Monday 27 June 2016

What was lost is now found!

Don't you hate it when you look for something you bought and can't remember where you put it?  When I got home from Spokane I took two days to empty my car of everything.  Dropping bags here and there as I came in.  I thought I had left this black and white sunflower batik at The Quilting Bee but happily I found it today in another bag!  The best thing is that it was clearance so double the pleasure.
 I had tucked it inside the bag that held these lovely black and whites with a bit of turquoise and green from Hattie's Quilt Shop.  I had complete forgotten about these ones.  Off to cut some more background for my 365/366 Quilt Project that I need to catch up on for a post at the end of the week.

Sunday 26 June 2016

Retreat Fairy Gifts and some Stash Enhancement.

One of Mary Lou Daughters made each of us a hand lettered name tag.  Cute idea to use rick rack to hang about our necks, could be re purposed into a quilt!
 Mary Lou has a tradition of participants giving and receiving Fairy Gifts.  Some show up on you table anonymously and others you know were given by specific people.  I believe this bag was from Mary Lou. there were several different motifs and they were all fabulous.
 Miss Tina who did our food preparation let us choose our bag with some goodies inside.
 Red polka dots I'm guess Mary Lou.
 A handy pencil.
 Mary Lou showed one of these mermaid mugs/cups on her Facebook page, I was delighted as I was working on my mermaid applique so there was a nice tie in!
 Look what was inside besides all those sweet treats!
 Penny let us choose a little votive candle holder and a package of tissues.
 Wendy had these pipe cleaners in a straw for cleaning inside your sewing machine.  Brilliant idea.
 Mari wanted us to keep our lips moisturised and happy.
 Look what was inside this goody bag!
 Penny made us the little zipper bag, she did another bag the last retreat we were at.  The nail file was from Miss Tina, the magnet pin catcher bowl was from Wendy.  Not sure who gifted the Dream token.
 Candy share one of her son's CD's with us.
 Wendy is the owner of Tag It Ons Labels and she gifted us with some of her new and old designs!
 A chicken coaster, purple thang and measuring tape ribbon in this colourful package.
 Janet made us these cute wine covers to use when enjoying a beverage outside to keep critters from drinking your beverage.  Great idea.
 A lovely charm pack.
 I'm guessing another Mary Lou fairy gift.  When you take your first class with her she gifts you with a tiara to make you feel like a queen.
 Dywta made these lovely zip bags and there were two thread spool wraps inside.
 Candy gifted another jar filled with cooking treats.  I may make mine into a little sewing kit with a pincushion top when I empty it.
 My gift was a zippered large pouch with two scissor pals, some graph paper, a polka dot paper clip and some bobbin minders.
 That's the end of the Fairy Gifts.
 Now for some stash enhancement. A Heart Like Yours Quilt Shoppe was closing and I got some lovely pieces of wool on the left, along with some Perle cotton and that cotton fabric for 75% off!  The wool down the centre are about 8" square and only a dollar!
 Sunday I took Candy to Bear Paw Quilting as her suitcase with her fabrics had been misdirected by the airlines and I found these cute fabrics.
 I also got last year and this year licence plates.  Too early for the row by row experience rows.
 Then later in the week we went back with Mary Lou for a group shopping and I found the new Deb Strain Bee Creative line and a few other goodies that might work.
 Been looking for some big rick rack.
 Mary Lou had a few fabrics for sale and I got these.
 From The Fabric Patch in Ephrata I found these to add to my black and white collection.
 I need some rocks for my fish quilt and maybe some of these will work.
 I love these buttons and have an idea for them.
 Another black and white charm collection for my 365/6 quilt project.
 At Leavenworth Quilts I went a bit dotty, the one on the right was end of bolt for $4!
 I also found this delightful tin...
 ..filled with these cards.
 I also got the travel mug in this box.
 My last stop was Aunt Mary's where if found these lovely flannels to use as background for stitching some wool.
 The plate says it all!
End of the road and back home.  Off to work on my Gwennie inspired Medallion quilts.  Reveal with be on Friday Canada Day.

Friday 24 June 2016

Heading West Along Rte 2 Back Home.

After a violent rain shower the night before I woke up to sunny skies and started driving home.  I went into the town of Harrington as I have a friend with the last name and found this old Studebaker dealership.  On the far right was a lovely old truck.
 Then it was back onto long stretches of open highway with no one to be seen for miles and miles.
 A small lake with some marshland.
 Smell of freshly cut hay...
 then of onions could be smelled.
 In Ephreta  I found this shop along the route.
 Looks promising..
 I love the road signs inside.  The gal gave myself and two other visitors direction to what was where.  This shop was HUGE!  Over 6,000 bolts of fabric with multiple rooms to wander.
 Even the large classroom had bolts of fabric.
 Quilts and bolts down hallways.
 The Christmas, Halloween room had stitchery items.
 So many choices, don't miss anything...
 Their wool selection along with some patterns.
 I've made some similar owls but without the ear tuffs.
 A bit closer look at all that wool.
 Still another room.
 Cute themed needle book.
 How do you choose?
 Some other stacks of fabric on the cutting table.
 This cute quilt was in the wash room.
 Back on the road, sadly the Attic Windows Quilt Shop in Wenatchee had closed in May.
 But I found the Leavenworth Quilt Shop next to Prey Fruit Market east of Leavenworth before you get to town.  Look for the big American flag on the left of the highway.
 This shop has lots of samples everywhere in the shop.
 Some cute fused patterns over the doorway.
 Looking into the fruit market next door.
 Their past license plates with their current row.  Neither was yet available sadly.
 Lots of things to choose from.
 So much to take in.
 Love these boxes with the floral and checker board design.
 Just what I was doing.
 Back on the road I made one last stop in Smokey Point on the I-5 at Aunt Mary's Quilt Shop.  She has moved to a much larger location and I finally had a chance to check it out.  Carrol did the lovely applique of this quilt.
 Her colour wall.
 She has a pet dachshund that keeps her company in the shop.
 Her even larger classroom.
 Another piece by Carrol.
 Lots of space to move around the shop.
 Inspiration hanging on the wall.
 Loved this Allison Glass pattern, maybe one day.
 This shop is very open and goes on forever!
 Carrol cutting some fabric for me.
 I always love this stool she covered.
 And this tuffet, I may have to try and make one.
 Cute purse pattern.
The road home took almost twice as long to drive with my stops.  Unfortunately the Odessa quilt shop wasn't open when I drove through. Guess I'll have to wait till next time.