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!

Shop Hop Epilogue

I received a call yesterday from Gruber's Quilt Shop and I won one of the $100 prizes to spend at any shop in the southeastern region! I received the package in the mail today with a mug from Gruber's and a shop hop pin. Thanks to the folks from Gruber's and to all of the shops in the hop, it was great fun. Now, what to buy with the money....

Final day

Day 12

This is the final day of the hop. I have the last 5 shops to 'hop' and then I will have completed the entire hop.

The first shop of the day is the Firefly Quilt Shop in Mankato. This shop was closed by the time I arrived on Thursday. This shop has a nice selection of oriental fabrics. They have a sample tote made with the Shop hop fabrics that I really like, but are out of the kits and the book with the patterns, so will need to look for that at the next shops. I am able to get a nice kit with oriental fabrics on sale. This shop has more of a 'arty' feel and lots of nice samples.


The next shop is the Thimble Box in New Ulm. This is a cute little shop with a side entrance that faces a lot with a garden. This must really be nice when the weather is better. It was raining all day. The shop has a nice mix of fabrics and has a nice selection of samples of items made with the shop hop fabrics. Lots of great ideas. I am able to find the pattern book that I was looking for.

Montgomery and The Quilter's Dream is the next shop on the hop. This shop is in a refurbished older building in the downtown area. This is a new shop, but has a good start with a selection of fabrics. The interior of the store is nicely done.

Quilting by the Hearth in Lonsdale is next. I have been at this shop in the past. They have a nice selection of fabrics and I find some more blue and yellow 30's fabric. This shop has a nice classroom in the back of the store. They have several samples hanging from a clothesline in the classroom.

The last shop of the hop (yeah!) is The Cotton Patch in Owattonna. The shop has a very nice selection of kits. It has a kit for a cover for your iron, so it can be packed for travel even if warm. Nice mix of fabrics in the shop.

It has been fun doing the shop hop. I'm not sure that I would do the whole thing again, but it was fun this one time. Minnesota has quite a few really nice shops.
I wish that I had thought to order the GPS for my laptop a little sooner and had some time to work with it before I left for the trip. I didn't get a chance to figure out all of the helpful features before I left and I think that the trip would have been quicker it I had more time with the program.

Saturday (Day 11)

Day 11

I want to apologize in advance for the pictures. The next couple of days of pictures are not a good as the previous ones due to weather conditions. The Kodak camera that I was using did not seem to work quite as well in the lower light of a rainy day

The first stop on the next to the last day of the shop hop is Calico Hutch in Hayward. This shop is very close to where I live in Iowa, so I do visit it quite a bit. The staff and owner are very friendly and helpful. The shop recently added on a new classroom and the shop is quite roomy. They have a good selection of fabrics and lots of nice kits. They also have a lot of samples to get you thinking and planning your next project.

Next to Spring Valley and the Quilter's Quarters. This is a new shop to me. They had a lot of fabrics on sale and have a nice selection of fabrics. They have developed an innovative way of displaying their books to make use of a small space to display quite a number of the books. Quilters are such inventive people! This store is certainly worth the trip.

Stewartville has a new shop, All in Stitches, that opened in July. This shop has more of an artistic feel. Lots of nice batiks and brights. Nice selection of juvenile fabrics. Very nice samples.

Just a Little Something is one of the shops in Rochester. This shop has more of a county feel, with quilting fabric on the main level of a older home south of the downtown area and lots of yarns and patterns upstairs. They have lots of samples displayed, even on the stairs. I have been at this shop several times before and the staff has always been helpful.

The Quilting Cupboard is a shop in a little shopping center North of the Silver Lake area. This is an eclectic shop with many different fabrics. They even have some of the elusive bowling themed fabric that I have been looking for. They also have a nice selection of plaques for decorating your quilting studio.

The last shop of the day is about an hour down the road in Winona. Thanks for waiting an extra few minutes to the folks at The Quilter's Friend! I was able to find a great fabric for an upcoming Guild challenge on the sale rack and bought the rest of the bolt.

Back to the Rochester area for a quick bite and then back home. The last of the shops are waiting for tomorrow.

Thursday (Day 10)

Day 10
Thursday is my afternoon off, so what better way to spend it than to work on completing the Minnesota shop hop. Mankato will be the target town today.

The first stop on the list is the Old Alley Quilt Shop in Sherburn. This shop is in an old bowling alley, hence the name. This is a cute little shop with quite a nice garden out front. Things are a little dry, so some of the flowers are less than perfect. Everyone is friendly and helpful, nice selection of fabrics and some very nice samples.

