Day 4 - Back on the road again

Well it's Tuesday morning, and I am back on the shop hop. My first stop is Fabric Plus in Marshall, Minnesota. This shop is on the main street of town. And once again, I ran into a bus. However, this turns out to be a good thing, as the shop is open before the posted time of 9:30 AM. This shop has a very cute little outdoorsy display of the Minnesota shop hop fabrics. They also have they also have an extensive display of juvenile and baby fabrics and sample quilts. This shop also sold sewing machines in the past, but they appeared to be no longer doing so. The shop also has a rather extensive collection of holiday fabrics, mostly Christmas.

The second shop today is Gathering Friends in Bird Island, Minnesota. This shop is been in operation since 1998. They also publish a line of patterns and booklets under the Gathering Friends name. They have a very extensive selection of samples made up using both their patterns, and patterns from other designers in the upstairs room. Quilt kits are also available there, as well as the sales fabrics. The sample quilt made up using the Minnesota shop hop fabric is from their booklet Serenity. It is quite a spectacular quilt. They also have a large selection of juvenile fabrics. The shop also contains a gift shop area with candles at flowers, plaques and other gift items.

The last shop in the southwest section is Shades of the Past in Clara City. This shop carries mostly reproduction fabrics, although they do have other fabrics available. They have made up a very nice sample quilt using the block from their shop. The shop also has patterns for embroidery. Shop hoppers are encouraged to sign an apron at the cash register. As you can see from the photos, quilts from past Minnesota shop hop fabrics are displayed outdoors.

DeAnne's Country Village Shoppe in Litchfield is actually more of a gift shop than a quilt shop. If anyone is looking for fabric from last year's shop hop in order to finish a quilt they are working on, this is the place to contact. They have quite a bit of last year's fabric left, including the white background fabric. This shop also has a number of nice country themed gifts and home decorations.

Gone to Pieces Quilt Shop in Kimball is in the back of a printing office. A smaller shop, they still manage to have a good selection of fabrics and a long arm in the back of the shop. Lots of patterns as well.

The Sweetwater Cotton Shoppe in Painesville is my first shop in the Central West section. This is a small shop. They design and print their own quilt patterns. They have a very nice display area with a bed on which there are decorated pillowcases. The display includes a wallhanging. The shop is offering a booklet with instruction for all of the items in the display.

I am not seeing as many coordinated displays this year, as I did last. The fabric company used last year sponsored a contest, so I saw more coordinated displays. Most of the fabrics in this shop are lighter colored and more feminine.

The Flying goose Quilt Shop in New London is in a building that has several smaller rooms where special displays have been set up. One entire small room is devoted to juvenile and baby fabrics. This shop has also designed a unique pattern using the Minnesota shop hop fabric, which is for sale in the shop. Be sure to check out the sales items in the basement.

Sunday, Aug 1 (Day 3)

Today will be a short one. I need to be in Nebraska to take my mother to a doctor's appointment tomorrow. Thus, I will only be able to hit the shops along Interstate 90 on my way west. I will be finishing the SE section today. The hop this year is basically backwards from my usual trip. I try to get to the shops that are the farthest away first and save the ones closest to home for the last. This year the ones around the city will be the last ones.

The Calico Hutch Quilt Shop in Hayward is the closest MN shop to were I start out today. This is a nice little shop, sells sewing machines and has a long arm on site. In other words, they do it all! Eclectic range of fabrics and they have some very nice samples made from the MN fabric, including a quilt by a shop designer.

The shop in Sherburn is in an old bowling alley, therefore the name Old Alley Quilt Shop. Again a garden and flowers. The folks here are very friendly and helpful. I really love it when old buildings can be re-purposed and given new life.

The next location on the list in Prairie Quilting in Windom. This shop is attached to a feed store! You can pick up fresh farm eggs and meat on the way out of the building. How's that for county ingenuity? The last couple of years this shop has been selling bag kits with the MN fabrics. They are very nice, with pockets for small items like phones and a strap to hold a water bottle upright. Shop is small and crowded, but the idea of the quilt shop/feed store is just to good!

Last shop today is Crafty Corner Quilt and Sewing Shoppe in Worthington. This shop sells sewing machines as well as quilting supplies and fabric. They has tons of fabric and it is stacked a piled everywhere. The have some older basic fabrics, so if you need just a little bit more for a project, this would be the shop to call! They always have a great sale area, so be sure to check that out as well.

Off to Nebraska I go. Will catch up with the hop again on Tuesday.

Saturday, or can I finish the Southeast section today?

I decide to stay in the cities instead of traveling to New Ulm tonight. I will need to be there by 9 AM, in order to make the best use of my time today. I should be able to get to about 4 shops in the SW section and nearly all of the shops in the SE section.

