Shop #5: Quilt "Stitches &" Wood "Shavings"

Welcome to Stitches and Shavings! Talk about a small town. Lovingston is a street with some houses on it and a church. It looks old enough. It probably has lots of history. The sun was starting to set.What a cute little shop. The owners are a couple. The "Stitches" part of the title is easy to figure out. The "Shavings" part comes from the husband. He carves the coolest stuff out of wood. As a matter of fact he was one of the first Scaveger Hunt clues: "wooden thimbles". He also makes quilt racks and wine stoppers. They are really great and the quilt racks are made to order. Check out their website if your are interested.

Look at their great Shop Tour Quilt. The owner (the wife) made this one. She had a great idea to put a clock in the center of the quilt. Notice on the right the little flower vase which was also made of the Tour fabrics. Below is the free pattern that the shop was giving away. It's an over the door fan.

Here is the second clue: The talking parrot. He's hanging out with the owners of the shop. They had a great time chatting with us. The shop didn't happen to be very busy at that moment so we had time to visit with them. Lucy did more shopping that me. Not too much grabbed me in this shop. I mostly talked and laughed with the owners who were great people.

Of course, I did buy a little something at the store. I piece of fabric for my Halloween collection and a Boy Scouts of America fabric with merit badges on it. Don't know what I will do with it but Big Boy will be bridging into Boy Scouts in February and I thought it might come in handy. Of course I bought the shop tour fabric.

Both Lucy and I didn't win anything at that store (we didn't draw the right ticket) but we did have fun. You can tell the day is starting to wear on us. It's time to get back in the car for another ride south. I think we have to go another 30-45 minutes before the last shop of the day. So lets move on and get to the good stuff.

Grand Total at Stitches and Shavings: $23.63

Shop #4: Take a Walk in the Cottonwood

If you ever get to Charlottesville you should stop in at Cottonwood.

The inside of the shop is pretty big. They have brights and Modas and wools and flannels. Lots and lots of fabric and Bernina machines as well.

Their Tour quilt was pretty. It had applique on it. Their Tour free pattern is in the bottom left corner of the picture. It is a quilt keeper bag and is hidden behind the big white sign.

The only things that I found at this shop were a couple of pinks and this great blue and red paisley (I love paisleys). I needed a really great fabric to make pillow shams for my new King bedquilt made from the Moda Fredericksburg line. Not sure this will work but I love it anyway.

Lucy and I found the clues: A "personalized clock face" (embroidered on one of their machines no doubt) and a "collection of miniature quilts". My free door prize at this shop was a nine patch pincushion kit (complete with tiny little bag of batting). Lucy got a little coin purse which came from Taiwan (but at least it was constructed).

I love the fabrics in this shop but this was not Lucy and Phyllis' favorite shop by any means. I think it was just the atmosphere. I can't say that I haven't experienced it before. It just wasn't as fun and friendly as the other stores. But enough of that.... we have driving to do. I think we are heading about 30 minutes south through the valley to another little tiny town called Lovingston. I wonder what it looks like... stayed tuned to find out.

Grand Total at Cottonwood: $24.80

Back Through the Mountain Pass

It was my intention to stop at the mountain pass on I-64 and take some spectacular photos for you of the fall foliage. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate. The fog lights were on the whole time.

Here are a couple of photos of the valley. You can't see very far and the weather has been so warm lately that the trees have actually not changed as much as they should at this time of year. It was all those 80 degree days. I still had tomatoes on the vine this week. But the weather has just started dropping outside to the 60's and in another week or two the mountains will be painted in color.

At this time, this is the best I could do. That's OK... there are still plenty of fabric sites to behold.

Shop #3: All Aboard! Rachel's Quilt Patch

Lucy is getting so frustrated with me taking her photo. She really hates it. Now she's just humoring me. That's alright... I'll take it. This is Rachel's Quilt Patch and it's the cutest little shop. Their logo is a woman in a rocking chair. I had the privilege of meeting the owner. Not only does she own a quilt shop but she has authored a quilting book and a children's book. Although I completely forgot to take a photo of the Shop Tour Quilt, I did remember to photograph the gals at the shop sporting their aprons out of the Tour fabric. The cute little gal in the center is wearing their Tour's free pattern. It's a sawtooth apron pattern.

