Mabelena Quilting Supplies is less than 10 miles from I75 in Ortonville, Michigan, northwest of Troy, Michigan. It is in the greater Detroit area, so if you are going to be in Detroit, plan to take a drive in the country and visit this shop.
Allow me to introduce you to Mabel and Lena, the grandparents of owner Brenda Heffernan, and the reason for the name of the shop. These two pictures hold a place of honor behind the counter.
This shop has several rooms for fabric, and uses re-purposed furniture for displays of notions, puzzles, and patterns – not to mention a few of their samples. The shop has samples available on every wall, so if you need inspiration just wander around and check them out. One of the more stunning ones is made from a Jen Kingwell pattern – see the pictures below. Jen is a Australian designer, and Mabelena’s carries kits and patterns for her designs.
Jen Kingwell Quilt 
Detail
There is also a nice selection of wool, as well as blenders and prints. Don’t miss the antique machines on top of the shelves!
The Wool Collection
Beginner’s Classes are on Saturday’s, and there is a Friday “1-4” class where you can make a small project and take it with you. This makes it easy for folks who can’t come every week, as they are not left with a project where they missed half of the instructions. One week a month everyone works on a Charity Project. There was a class meeting when I was there – not a regular class, mind you, but a group that started as a class a long time ago and still meets at the shop every week to quilt together! This is apparently fairly common with the classes at Mabelena’s, and I found the group quite charming as they welcomed me to see what they were working on, and invited me to sit in if I had the time.
Be sure when you are in the shop to check out the display wall in the back – I realized it is a massive quilt, mounted back side out so the shop has more display space. It also makes it easy to admire the hand quilting! The machines are Customer owned and for sale. This shop is not a machine dealer, but don’t let that slow you down.
Plan to spend at least an hour here – it is well worth the trip.
| Mabelena Quilting Supplies | Hours: M-F 10-6; Sat 10-3; Sun Closed |
| 470 Mill Street | Phone: 248-627-9100 |
| Ortonville, MI 48462 | Email: PM on Facebook |
| Mail Order: Call if wanted Fabrics online: Check on Facebook |
Stop back on Friday and see where the North American Shop Hop is visiting next!
When I was at your store last year, the clerk said that Mabelena’s was putting on a quilt weekend. I cannot find it on your e-mail. Jean Heller only gave subtitles to your company. It’s shorting us customers to pertinent information and other fun information.