The day is bright and sunny and a great day for driving and shopping. I arrive in New Ulm and there is another bus! Luckily there are 2 shops here, so the crowd is spread out a little. The first shop I visit is Spinning Spools on the north 'side'. Eclectic shop with a little bit of everything. Very friendly.

On the south 'side' of town in The Thimble Box. The shop has their own little secret garden. Must be something about the creative mind that wants to work with nature as well. The shop is pretty small and is quite crowded. They have some cute samples made of the MN fabric. I have a tote that I made from a pattern from this shop that I use all of the time.

The bus is traveling to Mankato next. I need to get there before it does! The Firefly Quilt Shop is the first of the two shops in town that I visit. This shop has a great classroom with lots of samples. The have a nice MN display, again no pictures. Guess that I will have to get used to that. Sorry folks, I guess that I would be able to show you the good stuff.

River City Quilts is over by the mall. Again, great samples and a good sized shop with a wide range of fabrics. There is an article from the Mankato Free Press about the hop is on display http://mankatofreepress.com/features/x202402890/Fifth-annual-Minnesota-State-Shop-Hop. I think that this is the first news article that I have seen about the shop hop. I really enjoy seeing all of the different things that people are doing with the MN fabric.

The rest of the shops today will be in the South East section of the state. The state has been divided up into 8 sections this year. It was 5 sections on the original hop 5 years ago.

Quilter's Dream in Montgomery is the next stop on today's trip. The 5 inch square of fabric that all of the shops are giving customers, in this shop, are wrapped like pieces of candy. This is a smaller shop, but has a very nice classroom area. The also have a long arm quilting machine on site.

Quilting by the Hearth in Lonsdale has a very good selection of batiks. The sale fabric is in the classroom area and includes batiks. I really need to watch the amount fabric I purchase, I already have too much, given the amount of time that I have to spend quilting.

Cannon Falls has a very nice shop called Fourth and Main Fabrics. They carry mostly contemporary fabrics and batiks and have some clothing patterns, esp. for children. They carry heavier weight fabrics for bags, totes, etc. All of the fabrics and samples are artfully displayed and the shop is not crowded, a big plus during a time like this when there are a lot of people in the shop.

I program the GPS to get me to Lake City without routing me through Red Wing. The traffic is likely to be murder on the weekend. I end up driving on county roads, which in Minnesota, are quite good. The shop in Lake City has moved to larger digs on the main drag through town and looks great! Rather Bee Quilting is nicely laid out and very roomy. Nice selection of fabrics. I am really seeing a lot of traffic in the stores today, even without any buses.

Rochester's store is just off Broadway in a little shopping center. The Quilting Cupboard is a smaller, crowded shop. The have a nice selection of fabrics, including a wide array of wide fabric for quilt backs. I have been seeing more of the shops carrying these fabrics. Speaking from personal experience, it is really nice not to have to go to all of the trouble of piecing a back!

All in Stitches is the shop in Stewartville. Parked out front is a big red, you guessed it, BUS.

I have been on bus shop hops myself and they are very nice. No driving, lots of gossip, er, talking, and you can even do some hand sewing if you don't get motion sickness. But from the other end, they can really slow you down, with all of the waiting in lines, etc. This shop has lots of batiks and contemporary fabrics. The staff separate the non-bus shoppers and we get to jump the line (Thank you very much!).

The shop in Racine is called Pine Needles. The original Pine Needles started in Iowa. This is a large spacious shop, with a nice classroom for display of sample quilts. The also sell sewing machines. Wide array of fabrics from contemporary to reproductions

Quilter's Quarters in Spring Valley is the last stop of the day. Nice sized shop, sitting area for the guys on the trip. Lots of sale fabrics. Many very nice samples to get you thinking about the next project that you will make when you get home. I will backtrack through Rochester and catch up with my sister and her family before heading home. Sorry, forgot the picture again.

And the answer to the original question is no, I can't get to all of the shops today. I will finish this section tomorrow.

The first afternoon

There never seems to be a really good way to do this hop without doing a lot of backtracking. I need to take into account which of the shops close later, so that I don't waste time doing them early in the day. The first year that the shop hop was done in 2007, the passport had the hours printed on it and that was very helpful. It also was several pages long and I was always worried that I would forget or lose one of the pages!

That being said, the next shop in Glad Creations. This shop had numerous kits that feature the Glad Creations patterns. I really like scrappy quilts and these really fit that idea. The shop is pretty crowded, the upstairs is roomy and quiet and has lots and lots of sample quilts. All the sale fabric is upstairs. The also have a great selection of thimbles for those of us who do handwork.

I thought that a quilt at the beginning of each post might be kind of fun. I did manage to get a few quilts actually finished this year. A guild show has a tendency to focus the mind a little. I had also thought that I would be able to get a few more pictures of Minnesota fabric projects, but I am getting some funny looks when I ask if I can photograph.

