Running With The Quilts

A friend (hi, Reyna!) and I decided to do our first quilt run this weekend. Rather than taking a sane 2 or 3 days to do the 11-shop, 312 mile (round-trip) event, we did it all (almost) in one 13-hour day. In hind sight, it was crazeeeee, but boy, did we have FUN!

Stop #1 - and the best shop of the day* - was Old Town Quilts in Orcutt.

I found fat quarters to go with the dragon fabric I fell in love with earlier this year; pre-cut, iron-on leaves to appliqué;

and this great fall leaves panel that will become either a quilt or wallhanging.

Love those colors!

Stop #2 - Sew Stitchin' in Grover Beach.

 

Another great shop; I had no idea I loved Asian fabrics (shiny!) until I saw their selection.

Stop 3, and the only place I didn't find anything I wanted to buy, was in Pismo Beach. Cute shop, friendly staff with great Alice In Wonderland costumes, but their fabric just wasn't my thing. Oh, well.

Stop #4, Sew Fun in Atascadero is also a Janome dealer, so I got the rolled hem foot I've been wanting,

and found a little must have fabric too. Probably wouldn't return here except on a quilt run; the staff almost totally ignored us. Every other shop we visited, the people were super friendly and welcoming.

Quilter's Cupboard, stop #5, also in Atascadero.

Nice people, nice fabric but this was the shop where I didn't loooooove what I bought.

Like it; know what I'm going to do with it; but wouldn't miss it if I didn't have it.

Stop #6, the Quiltery in Paso Robles, was the furthest point on the Run - 156 miles from home, give or take a detour or two.

The temp was 97, at least 20 degrees hotter than anywhere else we shopped. Needless to say, we hustled through the parking lot and took our sweet, air-conditioned time picking out our quilty treasures.

Stop 7, The Cotton Ball in Morro Bay, was our second favorite store of the day.

Beautiful fabric, huge selection, (ignore the orange/yellow/purple stuff; it snuck into the wrong photo . . .)

very nice sample quilts (love this idea for a table runner),

and my favorite find-of-the-day:

 

Only way this could be better was if it said "for-freaking-ever." Want!

By now, we were running out of steam, and time. We hustled to San Luis Obispo and stop #8, Betty's Fabric.

Love this place! It's a full fabric shop rather than a quilt-only store, with great samples of quilts,

table runners,

bags and more.

I went a little crazy, buying the fabric and pattern for the table runner,

and the gorgeous red poppy fabric for either another table runner or the bag.

On the loooong drive home, Reyna and I both decided we were going to finish the quilt run, one way or another. So Saturday, hubby and I hopped back in the car - we'd already planned to spend this weekend relaxing in San Luis Obispo - and hit the shops I'd missed the day before.

Quilt Ventura, my home store, was first and I picked up a pillow case kit to make for the hubster.

Then on to Roxanne's in Carpinteria (my second "home" store),

where I bought the kit for their cute fishy quilt

and the makings for tutu skirts for Leia and Leanne.

AND where I accidentally dropped my carefully stamped at all 10 quilt shops Run card. Fortunately, I realized it was gone about 10 miles from Roxanne's, so back we went to claim it.

Our last stop was Betty's Fabrics in Santa Maria, where I turned in my Run card for the grand prize drawings and then went a little crazy in celebration. I picked up some remnants - for pillow cases and little girl dresses -

and bought yet more Asian-inspired fat quarters.

Crazy, huh? But, I have a plan! I'm going to combine all the Asian fabric into one quilt top, probably using an "I can't stand to cut it" big block pattern. And for the centerpiece?

Who could resist a shiny seahorse?

P.S. Reyna finished the Quilt Run too AND she won Sunday's prize basket at Betty's in Santa Maria. Whoohoo!!

* After Quilt Ventura and Roxanne's, of course. I love my home stores!

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Only Once

It only took one time for Leanne to figure out that shawl modeling was FUN. The next time she saw me headed out the door, camera and shawl in hand, she was right behind me, patting her shoulders and saying, "Me!"
  
Which makes this even better for me, both the shawl making and the shawl photoing.
 
This one is a pineapple shawl I'm teaching for a class.
 
I love the pineapple-y goodness of the bottom edge, but the top is too open for my tastes.
 
It makes a great class, and I'm glad I made one, but I don't think this will get much wear.
 
Next up - one of my favorite patterns for that special one-of-a-kind skein of yarn.
  
I loved the colors of this hand-dyed yarn when I bought it on-line, but - surprise! - it looked a lot different when it arrived in the mail.
  
I was expecting deep oranges and reds - the yarn's name is "Dragon Fire" after all - but I got pretty pinks and corals. 
  
Not my cup of tea . . . . but purrrrfect (I hope) for the friend for which it is intended.
 
And if not? Leanne says she'll take it!

Baby Giraffes

Today was the first time we've had both girls and no other obligations since the baby giraffes were born at the Santa Barbara Zoo. So guess where we headed? I didn't get many pics of the little ones - there was a crowd around their compound the whole time and I was busy holding either Leanne or Leia up so they could see. But can I just say "cuuuuuuuuuuute"!
 
Leia fed Michael, the babies' dad, but Leanne wanted nothing to do with him. She stayed pressed up against PopPop the entire time. 
 
Michael wasn't much interested in being fed, at first; he kept eating his hay and ignoring the trainer. 

 

Then he slowly ambled over, almost walking past the girls,

 
before he decided maybe he did want the nice green veggies he was being offered.
 

Not bad for a cellphone shot, eh?

We did all our usual things, in our usual two hours; checking out the fish pond - 

before heading to Leia's main reason for going to the zoo - sliding down the hill! Leanne hasn't quite got this figured out, but she was enjoying herself anyway.

  

WIP Fest

One finished project -

  

a flower potholder for a class I'm teaching. Love how this turned out - so bright and cheerful. 

The hardest part is getting the white trim to look neat and tidy, especially on the back.

 
and a bunch of works-in-progress. 
Shawl for a friend;
another shawl that's been promised for a year or so. . . .  
sweater for me (a crochet-along with my Thursday night peeps);
and the knitting project that will probably give me an ulcer. I'm making a coat; a KNIT coat. My favorite part? 
The little numbered markers the instructor made for us. I love watching them flow past my flying lumbering needles. Two weeks in - class goes till the end of July - and I'm already well behind my fellow students. Oh, well; slow and steady gets it done, right?