Category Archives: Tu-Na Quilts

Tu-Na Quilts: Entry for Blogger’s Quilt Festival

Quilter’s like to show-off their hard work and I am no exception. I am entering this Little House quilt in the Large category over at Amy’s Creative Side. This week quilters are gathering their quilts, writing a new post about them, and posting their entries into one of 11 categories: mini, small, large, art, home machine quilted, hand quilted, original design, modern, scrappy, ROYGBIV (rainbow), and applique.

You can see my second entry, the Plus Quilt, here.

I encourage you to stop over there next week to vote for your favorites. You can get there by clicking here and scrolling down past the list of prizes to see the boxes with the entry categories. This quilt can be seen here on the large category page.

Each block in this quilt tells the story of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s life. It is a popular story around these parts since she didn’t live far from here.

I made this quilt for my 5-year-old grandson and gifted it to him this summer. You can read more about it and see close-up pics of it here on this post. This is the second little house quilt I’ve made. You can see the first one, which looks very different, by clicking here.

I got the idea for the quilt and most of the block patterns from the blog called During Quiet Time. I modified Amy’s quilt to include blocks that would depict my grandson’s favorite stories from the books. Therefore, several block patterns come from other places. I designed the covered wagon block myself.

You can see the wavy quilting lines I made using my home sewing machine. This background fabric was perfect for this block. Half the fun of making this quilt was finding just the right fabric for each block.

After, I had finished the quilting, I added buttons for eyes and some embroidery features to some of the blocks. My mom embroidered the chalkboard before I quilted it.

I matched the circles down the center of the back so well that you can’t see the seam–even up close.

I machine stitched the binding to the front and hand-stitched it to the back.

Quilt Stats:

Sewn and home-machine quilted by me (Karen)

Date finished: July 2016

Given to: My second oldest grandson

Size : 66″ x 82″ (296″ around qualifying it for the large category)

Top fabric 100% cotton from a variety of manufacturers and designers

Backing: 100% cotton flannel

Batting: Quilter’s Dream

Patterns from:

Leaf, pumpkin, barn, sheep, house, wheat, star, feather, window, blackbird, shirt, chalkboard, and music note: Amy Friend designed the Little House Quilt. Her patterns can be found here on her blog During Quiet Time.

Log Cabin: Adapted this pattern from The Quilter’s Cache

Jack (their dog): Pattern found on Lorna’s Sew Fresh Quilts blog and can be found here (dog #5)

Red Mittens: from Lori Holt’s book Quilty Fun.

Covered Wagon: Designed by me (Karen)

Train Locomotive: Adapted from the Quick & Easy Quilting Magazine, Vol 19

Kitten and Mouse: Maartje Quilts in Amsterdam’s free pattern for the mouse (mouse #3) and the free pattern for the kitten (kitten #4)

Books on Shelf: Adapted from Melissa Corry’s free pattern found here on Moda’s Bake Shop

If you are new here, welcome. I’m glad you stopped by. Are you wondering why I’m called Tu-Na? To find out click here to read my first post. To find out more about me click here. If you enjoyed what you’ve read and want to follow me, you’ll find several ways to do so on the side bar as you won’t want to miss all the fun and frivolity coming soon.

Are you ready?

I’ve barely uncovered this pile of loot for you to see. More revealing coming soon.

I’ll be posting the rest of the loot from my MN Shop Hop later this week so be prepared; it is not for the faint of wallet. You’ll all be in for a treat too when Tu-Na Helper (my husband) guest writes a post on Sunday about his impressions regarding the MN Quilt Shop Hop trip. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, then you have some catching up to do. Catch the links on this post and then here, here and here and you’ll be all set for later this week.

What I Learned Today:

Show and Tell is still fun just like it was in first grade.
My quilt is up against some really stiff competition. There are some great looking quilts being entered.
Win or lose it’s all fun–at least that’s what I tell my grandchildren.

What have you entered in a competition?

