Quilt Shop Hopping

 Just got back yesterday evening from a quilt shop hop with friends.  We did the Rte 36 shop hop through Missouri, then to Kansas City, Kansas and back through Iowa towards home.  Four days of fun and spending money!

Favorite shop was Quilters Station in Lees Summit, MO.

I'd definitely go back there -- lots of fabric and patterns and even found some Clover irons which we all use in our applique.  Nobody has been able to get them - they are stuck in China, or too high priced plus shipping online. 

Yesterday we stopped at the Woolen Needle in Williamsburg, IA.  Definitely will go back there too.  All 3 of us must have been slap happy when we went in there -- we all bought kits for the Octagon Star in a Day quilt -- it is completely hand-pieced; not English Paper Pieced, totally hand pieced.  I have a book by Jinny Beyer for hand piecing from many, many years ago.  I have done a little of it, but not in a long while.  So, today I cut out the first one, and I think it took me a couple of hours to actually hand piece it - sure hope the next ones go a little faster!

These blocks finish at 3"!! The shop did it as a block a day - 365 blocks for their local groups.  I loved the quilt, but not sure how many I'll actually do. Probably not 1 a day!  I have 4 more cut and marked - might do 1 as I'm relaxing in the recliner at night!

I brought my Kindle to read at night on the trip.  I finished a book I downloaded from my local library.  I used to read Vince Flynn's books.  Mr. Flynn died a few years ago, but chose Kyle Mills to continue his Mitch Rapp series.  So far, I read a book by Kyle Mills of his own, and just finished one that was supposed to be a Vince Flynn/Kyle Mills about Mitch Rapp.  It is called Total Power and it is the worst writing and nothing at all like Vince Flynn's writing.  I will not waste my time reading any more of them, I can tell you that! And I don't recommend Kyle Mills as an author by himself either.

Anyway, hoping to get some yardwork done over the weekend and next week and also need to get some pieces prepped for the new applique quilt I'm starting.  It is called Rainbow of Jewels and is a block of the month through Sunshine Stitches in Belvidere, IL.  It is 16 months long and I'm only 6 months behind, so no hurry, but looking forward to working on it.

Until next time.....blessings.