A rainy Friday

The first stop for today, Friday, is The Quilter's Parlour in Jenkins. I'm here a little early, as some of the shops will open earlier that their stated hours. I do need to do some planning for today, decide on the best route. I will have to skip one of the shops on the way north if I am to stay with the schedule. I think that the shop in Floodwood will have to wait for tomorrow.

The Quilter's Parlour is just off the highway and very easy to find. This shop has a shop designed tote that has been made up in the gray script and dark gray 'woven' fabrics and is quite stunning. Needless to say, this shop is out of both fabrics! It is being shown as a grocery tote, but I think that it would be a great bag for work, as it is very sophisticated. I get the pattern, as this could be a great gift idea. Forget to get a picture, I'm so distracted.

Off to Brainerd, where the are 2 shops. Country Fabrics and Quilting in Brainerd, Minnesota is about as far from country as you can get. Most of the fabric in the store are by contemporary designers or batiks. The store also sells sewing machines. The store has a lot of sample garments made up, especially for children. There is a special section of prints that would be appropriate for juvenile clothing on just before you go upstairs. There are also adult garment samples.

This story is the first in the Central North section. This section is requiring a five dollar purchase at each of the shops in order to qualify for the prize at the end of the shop hop, which is a sampling of Cherrywood fabrics coordinated with the Minnesota shop hop fabrics.

The second shop in town in town is Colorz for Quilts. This shop is smaller that Country Fabrics. They have a nice sample quilt on display and snacks for the hoppers. The have mostly contemporary fabrics. Parking is in the back of the store, as it is on a very busy main street.

The next stop is in Aitkins at Aitkins Quilts and Fabrics. This is a new shop to the hop this year. Smaller shop with wide selection of fabrics. They also have a "Man Cave" set up in the back of the store for all the males who are being 'dragged' along on the hop. This shop is on a very busy street, so be aware.

On to Timeless Treasures in McGregor, MN. This little log cabin is again not on the GPS and it doesn't even recognize the roadway as having an island. This is a great shop, wide range of fabrics, lots of patterns and tools. Shop like this, that are further away from large metro areas really are treasures!

The next shops will be back in the N Central section of the hop. There are several shops clustered close to and Grand Rapids, so hopefully this will go pretty quick. I am starting to realize that I probably should have called the shop in Warroad to see if they would have waited for me to get there on Wednesday, I could use that extra 1 1/2 to 2 hours of time that the drive from Warroad to International Falls cost me the next day.

The next shop is ABC's of Quilting in Grand Rapids. This shop in an old school building in the center of town with several other shops. Grand Rapids is also the birthplace of Judy Garland and as you can see, there is a Yellow Brick Road leading from the sign in the picture up to the school. This shop is smaller, but has a nice range of fabrics, including flannels, They also have a long-arm in the shop. Quite a few of the shops in Minnesota also do long arm quilting.

The picture at the school does not really show it, but it is starting to get cloudy and it looks like it could rain. The next shop is in Deer River is Heart to Hands Quilt Shop. This shop is in an old church. The area where the altar would be has been made into a display area for a number of sample quilts. The shop is roomy and the fabrics are nicely displayed.

You can see in this picture that it is clouding up and it started to sprinkle as I was walking to my van. The GPS wants to take me back through Grand Rapids to get to Nashwauk. I ask for an alternative route, as I want to avoid the traffic. On my way, I get caught in a horrible rain storm. The rain is blowing across the road in sheets of water and you can hardly see the road at times. I keep driving, even though other vehicles have pulled over and are waiting for the storm to subside. I do drive out of the rain before I get to Nashwauk.

I make a quick stop at the Quilting Patch. This little shop is in an older home. They have a classroom area and some cute ideas using Minkee. Sorry I couldn't stay longer, but I want to try to keep head of the storm.

This picture doesn't really show how bad the clouds looked at the time. I hear on the radio that a flash flood warning has been issued for the area I just drove through. I can believe it, it was really raining hard.

The next stop is Quilts Around the Corner in Hibbing. This shop really is around the corner, you nearly have to make a U-turn to get to the store. This shop always has some great samples made up and this stop does not disappoint. I am seeing a wider range of the MN fabrics in some of the recent shop. Prior to this, some shops were running out of some of the colors. I am now back in the NE section.