Tu-Na Quilts: Presenting Anne’s Flower

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Ideas do not just happen. They begin with a thought, a need, a picture, an object; some thing that jars the brain to think about making something either for the first time or making an existing object/idea better. The beautiful purple coneflowers were the inspiration behind Anne’s Flower block.

I took this pic of the coneflower with my old Nokia phone in 2011. Camera phones and my photographing ability sure have improved since then. But I think you get the idea.

This pic was taken last year outside of Old Alley Quilt Shop in Sherburn, MN. The coneflowers were just as beautiful when I was there this summer, but I didn’t get a close-up of them.

I featured Old Alley Quilt Shop on Day 2 of my 2016 Quilt MN Shop Hop posts. You can read more about this great shop here. Look for more posts about all my loot that I acquired on that hop and a perspective from my husband as Tu-Na Helper coming up soon.

Now back to the task at hand—designing a quilt block to meet the challenge. When these fabrics from Cloud 9 arrived, my brain saw a purple coneflower.

From the left: Amazon, Sky, Shadow, Iris, and Lilac

Since my artistic drawing abilities consist of stick men and daisies, my daughter-in-law encouraged me to try anyway and provided me with a sketch from which to work.

I’ve already seen paper-pieced and appliqued coneflower quilt patterns. This meant I needed to think of a new way to approach making this flower out of fabric. As I looked at the flower petals, I saw a resemblance to the Dresden plate and decided to design this block using that method. I wanted to keep it mostly pieced and keep applique to a minimum.

Mission accomplished! I think it resembles the drawing above and looks like a coneflower.

The stem involves sewing a curved piece. This was my first attempt at sewing on a curve (not counting setting in sleeves) but it was very easy.

If you have never sewn a curved seam, don’t worry, I had not either. My recommendations: DO NOT pin-just sew, clip the curves about half-way to the seam, and press well.

Although I’ve designed several other quilt blocks for use in my grandson’s Little House Quilt, I’ve never done a tutorial about it. This required making sure the pattern could be made more than once by just following the written directions.

For the most part, it worked the second time. So a couple of revisions were needed and we are done.

Two of Anne’s Flower blocks. Which one do you like?

This pattern can be purchased at Tu-Na’s Pattern Shop on Payhip here. You’ll find all the information (templates, instructions, pics of the process, and tips) you need to make this block in the pattern for Anne’s Flower. I could see a whole quilt made of these. Let me know if you make a coneflower using my pattern. I would enjoy seeing a pic of it and reading about how the pattern worked for you.

What I Learned Today:

I have a new appreciation for pattern writers. It’s harder than I thought.
Everything takes longer than I expect. Even in retirement, I need to work on my time management skills.
It is practically impossible to take a picture of myself while I am sewing.

Question: Have you designed a block or quilt? Tell me about it and what inspired you to create that specific design.

You can find all of the blocks on this New Block Blog Hop by clicking on the links below. Many thanks to Cloud 9 Fabrics for providing the beautiful fabric and our hosts Yvonne, Cheryl, and Stephanie for arranging this event. So go check out the other blocks, you might find one or two you’d like to make.

Monday, September 12th

Host: Yvonne @Quilting Jetgirl

Abigail @Cut & Alter
Janice @Color, Creating, and Quilting!
Lorinda @Laurel, Poppy, and Pine
Melva @Melva Loves Scraps
Renee @Quilts of a Feather
Kathryn @Upitis Quilts
Kim @Leland Ave Studios
Amanda @this mom quilts
Holly @Lighthouse Lane Designs
Irene @Patchwork and Pastry
Jennifer @Dizzy Quilter
Karen @Tu-Na Quilts, Travels, and Eats (You are here)
Anne @Said With Love
Suzy @Adventurous Applique and Quilting
Sharla @Thistle Thicket Studio
Kathleen @Smiles From Kate
Amanda @Gypsy Moon Quilt Co.
Sarah @Sarah Goer Quilts
Chelsea @Patch the Giraffe
Jinger @Trials of a Newbie Quilter
Anja @Anja Quilts
Daisy @Ants to Sugar