Here is my photo of the shop. It's a really great shop. Lucy and I managed to find both scavenger clues. There was a "table set for company" in the front window and a "waltzing Mathilda" on the wire dress frame (I think it was a jacket pattern called Mathilda that they claimed was dancing... which might very well happen when everyone goes home).

Lucy is digging through the 30's fabrics here looking for the best bargain.

Here are the purchases from this shop. I bought some more pinks and browns, a little red, and a special Fall stripe that will be a surprise for the Fat Quarter Friends group that I dine with. Being a pattern designer myself, I don't usually buy patterns from other deisgners. But sometimes you just want to have something easy and cute. This was a great apron pattern. It had several different designs in it (we bought it for the four corners pattern which we like the best). This pattern got two thumbs up from Lucy and Phyllis.

The "free gift" bags at this store were all different. Lucy got a pattern and fabric piece I think. I got a FQ and two 15% off coupons. There is only one pictured here because I used one at the store. It was great.

The Grand Total at this shop: $49.69. I think it was my Fat Quarter Friends fabric that put me over. MUST SLOW DOWN.... MIGHT GO BROKE! Off across the mountain to the little, BIG town of Charlottesville. Stay tuned...

The quaint and historic part of Staunton

A lot of Historic towns have modernized a bit. Parts of Staunton are very modern but this little corner still looks really quaint. Here is the modernized road leading up to the old train station.

You can see at the bottom of the photo that the blacktop is covering the cobblestone streets. They left the parking lot all cobblestone which was really nice.

Here is the side of the old train station. You can see the cobblestone better in this picture. I like the little awnings over all the stores. I had never been to Rachel's. It seems it was always closed when I was going by so this was a great place to stop for me. And really great inside.

A couple of engineers must be shopping too. Don't you hate it when people take up two parking spaces. Oh well...

I think the best part was all the antique stores across the street. We didn't go in because of time constraints but Lucy was quick to point out this sign. I took a photo of it for the boys. Pirates are right up their alley. They would probably haggle these guys to death.

Shop #2: Patchwork Plus... a whole lot more!

South on I-81... exit towards Dayton... down the road to Kildeer Lane... drive up the hill from the Farmer's Market and you will find Patchwork Plus. Somewhere along the drive B came up with the nicknames for us for the story I will be writing for the Guild newsletter, Lucy (Loose-y) and Phyllis (Fill-us) Bobbins, the Tour sisters.It's a pretty big shop. Of course, my friend B (who for the rest of the trip will be known as Lucy as explained above) and I were preoccupied at the entry of every shop with figuring out and finding the scavenger hunt clues (so that we didn't forget). We needed a little hint on one (the teepees of fabric). Really they were just fabric racks that were kinda triangle shaped but only if you noticed them from the side. That's OK... we managed. I can't remember the other clue but I remember it was pretty easy.

This was the free pattern that the shop was giving out. It's a cool tablerunner. The sample was made from Shop Tour fabrics. Here is another cool little bag made from the fabrics as well.

I was so excited shopping that I needed a cart. Check out the new carts that Patchwork has in their store. I loved this idea soooo much that I think I will take my little fold up cart to the Lancaster Bus trip coming up Nov. 1st. They completely collapse and they are great for pulling your fabric bolts around while you are shopping. So don't forget to get yours next time.

Here is a little shot of the owner of the shop. I didn't win a door prize at this shop but Lucy did. She pulled a blue ticket out of the bag and won a pattern I think.

We liked this shop and love going out over the mountain to get there but this wasn't a shop we hung out in for long. We wanted badly to stop at the Farmer's Market down the hill but we were ready to keep on truckin' down the road....so.... we kept driving. I did notice this little diddy on the way out of town.

No it's not real. It's just a concrete buggy but we are so used to seeing them in Pennsylvania Dutch Country (the real ones) that it was a nice touch and it was pretty realistic looking so if you squint you can pretend they are real. After all, there are mennonites that work at Patchwork Plus.

