Quilt Tour 2012

A few weeks ago I managed to escape for a day and participated in the Western Washington Quilt Shop Tour. There were 13 quilt shops across Snohomish, Skagit, and Whatcom counties that were a part of the tour. I managed to visit 12 in one day! Woo! (I made it to the last one the next morning.)

This year's theme was "Sew Northwest." Each shop designed its own block and then created a quilt that included all of the different blocks. One of my favorite aspects of the quilt tour is seeing all of the shop hop quilts! Each shop has such a unique style/aesthetic and the quilts they create for the hop really reflect that. As in previous years, I managed to take pictures of each of the shop hop quilts. You can check them out in the slideshow below. There are some really fun designs!



If you see a quilt you love, I encourage you to contact the shop-- many of them had patterns and kits available. So you could make one for yourself!

One clever new gimmick for this year, was that each shop had a different charm to give to shop hoppers who spent $10 or more in their shop.

Of course I had to get all the charms! Silly, I know. But, it did feel good knowing that I was supporting my local shops. And I did get some very cute little charms (not that I know what to do with them now-- but they are cute!).

I love shop hopping! I know I say it again and again, but there is just something about shop hopping that really helps kindle my creative juices. Seeing all of the different samples, fabrics, and just enjoying the opportunity for a little time out and about, is such a treat for me. Since I did this tour, I've been so productive in the crafty room! It feels awesome.