This shop is far and away the most visually stunning shop I have visited to date. Located less than a mile from the Robert Mitchell Expressway (AK-3), this shop is a delight to visit and a sure budget buster! I walked in and just stood and stared for a bit, and given that I’ve been in well over 300 shops to date, that takes something! Owner Marie Noah not only runs the shop, she designs Alaskan themed kits that are laser cut and kitted in house and teaches classes on site.
Fabrics here are mostly Alaskan themed, with enough coordinating blenders and solids to keep it interesting. There are well over 3,000 bolts to make your selection. I ended up building myself a kit for a Northern Lights quilt that I am working on designing, as a memory of this trip to Alaska. Fabrics include tone on tones, blenders, and solids. Tim Holtz ‘s Alchemy blenders are here, as well a a nice selection of large and small prints and wonderful panels. There is plain grunge, and wonderful batiks that you can only get in Alaska, as they are Alaskan wildlife designs that just don’t show up in stores in the lower 48. There are over 100 wide cotton backings on hand, and over 80 choices for Minkee and Cuddle. Jelly Rolls are also on hand, as are mesh and vinyl for bags and over 20 colors of waterproof canvas. There is also diamond rip stop nylon and parka linings – it does get cold here, and a lot of folks make their own outdoor gear. Everything comes to Alaska by air or barge, so it’s generally more cost effective to make your own than to buy pre-made.
The joy here is in the samples. Most have kits or patterns available, but the laser cut details with fusible backings are a must for many of Miss Marie’s designs, so in this case I would buy the kits – and I NEVER buy kits! The pictures don’t do these quilts justice; they are breathtaking in person, and the detail is exquisite. The hardest part was figuring out which ones to put on the blog…
There are two Gammill Long Arm systems in house. The shop offers edge to edge quilting; please call for pricing and lead times. If you are going to be in the area for awhile, do check out the class schedule as well.
The shop is a registered dealer for Bernina, Pfaff, Viking Husqvarna, and Janome machines, as well as Consew Industrial machines. These have the power of an industrial and are also portable – great for sewing that waterproof canvas for your boat awning! Repair and maintenance services for all types of machines are also offered in house. I would plan to be here for at least forty minutes to an hour.
| Northern Threads | Hours: Mon – Sat 10-6 |
| 1875 University Ave S Suite 2 | Phone: 907-931-2599 |
| Fairbanks, AK 99709 | sales@northernthreads.biz |
| www.northernthreads.net | Mail Order: Yes Fabric Online: Yes, and much more… |
Stop back on Monday and see where the North American Shop Hop is visiting next as I travel around Alaska.
This shop is in my Alaska home town, and I can attest firsthand that the review is accurate. Yes, it’s visually stunning, it takes awhile to shop the entire store, and it is easy to spend a lot of money there! At least there is no sales tax in Fairbanks.
Whenever I’m in there, they seem to be filling mail orders. So if you can’t make it there in person, they are very experienced at assisting online shoppers.