Honouring a Loss

Meet Cheryl – Honouring a Loss by Pursuing a Life-Long Love of Fabric

I recently discovered a charming little fabric boutique located on a busy street at 142 Stellarton Road in New Glasgow, however, all that busyness soon evaporated as soon as I walked through the door.

There are so many fabulous fabrics neatly stacked on shelves and draped over stands inviting you to touch them, and hundreds of spools of thread in so many colours and weights. Like most fabric fanatics, you will also immediately imagine all the possibilities of what you could create.

I was soon greeted with a friendly hello from the lady behind the counter, her eyes bright and her smile warm. I smiled too, “Hello, what a beautiful boutique you have.” She slipped out from behind the counter, “I’m Cheryl. Welcome. I love it too, and I want to build a community that loves sewing and fabric as much as I do.” My eyes lit up, “I just love your energy! Following your passion is always a wonderful thing.” She nodded in agreement, “Sometimes the road to following it is difficult, but I am so happy that I finally followed mine.”

We went on to chat for quite some time and I learned that Cheryl was born and raised in Pictou County. She lived in Toronto where she owned a bookstore and most recently, in L’anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland where she and her partner, Wayne had an incredible B & B with a view of whales and icebergs. It was there that everything changed.

She shared, “Sadly, Wayne passed away in January 2022 but not before encouraging me to pursue my life-long love of fashion and fabrics. When I was not looking after him, I was gathering fabric, thread, and notions from some of the best producers in the world. It gave me a sense of calm during one of the most difficult times in my life.” My heart ached for her, “I am so sorry for your loss. I can only imagine how difficult that must have been.”

We stood there quiet for a few moments, “A month or so after Wayne passed away, I decided to move back home to New Glasgow and open a Boutique just as he would have wanted me to do,” She smiled softly, “And the Fool’s Fabric Boutique was born.”

You can certainly feel that there is more than just fabric and thread contained in these four walls, there is also love, heart, and soul. I left the Boutique with not only three spools of thread, but an appreciation for all the little things in life, the moments that matter, and that I made a new friend.

I think this quote sums it up, “Life is short. If there was ever a moment to follow your passion and do something that matters to you, that moment is now."