Last week I went to Sew to Speak in Worthington.  With all the coming and going to Mansfield, I haven’t had time to go many new places lately.  Which is hard, because I really like going new places and exploring new things.

I started by going to Michaels.  I hadn’t been there since Joann closed but they keep sending me emails telling me about their yarn and sewing supplies.  It was a reconnaisance mission, to see if they had any of the things that I had always bought at Joann.  I had used up all the flax colored thread sewing the haversack and I needed to replace it.  In addition, I wanted some cotton yarn to knit dishcloths.

The yarn section of Michaels was 1/3 the size of Joann, but they had the basic acrylic and acrylic blend yarns.  Caron and Red Heart.  Good for baby blankets or things you want to wash a lot.  I did find the Coats and Clark thread that I wanted and got a ball of 100% cotton yarn.  The fabric selection is still non-existent.  It was a good visit because I could see what they had and didn’t have.

The search for fabric and nice yarn continued to the next store, Sew to Speak in Worthington.  Tom and I only live a mile off Worthington Road, so it is fairly easy to get to Worthington.  The website says “Welcome to your happy place” and I knew it was true as soon as I entered.

First, they had a wonderful fabric selection.  I don’t know how I am supposed to buy fabric online.  Colors aren’t the same in the pictures.  I can’t see how different fabrics go together.  But, more importantly, I can’t feel the weight of a fabric.  Sew to Speak had a large collection of fabrics.  Mostly cottons for quilting, but a variety of other items as well.  They even had 100% linen, which is something Joann never carried.  I have been wanting to make Tom a linen shirt for living history but hesitated at buying th linen online.  Now I know where to find it.

Sew to Speak had a nice selection of buttons.  Michaels had about 10 packets of plastic buttons.  They even had a metal container with loose buttons in it – Grandma’s button box!  One of my favorite things!  Elastic, interfacing, all the notions.

After feeling the fabric and rooting through the button box, I moved on to the yarn section.  Their yarn section is small, but well-curated.  They carry most of the Malabrigo Rios colors, my favorite yarn for making hats.  In addition, they had a nice selection of Blue Sky, Sirdar, and Kelbourne.  I bought some yarn for an Ohio State hat I’ve been wanting to make.

The third thing I really liked about Sew to Speak was Rachael Mason, the employee I spoke to.  Rachael gave me a little tour of the shop and answered all my questions about linen and yarn.  When I told her I couldn’t find a red worsted, she took time to walk over with me and show me some alternatives.

Sew to Speak isn’t a large shop.  They share a building with the CoHatch in Worthington.  But they pack a lot into a little space.  They offer a large variety of classes.  Rachael teaches crocheting.  I’m so glad to know there is a place I can go to find fabric in the future.  I will definitely return.