Day 5

Day 5

I am finally caught up with the typing! So far, so good. The tooth does not appear to be too much trouble, so will keep on hopping.

The day begins in East Grand Forks at Quilter's Eden. This little shop is in a building across the street from Cabela's, so if you have your sweetie with you, he might want to go across the street. For you guys who quilt, you might want to go across the street as well. This shop has a mix of fabrics, lot of brights, Christmas fabrics are right by the front door (it will be here before we know it). The shop has numerous Jenny Beyer fabrics on sale.

The next two stops ate in Bemidji. Emily's Country Cottage is a 'cottage' in the southern part of town. It has gift items as well a quilt fabric. Lots of country color and reproductions fabric. Lots of samples made up for some great ideas. Sale fabrics are downstairs. This is a common theme in a number of the shops, the sale fabrics are upstairs or downstairs. Fabric is nicely displayed.

Emily's Country Cottage North is in a shopping center in the north part of town. This shop has the brights, batiks and contemporary fabrics that would look out of place at the parent store. Again, lots of sample items. A quilt that will be a block of the month was displayed and was drawing a lot of attention.

On to Walker and Front Porch Quilts of Walker. The store was a little hard to find; it is down the hill by the grocery store. A small shop, they have a pretty good selection of fabrics. Nice samples displayed. The shop is a little crowded, service is very friendly

The Piecemakers Quilt Shop in Hackensack was next on the list. Town was really crowded today. The shop is just off the main highway. They have a person at the front door, who is dedicated to getting your passport stamped and seeing that you have your pattern. (Very nice) The fabrics are displayed, together in little areas, to make selection easier. It is like stepping into a little room with just batiks, baby fabrics, etc. Very nice shop.

Now on to Park Rapids. Monika's is a large fabric and yarn store. Road construction again! This is to be a common theme the rest of the trip. Lots and lots of fabric, wool, yarns, patterns, you name it! Lots of Thimbleberries fabric on sale in the front of the store and another big display of sale fabric in the back. Lots of samples on display. This store has a lot of fabric but it is not as well displayed as in some of the other stores.

Last store of the day is Back Porch Quilts in Detroit Lakes. This is a very nice store, very well laid out. Quiet and restful at the end of the day. I am able to find some coordinates for a piece of oriental fabric that I picked up earlier in the hop. Lots and lots of samples, great displays and lots of room to display the fabric. A very nice store.

I hope that the quilters in the the Moorhead area realize how many great quilt shops that they have in the region. The amount and diversity of fabrics that are in the area is really something.

Day 4

Day 4

I did not make it to Tower in time to hit the shop here, so spent the night and 'opened' the North Country Quilts in the morning. All of the fabrics are nicely displayed, with lots of samples. Some of the fabrics are ones that I have seen no where else. Antique atmosphere in this old store on the main street. Owner has supplies for hand quilting and I am able to pick up an English thimble for a very reasonable price. Now I can take some handwork with me on my travels and won't have to worry all the time about losing my one and only thimble that fits.

After a very long drive, the next shop that I arrive at is Quilter's Corner in International Falls. Avery nice shop, large and the fabrics and samples are well displayed, More of Shelley's tablerunners. Lots of nice fabrics and patterns on sale. Nice selection of Christmas fabrics. This shop's Quilt Minnesota sample is quite nice. I know that this shop is a long drive, but come on shop hoppers, the quest is part of the fun. Don't always pick the low-hanging fruit!

The land begins to flatten out and I am seeing fewer trees and more farm fields with wheat (I think) and sunflowers. Driving past a field of sunflowers traveling west, the yellow is so bright it is almost blinding. ( The flowers face to the east.) Quilt S'more in Roseau has recently moved to a cottage style home. I am really sorry, that for some crazy reason, I do not have a picture. There were quilts hanging on the porch rail of the house and it looked so cozy. The fabrics are very well displayed and there are quite a few samples to see. Lots of room. Well worth the drive!

Sorry, no picture.

Cloud 9 Quilt Shoppe in Thief River Falls is next. Easy to find on a main street, this is a small shop. Still, I run into someone with Iowa ties. Mix of fabrics, small selection, due to the size of the shop. Friendly and helpful.

Day 3

Day 3

I decide to change the original plan and re-route the trip. I travel up the coast of Lake Superior to Quilt Corner in Beaver Bay. Driving along the coast in the morning is so pretty. The shop is in a little mall and is quite small. I did find a cat print fabric that I do not have. Also some cute buttons. Lots of flannel.