More backtracking. First I go west and then back east in order to go south, sounds like fun right. Thank goodness for GPS devices. I did get a new one this year, but even it doesn't have some of the addresses.

The Quilt Cove is one of the places that the GPS can't find. This shop is overflowing with fabric. There is fabric on shelves and tables and all over the floor. The have a nice notions wall and I pick up a magnetic quilt hanger. I really want to give this a try, I have lots of wall hangings and they are of various sizes, so I would like to see if this will work to help me get some of them hung up and displayed.

Rosemount is the next shop. Quilter's Haven is in new digs. This shop seems to be moving up and down the street since I was first here several years ago. The new shop's signage is not very easy to see from 146th St. and it is easy to miss. The new store is very nice, with lots of garment samples to enjoy. New place is also larger (or at least it seems larger to me) and displays are easy to see and walk around.

I am off to another shop that is not on the GPS! What is the deal? You would think that for as much as you spend on those things that they would be able to find a needle in a haystack. Oh well. Fabric Town is the place to be if you are into Civil War reproduction fabrics. Of course, they have a lot of other things, but an extensive selection of repros. They have a very nice display of the items made with the hop fabric as well.

Now off to the west side of the cities. Eagle Creek Quilt Shop is in an old depot. The display quilt with the MN fabrics looks like a great scrap quilt. No pattern or directions yet, will be looking forward to those. I really love quilts were you can use up a lot of 'leftovers'. This shop also has some nice landscaping. They are also offering smocking classes. Haven't seen much of that since I left southern Kansas.

My GPS finally(!!!) came through for me. I was able to get to Waconia and the Heavenly Patchwork Quilt shop in record time on a road with almost no traffic after 3 PM on a Friday. How's that for good, Very friendly shop, I am greeted as soon as I walk in the door. Lots of samples and patterns and the shop also sells sewing machines. This shop is worth the drive.

Sorry, forgot the picture.

Backtracking, again! I arrive at the Blue Bamboo just as everyone is leaving. They are nice enough to open the store up and stamp my passport. Thanks! I do need to stop back because I am looking for a couple of batiks, and this store probably has the most of any that I have seen. They also carry a lot of oriental fabrics and do a large mail-order business.

The only other store on the northwest side of Minneapolis/St. Paul that is open late today is Cottage Quilts and Fabrics in Elk River. Lots of different kinds of fabrics, they always have a cute display of baby quilts. This shop has a very nice classroom area. Guess that I am really getting tired because I drive off and forget to get a picture of the shop and it's new sign. Sorry 'bout that folks.

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!

Batik Star Quilt

I wanted to download this, even though this is an older quilt. This is a gift quilt for my niece and was delivered to her this summer. She had asked for a quilt with rainbow colors. I was able to find a pattern that I liked, but after getting it, there was no way I was going to cut and sew half-square triangles at 2 7/8 inches! I redrafted the pattern to a more usual size (9 inch block) and started collecting fabric. All of the delicious quilting was done by Sandi Stark from The Quilting Shed in Mason City, IA. It was really fun to work with all of the batiks.

I now am wondering if I can get the quilt back for the guild show.

New Year of Quilting

Finally had some time to spend in front of the sewing machine last weekend. Holidays and work have not been cooperating and I have not been doing much quilting. I did manage to finish a couple of projects that had been started some time ago.

The first one was a kit that I picked up on the appreciation sale that the shops in the Des Moines area had last fall. It is called Windows on the East, and yes, it has inset seams. I did the windows a different way than the pattern showed. The directions seem confusing to me, so I just decided to wing it. I think that it turned out OK

I think that will be able to do the quilting on this top as it is small. I need to get it done though if I want to show it at the guild quilt show in April.

I finished a second top that I had started last summer. It is from the book Livin' Large by Heather Mulder Peterson. This is the link to her books http://ankastreasures.wordpress.com/books-and-patterns/. I had to finish the applique and was hung up on how to do the rick rack. I didn't want to just sew down the middle because then it would roll up when the quilt was washed. I finally used free-motion sewing with a matching thread. It worked out quite nicely.

This top is going to my local quilter. I just don't have the time to quilt all of the tops that I make.

The top is on my design wall, which is actually a queen sized piece of quilted flannel that is attached to nails in the wall near the ceiling by using binder clips. I just fold up the wall when I don't need the whole thing, or stretch it out to full length when I need it. For the pictures the quilts a small enough that they just stick to the wall, if they are bigger, sometimes I have to pin them up.

I just finished all the blocks that were given away by the shops in the Northwest section of the 2010 Quilt Minnesota Shop Hop. I need to add one more to make 12 block in order to have a number that will work better for making a top. I want to see if I can make a block by just using scraps from the other 11 blocks.