Here is the shop's Tour Quilt. I like this quilt but it was a little light for me. It's the same block that they used in the tablerunner so... I guess we could expand the pattern and make this quilt if we wanted to.
Here are the fabrics that I purchased at Patchwork Plus. I found a couple of nice browns and a pink for my pink and brown quilt that I am collecting for, along with the shop fabric.
Patchwork's free gift is below. A tape measure and pins and we also got an apple. I think mine is still in the car.The grand total from Patchwork: $44.44 (I am not sure how that is since I think I only bought 1/2 yards.... I guess I will check that receipt again.) But time to get going a little bit south to the historic town of Staunton. I here the next shop is in the whole train station.

Our Lunch Adventures

OK... we are off to a bit of a late start. It's lunchtime and we are only through one shop. Do we eat before or after the mountain? There really isn't anything in the middle. Oh... we needed to make a quick stop for gas. SHEETS!!! We stopped at Sheets to get gas and contemplated getting a sub and get right back on the road. Sheets has great subs and good coffee... and as the sign says...

But B remembered there was a Dairy Queen up the road before the mountain. She had burgers on the brain and I said OK. We finished pumping the gas and decided to head there. Here's B's big smile. Doesn't she look excited to get moving?

OK... Here's the thing. I didn't take any more pictures of lunch. I didn't have the heart to gross you out. Let's just say that we ate at a place that wasn't fancy (or even clean). We have renamed it the "Scarey Dairy" which is located in Standardsville, VA (and clearly they need to rethink that name and consider "Low Standardsville"). Luckily neither of us got sick ('cause you can't screw up a BLT).... and we were able to continue over the mountain.

Sometimes we drove past places where we would have loved to have stopped... but there was fabric waiting and so we drove on. But if you ever have the chance to stop at the little pottery place which is right in the valley between the two mountain peaks on Route 33 please send me an email and let me know how it is. It's just a tiny little shop and there is another shop next to it. I have never stopped but have always wanted to. At least I have made a mental note of where to go next year when we head on the Tour and have decided that I think we should make it a three day trip to accomodate all the places we didn't get to stop.

So over the mountains to Harrisonburg we went and then just a little south to a town called Dayton. See you at the next shop.

Our First "Little Quilt Shop"

Get ready because this first post begins the "11 Quilt Shops in 2 Days" journey of the Central Virginia Tour de Quilt. As promised I have immortalized the trip for all of you who were unable to attend. Let's celebrate my birthday month together... You, Me and my friend BP. My friend LS in Tennessee decided to call her quilting business "Loose Bobbins" (which is a completely appropriate name..yuk yuk...) So BP and I decided we should expand on that with nicknames during this trip. B said she wanted to be Lucy Bobbins and then I guess I should be Ethel. Hubby just called us Thelma and Louise (which after you hear about the whole trip you may agree).

So here are all the details of the fun stuff on the trip. At the first stop you can pick up your Passport. A completely filled passport gives you a chance to win a Grand Prize and 1st, 2nd and 3rd Place prizes. There is also a Scavenger Hunt along the way. Each shop has 2 clues. You have to figure out which clues go with which shop. A completed Scavenger Hunt gives you a chance to win a different prize. Each shop on the tour had to make a quilt out of the "Tour Fabrics" which is the Jacobean Arbor line and they each had a store fabric which could be purchased. You would then have a chance to own all 11 fabrics in the line and create your own tour quilt. Each shop has door prizes, a shop prize contest, a buffet (of sorts) and shop freebies. One of the shop freebies is a store project pattern. Each shop makes a project and gives away the pattern to that project. Each shop can give away whatever freebies they want. So I will try to show you as much as I can. You can read about the Tour de Quilt here.

Alright... enough babbling... Let's get to the trip. B starts the trip off right by showing us the #1. Our first stop on the tour was That Little Quilt Shop in Madison, VA. Madison is a quaint little town off Route 29. It's West of Fredericksburg (where I live) and the first stop before you head over the mountains. Madison (which is owned by Noreen Smith, who also owns 145 Art and Design Studio in historic Culpeper, VA) is nestled inside an historic old church. Here is the front of the church.

Here is the Shop Quilt on the tour. I think the Little Quilt Shop did a great job with their design, don't you?

