New quilting shop opens in Poway

By Emily Sorensen

Locals looking for a great place to find that perfect fabric, thread, or just wanting to take a class should check out Bits & Pieces, 12625 Danielson Court, Suites 11 and 12, in the Poway business park.

Owned and operated by Poway residents Allen and Suzanne Ream, Bits & Pieces recently moved to Poway after 20 successful years in Escondido.

“We moved here for convenience,” said Suzanne Ream. “There’s a lot of quilt shops closing. We debated reopening. But it’s what I like to do.”

A longtime quilter, Ream said the store grew out of her love of fabric. Bits & Pieces began as a sewing machine store, but over five or six years, “we slowly began adding fabric,” said Ream. Her love of fabric even outgrew their storefront. “We moved several times to accommodate my habit,” Suzanne Ream said.

Though the store, which re-opened in Poway at the beginning of September, is now more quilting supplies than sewing machine store, Bits & Pieces still sells Bernina sewing machines. “It’s my favorite,” said Ream, who touted their Swiss manufacturing origins. The store also services Bernina sewing machines.

The store also sells supplies for sewing, embroidery, quilting and applique. “It’s one-stop shopping,” said Ream. All sorts of thread, both for sewing and for embroidery are in stock, as well as fabric in all colors and many patterns. “We have batiks, charm packs, strips, and even pre-cut fabric squares for quilting,” said Ream. The store also sells patterns for sewing projects.

In addition to selling supplies, Bits & Pieces also holds a number of classes, as well as providing a meeting place for a quilting club and an embroidery club, as well as hosting a software club for Bernina sewing machine owners, to teach them different tricks and abilities of their machines.

Classes are often one-offs, taught by talented sewers and quilters from the area, though some are reoccurring, and classes usually have a fee or require supplies. Most classes require you to bring your own sewing machine and know how to use it. Bits & Pieces has held classes on large block quilting, doll-making and threadpainting — using a sewing machine and colored thread to essentially “paint” a picture on fabric. There will be a tree-skirt and tabletop class coming up for the holiday season. “We’re trying to do a variety of things, to keep it interesting,” said Ream. “There’s always something new.”

“It’s kind of cool when you can take your hobby, and turn it into more than a hobby,” said Bits & Piece employee and fellow quilting enthusiast Carol Gough.

Bits & Pieces also serves as a drop-off point for the Linus Project, as well as for pillowcases and IV covers for Rady Children’s Hospital. “We do believe in giving back to the community,” said Ream.

Bits & Pieces is still in the process of creating its website, so for now, those interested in finding out about upcoming classes should visit the store and pick up a schedule. You can also give your email address to the employees for notification about events.

The store is open 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday - Friday, and 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Saturday. It is closed Sundays.

For more information on Bits & Pieces, call 858-679-5880.