Solo Shop Hopping

A cool and unsettled autumn day - after a week of record setting warm temperatures - and nothing to do.  Oh, that essay that I haven't started?  Ah well, it's not even due until the 20th!  Why not spend the morning driving out in the country in my new car, visiting quilt shops?

Yes, I bought a new car last week.  Itty Bitty signed the contract on his first REAL job since completing his undergrad degree, and needs a car for work, so I gave him my old Caliber ('09) and got a new Chevy Cruze.  I'm still trying to figure out how everything works in it, but it's a nice drive.

There are four shops on the tour, and my first stop was Creative Sisters in Kitchener.  At each stop, I had my passport stamped, and was given a piece of fabric to be used to finish the mystery project.  Since Creative Sisters is pretty close to my office, I visit there regularly, and didn't really see anything new that was particularly interesting until I spotted a new display of "Apliquick" products.

The tools were pretty pricey  -  but I thought I would give the product a try.  I generally use freezer paper for applique, but that means an extra step of cutting into the backing to remove the paper.  This product can be left in.

Next stop was Heart 'n Home in New Hamburg.  Again, it's not too far from where we live, so I have been there twice in the last few months.  I like New Hamburg a lot - - and I thought today, if I was to settle somewhere again, that I might like to live there.  It's close to 7/8 Highway, so it would be a quick scoot into Kitchener or Stratford.

Third stop on the Shop Hop is The Quilt Place in Shakespeare. It was very crowded today, with even a few MEN Shop Hoppers among us. I found a quieter place in front of the large selection of books, and chose a new title to add to my library: Stash Lab by Tonya Alexander.  Maybe you know her blog, Eye Candy Quilts? I don't know which project to start first!

And the final stop on the tour was Ye Olde Fabric Shoppe in Stratford.  Okay...I hadn't visited here since Sailor Boy first went away to Halifax, and I needed a fabric fix to cheer myself up.  Was that 2010?

Near the front of the store was a large collection of Kim Diehl fabrics in Christmas reds and greens, and the suggestion of this project which you can dowload from the Henry Glass website.:

I am absolutely crazy for Kim Diehl fabrics and designs right now.  I'm working on the appliqued borders on Sprigs & Twigs currently.  I'm not a Christmassy person, but maybe I could add one or two reds or greens to my growing collection?  But not so fast!  I turned a corner and found a whole wall of Kim Diehl.  I panicked!  I wanted them all!  But in the end, I only chose a handful, knowing that Stratford is only 40 or so kilometers away, and I can come back another day.

As it was the last stop on the Shop Hop, I collected the final fabric piece as well as the finishing piece and the pattern for the mystery project, a beverage tote:

On the way back home, I passed this sign, and stopped to read more about the Mennonite community here in the Waterloo Region.

I picked up a couple of more quilts from the long-armer this week, so I must get to putting the binding on them in time for the next guild meeting.