It is getting late in the day and I need to make a decision on where I go from here. I decide to stop at Terri's Treasures in Iron, MN. This shop is in a mobile home. The storm catches up with me on the way to Iron. I get into the shop without getting to wet, in a break in the rainstorm. Smaller shop, obviously, but very friendly.

Minnesota State Quilt Shop Hop version 5

Well, Minnesota quilt shop hop starts again. I have been asked by my niece if I am planning to blog again this year. I do think that will be a little easier since I am now able to dictate my notes instead of typing. I am an extremely slow typist.

I started my trip this year at a new shop in Anoka, Minnesota. This is the first year that Millie P's is on the shop hop. It is kind of fun to be able to start the Minnesota shop hop at a brand-new shop. This shop had a really cute area display of items made with Minnesota State shop hop fabric. They also had quite a few very nice samples and displays. I do think that it helps to see a sample pattern constructed. Even if you don't use the same fabrics, it still gives you a good idea of what you can do with your fabric.

In addition the shop is next door to a small coffee House and across the street from an antique shop. This new shop is on Anoka's Main Street. And it is quite easy to find.


The next shop on the hop is Fat Quarter Quilting in Coon Rapids, Minnesota. This shop moved to a larger space in the same shopping mall last year. They have an excellent display of batiks, and I am able to find a border fabric that I have on my list. This year I decided to be a little more organized, and made a list of various fabrics, patterns, etc. that I was looking for, so that I had a better idea of what I needed. Unfortunately, the computer at the store was not working properly and they were unable to take my credit card. Lucky for me, I had some cash on hand to spend today.

I have a couple of options at this point. I can go to Rush City so that I can finish all of the shops in the Central East section, or I can skip Rush City and go the shop in Blaine. The decision will be made on time. I will have to take nearly 2 hours for a round trip to Rush City, so on to Blaine it is.

The Calla Lily Quilt Shop and Gifts is a smaller shop on the hop. They always have some nice samples made of the hop fabric. The quilts that they have this year are the pattern Sidelights and a pattern by a shop designer. I did try to get some photos but couldn't

The two shops in White Bear Lake are next. Parking here is always interesting, as there is a huge farmer's market in the downtown area as well. Too bad I don't live closer, I would really like to get some of this produce.

Rosebud's Cottage is the first of the shops that I go to, simply because I can park the closest. This shop has a lot of crafting items as well, including some vintage bottle caps! They have lots of small project made with the shop hop fabric kitted. Unfortunately, I also am here with a bus! Lots and lots of people.

Walking down the street and past the farmer's market, I arrive at Bear Patch Quilting Co. This shop always seems to have some great samples made from the Minnesota fabrics, and this year does not disappoint. Several cute 'non-quilty' sample like aprons are among the offerings. This shop has a wide range of fabric, lots of batiks and sells sewing machines.

It is almost time for lunch. There is a great little bakery and deli just around the corner from Charlotte's Quilting Web. This shop always seems to have a lot of sale fabric, so if you're looking for bargains for backs, there you go. This shop is much quieter, no buses.

Stop for lunch, but forget the cord to download pictures in the van! That will have to wait for later. I have been checking in with Foursquare. So far the day is going a little slower than I had planned, but no worries, it is vacation and I am really trying to not stress so much. I get enough of that every day!

2010 MN Shop Hop 7/30

I must admit that I am a terrible blogger, I feel like I never have anything interesting to say. That aside it is time for the 4th annual Minnesota Shop Hop, so here we go again. I have a new much faster laptop this year, so maybe that will help too. (ha ha)

I have to post this first. I went out Thursday morning to water the pots in front of my house and I find this little gal (guy?) in one of the pots. She sat still while I watered the plants, went in the house to get my camera and took about 5 pictures. Then the flash went off, and away she went! I was about 18 inches away from her most of the time. Mom and Dad Robin didn't like me much. I'm sure that they were probably swearing up a storm, they were noisy enough.