This little lady was a clue on the Scavenger Hunt and she was wearing the first free pattern that we received in the day, a little apron which looks like a little skirt. Clue #1 was the wire dress form and the second clue was a little bed on the second floor of the shop.

Here is the second floor balcony of the shop. The Little Quilt Shop has a nice collection of Civil War Repros and tons and tons of gorgeous Baiks. You can see some of them here.

Here are the lovely little purchases that I made at this shop. A few one yard cuts and a Tour de Quilt pin. This shop is really scary for me. I could spend all day here but of course we had 10 more shops to go to and we needed to get moving. Grand Total at Shop #1: $50.93 YIKES!

I should probably learn to pace myself.

That Little Quilt Shop gave me this lovely little pack of fabric as my free gift. What a great little store...but times a wastin'. Next, to eat or not to eat... that is the question. Come on Thelma... let's get a move on!

Over the mountains we go...

Back to the Fun Stuff

Greetings fellow bloggers. I have been away for awhile. The boys started school and cub scouts has been a nightmare (Hubby is CubMaster for the pack and I am "Advancements Chair"). Sounds like a very important title. It just means that I run everything behind the scenes and take orders from a demanding boss. But it's all for the boys. Hopefully someday they will show their appreciation because right now I feel a little like a rented mule. I did have a chance to visit the annual Sewing Expo in Chantilly, VA with some friends and had a nice day. Other than that not much on the sewing front.

The only sewing getting done in the loft in the past two weeks is a project that I am working on with a friend of mine. My friend C's husband, who works in Cardiovascular Surgery at the hospital wanted to make a quilt for the wife of his friend that just passed away from a terminal Cancer. They were friends and business partners for 20 years. His only caveat was that he wanted to make it himself. I thought it was a noble cause and so I have been teaching him how to quilt in the loft for the last two weeks. He has done a wonderful job and the quilt top is complete. Now we are working on a special surprise on the back (here is where I come in as a designer). I will have to post photos later. I have been so busy with scouts that it is draining my brain cells and I haven't been documenting his progress.

I did get out yesterday to the local quilt shop where I teach here in Fredericksburg, VA and where you can find my patterns for sale if you happen to be dropping by or traveling through.


I wanted to take a photo for a Blogland friend of this quilt that I made from Pieces From My Heart. It's called Trees Up, Lights On. It has been hanging in the store for months as a sample for the class. My friend Liz is teaching this class.

Here is a photo of Liz's sample as well. Her quilt was coming down today. She is entering her quilt in our Guild's Quilt Show (which is a spectacular show by the way). She said yesterday that her entry form said the quilt was embellished so she had to take it down and quickly embellish it before the show. Our friend Ledra, one of the shops owners said, "The only thing on that quilt that was embellished was the entry form." I think Liz is going to put these little beads on it that look like strings of lights. I can't wait to see it when she's finished. This quilt is pieced similar to the Buggy Barn patterns that my Blogland Friend Kim is making. (Kim's Big Quilting Adventure)

I did purchase a great new pattern at the shop called "Witches Brew" by Seams Like Home which has a painted face. I've never done that before. I thought maybe I should make some Halloween Quilts.

Isn't she cute? I am gonna start working on her as soon as I fold that giant pile of laundry behind her that she's leaning against. I will have to take some more photos of some of the other things that I have been working on the past few weeks. Not much but they are rather pretty. It feels good to be back in the swing of things. Tomorrow I leave for a nice girl trip away. I am traveling through the Annual Virginia Tour de Quilt with a friend for the weekend. We are celebrating October (which is my birthday month). I feel it takes a whole month to really celebrate a birthday in style. This month I have purchased a "new-to-me" sewing machine from a fellow stitcher (a Bernina 730 with machine embroidery). Don't get too jealous... she is buying a new Bernina 830 with embroidery. I also purchased some new embroidery designs at the Sewing and Quilting Expo. So... what better way to top off the birthday than a trip across Virginia with a girlfriend (or maybe two). It's gonna be so nice. I will have a Starbuck's card and a camera and I plan to document the trip as best as I can to post here so that you can go with me. It's my goal to completely fill my Tour de Quilt Passport and try to win lots of great prizes. I hear it's lots of fun. I will be back. Maybe we can chat about it over coffee. See you soon.