Tuesday, September 13th

Host: Cheryl @Meadow Mist Designs

Jennifer @The Inquiring Quilter
Sarah @123 Quilt
Leanne @Devoted Quilter
Jen @Patterns By Jen
Jennifer @RV Quilting
Amanda @Quiltologie
Sharon @Yellow Cat Quilt Designs
Jen @A Dream and A Stitch
Jen @Faith and Fabric
Carole @Carole Lyles Shaw
Stephanie @Quilt’n Party
Susan @Sevenoaks Street Quilts
Katrin @Now What Puppilalla
Amista @Hilltop Custom Designs
Nicole @Handwrought Quilts
Marla @Penny Lane Quilts
Silvia @A Stranger View
Sarah @Smiles Too Loudly
Carrie @the zen quilter
Mary @Quilting is in My Blood
Velda @GRANNYcanQUILT

Wednesday, September 14th

Host: Stephanie @Late Night Quilter

Kathy @Kathys Kwilts and More
Paige @Quilted Blooms
Mary @Strip Quilts Pass it On
Allison @Woodberry Way
Seven @The Concerned Craft
Olusola @Alice Samuel’s Quilt Co.
Ann @Brown Paws Quilting
Jodie @Persimmon + Pear
Vicki @Orchid Owl Quilts
Kitty @Night Quilter
Francine @Mocha Wild Child
Shelley @The Carpenter’s Daughter who Quilts
Jayne @Twiggy and Opal
Geraldine @Living Water Quilter
Shannon @Shannon Fraser Designs
Lisa @Sunlight In Winter Quilts
Jessica @Quilty Habit
Cassandra @The (not so) Dramatic Life
Deanna @Stitches Quilting
Denise @Craft Traditions

Linking with

Pink Doxies for #BraveQuilter (I completed my goal to design a block and write a tutorial for it and then bravely posted it for the world to see.)

Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt

Main Crush Monday at Cooking up Quilts

Let’s Bee Social at Sew Fresh Quilts (button in the sidebar)

Myra at Busy Hands Quilt for Finished or Not Friday (button on sidebar)

TGIFF (Thank Goodness It’s Finished Friday)

Can I Get a Whoop Whoop? at Confessions of a FabricAddict

Caroline at Sew Can She for Show Off Saturday

Tu-Na Quilts: Where the Magic Happens

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This post could also be titled Where the Creative Mess Occurs.

Tu-Na Travels on the Quilt MN Loot posts will continue after this brief overview of my sewing space.

Melva at Melva Loves Scraps is hosting a linky party where you can see other quilter’s sewing spaces and quilting studios. I plan to check them all out to get some organizing and decorating ideas. You’re invited too.

My sewing space is in the laundry room on the lower level of our house. I really meant to get that valance finished for your visit but I’ve been rather busy lately. I recently added a window shade to protect my fabric from the sun when I’m not in the room.

Welcome to my Sewing/Quilting area. I’m so glad you came to visit.

My husband recently installed a shelf above the window so I could display my button collection in vintage canning jars and

fabric pre-cuts and a few quilting books.

A shelf under the window is a fun place to put some decorations and a jar full of ring pincushions as well as the Tide. I used to work with children, so those blocks are the perfect decoration for me.

My sewing desk holds more quilting books. My fat quarters fit nicely in those plastic bins. A cookie jar holds a nice surprise.

I like to call them cookies. These are the good kind of cookies to have around–low calorie and no information is disclosed.

A plastic tower holds pins, machine feet, and other small items that tend to get lost in the drawer. Scissors, rippers, pens and pencils, and small rulers go into the gadget caddy that spins around. This was one of my best finds at a thrift store.

I’ve read before that creative people are messy people. Well, then I must be the most creative person there is. I leave the cleaning until I’ve finished a project. I have several projects going on at one time.