Day One of the 2010 MN Shop Hop

Try to get the day off to an early start, so head to a shop that opens at 8 AM. This is 2 hours before the usual hop times. I start this year at Silver Lane Quilting in Forest Lake. This is really nice little shop. The owners son Doug is the designer for Antler Quilt Design. Shop has Doug's Warm Winter Wishes quilt using the shop shop fabrics behind the counter. The kits are gone, but Doug has a insert for the pattern that lists the fabrics he used in the quilts. I can't seem to get any of my Garmin products to find this shop, so they put their coordinates up on the website and it is easy to find.

Next shop on my day 1 hop is Fat Quarter Quilting in Coon Rapids. This shop is the first one in the Metro Section that I will visit today. The metro shops offer a charm with a $10 purchase. I will not let any know hop much that I really spent, but I have to spend at least $120 to get all the charms. (A real bargain!) However, I do have a list of fabrics that I need for a quilt that I want to make and a hop like this is a great way to gather a diverse number of fabrics for a scrap quilt. Fat Quarter has moved down the sidewalk in the same shopping center and is in a new space that is much bigger than their old store and has nice classroom space. I don't that I have been here since the last state hop. Used to get here more often when my daughter lived in Coon Rapids. The shop has some great sale items and they have a Lazy Girl bag made with the shop hop fabrics that is really cute

Back to the charms. The charms this year all have a winter theme. Before the hop started, I decided to make a necklace to put the charms on. The fabrics are blues and grays and white and so I choose blue beads and a matching pendant on a silver snake chain with silver findings. I have made 2 bracelets and a necklace with previous years charms. I wear them for the time that I am on the hop and the rest of the year they hang on the bulletin board in my sewing room.

Shop # 3 is the Calla Lily in Blaine. This shop is part of the Central East section and the section is giving away snowflakes that can be used to make a candle mat or table topper. This shop has a great display of the items made with the hop fabrics. I would like to show more pictures of the inside of the shops, but due to concerns about copy writes, etc., I'm sticking to just showing the shops.

Shops 4 and 5 are both in White Bear Lake.

The first shop is Bear Patch Quilting. I didn't realize that Friday mornings are evidently Farmers Market day and so the downtown is packed with people and cars and I have to park about 4 blocks away. What a baby, you might say, and you would be right. I does however make a difference latter when I have about 5 plastic bags of produce to carry back 5 blocks to the car! I think that it must have weighed about 20 pounds.

This shop is quite eclectic and has numerous display quilts and bags to help you choose just the right purse, bag or quilt that you would like to make. They also have a quilt with hand embroidery using the hop fabrics. In addition to the 5 inch square of the hop fabrics that you get at each of the shops on the hop, as well as a block pattern, Bear Patch has the pattern for a couple of hand stitched quilt tags.

About 2 blocks away is Rosebud's Cottage. This shop was in North Saint Paul on the last shop hop. The store is at one end of the street where the farmers market is being held. This shop was quiet at the time that I was there, so I had a chance to talk to the owner for a little while. This shop has some cute Halloween fabric in the window.

Now I have to walk back to the van, through the farmer's market. I am not going to be able to eat any of this stuff, but my son and daughter-in-law and my oldest daughter live in the metro area and they can use this up.

This is a picture of all the stuff that I hauled back to the van. The picture does not include the slab of Alaskan salmon that I purchased as well. It's in the cooler.

I also had a bag of quilty stuff to carry as well. I need to do some weightlifting!

Down the road to Stillwater and to Charlotte's Quilting Web. This shop is a little tricky to get to off the highway coming from the west, and I seem to mix it up every year! Oh well, what's a little more driving. This shop is full of shoppers and is pretty crowded. They have a great sale fabric area and a nice selection of batiks. I am able to find a couple more of the teal and brown fat quarters that I need for a quilt that I plan to make.

Just around the corner from the quilt shop is a great bakery and restaurant, Fresh Fields. It is time for lunch!

The Hop Begins

The wireless internet connection seems to be working well here so, off we go on the trip.

The first stop of the first day is Silver Lane Quilting in Forest Lake. They are opening at 8 AM during the hop. They one of several shops that are opening earlier than the stated hours for the hop. Some of the shops are also staying open later as well, which is nice for the long distance hoppers like myself. This shop has a nice selection of fabrics and has a huge classroom. They also have constructed a quilt using the blocks from all the shops in the central east section. The directions for the quilt will be available at the last shop that I visit in this section. That will be nice as I have my machine with me this time and am hoping to get some sewing done in the evenings.

