Saturday Stash: Road Trip Report

It was snowing when I left Colorado on my annual May pilgrimage to Idaho for quilt retreat! I had a hard time believing how warm it was in my hometown of Jerome, Idaho.

For the first time, I attended "Room to Learn's" retreat at the Monastery of the Ascension in Jerome. The monastery is lovely, so peaceful and remarkably isolated -- even though it's just a few miles from my high school!

(Image from Monastery of the Ascension)

Julia does an incredible job setting up for serious sewing. Five Oliso irons, five "big board" ironing boards, three portable design walls -- and wine tasting each afternoon! Yep, I'll be back!

In between quilt camps, I attended the High School rodeo in Homedale, Idaho. My great-niece, Bekah, rode in four events, wearing a western shirt made by her Mamma!

Bekah's High School Rodeo team sold raffle tickets for this quilt, made by yours truly. She reports they earned more than $1000 for their college scholarship fund!

The following week was spent at Payette Lake, site of Granny's Attic quilt camp and my former Girl Scout Camp, Camp Alice Pittenger. I've already shared some photos of the lake, but here is another favorite (can you believe it's taken from the window of my room at Camp Ida-Haven?):

Shop Report

On the way back to Colorado, I did some serious quilt shop-hopping.  I visited several new shops.

First, a lovely country shop outside Shoshone, Idaho.  Salli's Back Porch offers fabric, haircuts, and massages! Plus, the surrounding countryside is beautiful -- I saw a golden-headed blackbird, one I'd never seen before!


(Image from All About Birds)

(Image from Salli's Back Porch Fabrics)

Salli has an online shop, so if Idaho isn't in your travel plans, you can visit her shop vicariously via the interweb!

Another shop I've been want to visit forever is The Charm Shack in Ontario, Oregon.

(Image from The Charm Shack)

What a great selection!  I scored a wonderful handmade ruler holder to keep on my cutting table to hold the little rulers and templates I use most often. Plus, in Oregon, they pump the gas into your car for you!

I was sad that the shop in Nyssa, Oregon, was closed for the day.  Next time, maybe!

Heading home via Northern Utah (where I got lost, but that's another story!), I visited Stylish Fabrics in Logan, Utah. The clerk told me they can display 40 quilts -- and the quilts on display are stunning. This shop is a repro-fabric lovers dream!  (Sorry, I can't find a photo!)

Another shop I'd never visited is My Heritage Fabrics, also in Ogden. It was a little challenging to find, since the Quilters Club of America's iPhone app is not up-to-date, but worth it! This shop knows how to host a sale!

Of course, it was upon leaving this shop that I got well and truly lost in Northern Utah. Well, not really lost, but I didn't know Hwy 39 was still closed for snow. And I didn't have a Utah road map. And my GPS still thought I was in Filer, Idaho!

Thanks to a gracious local at the Chevron station (not an employee, who had no idea how to get to Evanston, Wyoming from wherever I was!), I took an incredibly beautiful side trip near Snow Basin ski area. Eventually, I hooked up with I-84 and found my way to Evanston and another new-to-me shop, Common Threads. Not only did I score a quilt book I've been looking for forever, the shop co-owner recommended a great place for dinner. [Always ask at the quilt or yarn shop for restaurant recommendations. They know the best places to eat!]

OK, enough about traveling.  What did I buy?

First off, do you read Quilt Sampler magazine?  Like the quilt on the cover?

Did you know shops selected to be in the magazine must present not one, but two quilts for consideration to be included in the magazine? One of my favorite Idaho shops, Quilt Expressions in Garden City, is featured in the current issue. And that's their quilt on the cover!  They also submitted this fun Dresden-variation:

My quilt camp buddy, Martha, made this quilt while we were at camp. (Come back next Saturday to see her finished quilt in the May UFO parade.) I bought only the pattern and background fabrics, and I plan to add my Malka Dubrawsky and Kaffe Fassett fabrics to make the Dresden blocks.

I fell in love with this Bonnie Blue Quilts pattern at Stylish Fabrics. It gave me the excuse to shop for more Civil War Reproduction fabrics!

One of my great-nieces will be attending BYU in the Fall. I was excited to find this for a pillowcase to send along with her!

Julia demonstrated the newest Block-Loc ruler. The designers also published a book showing blocks that can be made with this new tool (come back on a future Tuesday for my own Tuesday Tool post featuring it).

I won the first giveaway at Granny's Attic retreat! How appropriate -- the nationwide edition of Quilt Shop Navigator.  Plus some fat quarters to add to my collection:

Speaking of fat quarters, here is the fat quarter collection I'm offering to the winner of my 500 followers giveaway.  Go to this post to comment for your chance to win!

It's a long weekend in the USA for Memorial Day. I hope you'll take the time to thank a service member, current or former, for their service to our country! 


From the desk of your