wood cabinetry echo the town’s
earthy surroundings, yet the space
reflects an upscale, modern aesthetic.
Like its community of residence,
Picking Daisies is understated,
minimalist, and simple. “Our
collection of fabrics looks different
from other shops',” co-owner Kay
Porczak says. Rather than featuring
complete fabric lines, Kay and her
sister, co-owner Dede Bruington,
narrow the selection to medium and
large prints. “We keep only a small
selection of blenders and solids,”
Dede says. Customers come to find
focus fabrics amid its 650 bolts
because they know they will find
a carefully curated collection.
Just as selective are the shop’s quilt
patterns, including those by local
quilt pattern designer Dora Cary of
Orange Dot Quilts. “Dora’s patternsare modern and graphic,” Dede says.
“She takes complex patterns and
creates a way to make them easier.”
The shop also carries fabrics and
patterns by Alison Glass, whose
handcrafted modern batiks and color
palettes are as brilliant as SLO sunsets.
Beyond quilting notions and
supplies, customers can detour
into stylish apparel sewing with
contemporary patterns by Grainline
Studio, True Bias Patterns, and others.
Embroidery is another reason to
“SLO down,” especially for a recently
released SLO City Embroidery
Sampler, which showcases San Luis
Obispo landmarks.
While the shop’s size limits its
range of classes, Picking Daisies
inspires learning with periodic
embroidery, free-motion quilting,
and tote and zipper bag classes.The shop’s most distinguishing
attraction is its napkin wall—a 14×4
geometric grid of 20-inch-square
cotton napkins folded into 10-inch
squares. Customers can purchase
napkin-making kits or mix and
match premade napkins of their
own choosing. “People walk out
with a happy stack of all different
prints, themes, and colors,” Kay says.
She credits their mother, seamstress
Peggy Duntley, for passing along
her mitering technique for finishing
the napkins, which for years was the
theme of a monthly class. Today a
detailed tutorial lives on their
website, pickingdaisiesinslo.com.
Kay and Dede began making
and selling napkins at craft fairs in
2007, at the suggestion of their middle
sister, Ann. “We were not quilters
at the time,” Kay says. The busyPicking Daisies started
as a small napkin-
making home craft
business. Selling their
popular wares at a
local farmers market
led to opening a store
in October 2008.
Today, the napkins and
kits are still a big part
of the business and
ship all over the world.above top: Napkin-making kits include six prewashed, precut, ready-to-sew fabrics
with coordinating thread and printed instructions. above bottom: Customers
choose fun fabric groupings to put together their own napkin sets. “We encourage
mixing and matching,” Dede says. right: The napkins continue to be a best seller,
and the wall of napkins a focal point in the store.108 | Quilt Sampler FALL/WINTER 2019