Also at this shop, two hoppers who have set up camp by the front door. They have their lawn chairs and totes and are ready to go! One of the totes is the Professional Tote by The Creative Thimble that is made in the tan script fabric from last year's hop. I have this pattern and have been thinking about making the tote for the professional people in my life.

The service at the shop is very good and everyone is friendly. I have to make a return trip later in the morning because I forget to pick up my block pattern. Not off to a good start.


I do a little backtracking for the next two shops. Calla Lily Quilt Shop in Blaine and Fat Quarter Quilt Shop in Coon Rapids are opening at 9 AM, so will hit these two shops before heading north to a shop that is opening at 10AM. Must make the most of the time that I have.

I decide to go to Fat Quarter Quilt shop first. I have been at this shop a number of times as it was close to where my daughter was living. This is a smaller shop, but has a nice selection, especially of batiks. They have very nice samples made up. This shop is part of of the metro section. They are giving away charms if you purchase $10 or more. Each shop has a unique charm.


Calla Lily Quilt Shop in Blaine is a little difficult to get to, but worth the work. This shop is very open and well lit. They have a pattern for a huge tote (think taking all of my stuff to a weekend retreat big) that is exclusive to the shop. Very nice samples displayed. I really like the open plan of this shop, not so crowded and makes the samples and fabric easy to see.


A little backtracking to Silver Lane to pock up the block pattern that I forgot and then on to
Fabric, Fashions and More in Rush City. The gals here have a cute fishing display in the front window of the store (sorry, it does not show in the picture). Large selection of books and a very nice quilt displayed, made from the hop fabrics. The powder room is decorated in a prom theme.
Shop is pretty easy to find but off the main street.


The next shop on this trip is Cole's Country Treasures Quilt Shop in Princeton. This shop is in the lower level of a general mercantile that is on the main street. The shop has a wide selection of fabrics and has a large sale section. They have quite a few samples and also sell wool and have a good selection of patterns and books.


Heading back to the Cities for the rest of the shop hop for today. Cottage Quilts in Elk River has a great selection of kits for 5 yard quilts, including ones made with the shop hop fabrics. Again a nice wide selection of fabrics. This shop also has a large classroom and a large selection of sale fabrics. I like looking in the sale areas for fabric that is suitable for quilt backs. Finding it on sale is a real money saver.



Just down the road in Rogers, is Quilted Treasures. This shop has a great selection, a large amount of samples and a number of quilt kits. This shop also has a great sale section. There is a large classroom with lots of sample quilts to get you planning your next project. One of the kits being made with the shop hop fabric is a table runner designed by Pieced Tree Patterns. I have to give this company a shout out as the designer is from my hometown.


Sorry about the quality of the photo.

Final Preparations

Well, I am writing this from the hotel in the Twin Cities. Planning is complete and the trip is on the way. Shop hop will commence at 8 AM tomorrow at Silver Lane Quilting and proceed from there.

Thought that I would show you some of the things that I completed (or partially completed) for the 2008 Quilt Minnesota Shop Hop. The first quilt that I finished was my All About Minnesota quilt. This was constructed using the fabrics from the hop and the "All about Me" pattern by Terry Atkinson. The pattern was quick to make and like all of the Terry's patterns, clear and easy to read and follow.

Another project was a Atkinson Designs pattern with stars. This is a nice lap size quilt. The centers of the stars are the various motifs from the shop hop fabric.

The next quilt is a pattern that was provided by Shades of the Past quilt shop. It uses the larger sections of the motifs quite effectively. I made the quilt smaller, another lap or couch size quilt. This one is getting a flannel back to make it extra cozy.

The last couple of projects are smaller. This tote was a pattern designed by The Thimble Box in New Ulm. Again, the pattern uses the larger panel that was being given at the shops in the southwest section in 2008. The album is a kit that was put together by the folks at Country Caboose Quilting. The photo album with the cover made with the hop fabric is just the right size for the clues for the section quilts that were given away last year.

The tote is just the right size for magazines and notebooks and I made mine with interior pockets. I also changed the closing tab. I was a quick project.

I hope to see some great ideas for this year's fabric as well. I am thinking that the cityscape fabric might work well for the Bow Tucks Tote. I have made several of these totes and my daughters really like them.