The sink comes in handy for pre-washing. The counter is the perfect height for cutting. The vase on the right is full of fabric scraps. Yes, there is a wine bottle on the counter. No, I did not just empty it. It’s there so I can make a wine-bottle cover.

But I did take a few minutes to tidy up as I knew you’d be visiting.

This sign hangs over the sink. I’m the only one who reads it.

My quilting projects often flow out onto our pool table as it is the right size to lay out baby and crib size quilts. Quilting projects also flow onto our living room floor, dining room table, and kitchen table. A recent project had me overflowing onto all those areas.

I had to move furniture out of our living room to make space to lay out this recent quilt project. I’ll be writing more about this quilt soon.

So where’s my sewing machine set-up now? It’s upstairs on the kitchen table. When I have a large project to sew or when I have quilting help, I move my machine into a larger area.

My mom and I are working together on several projects. Recently, my sisters joined us for several fun quilting days. But those are topics for another post.

I’m trying to convince my husband that we either need to move the pool table out so I can completely take over that room or build a studio. He says I just need to take time to clean up the spaces I have. Sigh.

What I Learned Today:

Cleaning-up is necessary but still not fun.
Finding creative storage solutions that fit tight spaces is difficult.

Question: Do you clean as you go or clean when you are finished with a project?

Linking with

Myra at Busy Hands Quilt for Finished or Not Friday. (Button on the sidebar)

and Brooke at Silly Mama Quilts for WIP

Tu-Na Travels: The 2016 Quilt Minnesota Fabric Loot

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This post continues with my journey on the 2016 Quilt Minnesota Shop Hop. In case you want to catch up with all the fun and frivolity, click here to find a link to the free and almost free loot and click here to find a link at the bottom of the page to all the posts about the daily top shops on the hop posts. Now on with the loot disclosure.

This fabric line is a one-time only printing. When the shops run out, it is gone forever.

My husband said, “Share the love.” So I divided up what I wanted and took 2 yards of the orange hash from three different shops.

I said in a previous post that I prefer the hunt and find method to pre-ordering this fabric line. It’s the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.

Two 2 yard cuts of the brown hash and 1 1/2 yards of the green hash made it into the basket.

This approach doesn’t guarantee that I’ll end up with any of this fabric collection, but then again, it is exciting.

These 2 yard cuts will be nice in my MN Quilt but will also work well with other quilts.

This year I was fairly successful in finding what I wanted.

I’m thinking that 1 yard of each of these cuties will be used up all too fast. What was I thinking? It’s also the agony of regret.

It’s always interesting to see which fabric is the most sought-after fabric from the collection. Which will be the one that quilters chase after and regret not buying more of?

I did get bit by these cute bugs and took 2 yards each.

This year there were several: the mosquitoes and the colored fish were gone in a few days.

I got it! At some of the first shops we stopped at, I asked which fabrics they thought would be sell-outs. This one was predicted by three shops. So as soon as I found it, I bought a yard. But….

…a yard is so little. So I found another shop and bought 2 yards. Then my daughter-in-law called and asked if I’d get her some. “I’ll take even a fat quarter if you find some,” she said. It had been 4 days since we had seen any colored fish. Later in the week we found some at a remote shop in the lakes area. So I bought her a yard and took another yard for myself.

Since the colored fish were sold out, someone came up with a brilliant solution to use fabric crayons to color the plain fish. After posting this idea on the Quilt MN Facebook page, it then created a shortage of the plain fish.

Luckily, I had already reeled in 2 yards.

From the Quilt Minnesota Facebook page, many people are still looking for the orange and brown hash too. I was also successful in catching some other cute fun fabrics from this collection.

Canoes in light and dark–one yard each.

And oars to go with the canoes. Two 2 yard cuts of the brown and 2 yards of the blue oars.

The 2016 MN fabric line had 26 prints, a panel of 4 blocks and a pictorial stripe. While I didn’t get some of each of them—I never intended to, I did get what I liked and wanted to use.

One yard of the blue Trillium and two of the green.

One yard of the orange and two of the blue.

