Prizes for a Campus Visit

I had already warned my daughter: "I get a prize for taking you on another campus visit. We're stopping at a quilt shop on the way home." She rolled her eyes, then packed her e-reader so she could entertain herself in the car rather than have to bear with Mom in a fabric store.

There's a quilt shop, Calico Gals, halfway between where we live and the campus we visited, so I decided today would be a good day to check it out. I'd heard good things about it but never got there before. Other than having some problems in the two traffic circles and one really oddly laid out intersection near the shop, I found it all right. Mind you, I'd only had a bag of peanut M&Ms for lunch due to our travel schedule so I may just have been synapse-deficient at the moment. In any case, it was worth the two trips around one of the traffic circles....

I got myself a cute little Christmas charm pack: Moda's 12 Days of Christmas. I made a few other people charm pack tablerunners last year as gifts--now I'm determined to make one for myself. I also picked up a little pocket guide to embroidery stitches so maybe I won't have to guess how to do my next backstitch or french knot. (Cute little book, btw. Handy.) And finally, I treated myself to an add-on for EQ, Sue Spargo's Folk-Art Dreams. I want to get back into doing wool felt projects again--did a few several years ago, haven't gotten back to it. Love doing those!

I also had the chance to sit down at some Baby-Locs and take them for a spin. It was helpful--now I know what model I'm shooting for. Still pretty sure it's not in the immediate cards. Or, at least, maybe I just need to wait a few weeks for the whole college-tuition-heart-attack thing to abate.

Got home too late and too tired tonight to try to record a podcast. Tomorrow. I promise!

It's Not a Good Sign When...

...you're halfway through recording a podcast episode and realize you never put your headset on.

Oops.

Dang, and it was a good half an episode, too!

Oh well--now I have to run out to a thing at my daughter's school, then take her on a college visit tomorrow, so chances are I won't have another shot at this week's episode until tomorrow night. Keep your fingers crossed that I stay in good voice after being out tonight and all day tomorrow!

...and a new project begun!

In the interest of "the process pledge," I thought it was time for another post about a project in process rather than just pics of a finish. So here 'tis--the very early stages.

I've mentioned the UFO Challenge that I'm co-facilitating in my guild a few times over the last few months. The other challenge I'm co-facilitating is our "Use It or Lose It Challenge." Participants list three items (or books) they've had on their shelves for a year or more and have never used. We are to use each item for its originally-intended purpose before the end of the challenge, or any items we haven't used will go in our guild silent auction. We don't actually have to create a finished product--we just have to show proof that we've used the tool in some way. (Yep--this was another idea of mine because I inherited a boatload of stuff from my Mom that I knew I needed motivation to try out or it'll still be sitting on my shelves 10 years from now. Not a surprise that several women in my guild were happy to join me in the challenge--apparently buying things and not *ahem* using them right away is a common ailment.)

I only have one item to go, so since the deadline is coming up (November), I decided I should take advantage of the break in action between one UFO and the next and, well, create another UFO for myself. So tonight I pulled out my last tool on my list and started to play.

My final tool is Marti Michell's Log Cabin rulers and the accompanying book. I inherited these from Mom. I think she'd only bought them about 6 months before she passed away. She and I had talked about these rulers a lot--we're both huge fans of log cabin quilts. The first quilt Mom made me when I was a kid was a log cabin, in fact, and I still have it today.

That being said, I'm not waxing particularly sentimental about these rulers. If they work for me, I'll be jazzed. If not, I'll be willing to put them in the silent auction.

I was just going to make a single block to test the rulers, and decided that might actually take almost as long as just having at it. I chose the first pattern in her book--not so much that I needed a pattern but just to have the fabric quantities and instructions for cutting easily laid out in front of me. The fabrics I have laid out are all from my stash: fat quarters and one strip. (The red on the top will eventually just be the little center square--it's a little dominating in this picture.) It'll make up to be about 54" square. If it turns out at all nice, I have a someone in mind who might enjoy a cuddle quilt. Meanwhile, a great way to use up 17 fat quarters!

