ARCHITECTURE & TEXTILES IN SAN ANTONIO, TX (Cheri)

Mark and his dad took off on their own today, so I wandered towards downtown.

Overall, Texas isn't my favorite.  So many Californians, and others, moving to Texas creates massive congestion.  The portions of the State that aren't congested are really quiet, and then there's the heat, the HEAT!  (Currently 99° at 9:00 p.m.)

But there is the architecture, the history, and the food, the FOOD!

My first stop was in the City's Pearl District, based entirely upon my selection of "Lick" Ice Cream on Yelp.  The District is based around the historic Pearl Brewing Company.

I decided to have an after-ice cream "snack" of cotija enchiladas with creamy sauce, and barbacoa, pintos, and a "sunny egg" as sides, at Full Goods Diner
. . . such a good thing I didn't have breakfast!

Walking through the shopping center was fun:

Even the views from the parking garage were grand:

You can find more pictures, including of the beautiful Hotel Emma, here and at the Hotel's website.

Building laws in Texas are interesting.  It's my understanding that if you live outside of a city, you don't have to obtain approval for your home construction. 

Zoning laws may be lightweight, too; this is a law office in a residential neighborhood that I saw on my way to a quilt shop:

(Of course I don't think North Carolinians are generally big supporters of zoning laws, either.  I read something interesting about the history of zoning recently, but that may come another day.)

Anyway, my primary goal was to get to Las Colchas Quilt Shop.  I first came here with Mark's sister and now I come whenever I can manage.

Walking inside the cottage that the store is in just makes me happy.

Of course I'm not in San Antonio very often and my first thought upon arriving is always "Ah shoot, why did the navigation system bring me here?"  (Lack of zoning, again.  This is picturesque, but it's largely surrounded by municipal parking lots, which always confuse me.)

Although Las Colchas has the variety of quilting goods that anyone would want - including a room full of sashiko, shibori, and other Japanese textile arts - its primary vibe is Plains homestead.

Bella Nonna vegetable applique' kits:

Beautiful wool applique':

Even some vintage linens and partial quilts, tucked into baskets here are there:

I loved this old pincushion that was pushed to the side until the next class (until I pulled it out for its portrait):

I saw one Alex Anderson quilting book printed in Spanish, and given the location, it's a good thing that there is a Mexican theme here, too:

If you want the adorable Crabapple Hill pattern above, here is the store's contact information:

Tomorrow we head home.

We have more to post about, but we'll be about 30° cooler while we do it!  We're heading home.

Addendum (10/16/23):  If you are familiar with San Antonio - and particularly if you like historical fiction and/or road trip books - you will likely enjoy News of the World, either in book or movie edition.  It is set in 1870, shortly after the end of the Civil War.  I enjoyed the Tom Hanks movie, but much preferred listening to the audio version of the book.