Next on the list is Crafty Corner Quilt and Sewing Shop in Worthington. This shop has sewing machines, fabrics and lots of patterns in a small shop. A large lot of sale fabrics. The shop has so much fabric that a lot of it has to sit stacked on the floor, which makes it difficult to see. Did find a bag pattern that I was looking for.

Luverne has a shop called the Sewing Basket. The shop also has machine and is a small shop. Find a nice piece of flannel which should come in handy as I would like to make a couple of jackets and the flannel is nice to using instead of batting. Very friendly staff. People are starting to notice that I am trying to make it to all of the shops and are commenting on this.

I backtrack toward Worthington to head toward Prairie Quilting in Windom. This little shop is attached to a feed store! Tight quarters, but a nice selection of fabrics and the staff is very helpful. The Southwest section special hop bookmark is completed and I am finished with my fourth section! (Another camera problem, I think that the batteries are getting low)

I thought that I could make it to New Ulm, but I did not get started as quickly as I should have. Two of the shops in Mankato are open latter today, so I will head in that direction instead. The first stop is in North Mankato at River City Quilts. This is a smallish store, but has a lot of nice samples. A meeting is being held in the classroom and they are having some show and tell. The shop has a lot batiks.

Final stop of the day is at The Quilter's Mercantile in Mankato. This shop has moved since I was last up this way, which has been a while. The shop is in a cute older building and has several rooms of fabrics, samples and patterns. Nice selection of sale items. A cute store.

That is it for today. Only 11 more shops to go!

Day 9

Day 9

Today is a really short day, 5 hours. I have 10 shops to see today, so I need to get cracking.

First shop is Calla Lily Quilt Shop and Gifts. This shop has some great samples. A sample block of the month quilt makes me sorry that I do not live closer to the cities. Nice selection of fabrics and patterns. (Due to operator error, I do not have a picture of the shop, but I have a nice photo of the parking lot)

Next is Four Seasons Quilts in Plymouth. This shop has a very nice selection of Christmas fabrics. Good sized shop with a nice mix of fabrics. This shop has a large selection of fabrics for blending. Many nice samples.

The Snugglebug, A Quilt Shop in Plymouth is next. This shop has a large selection of batiks and a very nice sale area. This shop always has a good selection of fat quarters. This shop also has a person at the door to stamp passports and answer questions. Lots of brights and a nice selection of patterns.

If you need an oriental fabric, the Blue Bamboo is your shop. They also have a large selection of batiks. This shop is in a very confined space and is set up for mail order sales, so don't expect a lot of room to lay out fabrics to try color combination. Some brights, but mostly any kind of oriental fabric that you can think of. Some kits and fat quarter bundles. Not many sample quilts to look at.

The next stop is Heavenly Patchwork Quilt Shop in Waconia. This is a nice drive past the University of Minnesota Arboretum and orchard. This shop is part of a fall shop hop and stopping at the apple house on the way back to the cities is a real treat. This is a smaller shop. A nice selection of books and patterns and a good mix of fabrics. Many nice samples for inspiration. This shop was kind of quiet when I was there.

Back toward the metro area and to the next stop, The Sampler in Chanhassen. This shop has lots of brights and batiks. They have a large quilt made using the shop hop fabrics, along with a few other fabrics, that is a map of Minnesota! It is something to see. My hat is off to the maker of this quilt! This shop also has a good pattern and book selection. They carry the Kaffe Fassett fabrics.

Next on the list is Eagle Creek Quilt Shop. This shop in an old train station. Lots of reproduction fabrics and country colors. This shop has a lot of nice samples and has numerous special events during the year. Look for the shop cat, she has her own little four poster bed.

Before U Quilt in Savage is the next shop on my list. I have seen the same couple in the last 2 shops, I bet that they think that I am following them. This is a shop that is new to me. It is a smaller shop, but a nice selection of fabrics. I find a Christmas panel that I like. This shop has dogs, what fun. I will have to stop again.

Fabric Town is in Apple Valley. This shop has a well rounded selection of fabrics. I find a couple of blue and yellow reproduction fabrics that I don't have yet. This shop was out of charms, but will send me mine when they reorder. The charms that the Metro area shops have been giving out are very nice. They will make a nice momento of the trip. This shop completes the metro section of the hop. Only two more to go.

The final stop of the day is at Quilters Haven in Rosemont. I have been at this shop several times in the past. The owners are very friendly and helpful. The shop is in an older house next door to an antique shop. They have quite a few purse and tote samples. The stairs are steep, so be careful. Nice selection of juvenile fabrics.

Well, that ends the day. The rest of the shop will have to wait for Thursday afternoon and for the weekend. I will need to plan the most efficient routes to be able to get to all of the shops before the end of the hop!