I may get some sewing time in this weekend so I'll try to remember to post more pics as I go. It's fun to do a project that I'm not emotionally invested in--if it turns out, it turns out. Otherwise, I've just created space in my fat quarter drawer for the future!

Finished My Souvenir from Hawaii!


hibiscus
Originally uploaded by sandyquiltz
Well, one of the souvenirs, anyway. The really super-easy-beginner-type souvenir. I've got to work my way up to the other ones.

This is the hibiscus applique piece I started working on when my son was in the hospital at the end of August. I've only ever done one other hand applique project in my life, for a class, that ended up getting tossed at the end. The applique on this one ain't no great shakes, either, but it was still such a cute project I ploughed on through and finished it. I've since gotten some tips from listeners that should make my next attempt at needle-turn applique more successful, I hope.

This marks my first shot at hand embroidery, too--you can tell my stem stitch isn't exactly straight, but take a look at those french knots! Beauty, baby! And it's with thanks to this tutorial: http://www.needlenthread.com/2006/11/french-knot-video-tutorial.html.

The kit included the cute little frame. All the better, since it meant I didn't actually have to do any finishing techniques on the project. Just trim it to size and slap it in the frame. Done!

The Charity Quilts Revealed


charity-quilts-Sept-2010
Originally uploaded by sandyquiltz
OK, so I know I was pretty cagey about not posting any pictures of these while they were in progress, but really, they're nothing to crow about. Or write home about. Or whatever other cliche you want to fill in that particular blank.

But I figured since they were such a topic of [my] conversation for so many months I may as well post a picture--albeit showing as little of each of them as possible.

To recap: someone donated a plethora of 5x7" rectangles to our church--that's not as random as it might seem but it's a long, uninteresting story that I don't want to bother going into. Suffice it to say, we hadn't asked for them. But we wanted to honor the intentions of the donor so I asked another woman (poor thing, she's a brand new quilter) if she'd be willing to piece the tops and I'd finish them off. She got a friend or two of hers to help her do it, and they managed to figure out how to put this very odd conglomeration of fabrics into sets that were something approaching coordinating. I believe they added in some of their own fabrics here and there as necessary. They pieced the tops and then handed them over to me. I then did the backing, quilting, and binding.

Some fast facts: the one on the bottom was Evil. With a capital E. It was the first one and just about made me want to go home and throw out the rest before even starting on them. However, it's malevolence was most likely due to the fact that the fabric I used for the backing (inherited from Mom) was actually sort of a heavy brushed cotton--almost flannel--that seemed all warm and cozy but made it insanely heavy to work with on my sewing machine. Also, I was working on it at a quilt retreat so was using my plexiglass table extender for the machine rather than my usual recessed sewing cabinet, so it kept dragging and catching on the edge of the plexiglass. In short, it was a major pain in my...well...you know.

The flip side of all that grief was I was pathetically glad about how quickly the rest went in comparison. All the backing fabrics I used were inherited fabrics; numbers two and three from the top have the same backing, that doesn't match the front at all but again is a fairly soft cotton that should be comfy. Numbers two and four are the ones that share the same binding (the "extra 198 inches" inexplicable math error). The one on top is the only one I actually like--it's kinda cute!

I bled on the back of one of them. The stain came out, but it seemed somehow fitting.

I just finished dropping them off at the donation site. I'm not sure the volunteers there understood why I gleefully skipped back out the door to my car. "Buh-bye!"

The Light at the End of the Tunnel

I got the bindings on both of the last two charity quilts today--wheee! Now I'm going to spend the rest of the day in front of the TV watching some "Great Courses" lectures on DVD, old TV shows on Netflix, and movies, and work on getting the binding hand-sewn to the back as long as my hand will hold out. I'm motivated! I'm committed! I'm determined! I will get those two quilts done by the end of the week--and then I can get all five of them to the donation recipient organization and they'll be OUT OF MY LIFE!

