Saturday, April 28, 2012

Saturday Stash

Would you believe Columbus, Ohio has some of the best quilt shops East of the Mississippi?  I would.  Holly and I visited six in one day, and still had time for a delicious "ladies who lunch" lunch!

We kicked off our personal shop hop at Red Rooster Quilts in Dublin, on the northwest side of Columbus.  The last time I was in Ohio, I almost didn't visit Red Rooster because I thought they only carried traditional fabrics and Civil War reproductions.  But I had an extra hour to kill before heading back to Beavercreek, so I stopped in.  I am so glad I did!  The first thing I saw upon entering the store was the complete collection of Kate Spain's "Central Park."  This trip, I fell in love with a wonderful all solids quilt from "All People Quilt."

americana wall hanging

This lively fat quarter bundle of Stockholm by Robin Zingone for Robert Kaufman fabrics came from Quilt Beginnings.  There are two Quilt Beginnings locations, one in Dublin and one closer to downtown Columbus.  The Sawmill Road location is paradise for the modern quilter -- complete lines of the newest fabrics in a bright, sunny -- and big! -- store.  Quilt Beginnings East isn't as large, but the selection is excellent.



Clever shoppers know to ask at a quilt or yarn shop for lunch recommendations, and the staff at Quilt Beginnings recommended a unique lunch spot, The Morgan House.  The Morgan House was erected from the original log cabin named after a famous Civil War veteran, John Hunt Morgan.  The Morgan House calls itself "a virtual mini mall boutiques, shops and stores within a building that spans over 18,000 square feet."  Too true!


(image from morganhse.com)


Another shop that specializes in modern fabrics is Quilt Trends.  QT has an outstanding selection of Kaffe Fassett fabrics, plus this is where I found the complete collection of Anna Maria Horner's "Innocent Crush" last trip.

A new shop for me is Sew to Speak, a really cute shop that reminds me of Crafty Laine, a sewing boutique here in Colorado.  I found a beautiful cotton/linen blend that I planned to use for the Zakka Sew Along, but instead it became the background for the quilt I'm making with that great FQ bundle pictured above. The pattern is "Brioche & Baguette" from Modern Quilt Relish.  Details to follow on WIP Wednesday.


Our last stop was The Glass Thimble, which is a little more traditional in feel, but fascinating to visit.  The shop is inside two (maybe three?) old houses attached to each other.  Wandering from room to room is a treasure hunt!

Of course, no trip to Ohio would be complete without visiting the quilter's mecca, The Fabric Shack.  We hit this shop on our return from the Quilt Festival in Cincinnati.  An incredible stock of fabric, and Waynesville is a great place to have lunch!  [Hey, I think it's important to do what you're good at.  And I'm good at going out to lunch.]

Right in Beavercreek is a charming little shop with a good selection of Civil War repros, The Mason Jar Quilt Shoppe.  The staff is very friendly, even though that's not exactly my style of fabric.

Also close to the Dayton area is Sew-a-Lot in Centerville.  I was disappointed that they don't cut fat quarters, but they do have two sewing machine repairmen on site.

I know I promised reviews of the 15 Nebraska shops I visited -- and the reviews will appear next week, really!  In the meanwhile, have you entered my giveaway yet?  It's here

Ohmigoodness, I also promised a giveaway when I reached 100 followers, and I see there are now 101!  One hundred of something -- pins? charm squares? strips? chocolate kisses?  Stay tuned, I'll announce the Great 100 Followers Giveaway in May!


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Friday, April 27, 2012

Finish it up Friday

 I'm halfway to 52 quilts in 2012! 

Quilt #26 is for the 12th birthday of my great-niece, Katelinn.  She wanted a pink and brown quilt, and Sophie by Chez Moi for Moda Fabrics is the closest to pink and brown fabric I could find.


I pieced the blocks last week while I was in Ohio, but was short enough background fabric for the last block.  Since I had to make one more block when I got home, I added another row to make the quilt twin-size.  The pattern is "Smitten" by Rachel Griffith Designs.   This design calls for charm squares, two squares of each fabric.  Rachel's directions are very well written and I would have finished the quilt in one day if I had taken enough fabric with me!

If you missed yesterday's post, I am hosting a giveaway to celebrate my 100th blog post.  Go here to enter.



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Thursday, April 26, 2012

Road Trip -- and a Giveaway!

Finally, I'm home from my road trip to Ohio for the Cincinnati International Quilt Festival -- and my nephew's 17th birthday and prom!

First day of the trip -- Kansas.  Who knew, if you drive Highway 24 across Kansas, it's actually a beautiful state?  Plus, I got to visit:


All About Quilts in Manhattan, Kansas.  Definitely worth turning away from the Interstate -- a good selection of both traditional and modern fabrics.


And:  Sarah's Fabrics in Lawrence, Kansas.  Home to the University of Kansas, Lawrence is a town with a lively, diverse downtown.  Sarah's Fabrics is recommended by the Kansas City Modern Quilt Guild, and boy howdy -- they are right!  Best selection of modern fabrics on my trip, plus the friendliest staff anywhere.
The day after arriving in Ohio, my courtesy sister and I drove down to Cincinnati to attend the Cincinnati International Quilt Festival

Here is the view from our room, right across the river from Cincinnati:


We enjoyed the most delicious dinner at:


My friends know I hate to read menus.  I always say "just bring me something."  If I wanted to decide what to eat, I'd be cooking at home.  Our waiter, Micheal (see Michael, I remember your name!)  selected Chilean Sea Bass for my dinner -- yum yum yum!

The Quilt Festival was overwhelming -- SOOO many wonderful quilts, hundreds of vendors, too much perfume on fellow attendees -- oh, sorry.  Got carried away there.  Other bloggers have posted many photos of the quilts, but I haven't seen this one.  I took the photo to show one of my commenters, Susan.  Susan, this was my favorite quilt at the show, and not just because it came from Australia!


Made by Eileen R. Campbell of Kew, Victoria, Australia, "Outback - Beyond Broken Hill" was inspired by the Australian Outback.  And look, it won a ribbon!

I also got to take photos of my courtesy nephew and his beautiful date before their Junior Prom at Beavercreek High School:


Not only is she a pretty girl, she is nice!


Oh?  You say I mentioned a giveaway? 

Right you are -- and here it is.  To celebrate my 100th blog post, I promised something fabulous from the Cincinnati Quilt Festival.  So I brought you:

A bag:


A 6" ruler:


TWO charm packs:



and some other goodies:





It's easy to win -- just leave a comment.   Tell me what you're sewing, tell me if you've been to a quilt festival, tell me a joke!  Remember, if you're a "no reply blogger," go here for a link to a tutorial on how to change that.

I'll choose a winner on Wednesday, May 1st!

Tomorrow, I have a Finish it up Friday project and review of 15 Nebraska quilt shops!




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