Happy and bright!

Even though I haven't been doing much crafting, I have managed to do a little shopping! A couple of weeks ago, one of my favorite online shops, Shabby Fabrics, had a fabulous sale and I picked up these:


Woo hoo!!!! That's 88 fat-eighths of bright fabrics in a rainbow of colors. I'm afraid my picture does NOT do them justice. What a treat! In person they are absolutely gorgeous. My initial thought is to use them to try and make one of those gorgeous patterns from Kellie Wulfsohn of Don't Look Now (I'm thinking about the Rainbow Lollipops... but I haven't decided for sure). I'm not quite ready to commit to that yet though. So for now, I'll just gaze happily at my pile o' happy brights.

Also, kind of hiding to one side in that pile, is a pattern I've been eyeing for some time, the Happy Stacker Ring Toy by Heather Bailey. I think it will be a lot of fun to make for baby sometime in the near-ish future.

Birthday treats!

Last week I celebrated my 35th birthday. I received lots of wonderful birthday love from friends and family and went out to an incredible dinner with my husband and the boy. I also was the recipient of some super birthday treats: a gift certificate to a local quilt store, some much-needed new clothes, and a beautiful vase. Then there were a few gifts that didn't arrive until today.


A happy package from my in-laws via amazon.com arrived that included some fabulous books and a DVD of Wall-E. The Gayle Bong book, Save the Scraps, is just full of amazing projects that I really want to make. I checked it out from the library awhile back, and am now super-thrilled to have my own copy! The other book, I Like You: Hospitality under the Influence by Amy Sedaris, is campy, happy, crazy funny, and actually includes some very tasty looking recipes. I'm going to have lots of fun combing its depths.

Another package, from Pink Chalk Fabrics, was actually my birthday gift to myself. I've been wanting to start using solids more, and the Kona Cotton Starter Pack seemed like a perfect way to get going. And I just couldn't resist the famous "Bento Box" quilt pattern. I've seen a number of these quilts now, and just love the design. This was my first time ordering from Pink Chalk Fabrics, and I am a happy customer. My order was packed up beautifully, arrived quickly, and the customer service was great.

Meanwhile, I finished quilting my challenge quilt and completed the first phase of binding. Now all that's left is to stitch the binding to the back and attach a label. Should keep me out of trouble for a little bit.

Family Adventure Day!

Today Keith took a vacation day and we ventured forth on a family mini adventure. The 10th Annual Western Washington Shop Hop is going on right now, and so we hopped in the car and headed westward to the peninsula.

First, we caught a ferry from Edmonds to Kingston.


We ate a picnic at a park adjacent to the ferry terminal there, followed by a short walk to the first shop, the Kingston Quilt Shop.


(I just love their neon sign!) The boy had much fun rampaging about. Thankfully, papa was there to watch over him so I could focus on some shopping. The staff there was very welcoming and friendly, and they had a lovely selection of fabrics, including lots of batiks and Asian prints.

We continued southward to Poulsbo and Heirloom Quilts. The shop is in the downtown area, right next to the water. I saw a bead store, a ceramics studio, a rubber stamp store, and multiple bookstores all within a couple of blocks of each other. My kind of town! They boy was very excited because the quilt shop had small shopping carts—just the right size for him to push around the store (I wish I had gotten a picture of that!). He kindly steered my fabric selections around the store and to the cutting table, where he was not at all thrilled to relinquish the cart o' fun. The store was bright and open, and had lots of room to roam. They had a large selection of fabrics, grouped by style (batiks, Asian, reproductions, tone-on-tones, various collections). More batiks and Asian prints made it to the cash register.

The next stop Material Girls in Silverdale. I loved that store. They had a ton of samples on display everywhere. Lots of McKenna Ryan designs were on display, including her new series quilt, "Faith, Hope, and Love" (gorgeous!!!!). Apparently, she lives in the area and the samples on display were made by her. So cool! I guess my style aesthetic was very much represented there, and that's why I enjoyed the store so much. That and the wonderful staff—again, so welcoming, and friendly.

Continuing southward, the next stop was Rochelle's in Port Orchard. This was a quick stop because the boy was finally napping, and so papa stayed in the running car while I hopped out and back (can't leave the car stopped, lest the boy awake!). It was a nice store, and they had a lot of fabrics I hadn't seen at any of the previous stores, including a really big selection of fun novelty prints. They also had a nice fashion fabric section that I wish I could have taken more time to look through.

We headed back northward to our final shop of the day, Esther's Fabrics on Bainbridge Island. They've been in business for almost 50 years now! The quilting fabrics they carry are just wonderful, their selection focusing on modern designers and lots of those wonderful big, bold prints, and edgy designs. I had been really good at the previous shops, just purchasing for specific projects. But I just had to add some to the stash here. A couple of the prints were just too good to pass up. I also picked up the Mail Sack pattern from Pink Chalk Studio, and a fun book on monster plush.
Finally, we got on the ferry and headed homeward.