Can you feel my excitement?

Then I can get back to my own UFOs. First up, the binding on my square-in-a-square quilt. I'm hoping that maybe I can get the binding put on that before a road trip next weekend to take my daughter on another campus tour for a late addition to her potential college list. I'd like to have something to work on in the hotel. Sadly, I get carsick if I try to sew in the car so the eight hour round trip drive won't be particularly productive. The other UFOs I still need to finish all need to be machine quilted so I'll try to stay on a schedule of having one project at the machine while I'm doing the hand-sewing on the other. If I can stay consistent, I should be able to make some significant process this fall.

But for the moment, I'm just going to wallow in the Almost-Doneness on the charity quilts. Wheeee.

Getting Jazzed for Houston!

I finally had the time this afternoon to sit down and sort through my catalogue for the International Quilt Festival in Houston this November and get myself registered for my classes. Woohoo!

This is the second time I'll be going; the first time was with Mom several years ago. Mom really enjoyed the round-table style of classes they offer so she and I both signed up for one focused on applique, and I could see what she meant. It's a great way to be exposed to several teachers and their techniques in a short period of time, although Karen Buckley particularly stands out in my memory. I enjoyed watching her presentation and later being at her table for her demonstration. She does great work. And I believe I bought stuff from her. So we both benefitted from the experience.

To the same end, this year I'm taking another round-table style class (on mixed-media in quilting), and then focusing mostly on lectures. I like the idea that I can explore a whole wide range of things and then delve deeper into ones that intrigue me later on with books, DVDs, and the like. I looked at several of the classes, too--there were two offered at the same time that I was debating between, only to find out they were both already closed anyway. Problem solved! Nicely, my schedule ended up in neat little bunches so I'll still have plenty of time for the show and vendors and all the other fun stuff they have going on in the show hall.

Registering was the last step I had to take care of...now it's just packing and going! Well, OK, there's a couple of months between now and then, but still...a girl can dream.

Back in the saddle again...

Just to let y'all know, I did post episode 20, "In Which We Are Relieved," this afternoon (www.quiltingfortherestofus.com). It's a response to listener comments over the last couple of weeks and a little bit of update about what I have going on in my quilty life these days--admittedly, not much, but some new projects started and older ones moved along. Altogether not bad, considering. I also talk a little bit about the international quilting scene as I've experienced it through magazines--while sitting in hospitals--and wonder what folks who actually live in the countries from whence those magazines come would say. So chime in!

I am very pleased to report that my son is doing well. He even made a short trip to the mall today with his sister and cousin to pick up my birthday gift (an expansion pack for Settlers of Catan, our families' current fave game). He was a little tired when he got back, but other than that, none the worse for wear. His follow-up appointment with his surgeon is Monday--keep your fingers crossed or send up prayers that he gets released to move back on campus in another few days. He was getting texts all evening from his BFF/roommate who moved back today about the other folks on the hall and so forth. He's missing being part of the haps.

Tomorrow is scheduled to be a low-key day at the homestead so I'm hoping to get more sewing time in. I got the fourth charity quilt all ready to be quilted; the fifth one has the backing ready and I just have to spray baste it all together and I'll be ready to let that one rock n' roll too. It'll feel amazingly good to have those five monkeys off my back!

Thanks, again, for all your well wishes and support and encouragement over these last couple of weeks. It meant a lot. I'm looking forward to life returning to normal, however we define "normal" these days.

New QFTRU Flickr Group

Finally--I'm getting more organized! I cordially invite you to join the new Quilting...for the Rest of Us group in Flickr. No longer do you have to wait on my schedule to share your pics with other listeners. Which is a good thing, given what my schedule is going to be for the next few months....

Often listeners will send me photos--which I love!--and I want to share them with everyone else but if I'm on the road I get way delayed in being able to post them to my blog. So from now on, just add them to the Flickr group. It'll be our own QFTRU Show n' Tell--woohoo!

