Tu-Na Travels: Day Three on the MN Quilt Shop Hop: 152 Miles, 5 Stores, Forget the Budget

Little did I know when I awoke this morning, that I would be in for a very special treat!

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While visiting the quilt shop in Lake City, the gals told us about an event being held at the marina a few blocks away. Since my husband and I like adventures, we decided to check it out.

The event involved 30 sailboats and 110 volunteers.

Fifteen minutes later we found ourselves setting sail on a one-hour sailboat ride on the Mississippi River.

For a small donation of $40.00 to the Sailing for Leukemia fundraiser sponsored by the Lake City Yacht Club, we could set sail.

We got the “princess” seats in the back.

Two foreign exchange students enjoyed the ride way up front.

Holly, the owner of the boat and a Dairy Queen, tells me that she is a quilter, too. What a coincidence! Holly started sailing at age 10. Dianne is piloting the Royale Treat today.

All too soon it was time to fold up the sail.

Now that’s a big steering wheel.

I would have liked to have sailed longer but another treat was awaiting as we still had one more shop to visit. My top shop on the hop today was Bluffview Quilts.

Bluffview Quilt Shop is located at 1671 1/2 W. 5th Street, Winona, MN.

As I stepped into Bluffview Quilt Shop, I was warmly greeted by the owners: Mary, Pauline, and Randi. The shop opened in May 2012. This is their third year on the hop. Originally, the shop had been called Clubhouse Quilters but with some partnership changes it was renamed.

Mary, me, Randi, and Pauline

Each of the owners has an area of specialty that they bring to the shop: Randi specializes in hand applique and embroidery, Pauline in paper piecing and Mary in traditional quilting. The three work well together as a team. Pauline says, “We all have different tastes. It gets pretty exciting sometimes.”

The wall color was picked by taking a well-liked fabric swatch to the paint store. It was so well matched that if they had any more of that fabric left and placed it on the wall, it wouldn’t be found.

Mary has been quilting for 25 years. Pauline is a “born again quilter” having restarted three years ago after a 25 year hiatus and Randi entered the business as a new quilter. Pauline’s first quilt was used as a store sample and sold for $600.00 but she also says “If you look around and see the unfinished ones-those would be mine.”

The building originally held a hair salon and golf equipment. The back part (where the tables are) was a garage. It still has the original flooring.

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Mary’s tip for a beginner quilter is to talk to your local quilt shop as they will help you get started. Mary, that’s good advice. Bluffview Quilt Shop is “All about fabric, fun and friends” and I can see they have all three of these. When you visit, tell them Tu-Na sent you.

What I Learned Today: