Day 4 - All Iowa Quilt Shop Hop

Day four starts off bright and sunny, The breakfast this AM was divine.  I spent too much time blogging this AM and didn't get to hopping until about 10 am.  I did spend a little time doing some antiquing as well this morning.

The first shop today was The Back Stitch in Elkader.  This shop has quilt fabric and fabric and threads for cross-stitch and embroidery.  They have lots of beautiful threads and looking at all of the items really made me thinking about getting some counted cross-stitching done.  (Like I have the time to do anything like that.)  The shop had some nice fabrics on sale.

Just across the street, behind the buildings is the Turkey River.  This stone bridge connects the business district and the the courthouse and the rest of the town on the other. You can just see the tower of the courthouse above the trees in picture.

After looking carefully at the map, I thought that heading to Manchester and the The Quiltmaker's Shoppe.  This shop has a wide range of fabrics and lots of nice samples.  I did find a fabric that I need to complete a project.  This is the first shop in the entire hop where I have seen this fabric.  I had to order the fabric for the original project from Utah.

Sorry about the pictures again.  I don't really have much control over the distance other than standing in the street, so some of the pics will be more wide-screen than I would like. 

Vintage Threads in Dyersville is the third stop of the day.  This shop is smaller and has a eclectic mix of fabrics. They had a really cute quilted book made with a panel that I had purchased earlier in the hop.  

They had used a chalkboard fabric on the opposing page and had a zippered pouch on the front of the book to hold the eraser and the chalk!

On to Dubuque and the Cotton Cabin Quilt Shop in downtown.  I finally dug out the GPS rather than just wandering around and it turned out to be a lifesaver and got me to the shop with no trouble.  The shop is long and narrow, reminds me of my condo.  They have a nice selection of fabrics and I find a pattern for a diaper bag that converts from one with handles to straps for a backpack.  

The drive to Cascade is uneventful, with a minimum of road construction.  Spools 'N Jewels is a gift shop and quilt shop.  This seems to be a common combination.  Smaller shop but lots of fabric and of course the  jewels.. Here is link to Facebook http://www.facebook.com/SpoolsAndJewels.

The next two shops on the trip are in Marion.  The Rose Cottage is a main business district.  This shop has mostly reproduction fabrics as well as wools.  They also have a line of patterns designed in the shop.  There is also a retreat center associated with the shop.

Connie's Quilt Shop is just down the street and in a older home.  There is a wide selection of fabrics, but there is not much room, so everything is really cramped.  I was able to find some cute border fabric (50's theme) to make some towels for DD1.

Cedar Rapids is the next stop, at the Pine Needles Sewing Center.  I have not been to this shop before, although they have been here fo some time.  This is a large shop, lists of fabrics of all styles and varieties. They also sell sewing machines.  Lots of the shop seem to be selling sewing machines, buy the fabric and the machine to sew and quilt the top all in one place!

Heritage Designs is a shop in Amanda, part of the Amanda colonies.  This shop has lots of very nice batiks.  The shop is open and airy and has lots of samples for inspiration.  

Fern Hill in South Amana is a gift and quilt shop.  The lower level of the building has gifts and antiques and finished quilts for sale.  The upper level has fabrics and quilting supplies.  They feature the Fern Hill fabrics by Camelot Cottons in one of the rooms.  And now the GPS unit stops working!  Back to the phone for directions as well.  My data minutes are going to over the moon this month!

Off to Williamsburg, to get to two more shops before the day ends.  The first stop is at Rainbows and Calico Things.  This shop is in the country, but very easy to find.  They have a wide selection of fabrics.  The building also has a very nice classroom.  There are some very nice fabrics for sale, on a rack by the front door, so be sure to check it out.

The Woolen Needle is in Williamsburg and sells woolen fabric, lots of threads for embroidery as well as quilting fabric.  The fabric selection is mostly reproductions.  I find a useful magnetic case for holding needles and a small pair of scissors for hand sewing then traveling!  As much time I spend on the road, this should be a great purchase.  I get to the shop just before 6 PM, so that is the end of the day.

But wait, the Ben Franklin in Iowa City is in a mall, and is open until 8 PM!  This is a typical variety store that sells fabric and patterns.  They also have an awesome selection of beads and jewelry making supplies.

Dear Daughter 2 lives in North Liberty and is willing to put up with me for the night.  Will start the day tomorrow there at the Common Threads Quilt Shop.  All in all, a very productive day!