Pins and Needles

Pins and Needles

Farmington, Maine

Right in the heart of downtown Farmington. This is also where I went to college. So visiting downtown Farmington has both some good and some bad memories.

Each shop really did a great job showing different ways that this material could be used in order to make all different types of designs that work well.

Wow a blurry fat quarter. It is a pretty and different one from those others that I had already collected.

This shop tends to be a camp staple also along with Threads Galore. If we are headed to camp or home from camp and Pins and Needles happens to be open this means it is a must stop!

The women who owns this shop is just so friendly. I love stopping and visiting her and she always makes a point to say hi to us when we see her at the quilt show also!

Threads Galore

Threads Galore

Rangeley, Maine

Every time I go to camp I just love to make a trip to Rangeley. This must be one of my favorite shops that are up north and when going to camp I just can't wait to get my visit in.

A very interesting shadow quilt. I like what they did with the fabric that they were given.

A very basic fat quarter!

Love the bags! Always such a friendly group of people here at this quilt shop.

Another free fat quarter and charm square with lots of information about local quilting opportunities.

Maine-ly sewing

Maine-ly Sewing

Nobleboro, Maine

Another quilt shop within 15 miles from home.

Again, a different challenge. A new and interesting way to use the fabrics.

This store didn't have many fat quarters but man do they have a great bargain room!

We got a yard of fabric that went with all of our color picks and just cut it into 4 fat quarters.

Alewives Fabrics

Alewives Fabrics

Nobleboro, Maine

Another local quilt shop only about 15 miles from home!

Their challenge was a bit different, sometimes it is nice to see how shops do things differently because they are all given the same fabrics and rules that they have to follow.

My fat quarter. A bit funky but that is what this store has. This store has different fabrics from the dark cool colors of my favorite local quilt shop. But I also like coming here to get all those different and fun fabrics that I like to use from time to time.

Country Creations

Country Creations

Jefferson, Maine

My hometown quilt shop!

I know it's local and I love supporting a local little shop like this.

My fat quarter is pretty!

I love their challenge. In the white stars are names of veterans and what wars they served in.

This is one of the 3 really close shops to my house and it is only 2 miles from my own house. It is very convenient and very friendly. This is where gram and I belong to our quilt group and all of our quilt meetings.

Mariner's Compass Quilt Shop

Mariner's Compass Quilt Shop

Bath, Maine

We had to finish our day with a nice local shop. We never intended on getting this many done but we did so we added this one to the end so that we wouldn't have to do it another day.

They took their challenge to another level and they used something totally different from what everyone else did. But this is a nice idea.

Ah..... I love this fat quarter. I have another fat quarter identical to this in my stash that I had gotten somewhere before the shop hop because I absolutely loved it. I also have it in solid brown, and brown with the green design also.

I like the printing they had printed on the goodie bags.

Cotton Weeds Quilt Shop

Cotton Weeds Quilt Shop

Freeport, Maine

Cotton weeds is just a cute little shop tucked away in almost like a strip mall. It is just a small shop with very country like fabrics. I personally like the country fabrics and I love the nice cool dark colors instead of the bright modern fabrics.

This challenge was interesting where they put it to use as a checker board.

Another little goodie bag. Each shop includes different things in their goodie bags and sometimes there are fun new tools or information to use while sewing.

Ahhhh...... a fat quarter! I think I have an obsession with fat quarters. I just really seem to like picking up fat quarter then I end up with a stash of them and never really sure why I need so many or what to use them all for.

Sew Portland

Sew Portland

Portland, Maine

I slacked here a bit. I forgot my camera and had to go back out to the car in order to get my camera.

Challenge quilt

A goodie bag!

We always like to get a goodie bag, they always have something different in them at each shop and I always like to see what different shops include in them. Sometimes they give you coupons, or extra fabric, or candy goodies.

Ah, there's my fat quarter!

I just love looking back at all of these shops and everything we got and bought!