Decide to make a little stop at the Split Rock Lighthouse. I climb to the top of the lighthouse, no small feat, as I have a thing about heights. The view is great. There are several quilts on the beds in the bedrooms of the keeper's house. If you get up this way, stop at the lighthouse, it is a great piece of history.

Quilter's Cabin is next on the list. The following pictures are of the cabin and of the view out the front. This shop has many nice samples and a wide range of fabrics. I think that the location on the shoreline would be a great inspiration. Purchased a basket here as well. Picture 2 is the view from the front of the shop

A long trip to Grand Rapids to ABC's of Quilting is next. This shop is in a converted school building. The shop was quite busy while I was there. The patterns are well displayed here. The shop has very good lighting. Staff is very helpful. There are interesting samples, thing that I have not seen elsewhere.

Heart to Hands Quilt Shop in Deer River was next. This shop had some Australian fabric, something that I have not seen since some of the shops in the Cities. Good selection of fabrics. This shop is on two levels, but has adaptation that allows for handicap access. Fabric and samples are well displayed.

The Quilting Patch in Nashwauk is a new shop, open only 4 months. It is in a small house and although the selection of fabrics is small, the owner has gone for quality. She even has ideas for using the fabrics available for people to take. Not a lot of samples, but the shop is still young. A cute little shop.

Quilt Shop of Chisholm is next. Easy to find, on a main street, the shop is nice sized and has a good selection of fabrics. The also had the new issue of Quilters Home magazine. If you have not had a chance to look at this publication, give it a glance. It is not like any other quilting magazine. Lots of nice samples, and another quilt in progress on the floor.

The next shop is a little more difficult to find, out in the country. Terri's Treasures is south of Iron. Owner if very friendly. Now that I am further north, everyone seems so surprised to see someone from Iowa on the hop. Nice samples. Shop is small, so a limit on selection.

Day 2

Day 2

Day 2 started in Sturgeon Lake at Seams Like Home. The shop is in a little mall next to an Earnie's restaurant. Had lunch and started hopping again. This shop has a little of everything. Cute samples. You put a pin on the map to show where you are from. Nice start to the day. Today (Sunday) will be a short day, shops are only open 12-5.

Next stop is Timeless Treasures of McGregor. The GPS trys to get me lost, but to no avail. Thank god for cell phones. The shop is very nice; open, airy with lots of nice displays. Nice sample quilt. The owner commented that she hoped that the other shops would bring their sample quilts to the meeting that will be held after the shop hop, so all of the other shops can see the quilts too.

On to Floodwood, and Hingeley Road Quilting. The shop is east of town, in the country. This shop is probably the biggest in size and selection that I have been at so far. Lots of charm packs and jelly rolls. A room of Holly Taylor fabrics and another of baby prints. Lots of sample and patterns, lots of batiks and a wide ranging selection of fabrics. Kits available, especially, for charms. This shop is big, with lots of display area for fabric and quilts.

Duluth is next. First to Quilter's Coop, where I find the bowling themed fabric that a friend has asked me to look for. I had started to despair that I would never find any. On Sunday this shop still had quite a bit of the shop hop fabric. Lots of samples of the Quilted Tree patterns. Quite a few novelty fabrics and a nice selection of sale items. Everyone here was very friendly and helpful!

Kelly J's New Home Sewing Center is next. This is north of Duluth. Anyone who has a quilting shop and a tack shop on the same farm, gets my vote! This is a rustic looking shop, but don't let that fool you. Lots of samples, including some neat ideas for bags made using the shop hop fabrics. This shop also has some cool buttons. Wide range of types of fabric.

I decide to spend the night in Duluth, and plan for the next day's trip. I am getting behind if I plan to get to all of the shops. Will probably have to do some clean-up on the final weekend. It is fun to see all of the samples and to get some great ideas.

Day 1

First 'official' day of my shop hop. Started the day off with a trip of of the beaten path. I visited a Fabric Warehouse in Brooklyn Park. I have never seen anything like it. There were rolls and bolts of fabric stacked to the ceiling in a warehouse size building. There was everything from Cottons to silks, quilting fabric, bridal fabrics, upholstery and trims of all kinds. It was the most amazing thing. Way too much to take in with one short visit.

