Road Trip!

We will go anywhere for FABRIC!

In honor of Joannie's birthday, we piled into her car on Saturday and headed up to Vermont for a mini quilt shop hop! Before we even crossed the border, we made our first stop in Shelburne Farms, MA, to visit A Notion to Quilt. Marion and I had been to this shop a really long time ago. We didn't remember much about it, only that it was really large. It was a great shop. We barely had entered the front door, when we had to stop and look at the amazing plethora of patterns.

This is just a small sampling of the patterns at A Notion to Quilt.

They had an enormous selection of fabric, including my two personal favorites, batik and Kaffe Fassett. Sue found some great food prints, including Kentucky Fried Chicken and potato chips. She said it was the best collection of food prints that she has seen in one shop. They also had a wonderful selection of bag patterns along with samples made up right next to them, so you could see the finished product. Lovely quilt samples are hung from the ceiling. The store was well staffed and everyone was very friendly. There is also a yarn shop right next door.

A modest haul for me at our first stop. A half yard of black and white,
a half yard of batik, and a yard of Kaffe Fassett.

Our next stop was Norton House in Weston, Vermont. Marion and I had also been here many, many years ago. They were having a huge power outage in Vermont that day, so we saw the store by flashlight! This time happily, all the lights were on and what a treat for the eyes. This store is in an antique New England home, circa 1760, with creaking floors and twisty stairs.

Joannie and Marion examine the merchandise.

There is a large selection of fabric and kits downstairs, as well as a small room full of batik fabrics. Upstairs were two rooms full of bargain fabrics. I found three pink and black prints for my future black and pink quilt. Downstairs, I found a great print called Plug and Play with the different types of outputs for computers. I bought a small piece to make a pouch for my computer nerd brother Jeff. Joannie got some great brightly colored fabrics for a baby quilt for her new grandson who is expected later this year. I also bought a Creative Grids ruler to make pineapple blocks. I had seen this ruler demonstrated on YouTube, but couldn't find it anywhere. There it was hanging next to the cash register. Serendipity! We had a quick lunch at Dot's Diner and headed back on the road for more shopping.

These beauties were waiting for me in the Bargain Room upstairs!

I bought this fabric downstairs to make a gift for my brother, Jeff.

We had originally planned to try and squeeze in two more quilt shops, but time was running low, so we decided to go to Waterwheel House Quilt Shop, which was our original inspiration for our road trip. My husband Mike has stopped at this shop several times after ski trips to bring me home a present and he recommended it highly. Although this was the smallest of the three, it was definitely my favorite! There was a huge selection of Kaffe Fassett fabrics, plus lots of beautiful samples, all kitted up and ready to go! We met Gracie the shop dog, a lovely golden retriever. I really had to restrain myself here. I did buy a beautiful Vermont Maple Leaf pattern that was an original design for the Vermont Shop Hop.

Kaffe-alicious! An entire aisle (both sides) filled
with Kaffe Fassett fabrics! My dream come true!

Sue made friends with Gracie the shop dog. Sue has a
golden retriever of her own at home named Georgia.

Marion checked out the patterns to see what was new.

Joannie found some great fabrics.

The front porch of Waterwheel House Quilt Shop displays a bevvy of beautiful quilts.

A group photo before we headed home. From left to right: Sue, Marion,
Joannie and me. Gracie the shop dog graciously agreed to pose with us.

A belated happy birthday to my good friend Joannie! I know you enjoyed your birthday road trip! Sue's birthday is in a few weeks, so we'll have to start planning something soon...

A warm welcome to Janie, my newest follower on BlogLovin'. Thanks for following my blog!

Hope everyone enjoyed our road trip! All of these shops have websites, so you can shop virtually in your pajamas no matter where you live.

Pugs and kisses,
Nancy

Linking up on Wednesday to Sew Fresh Quilts and Freemotion by the River. Thanks for visiting! I'd love to hear from you.