hop game in town for 2026 – the All Southeast Shop Hop that runs 8/1-9/30 and covers shops in Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina. Three of the Middle Georgia Shop Hop retailers and most of the participants from last summer’s Stitching Atlanta Shop Hop have switched to the new tri-state shop hop. It’ll be interesting to see the final participating retailer list once the official shop hop magazine goes on sale in June.

*Block kits collected during the shop hop will be turned into a lap size quilt to donate to my guild’s community service. I then pass along the block instructions to another quilting friend.