2010 MN Shop Hop Day 1, Part 2

2010 MN Shop Hop Day 1, Part 2

The afternoon of 7/30 starts at Quilt Cove in Eagan. This store has lots of fabric but needs more space. A lot of the fabric is sitting on the floor and is therefore hard to see. They have a great notions wall!

The next stop is Quilter's Haven. This store in Rosemont has a nice space and lots of room, They also sell Bernina sewing machines. They also have several samples made up with the shop hop fabrics including a quilt as you go bag by G.E. Designs from the Fast and Furious book. This looks like a quick project and is a good sized tote.

On to Fabric Town in Apple Valley. This is another shop that my Garmin GPS can't find and I am not going to spend $199 to upgrade. For that kind of money, I could buy a new GPS. This shop has a Cher song on the sound system and we are singing along. Is there a better way to spend an afternoon? This shop has nice displays and isn't too crowded. One does not feel like you are tripping over bolts of fabric to get to the one thing that you want.

The next stop on the list is Eagle Creek Quilt Shop in Shakopee. This shop is fun inside and out. They have a lot of flowers and bushes around the shop, which is an old depot. Inside is a great selection of fabrics, including a large selection of oilcloth (vinyl covered fabric). Lots and lots of wool and batiks.

Sorry that the pictures weren't much better, but it was starting to mist. This misty/drizzly/messy stuff continued the rest of the day.

The next shop is the furthest west of all of the shops today. Heavenly Patchwork Quilt Shop is in Wachonia. This shop is owned by the mother of the designer for This and That patterns and Sherri has designed a special quilt for the shop hop. This shop has expanded in size since my last visit during the last shop hop. This shop is worth the drive!

Now back to the main metro area and to the The Sampler quit shop in Chanhassen. This shop has more contemporary fabric lines. This shop is also a Bernina dealership. They also carry rayons, corduroy and other unusual fabrics.

The weather is slowly getting wetter and it is getting close to 6 PM. I will not be able to get to the shops in Rogers and Elk River today. The last stop today will be Blue Bamboo in Plymouth. This shop has a huge selection of oriental, batik and contemporary fabrics. I would like to compliment the store on their update! Everything is organized, on shelves and easy to see. I am able to find the Judy Neimeyer quilt pattern that a friend asked me to look for. I also get the last charm for my necklace.

I decided to put split rings on the necklace to make it easier to put the charms on as I received them. This really helps keep me from loosing them as I collect them. 14 shops today, not a bad day's work. I do think that if I do this next year, I may do the route in reverse as think that I could get to more shops that way. A big thank you to all of the shops that were open early and late as they made this long day possible!

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!

Day 1 continues

After getting something to eat, I head to Buffalo for Patchwork Alley Quilts and Decor. This shop is selling out and closing and evidently is no longer on the hop. This store was an interesting combination of quilt store and decorating shop. Too bad I didn't know about this before I arrived, I could have save the time going directly to the next shop

Back to the Metro region and Heavenly Patchwork Quilt Shop in Waconia. This is smallish shop and is very busy when I am there. Wide selection of fabrics and lots of patterns on a display area in the center of the shop. They have a notebook cover that I like. It would be a nice idea to make a notebook to hold all of the block patterns I am collecting on this trip.

The Sampler in Chanhassen is the next shop on the trip plan. This shop has lots of batiks, brights and lots of Kaffe Fassett. They have some interesting samples and they also sell Bernina Sewing machines. I find a nice sale area. This is an open, bright shop with good lighting.

The next shop is just about the opposite of the previous shop. Eagle Creek Quilt Shop in Shakopee is located in the old train depot and specializes in reproduction fabrics. The also sell some wool and have oil cloth printed with both reproduction prints and new prints. They have several sample bags made from the oilcloth.

The next stop on the list is Glad Creations in Minneapolis. This shop had lots of beautiful samples of the quilt patterns that they design and sell. Shop is small and kind of crowded, but has lots of fabric: brights, florals, batik, etc. The shop is closing for the day after I leave. They have a big classroom upstairs with lots of sale fabrics and more and more sample quilts.

I realize that I am not going to get back to Bear Patch Quilting before they close, so will go the Rosebud's Cottage in North Saint Paul. There is a Friday night antique car show and street fair. This shop has lots of reproduction prints and wool and are selling the Cherrywood hand dyed fabrics. A bus is just leaving. This is a very friendly shop.

On to Charlotte's Quilting Web in Stillwater. This shop is quite eclectic, with lots of different kinds of fabrics. They also have an excellent selection of patterns. All of the shops are showing a number of different projects using the shop hop fabrics.

I was planning to heading down to the southeast part of the metro area as the shops they are open until 8PM tonight, but my daughter calls and we go out to eat. We eat at Psycho Suzi's Motor Lodge. The toasted vegetable pizza is very good. A fitting end to a rather long day. I had planned to try to get to 19 shops, but made it to only 14. I could have made it to about 3 more shops, but dinner with my daughter was much more fun.

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.

Trip Underway

I now have been hopping for 2 days. Already made a mistake that will affect the schedule! Having lots of trouble with the net. (Signing on, etc.) Hope to be able to blog more later today. I have been getting some sewing done between swearing at the computer and decifering quilt block directions. Need to get ready to check out and start the day!

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.

The Madness Begins Again

The planning stages for participation in the 2009 Minnesota State Shop Hop have begun! I have worked out various routes for the days of the hop and hope to be able to complete the hop in 10 days or less. I have several routes plotted on my Garmin program and hope to be able to make a stop back home on Day 7 to do laundry, repack and attend my quilt guild meeting. We'll see how that goes, I tried that last year and it didn't work; ran out of time that day.

I am trying to be more organized this year, with a list of items that I am searching for and things that I need to finish current projects. Just finished printing a number of address labels to use for drawings, etc. It's quicker that writing everything out every time you need to register for something.

There is a little more driving this year, in 2007 when I did the entire hop, Crystal's Log Cabin Quilts in Grand Marais was not in the hop. Their addition is adding a little more driving, but should be worth doing, along the shores of Lake Superior.

The trip should be a little bit cheaper that last year as well, no $4 gas, at least I hope not.

I hope to be able to blog regularly about the trip, but this will depend on the availability of internet access in the hotel in the evenings. Most of the larger places have access, but some of the smaller motels and guest camps can be lacking in the electronic department.

More later as planning continues!