Bundles of bolts...

Here's a question for you fabric lovers out there....

When you go to a fabric shop, let's say a big box store like a Jo-Anns or Hobby Lobby, do you ever fall in love with every stinkin' bolt off the shelf and want to get a quarter yard or half yard of practically everything in the store?

Okay, maybe not every stinkin' bolt. But more than, oh, say, 4.

What do you do? Do you not care and just carry 8 bolts up to the cutting table? Or are you like me and get anxious and think that you're going to look crazy and what about that poor girl who has to re-shelve all these and what about that other woman who might want to see these bolts too and what if you don't have a cart, because then you know you can't possibly carry all these bolts in your arms, and, and, and.....

your head explodes!??!

Does this worry anyone else? Or should I just assume that's what the store is there for and continue on my fabric indulgence spree?

Recess!

A couple weeks ago I was in Louisville with my mom and visited Among Friends for the first time... Great store, lots of moda pre-cuts and a really wide variety of fabrics. The store is bright and really well-arranged. The most amusing part of the store was what I'm calling the "Oh brother, my wife/mother is in a quilt shop...this will take awhile Lounge"--they have a couple couches, children's books and toys, and a television set up for those poor husbands and kids that get dragged along against their will!

Well while I was there, I finally broke down and bought the Recess, Wee Play, and Look and Learn charm packs. I've been looking for these for awhile. (Yes, I know I can order them online, but...I haven't let myself order fabric online yet. That could be a credit card disaster waiting to happen!)

I'm not sure what I'll use them for just yet. Mom is a teacher and I know she loves the ruler fabric ...

And I would love to make a cozy lap quilt for her. Heather recently finished a quilt that has some of these fabrics in it and it looks great.

I didn't get to sew any this weekend because we spent Saturday caulking and sealing our driveway. I was the official caulk-smoother-outter and that stuff is nasty. It's like, really thick toothpaste. Oh, the joys of home ownership.

We also went to Boston Market for lunch. That was GREAT. It was our first time there; I had some coupons from BzzAgent and it was so delicious. Just like a home cooked meal. The prices were reasonable too. Seth called it an "upscale KFC" which... I can see what he means. But KFC doesn't make sweet potato pie like Boston Market does. Yum-E.

Don't...

Start a blog and then buy a house.

It will be months before you settle down enough to start blogging again.

I have some fun quilting projects on the line and will post pix soon. One is a baby quilt for my sister-in-law. I'm not using a pattern, but I'm going off a picture of a pattern cover... We'll see how it turns out... I wanted to create something that used charm packs, and specifically these Peek-a-Boo and Funny Babies charm packs by Amy Bradley for Moda:

Love it! Love it love it love it, so much that I may just have to make two quilts, one to give and one to keep!

I am also finishing the top of a double irish chain quilt that has taken on a life of its own... Why it has taken me 3 months to get this thing pieced is beyond me, especially considering that I used the quick and easy strip piecing method from my Fons & Porter magazine!

Hopefully I will post more often and be a quilting blogger. It's tough when you work full-time though. I have adored so many bloggers and it amazes me how they can quilt, raise children, AND keep up their blogs. I'll have to work on this!!

Quilt shop excursions

Tuesday I had to take a trip to Lexington and decided to stop at some new quilt shops on my way...

The first shop I visited was The Quilt Box in Dry Ridge. What a treat! The first thing I noticed was a their selection of notions--if you can imagine a ruler for something, they had it. There was literally half a wall full of just square rulers! Patterns were hanging from every pillar and wall and they had a very nice variety. There was also a good variety of Civil War fabrics and not a half-bad assortment of 30's prints! (I have a special fondness for 1930-1940s prints.) My favorite part of the store was the large half-barrel full of "candies"--25 cents for a 9"x9" square! I picked up a couple yardages and 12 candies.

Several miles down the road and back in my favorite town, I stopped at The Quilter's Square. If you visit, I must warn you--you are immediately greeted with a Bernina 830! (For those not familiar, it's like the Rolls Royce of sewing machines. It practically sews by itself.) I registered to win one, since a free handout is the only way I'll ever own one of those puppies, so here's to hoping! This shop was great, too, and is also great for machine embroidery fanatics. I ended up with two store-made charm packs of some 30s prints (about 80-5" squares of different fabrics) and another "candy" that I couldn't pass up--it has band-aids and Rx bottles on it.

I also stopped at The Corner Quilt Shop. Now, I have to admit, this wasn't my favorite shop of the day, because it was a little small. But they did have some Moda jelly rolls and charm packs that I so desperately wanted, but alas, I had spent my fabric budget. (I shouldn't have even gone in the place because of that fact but I just had to check it out!)