skipping to the end . . .

I'll get back to the quilt show and the lovely quilts (and my quilty purchases there) but I wanted to share this wonderful, fun shop we found in Knoxville as we headed home. Kathy, our quartermaster and driver, had seen an advertisement for the shop Mammaw's Thimble in The County Register (interestingly enough, she'd gotten that when we were in our own Hooked on Quilting--HOQ--last week). Kathy had also seen it noted that they were having a moving sale and all their fabric was 30% off!

So after a leisurely morning and a late breakfast, we headed to Mammaw's Thimble. The front looked fun and happy and inviting . . .

So we piled out of the car and went through the front door.

The minute you walk through the door, you're awed by the bolts upon bolts of fabric. But before your eyes can completely register everything, a chorus of voices greet and welcome you!

I had to laugh -- they strongly encourage you to grab a little shopping cart. You know, just to put your purse or bag in. I declined. But within fifteen minutes I was back up there grabbing a cart!

The owner of the store (above) greets everyone personally. She was quite a firecracker!

I had the most shopping fun here. You can tell from the fun fat quarters I scored while I was there!

This array of fabrics should make an elegant autumn something or another!

And I pulled this pretty grouping out of a Moda line.

I found a pretty little shirting and just two random bargain fat quarters that appealed to me. And with the 30% off, I spent less than $20! Thirteen fat quarters -- 3.25 yards of fabric -- for $20 isn't bad!

In the whole trip, though, I never saw the magical fabric line that fills my dreams -- Moda's Dragonfly Summer. Oh don't you worry though. I've already chatted with Cindy, the owner of HOQ. I'll have a little stash of that delicious line someday soon!

More favorite AQS quilts tomorrow. (After some sweet Sawyer time and my grocery shopping!)

:)

More About the Shop Hop

P.S. I just checked Patsy's blog. You can see a bit more about the shops we visited here.

Greetings From Des Moines

Sue and I traveled to Des Moines to the AQS Quilt Show last week. Seeing the Iowa Capitol Building always gives me a sense of homecoming. This is where my father and his brothers were raised. My grandmother still lives in Des Moines. Many summer days were spent here in my youth. Some fond memories from those days were trips to Younkers Department Store back in the days where department stores had many levels and an elevator attendant. I also remember a trip to the history museum. When you entered the floor that contained displays about the early history of the Iowa prairies you could hear the sound of running buffaloes. I could have spent hours there. Sue and I took a trip down Grand Avenue to see Terrace Hill, the Governor's mansion, and all the other old mansions from the days before taxes changed the lifestyles of the rich.



This show was fabulous. Rumor had it that there were 900 quilts on display. The Des Moines Area Quilt Guild had their quilt show along side of the AQS juried quilts. There are so many talented quilters in Iowa. The quilts of Judy Martin and Sandra McMillan were featured in two one woman shows. Simply stunning work by these two ladies. There was also a display of vintage aprons from Mary Jane Butters, how fun. I'm subscriber to her magazine Mary Jane's Farm.

One of my recent favorites is Run Birdies Run by Julie Duschack. I fell in love with this quirky quilt in Madison in September and was pleased to see it again.

I also love Millie Sorrells' Past to Present quilt. Can you believe she quilts on a regular sewing machine? Her hand quilting is wonderful too. Here is her Phantasy quilt. Much of the hand quilting is 1/8" apart. Amazing! Millie taught this applique pattern in August at the WQI meeting.

Next stop on the way home, FiberWorks in Grinnell, Iowa. So many marvelous fabrics, fibers, paints & beads. One small room is set aside as a quilt gallery. This is another shop I will definitely visit again.
Almost an entire wall of batiks!!!! I'm in heaven.
These are the items that made it home with me. I love the Bali Pops. Great idea! Shrink wrapped, no fraying. Sue and I found these at the Quilters Quarters in Lamont, IA. I have been to this shop once before on a shop hop. She has every fabric line your heart desires. This shop is located in the country down a gravel road.

Greetings from Vergas and Perham, MN

Greetings from Vergas, Minnesota, Home of the world's Largest Loon. If you have been reading my blog for a while you know I love roadside attractions. I can't resist stopping to take a photo. I love the call of the loon. There is nothing quite like it. Robyn, this link is for you. Click here to link to a website with various loon calls.

Vergas is always a favorite stop for shopping. I love to stop in at Coco's Bait and Tackle shop and the Quiet Cricket to start my Christmas shopping.

On the road again...

My real mission on this trip was to visit the Bay Window Quilt Shop in Perham, MN. I had heard such wonderful things about the shop and I was not disappointed. I walked in to a small quilt shop full of bright fabrics from batiks to contemporary/trendy and 30's reproduction fabrics. Much to my surprise there was so much more to see. The shop is comprised of at least two adjoining store fronts. Earth tones, primitives, holiday & Civil War reproductions are in another room. Don't miss the flannels, wool and Minkee fabric in the basement. This store is well organized. Plan to take some time on your trip so you can see everything. It was easy to find coordinating fabrics to use in an applique project that I have had on the back burner. This shop was well worth the trip out of the way to find. Perham has a lot of nice shops to visit and I hope to get back someday for an extended visit.