Calico Basket Quilt Shop

Calico Basket

Windham, Maine

This was a new to us stop. Mom and I had never been here although gram had once before. This was also a new stop to the shop hop this year.

The back room was stocked with fabric and was very brightly lit so that you could see everything great.

I just love looking at all kinds of fabrics all laid out and on the shelf all lined up in a nice row. Some shops group by colors, some by fabric lines, others by fabrics that look well together.

This is their challenge.

Ah..... my fat quarter!

A Side Note!

As I look back at what I have written and work on getting some more shop stuff written I am pleased that I have put a picture of each fat quarter from each shop I got.

I am pleased that each picture is with each shops post. So I know right where it came from.

And why this is so exciting to me is mom started this weekend working on her fat quarters and we kept talking about where they had come from and mom's weren't labeled and we couldn't remember where they came from.

Back to it!

Okay so I have taken some time off.

After the spring shop hop I was determined to write about each day we went on our adventures and write about each shop. Well, I've been slacking due to many other factors some of the following have been keeping me very busy

Finishing the new house

Moving into the new house

A wedding

A vacation

Summer

Lots of Auntie days

Back to work

Soccer season

A fall Shop hop

And now....

Basketball

but I am determined to get some shop hop writing done.

Day 3 is complete!

Day 3 I am sad to say has come and gone!

We had one shop left which was our local hometown Country Creations.

It's always fun to go into the local shop and visit with those we know.

I really liked the way they put their quilt together with additional squares in between each shops square so that it made the quilt bigger.




And finished! All my leaves colored in, all my 9 blocks in my bag, and only a few goodies to put away for my weekend of shopping with the girls.





I must say I love the shop in April. 34 shops can become over whelming but it is fun quality times spent with my mother and grandmother. But this shop hop was also fun we added my mother in-law and Lynda to the mix and only visited 9 shops.





9 shops is completly do- able in a weekend!





Until I get to participate in another shop hop it's time to go on a date with my sewing machine and get some projects done!

Day 2 Fall Shop Hop

Ah nothing like a bright and early morning start to our adventures. Leaving Jefferson at 8 am and mark your calendars ladies and gents......mom was 7 yes 7 minutes early!

First stop Brewer! A Straight Stitch. It is a small quiet little shop.

I absolutly loved the way they fold thier fat quarters. Although I wouldn't have the time or the patience to fold all my fat quarters like this. It is just a neat touch.

We all made it back into the rain to continue on our adventures.


Heading next to....

Bangor! A lot of selection here. I bought a fat quarter bundle with 4 fat quarters for only 5.99 that's a pretty good deal in the quilting community.

I like that they had the quilt on display to see what each of the 9 squares looked like.

And I just love this sign! If I EVER find this sign somewhere where I can buy it, I will!


Back in the car and off to.....

Newport! Jan is always so friendly and it is always so much fun to go in and see the different things she has put on display! Here is where I decide that some day I think I would really like to work in a quilt shop.

She gave Gram and I a demonstration on a project that Gram was working on but we were having a hard time understanding one piece of the instructions. Agian Jan is friendly and always willing to help!

Look at all those lovely ladies having a great time chatting about sewing!

And the squares all put together but in a different way!

Next.... Off to lunch!

A great recomendation from Jan. A mexican restaurant I think we all enjoyed our lunch completly.

Our driver paying close attention to the road.


Other's of us.....

Well we were having a little bit of fun!

My leaves are getting colored in and we are getting close. Only 3 more shops!



Like mother like daughter.....

Okay a little more fun!

Next.........

Madison. Always friendly always busy, always a maze!

We all hurried on in!

A different way to put the squares together. 2 squares by 4 squares as a table runner with 1 left over square as a placemat.

And last stop for the day......

Waterville!

Discount fabrics are always something good to look over.

Day 2 together 5 ladies, 5 shops and one Grand Old Time!