Here's the direct link:  http://www.flickr.com/groups/quiltingfortherestofus. Can't wait to see your photos!

The dust is settling...mostly

My son came home from the hospital last night and in about an hour he has an appointment with the surgical practice to check the fact that his incision seems to have re-opened. Bully. We'd originally been told that they weren't going to take all the staples out until next week, then the PA took all the staples out last night before discharging him. And now it looks like he could've still used a few staples in there. Don't know for sure--they'll tell us what's what when we get to the office. Fortunately, he's not in pain--just a little uncomfortable (some of which is psychological--it's a little disturbing to think your insides are open to the outsides).

I took today as a vacation day because I knew it would take us awhile to get into the swing of things with him being home. Sure enough, one trip out to the drug store to pick up some bandages and medical tape so we could rebandage his body parts. And making him his fave homemade soup to try to stimulate his appetite a bit. Washing the blanket we'd brought from home for him to have in the hospital room for warmth and emotional comfort. And now the doctor's appointment. I may take tomorrow off too, so I can rest from today!

Meanwhile, I did treat myself to an early birthday present, my birthday being Thursday. I received a little financial birthday gift early so I just bought myself the EQ7 Upgrade, after checking with my husband that the thought hadn't crossed anyone else's mind. I knew it wouldn't have--that's the kind of thing only my Mom would have ever thought about doing for me, since she had also been an EQ user. I ordered it online so I won't have it for another week or so but at least I know it's on its way. And gee, here I just finally figured out how to use EQ6! I can see another Quilt University class in my future....

I also had plans to put the binding on my square-in-a-square quilt today (see the posting from the podcast episode "In Which I Saved a Quilt from Almost Certain Destruction"), but then decided I really didn't like the fabric I had set aside awhile back as potential binding. That precipitated a dig through my scraps bin to find the scraps from the fabric I'd used for the sashing strips, and fortunately I had a couple of scraps that still had the selvege with the fabric name and maker. I found it online and ordered a yard, so when that comes I'll finally be ready to do the binding.

So my quilty activity today primarily consisted of shopping. Best kind of retail therapy involves fabric.

Wait--I did also prep the Hawaiian applique kit for the next step. I don't recall where I posted about what, now, while I was in the hospital, but I had been working on the smallest/easiest applique kit I'd bought in Hawaii during the hours I was hanging out in my son's room. I finished the applique part and am now onto the quilting and embellishing but decided I needed to press it all out again before I did any of that since it had gotten a bit wrinkled in its travels back and forth from home to hospital. So it's now neatly pressed and pin-basted together so I can take it with me to the doctor later this afternoon and work on it in the waiting room. This poor little applique hibiscus is doomed to a life of reminding me of a not-very-fun time in my life. Hopefully, the memories of having bought it in Hawaii will outweigh the memories of where I actually worked on it!

I'd post a picture of the hibiscus but it's not very good applique so I think I'll wait until it's all done, then do a photo from more of a distance to bring the whole "galloping horses" theory into play. Then you can all think that maybe I actually know what I'm doing, applique-wise. I'm not adverse to using a little photographic trickery.

Radio Silence

I realized I'd posted some info in a couple of other places but never left a blog entry about why there's been radio silence from me the last little while.

My son (19) had a ruptured appendix and emergency appendectomy last Sunday---after a couple of days of thinking he had food poisoning after a rather unfortunate lunch at a buffet restaurant. Seems we can't blame the restaurant after all.

In any case, what's usually a 90 minute surgery was almost 4 hours and then he went straight into ICU following. He was just moved from ICU to a regular surgical floor last night, and will likely be in the hospital for several more days before he's well enough to continue his recuperation at home.

So no podcast episodes or blogs from me recently. At the moment, signs point to him being home by next week and at that point, although we'll still be doing some caretaking, at least I won't be spending most of my waking moments in a hospital--I'll be able to return to some of my usual activities.

