Diamonds may have been cheaper but definitely not as much fun as this trip has been.
“Take a deep breath and relax,” my husband said. “We only have 6 shops to visit today and then we are done. It’ll be an easy day.”
It’s been a long, tiring but happy trip. Our car is loaded with quilting fabric and patterns that will take me some time to organize and put away. Today should be the last day of our 2016 Quilt Minnesota Shop Hop. Little did I know that it would be leading up to an unplanned Amazing Quilt Race at the end. Will we finish or not?
The first stop on today’s route would become my pick for today’s top shop on the hop.
Located at 113 S. Broadway, Crookston, Minnesota
The shop, This is Sew Broadway, is owned and operated by a father/daughter team. Jenn was away attending to a bus trip of quilters when we visited but I did get to talk to Robin, her father. Click here to go to their website for more info.
This building also houses Jenn’s other creative outlet, The Krazy Kiln, in the basement and three finished apartments upstairs. All those front windows let lots of light into the quilt shop making it a bright and happy place.
When we stepped into the door we knew they were waiting for us shop hoppers. Although we didn’t do any camping this trip, I did buy some MN fabric with campers on them.
Initially, Robin and his wife started the quilt shop in 2010. Sadly, his wife passed away in 2012 leaving him to operate the business with his daughter, Jenn. This is the fifth year This is Sew Broadway has participated in the Minnesota Quilt Shop Hop.
This is Sew Broadway offers a variety of classes in their classroom.
Originally, the building had been a grocery store and then served as a corporate office for Montana Dakota Utilities. When Robin purchased the building, it was in need of renovation. The apartments were not livable. He removed three layers of flooring to expose the original flooring.
There is a large selection of batiks and wooly flannels.
The new rubber roof was under construction when severe weather opened up the roof flooding all three stories. In an attempt to dry out the building, they had to gut more walls. This extra work revealed unopened cereal boxes hidden in the walls. Obviously, through the years when the building had been a grocery store, the boxes had been pushed off the back of the shelves through an opening into the inside of the wall. Some of these boxes are on display in the shop.
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They also offer a wide selection of modern prints from RJR, Northcott, Wilmington, Michael Miller, Maywood, Moda, and more.
Robin does the sewing machine maintenance and repairs at the shop and says quilters should not to be afraid to turn the dials and change the settings on their machines to adjust and set the tension. “Learn your machine,” he advises. He also advises new quilters to start with the basics and get a good foundation of techniques.
Many samples hang from the walls.
As we were talking, a customer overheard our conversation and added this advice for beginning quilters, “Do one project at a time.” I should heed that advice but I think it’s already too late for me.
Robin also had advice for someone wanting to open a quilt shop. He cautioned, “This is not a 9-5 job.” According to him, new shop owners need to be prepared for the amount of work and the number of hours that are required to make it a viable business. He said it most eloquently, “It ain’t always greener on the other side of the septic tank.”
Emily, who works part-time here and has another job elsewhere, told me “This is my fun job.” I think it would be fun working there, too.
When you visit This is Sew Broadway ask to see those cereal boxes, but leave the milk at home, and tell them Tu-Na sent you.
Continuing on our journey we finished the North Central section and received our fabulous fabric prize.
A snack pack from Fabri-Quilt containing 42 2.5″ strips of red, white, and blue fabric and a pattern.
We only had three shops left to visit and then hand in our stamped passports at the last shop in order to be entered into the drawings for some amazing statewide finisher prizes. I checked the Quilt MN Shop Hop brochure for the shop hours of the last shop in the town about 40 miles away. “They close at 6 today,” I told my husband.
What a relief not to feel rushed. So we leisurely shopped the two quilt shops in Detroit Lakes and then stopped for root beer floats to celebrate our soon-to-be finish. After all, it had been quite a journey and we wanted to celebrate. Back in the car, my husband remarked that there was a lot of traffic on the road for a Saturday when everyone should be at the lake already. “Saturday!” I exclaimed as I reached for the brochure again. “Oh, no! They close at 5 on Saturdays!” My husband was not happy…
So the unplanned Amazing Quilt Race began as my husband and I tried to get to that last shop before the mall doors closed. The GPS on his phone said we would arrive at 5:05 but there was construction ahead. When we finally parked in the lot, I ran to the entrance. Someone was leaving the building and I wanted to catch that door before it closed and locked behind them. But I was too late. The door shut just as I reached for it.
Did we finish or did we not? Tune in tomorrow for the thrilling conclusion of the Amazing Quilt Race!
What I Learned Today:
- Wait to celebrate the victory until there is a victory to celebrate!
Question: Do you work on one project at a time before starting another? Or do you have multiple projects in progress?
Linking Tuesday to
Connie at Freemotion by the River for Linky Tuesday
Cynthia at Quilting is More Fun Than Housework for Oh Scrap!
Tu-Na Quilts, Travels, and Eats 
I have just been amazed how much work has been put into many of these shops to renovate them! This looks like another great shop.
You have traveled many miles. How have you spent your travel time?
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The old bowling alley took a year to renovate! Most others about 6 months. And there were other shops that I could have selected as well.
Yes, we traveled many miles talking to each other, sitting in silence, laughing with sister on one day, looking at the scenery, and listening to American Patchwork and Quilting podcasts and Garrison Keillor’s Prairie Home Companion. I didn’t even open the book I took with. We love road trips. I need to get a hand-sewing project started to take with me on road trips. Any suggestions?
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Oh no, you left us hanging. I love all the great information you have providedone about the shops, their owners, and employees. I need to go back and read through all your posts again. I feel as if I were right there with you and can’t wait to see a report on all the goodies you purchased.
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Thanks for the compliments. I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed the posts. Shop hopping is something all quilters should experience at least once. Day 9 was a cliff-hanger day which really lead itself well into splitting up the posts!
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Oh no! I can’t wait until I hear the ending! Not to mention see all the loot!
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It was a very exciting day! Thanks for reading about my adventures.
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Ooo! A cliffhanger! I’m really enjoying these tours through your eyes. Very entertaining and informational!
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Yes, it was a cliffhanger day! Thanks for the compliments and I’m glad you’re enjoying the journey with me.
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I would never try to do more than one “quilt” project at a time, me, no, never. You would have to be a little *#@^^$ to even think of that.
Did you finish the Shop Hop, or not? That is the ? for today. Very interesting story on the shop at Crookston. You write a good story, makes me want to go along, well actually, the way it is written, I feel like I am right there too. Good job.
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Hope you come back tomorrow to find out. So many ideas and so little time and I want to do them all usually is why I’ve got several things going at once.
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Your fun adventures continue! I always have more than one project going at a time. In fact, I usually sew more than one project at a sitting. It keeps it interesting 🙂
Thanks for linking up with Oh Scrap!
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I agree! Sometimes, projects need to sit a simmer a bit too. I’ve got 3 active projects at the moment and about 6 simmering.
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Wow do you have stamina! I’m not sure I could do this long a shop hop, but it sure has been fun traveling with you and seeing the great shops you found on each day. It almost makes me want to come north and do this hop. Thanks for all your tips and your advice.
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This is the third year my husband and I have done the Minnesota shop hop and we live in North Dakota. It hasn’t become dull or boring for either of us. Different routes, a few new shops, different places to stay or eat all helps keep it interesting. And then there’s always road construction to add time and tension.
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Don’t make me wait until tomorrow! I have projects started, some not started, some only on my dreams, and some put away for later all going on at the same time.
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So you like my cliffhanger? Waiting is hard…Only about an hour and a half until tomorrow.
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