Day 7......April 19th

Today shall be the day!!!!!  The day we take our last roadtrip and finish our annual 2012 Shop Hop!

We started by looking at this.  A highway, no end in sight it seems like.

Ah.... our first stop!  This one has newly moved.  We liked the old location only because of the beautiful ride.

She has a beautiful challenge.

And this beautiful quilt.  She had kits for it and I was so tempted to get one.  I didn't however but mom did and I can't wait to see it completed.

And a goodie bag!

Then back on the road headed for.....

Presque Isle.  This also is a new location.  This shop used to be out in the middle of no where in a women's basement and I just loved the old home feeling of that location.  

Her challenge quilt was hanging but wasn't finished.  

And a goodie bag again!

A stop at the bakery for the boys!  They wanted Raspberry turnover but there weren't any in sight!  So Ryan got Donuts and cinnimon buns.

Then another long ride ahead....

To Greenville.  

Her challenge quilt was hard to get a picture of because it was displayed in the window.  

And..... on the road agian......

And to Skowhegan we go!

Another interesting challenge quilt.

ONE MORE STOP!!!!!!

We made it!  The last stop of the shop hop!

The last challenge.  Thank the lord.  I have seen so many different challenges my head is spinning.  

I bought a Jelly roll here to make a table runner.

Gram bought a kit to make this cute table topper.  The block was a free block from the fall shop hop that we did last fall.  I have put mine together and put it together along with the others to put together for a quilt top. 

And there they are!!!!  32 Charm Squares!!!!

Completed passport for Gram!

Completed passport for myself!!!

And one for Mom!!

The 2012 April Shop Hop is complete!!!

We had some great trips, great rides, good conversations, and we have decided that next years Shop Hop will be a bit different!

Day 6.....April 18th

We started off our morning in Bath with Gram's doctor's appointment.

Then we were off to start our day of shop hopping!

We started in Auburn, this store had moved into a new location this year. Although the space seemed much smaller then the previous space.
A very interesting challenge. Although I did not feel that much of the material was used because there was so much of the white background.

Then we headed to the other side of Auburn over to another shop.

This shop is situated in an old house with many different rooms. This store has a large variety of fabric as well as yarn. I never realized they had such a selection of yarn until this year.

Another challenge quilt. Each quilt is very different from one another and each shop added their own spin to the challenge.

A little goodie bag

That I was very impressed with!

Not only did we get our usual charm square but we were also given 10 additional charm squares to use with our collection!

On the road again

To a favorite, Busy Thimble. This shop isn't that far from home but it is one that we don't tend to visit often. Even though I really enjoy this shop because it has so many country colors.
And a totally different take on the challenge. Very interesting take on the fabrics. I was worried where this was a very country sho that fiting batiks into the challenge would be difficult but she seemed to get it to work.

And I am a sucker for buying fat quarters.

I just fell in love with these four and had to have them. None of them go together at all but they all seem to fit into my stash nicely.

And back in the car agian. Today's shops were all within like 30 minutes of each other so it was a lot of getting in and out of the vehicle.

A stop in down town Gardiner. This store was absolutley packed!

A very Maine ocean scene for thier challenge quilt.

Then off to Downtown Hallowell

A little shop that has recently moved to a new location.

The challenge quilt had quite a difference in it then other challenge quilts we have seen.  

Back in the car.....

Headed to Augusta!

And interesting challenge.  It was a quilt as you go doing one block at a time and then adding each block to one another until finishing off to the size you want it.

We decided it was a great day to stop and enjoy lunch together.  We had a little extra time and enjoyed stopping, sitting down, and having lunch before getting back in the car.

And off to Waterville.

A very interesting challenge.  

Day 5...April 16th

A day at home is a good day to take a trip to the local quilt shop!

We can fit in this shop anytime and today just seemed to be the right day!

A different challenge as well.

I didn't buy anything that day however, but I know that I surely will buy something there soon when I decide something I am putting together and a fabric doesn't quite go just right.

Day 4... April 15th

The trip home from camp almost always results in a trip into this next shop.

Pins and Needles. Right in downtown Farmington. We tend to like this shop. They have a great sale selection and they are always so friendly!

I never even saw this challenge but thanks to my mother she ran back in just to get a picture of it!

Then we drove over to the other side of town,

Fabric Inn. This shop has downsized in the last couple of years.

They did have an interesting challenge though.

Day3.......April 15th

A trip to camp always results in a trip to Rangeley which works out great in this case becaus it is a shop hop stop!

All the girls rode in one car and the boys in another since we were going to meet them over in New Hampshire after.

We just really do like Threads Galore!

When you walk in and the workers ask, how gram's doing, how mom's doing, and how the mom to be is doing it is just a friendly reminder of how friendly people are out there.

We browse the shop. We are usually the only people in the shop and we walk in, set our purses down, and roam. This time was a bit different. For I think the first time we were in there and within minutes the place was busy and there were all kinds of people.

The challenge was hung on the slanted wall which made it a bit difficult to take a picture of but it does look great!

Although the next stop wasn't on the Shop Hop we stopped anyway!

Carol's North Woods Quilting, out in Wilson's Mills which is on the border of New Hampshire. It is a cute little quilt shop located out in the middle of nowhere, in the basement of the women's home. She has a great fabric selection at a great price.

Day 2 ...... continued

We stopped by Belfast

at Nancy's Fabrics. I really do like this store and wish I visited it more often as it has a great variety of fabric and she is always so friendly.

She did a great job with her challenge.

I love they way she puts together her fat quarter bundles and just had to get this bundle along with a batik fabric.

When we started this shop hop I wasn't sure how I would feel about the batiks being the fabric choice for the challenge and the shop hop. But the more I see them and the more I see all the different challenges I enjoy the look of the batiks and have decided to pick up a few so I could try and make something with batik fabrics in the future and make myself a project with them.

We all pile back in the car to head to Rockland.

Quilt Divas has expanded this year and had their selection more spread out so it was a bit more enjoyable.

A great challenge but maybe just a little bit to many added details that made it a bit over the edge.

Then a stop to one of our local quilt shops!

An interesting spin on the challenge with all the stars and the large area of background.

And instead of a goodie bag, a free pack of Thangles. I must admit I have never used Thangles but I would really like to try them some day.

A trip back to the car,

Another local quilt shop stop.

And a very interesting challenge with the flowers and the applique!

And a goodie bag! Cuopons, and other little goodies along with some chocolate.

And look at all the goodies, wether I bought them, or they were freebies. Along with all the coupons for the stores!

And the 9 charm squares from that days adventure!

And I had a little bit of fun,

I put all the charm squares up on the quilt wall just so I could look at them all together and I have gotten to the point where these fabrics are growing on me and I am begining to like the looks of batiks and might just have to try a project with these fabrics sometime soon.