I'll be back in touch when the dust settles.

Going Hawaiian

I got episode 19 "In Which We Go Hawaiian" tonight--yay! It took two recording sessions because I'm still struggling with time zone issues and the first time through just didn't ... well... it just didn't. So I re-recorded tonight and decided to just forge ahead. (If you're not a subscriber, use the embedded player on the left to listen to the episode.)

It's a little longer than my usual episodes, although not too far off, but that's what I get for skipping a week and having to play catch-up. The real star of the episode, though, is Anne Fujiwara, quilt designer and teacher of the traditional Hawaiian style. Great interview--I'm very appreciative of her for taking the time to sit with me and talk!

I posted a photo of her in her shop in the show notes to the episode, so be sure to check that out. Meanwhile, here's my other quilty-pics from the trip.

Anne's Hawaiian Quilts, Honolulu. (Listed in the Shops page at http://www.quiltingfortherestofus.com/.)

Beautiful sampler quilt designed by Anne.

The subject matter of the blocks is traditional Hawaiian style, but the sampler nature and the use of multiple colors is more modern.
Traditional Hawaiian quilts are two color--usually a white background with navy blue or red single-piece, symmetrical applique on the top. The traditional quilting pattern is echo-quilting.


Anne's student working on her quilt. You hear about this quilt, and this student, in the interview as well.

Her quilting was beautiful, by the way. Very nicely done!









I bought the kit for this cute little hibiscus applique piece as my "starter kit" for traditional Hawaiian quilts. It comes pre-basted with the quilting lines marked. The frame also comes with the kit. A good way to get my feet wet!

In traditional Hawaiian quilting, everything is done by hand, and it's needle-turn applique.

I don't have photos of one of the patterns I bought which was slightly more complicated than this, but a very traditional Hawaiian block pattern. I believe it's pillow-sized. The third pattern I purchased is the pattern for the center medallion block in the sampler quilt in the first picture above. That one will take me awhile, but I couldn't resist!

On to Maui, and Sew Simple. (Information listed on the Shops page at http://www.quiltingfortherestofus.com/.)

Some of the samples on their wall. (I asked for permission to take the photos. May not be exactly correct in terms of copyright but I'm not claiming this as my work and I'm basically advertising the store and showing what great patterns are available--I didn't write down the names of the patterns these quilts are made from but I'm sure you can contact the store and ask.) I love the fabrics used in the one on the right, particularly.

Look way to the right--the bird of paradise applique by Nancy Chong. That's the one I bought. Beautiful! Two pieces of fabric, one on top of the other.

I'm also fond of the pineapples on the left, but didn't write down the name of the pattern. I need to dig that one up and buy it at some point!


Here she's preparing the thread from the sashiko kit for me. Her tip, if you buy one of these kits. Tie off the thread shank roughly in thirds, then cut both ends. That makes it really easy to pull out a length of thread for stitching without tangling up the whole shank, and the lengths are perfect for stitching. I gotta say, it really does work! I haven't had a single tangle. I hold onto the far end of it and pull from the near end, holding the whole shank as straight as possible while I do it. It works like a charm.


She also let me snap a picture of the back of the sample piece hanging behind the register so I could see how to tie off the end of the thread. You just go backwards through three or four loops on the back and snip it off. Very simple. I love simple.


And now, for some general Hawaiian eye-candy.



Waikiki/Honolulu from the top of Diamond Head Crater












The "Shower Tree," rainbow variety. (I have a kazillion pictures of these--I loved the meld of pink and yellow on each flower.)











There he is, the bird of paradise! He amuses me.












Gorgeous coastal views along the infamous "Road to Hana."











Waves against lava rock along the shores of Maui. (Also taken along the Road to Hana trek.)

Hawaiian Quilting...A Teaser

So, I'm still in Hawaii but have a random few minutes to post a quick note to whet your appetite for my podcast next week!