The day's spoils:

All of the batiks on the right are destined for a holiday quilt project. The Asian prints are for my Grandmother's Flower Garden. Of course, I couldn't go all day without a green fabric for Dear Jane. Then there are the just because ones. How wonderful is that black and white dino bone print???

I'm so lucky to have such a wonderful husband who supports me in my crafty, quilty endeavors and who has the patience to spend a day shop hopping. And the boy was a great travel companion with minimal fusses and lots of smiles. The sun was out, and there was only just the barest sprinkle of rain. We got to visit areas we've never been before, do a little exploring, and spend some quality time together as a family. It was a very good day.

Shop-Hop-A-Rama!

Yesterday and today I continued on the Tri-Country Quilt Shoppe Festival—and I managed to make it to all 13 shops on the hop! I'm so glad I was able to do it. I got to visit a bunch of great shops and I now have all the block patterns, so I can create my own wonderful "Garden Stroll" quilt. Each shop featured the same 13 blocks in a quilt and it was very inspiring getting to see how each quilt was different, not only in the fabrics used, but in the settings, the embellishments, and finishing. Of course, I failed to take any pictures, but you can check out one version on Fabric-Etc's Blog.

And, there was much purchasing of stuffs:



Our first stop yesterday was at The Needle & I in Everett. I've visited this shop pretty frequently as it's conveniently just down the street from where the boy has his Kindermusik classes every week. I like how bright and open it is. They have a nice selection of current fabric collections, and always seem to have a wonderful array of samples. After lunch, the boy and I headed to Arlington and the Quiltmaker's Shoppe. The samples there were just amazing, and it looks like the classes they offer are pretty cool and truly cater to quilters of all levels (and it's the first store I've been to that actually offers a Baltimore Album quilt class)(I wish I lived closer!). Our last stop of the day was Aunt Mary's Quilt Shop in Smokey Point It is located in a pretty non-descript strip mall, but stepping inside is like entering another world. Bright, warm, full of vibrant colors, contemporary fabrics, and super-fun samples hanging throughout.

Today was a solo adventure, as Keith and the boy decided to spend some quality time together at home. So I made my way north to the final six shops. My first stop was at Tangled Threads in Lynden. I have to say that this was the most welcoming shop I visited in this hop. As I walked through the door, I was immediately greeted with a big smile and hello and a brief introduction to the store (they had shop hop specials and games going on). Everyone there was really excited to be participating in the hop and had such enthusiasm and fun energy. Just what I needed after a long drive. The next shop was just a few blocks away, Calico Country. Their focus seemed to be on traditional fabrics and styles. The last Lynden stop was Folktales. This was the first shop I've been to in the area that is really focused on traditional and folk designs. It was a very different experience than any of the other shops. But the samples were gorgeous—lots of stitchery, wool, and handwork. They also featured my favorite rendition of the shop hop quilt.

The Bellingham shops were next. At Lynda's Quilting and Needle Art I found a friendly staff and a nice array of fabrics. They actually sort their fabrics all by color, as opposed to grouping by collection. Sometimes I find it hard to visualize outside of a collection when everything is grouped together (because they just all go so perfectly together!), so it was just a nice change to have such an integrated experience. Next up was Fabrics-Etc. They carry both quilting and fashion fabrics, and I love that their store samples reflected that. Since I'm both a quilter and a sewer, it was extra fun getting to see the garments along with the quilts. The final shop on the hop was Fourth Corner Quilts. This might have been my favorite stop on the hop. The store focuses primarily on the contemporary and modern styles and collections. But mainly what I loved about it was how the fabrics were displayed. Coordinating bolts were staked and draped down the sides of the bookcase displays in a waterfall effect that was both beautiful and a great showcase for the designs. They also had round displays where the fabrics were actually draped from the bolt—again really showcasing the wonderful prints in a way that just being wrapped on a bolt can't compare to. They had a section dedicated to Amy Butler, another to Kaffe Fassett, another dedicated to Asian prints, and many more. And every section featured a number of samples and patterns. Lots of juicy inspiration to be had. It's probably a good thing that it's so far away.

I enjoyed this hop. But overall, it felt as if the shop hop was an afterthought for most of the shops as opposed to a main event. I miss the Bluebonnet Patchwork Trail Shop Hop that I used to do in central Texas every year. Maybe it's a Southern hospitality thing, but on that hop, the shops really seemed to get involved and excited (offering specials, demonstrations, trunk shows, and drawings, in addition to a shop hop quilt), and every single one offered refreshment and treats. Still, I got to visit a bunch of shops I'd never been to before, and I had a good time. I look forward to next year and seeing how it develops.