Qreative Quilts

 My First Quilt Shop Hop

My LQS's bite. One is run to cater to old ladies taking classes and has more outdated fabrics than new. The other has a large space with two long arms but the space is so large that it looks like the place has no fabrics. Clearly, in my opinion, they don't. I like to put quilts together by color and need lots of choices to all kinds of shades and tints. I have always wanted to visit top quality quilt shops but here on the west coast they are miles and miles apart. I love pictures in magazines of the quilt shops beaming with copious amounts of fabric, patterns, and floor to ceiling inspiration. Yesterday was one of those days that I finally got to find and enjoy a few of them.  Western Washington had their annual quilt shop hop and if you visited 16 shops and got your passport stamped at each of them you would be entered to win fabulous prizes, including two deluxe sewing machines.  Each shop gave you a pattern and some fabric to get the block started. Some gave you all the fabric needed to complete the 8"x8" block. Others offered completer kits from .50 cents to $4.00 to finish the block. My husband deserves husband of the year for driving me the 370 mile trip--- 210 miles up and around and 160 miles back in the 12 and a half hour trip. Not only that but he also got a passport stamped so I have two chances to win --- really what is he going to do with a sewing machine :)

I didn't think I would be able to go at all but due to a very rainy weekend, our camping trip was cancelled.

Here is a picture of a couple of my favorite shops:

The Quilt Nest --- Castle Rock, WA

Bayside Quilting --- Olympia, WA

 Parkland Parrish Quilt Co. --- Tacoma, WA

A couple of the quilt shops , I chose only because they were close to other shops and they were pleasant surprises of the day.  One such shop was Shibori Dragon in Lakewood, WA. It was a very nice shop with lots of Asian inspiration and we were fascinated with all it had to offer. Another was the Parkland Parrish quilt shop pictured above. Unfortunately, my camera battery died inside so I can't show you the inside. Erica Plank was there demonstrating using a few of her templates and patterns for Cathedral windows blocks (you know I had to buy one of those).  She also was demonstrating how to color on fabric with crayola crayons and heat setting it by covering it with paper towels and ironing it.  Then she outlined the artwork with thread play and it looked outstanding and loads of fun. Gonna have to break out my crayon box and let the inspiration lead me astray. She has a web site with her patterns called UnseenHands that is worth checking out. She also has lots of embroidery patterns and an adorable laundry bag pattern that we had to buy for my college daughter but will also be great for camping trips. We also went to the Wild Rose Quilt shop in Orting, WA. Great shop with very friendly staff that we will have to visit again. I brought a second camera with me but couldn't find it at that stop, so no pictures to share of the Wild Rose :(
Since my husband was such a good sport, we treated him to his first visit to Cabelas. It is an awesome sporting good store off exit 111 off I-5 on our way home. He was a happy camper finally.

To top off the day and reward my husband one more time, we stopped at the Country Cousins restaurant in  Centralia and he was able to get a reuben sandwich. One of his favorites.  I'll share more in the days to come as I sort out all my loot and try out my new pattern purchases. Plus I ordered something for my machine at Bayside Quilting that I had seen a year ago online they had.  The nice gentlemen there said he would ship it to me for free. Yeah...now I will just have to be patient till it comes. Hope to receive it within the next couple weeks and learn to use it. I will share what it is once I try it out.  He and I had to debate which one I wanted to order. Did you know that you can rent long arms at some quilt shops. No I'm not getting a long arm...way too much $$$ for me but he shared that for a $30 dollar class fee they will let you rent time on a long arm after you learn to use it. I wonder if my LQS offers that. I rarely ask questions of the staff just look for what I need and get out. Maybe I need to learn to ask more questions. Sorry for the long post but I learned so much yesterday I just had to share.

Keep Stitchin'