When I first arrived in Waikiki (Oahu), I had a free day to wander about and do as I pleased before starting my conference. So I did a hike up Diamond Head (beautiful--see view of Waikiki from the top, at left), and then tracked down a quilt shop I'd found online ahead of time. It was a little tricky to find, but what a find. And...even better...I was able to interview the owner all about Hawaiian quilting!

My husband flew in to meet me when the conference was over and we headed on to Maui for a few days of vacation. Today, on our way to some hiking trails, I was able to visit another quilt shop that I'd found online ahead of time and once again, it was a wonderful treat.

I'm not going to divulge any more here--I'll be talking about my quilt shop experiences and sharing the interview next week when I'm home again. So get ready for the next podcast episode...it's a doozy!


Guest Blogger on Quilting Gallery

I'm still away on business but had a quick minute to post an update: I'm the current guest blogger on Quilting Gallery. You can read it here. Check out all the other great features on Quilting Gallery while you're there!

A great video

Listener Deb shared a link to this very amusing video with me. Thanks, Deb!

The Quilt from Episode 17

In episode 17 of my "Quilting...for the Rest of Us" podcast series, I talk about this quilt from inception to it's current state. This was a doozy.

I won't go into details of what I refer to as a quilt's tale of "woe and redemption," since that's what the whole podcast episode is about. You'll just have to listen if you're curious.

But I promised pics, so here they are!

Here's the whole quilt. Or, at least as much as could be held up by two people standing on the ground rather than ladders. It's somewhere roundabouts twin size.







This is a close-up of some of the wonderful quilting by the long-arm quilter at Mt. Pleasant Quilting Company.  (Note the medallion feathered wreath, with the external feathered wreath in the coping triangles, and sort of a starburst effect in the cornerstone squares.)

My doofus dog trying to figure out why Mom is on the opposite side of the fence from him. "What's up with that? Why aren't we playing?"







The road crew for the photo shoot. (My daughter and niece pressed into service, the two dogs observing and just generally getting underfoot, waiting for food or toys to drop from heaven.)

The Freedom of Ephemerality

If only that were a word, "ephemerality." It would be a good one.

I subscribe to "The Best of YouTube" and while mostly it's just a cheap pleasure, sometimes videos really make you stop and think. While I was watching this one, I couldn't help but wonder, "Would I feel more free in my quilting if I knew it would only be there for three hours? Would that liberate me?"

I wonder how much I get bunched up just because I'm thinking, "Others will be seeing this for years to come," or the perennial, "Will I be able to live with that?"

This artist creates art that will only last a matter of hours--and he takes such joy in that. He's so energized by the time frame and by the fact that it'll be wiped clear and he has a clean slate again.

I wonder...

What do you think?

(It's almost 10 minutes long--but worth the time.)

"Use It or Lose It" Challenge update

Because I inherited so many specialty rulers and other gizmos from my Mom when she passed away, I proposed a new challenge to my guild-that-is-not-a-guild at the beginning of this year and because others were feeling a similar pinch, they hopped on board. So this year is the inaugural year of the "Use It or Lose It" challenge! Basically, anyone who is playing along listed 3 quilty items (in our case, rulers, tools, or books were all considered fair game) that had been on their shelves for at least one year and had never been used. In other words, this is our challenge to use those items that sounded just so nifty cool at the time and we just had to have them, but they have never been broken out of their packages and sit forlorn, collecting dust.

We have until October to use the items on our list--whatever we haven't used by then we "lose" to a silent auction during a guild meeting in November. Or, if we use an item and decide it's just not all that and a bag of chips, we can chose to gift it to that same silent auction.

My three items were a Fons and Porter binding ruler-tool thingie (I'd bought that myself some time ago), a set of Marilyn Doheny circle wedge rulers I'd inherited from Mom, and the Marti Michell Log Cabin rulers and book, also inherited. Here's the thing--forasmuch as all these rulers seemed like good things to keep from my Mom's studio, if I didn't have some external pressure they'd never get used and they'd still be in my drawer 10 years from now, untouched.

