Shop Hop Synopsis

Had a great time at shop hop Friday! DH was so patient and drove me around all day. The nearest participating shop is in a town 30 miles away--the farthest is a two hour drive. We didn't visit all 14 (supposed to be 15 but 1 dropped out at the last minute), but we got to nine of them and they were all so fun. We arrived at the first shop about 11:00 a.m. and left the last one at 7:30 p.m. Then we stopped at a  very popular local restaurant on the way home as an early anniversary celebration.

I know shop hops are conducted differently from place to place. This one runs four consecutive days. There is an overall theme--this year was books--and each store has its theme within the theme (a book title). Each shop has its own block pattern and they give you a free copy and stamp your "Passport" when you arrive. You also enter a drawing at each store for a gift pack worth at least $100. Some of the shops have the employees dress to match their theme, all of them have refreshments--some more elaborate than others--and many of them have games with prizes. If you visit all of the shops and get all of the stamps on your passport you turn it in at the last shop you visit for a chance at the grand prizes, which include Bernina sewing machines. You also get a charm pack for finishing.  Every shop has made a quilt to match their theme using all of the block patterns from each shop. Some of them are amazing.

Over the Rainbow (The Wizard of Oz).

Pirates of the Caribbean 

Theme of Twilight. Those blocks are tiny. This shop often
has miniatures in its theme quilt.

This last quilt was so amazing to me. Even though it is probably not something I would ever make, it just fascinates me. The blocks representing the different shops are all still there--in miniature on the spine of the book along with the title of the shop's theme book. The leaves of the plant on the top shelf were attached to the quilt down the center of each leaf as it was being quilted, so they are very dimensional. This quilt is made using the book The Collectibles Quilt by Wendy Etzel. Amazing stuff! There is also a book II. They are out of print but are available used online.

I am always on the lookout for bargains at the shops. There are a few shops that have great clearance corners or bargain basements. I picked up three large pieces for backings at $3.00 a yard. I really fell for the fat eighths. Since I am a scrappy quilter, the idea of small pieces of many different fabrics is more appealing than a few larger pieces. In a couple of the shops DH followed me around with each hand full of fat eighths. In most of the stores they were $1.00 each.

Most, but not all, of the fat eighths I picked up on Shop Hop.

This year it seemed that the bright and modern fabrics dominated the floor displays. They are beautiful and I admire them, they are just not me. There were a few vintage-type quilts that caught my eye. This is one I know many of you are working on (Civil War Chronicles). It was on display in several stores. I also saw a few of the Farmer's Wife quilts.

Civil War Chronicles quilt was hanging in a few shops.

I'll close by sharing with you this little patriotic quilt my cousin's wife made. I bought it at a family reunion auction after she donated it.

I have this hanging so that it is the first thing
you see when you walk into my living room.

"Til next time, from the little mountain valley where it is raining and cold--again!!

Janet O.