The first store on today's trip is Fat Quarter Quilting, LLC in Coon Rapids. I have been at this store before on other shop hops. It is in a shopping center and has a nice selection of brights, florals and batiks. A demonstration of yo-yos was available on Saturday, the day I attended. Hit the first of several bus tours that I was to see on Saturday. Large selection of sale fabrics.

Nest was Rosebud's Cottage in North Saint Paul. This shop is the one you want if you want country colors, wools and country designs. The shop is small, but has a large classroom in the back. Lots of samples are available to view. Staff is very friendly.

The Quilted Shingle in Oakdale has a large selection of batiks and brights as well as novelty fabrics. This shop also has a large selection of table runners by Pieced Tree patterns. Shelly Robson in Forest City, Iowa is the designer. This shop also has a nice selection of oriental fabrics.

Charlotte's Quilting Web in Stillwater was the next stop. This shop has a large selection of sale fabrics. Nice selection of samples for inspiration. The shop has a wide selection of fabrics, so a little something for everyone. I stopped for lunch at this shopping center,

On the way out of the metro area, I stopped at Bear Patch Quilting. This shop is quite large and has a wide selection of fabric. Lots of samples are available for inspection. The staff was inspecting a new sample quilt while I was there. The shop also has lots of patterns, so be sure to take some time to see everything.

My trip leaves the metro area of the Twin Cities at this point. Next stop is in Rush City. This little shop has quite a range of fabrics. I was able to find a coordinating fabric for a piece that I had purchased previously about a year ago. I bought the original fabric in Des Moines, so was happy to get another piece of that line. Refreshments and a coupon for future purchases. I also picked up a nice piece of rayon on sale

Mora was the next stop. The Homestead Quilt and Gift shop is in a barn. Lots of samples, including clothing and clothing patterns. When I was in Kauai, earlier this year, the owner of the shop on the island lamented the fact that no one was making clothing out of some of the beautiful prints available. She reported that when she had been in Houston the year before, she had worn clothing made from Hawaiian fabrics and had received many comments. So many of the fabrics would look great in clothes, but I guess that sewing clothing can be intimidating. Nice gift shop in the 'hay mow' of the barn. Check it out.

The last shop of the day was in Hinkley, at the Quilted Lighthouse. I arrived as a little boy was changing the sign from open to closed. I was still able to visit this airy and open shop. (thanks!) Lots of nice samples, including the quilt made with the Quilt Minnesota fabrics. It has been great fun to see all of the ideas for using the shop hop fabrics. Go to the shop hop web site www.quiltminnesota.com to see the fabric and a list of all of the shops. Unfortunately, I was already hearing at some of the shops that they were running out of fabric.

End of Day 0

The last two shops for this day are next.

Colorful Quilts and Textiles is in St Paul. This shop has a fantastic collection of batiks. It also has lots of specialty fabrics, including silks. I picked up a kit for a purse made of silk squares. It looks very rich. I suppose that I may have to fight my daughters for it if mine is as cute as the sample. No reproductions fabric here. Lots of specialty battings as well.



The last shop of the day was one that was new to me. I have been on several previous shop hops in the Cities over the past several years, so I know a lot of the shops. Silver Lane Quilting is a shop in NewBrighton. It has a nice selection of fabrics. Everyone was very friendly. I was able to find a couple of new 30's repros for my stash. The shop was easy to find.


I decided to quit for the day and meet up with my son. I wish now that I have hit a couple more shops, because I find that I am falling behind with all the driving to be done to get to the shops in the northern parts of the state.

Day o cont.

Sorry folks, I just found out the hard way that evidently you get one picture per post. I will try a smaller picture size and see if that works

The next stop was the Quilter's Courtyard in St. Paul. I have been to this shop several times. It has a nice selection of batiks and fabrics with a youthful flair. The shop had a nice selection of bags made up to look at and some great quilts on display. They also had a washable cotton/silk blend fabric that was so soft and shiny!

Getting into the shopping center where this shop is at can be kind of tricky. Be prepared to get some great ideas.



Next I went to Glad Creations. They have a great selection of finished quilts to look at. They have the Glad Creations Pattern line (obviously) and a wonderful selection of fabric. Unfortunately, a lot of them are stacked on the floor and difficult to see. This shop always has a very good amount of sale fabric upstairs, so be sure to look up there. Very helpful. Have nice selection of scissors and even thimbles for those of us who still do a little hand work.


Sorry about the picture, I did not want to walk across the street. It was kind of busy.

See their quilts on http://www.gladcreationsquilts.com/