We have a few different benchmarks along the way of this challenge--every couple of months, anyone who has a "finish" gets their name put in a drawing and the winner gets a half yard of fabric from the kitty. (The registration fee for the challenge was a half yard of fabric.) I haven't won yet, and to tell the truth, I'm trying to use up fabric, not win more. So the drawing isn't a big motivator for me. But having those benchmarks is an excellent reminder to keep myself moving on the challenge.

I knocked off the binding ruler quite quickly--I've been doing a lot of bindings lately with finishing all of Mom's UFOs and some of my own. Now I'm working on the circle wedge rulers to see if I can use them before the next benchmark, which is next month's meeting. We don't actually have to finish whatever project we use the items in--and, in fact, can use the item in any other project as well. The only real rule is that you have to use the item for the purpose for which it was originally intended. You'd be amazed at how creative a quilter can be at trying to find the loopholes!

I've been brewing an idea for using the circle wedge rulers for awhile, and tonight started pulling out fabrics to see what I could put together. Think ancient Egyptian art. And that's all I'm gonna say for now. Of course, I could just slap some fabric down, slice into it, and sew it back together and call it a day. For the purpose of the challenge, that would get me through. But I can't quite make things that easy on myself. Instead I'm getting all fancy with it. Hopefully I'm not just creating myself a UFO that will end up on my UFO challenge list 5 years from now!

If I get anything real accomplished this week, I'll post pics. But to be honest, I'm trying to stay off the computer as much as possible this week so I can get some sewing done. At the moment, I'm just waiting for my iron to heat up so I can get down to work!

Quilt Shop Hop--Day 3

Day 3 and done. Phew. I'm exhausted. Somewhere around store 5 or 6 yesterday I commented to one of my cohorts, "I think I'm starting to suffer from overstim."

But I had a fant-ab-ulous time. (Or would that be "fabric-ulous time"?)

Last shop, and then my little personal debriefing:

Last, but certainly not least, was Ivy Thimble (Victor).

Why didn't we make it here on Saturday? Because it's nowhere near any of the other shops on the list for this particular shop hop. But that doesn't stop the Intrepid and Determined Quilter.

This was my first ever visit here because it's a bit of a haul for me. I really do like this shop--I'll definitely be making more of an effort to get back there again. Since this was my last shop I only bought one charm pack (future freebie giveaway!). But I scoped out possible future purchases. You know, once I have money again. Like in 2013.

This is a fairly sizeable shop for our area--lots of bolts of fabric. Great batiks section, great flannels section, great blenders section. Great everything section.

So--here's what I learned that I'd like to pass along to you, for the next time you're wanting to go on a shop hop.

1.) There are a ton of great quilt shops in Western NY. C'mon over, y'all, ya hear? (There are several area quilt shops that weren't participating in this particular "official" shop hop--so there's a whole bunch more really nice ones than I've blogged about here!)

2.) Work on a cash-only basis. (Sigh.)

3.) Get yourself a Sonja. Without her maps and pre-planning, we'd never have been as efficient as we were. And we never felt rushed! It was a nice trip. Thanks, Sonja.

4.) Use electronics for good. One time, I should've done a quick online check of pricing before purchasing. That was the only downside to the whole trip. But overall, I could've kept much better track of what I was seeing in each shop that might have come in handy later. Now I'm going to sit tonight and program some of this stuff into my phone for future reference, but it would've been a lot easier to be doing it while I was standing right in the store. (For those of you with Droids--that "Footprints" app is a great way to track all the fun shops you're visiting. Much easier to do it at the moment you're standing in front of the store than trying to input everything later.)

OK--that's it. Now I have to start figuring out what I'm doing with my new fabric friends. And playing with my new Janome feet. There's no stopping me now.