My husband spied a quilt that he liked at one of the shops. I decided he deserved to have one after going with me on this trip. So I’ll use the colored fish and several other prints from this collection to make a special one for him. I also have a couple of other quilt patterns in mind for this collection.

I just couldn’t resist adding another yard and a half of these hungry looking guys. No bug spray is necessary when using this fabric.

What I Learned Today:

I’d better start sewing a lot faster.
Mosquitos on fabric are a lot nicer than mosquitos on the arm.
Maybe pre-ordering isn’t such a bad idea (Nah-probably not going to happen).

Question: Do you shop faster than you sew or sew faster than you shop?

Linking with

Beth at Cooking Up Quilts for Main Crush Monday (Button on the sidebar)

Lorna at Sew Fresh Quilts for Let’s Bee Social (Button on the sidebar)

Cynthia at Quilting is More Fun than Housework

Tu-Na Travels: The Free and Almost-Free Loot

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Was it just my own mom, or did yours, too, prolong the agony on Christmas Eve? Before we could open gifts, we had to have every dish, pot, pan, and cookie sheet washed, dried, and put away. There were a lot of them because she had been making Christmas cookies all day long.

I’ve read from your comments that a lot of you have been wondering and waiting patiently for me to unwrap and reveal my loot from my 2016 Quilt Minnesota Shop Hop. Click here to find a link towards the bottom of the page that lists all the posts about that fun trip.

Let’s see just what snagged my line and made me cast my credit card to be netted and put in that cool treasure chest pictured on my last post. First up is the FREE STUFF! ’cause we all love FREE!

Each of the 72 participating shops provided every shop hopper with an 8″ finished pattern designed by their shop.

Here’s all 72 patterns I got!

Each shop on the hop also gave each hopper a 5″ square of the 2016 Quilt Minnesota Fabric.

I got from 1-4 squares of each of 25 prints. I was only missing one print-the parchment.

Here’s some close-ups of my favorites. Did I take the bait or keep on swimming by? You will find out on the next post whether I was able to catch any or regret not having pre-ordered. I can’t reveal all my woes or I’ll have nothing left to write. In the meantime, I have loads of free and almost-free stuff to reveal.

The colored fish would be the first one to sell-out within a few days after the shop hop started. Will I have predicted it and bought early on the hop or not?

Cute little retro campers would also be in short supply. These could also be found with an olive background, if you were lucky.

Everyone also loved those mosquitoes in either the tan or aqua background. Who could resist those buggy eyes? Obviously no one, since it also was a sell-out. Did I get bit or was I left sitting on the bank wishing I would have thrown in the line a little earlier?

All of the participating shops on the hop were also participating in the Row by Row and I used this opportunity to collect the patterns from all….

…except one shop, that is. There’s only 71 Row by Row patterns here. We were so excited to check out at one shop and get the incentive prize that we forgot to ask for their Row by Row pattern. It’s too far off the beaten path to return to again. It was a really nice one though and it gets even nicer as I dream about the one that got away.

In an effort to keep organized in the beginning of the hop, my husband and I each used a gallon zip-lock plastic bag to hold our patterns and fabric squares. We were delighted to receive this vinyl and canvas zippered pouch as our first incentive prize as it held our patterns and fabric squares nicely. We could be seen emerging from the car with the pouch in hand heading straight for the shop door.

It also held the Row by Rows that we were collecting. I also had room in mine to keep a yard or two of fabric that I was trying to match. Here’s how stuffed it was with 72 shop patterns, 72 fabric squares, and 71 Row by Row patterns.

Hingeley Road Quilt Shop in Floodwood, MN went above and beyond in providing us hoppers with patterns. They’ve published several quilt pattern books and gifted each hopper with a 40 page book which includes 15 quilt patterns including one that I have my eye on to use with those new Quilt MN fabrics. This was in addition to their fabric square and 8 inch block pattern! Thank you Hingeley Road Quilt Shop. I look forward to seeing you again.

In the book, Melissa says “……….my philosophy has always been: A quilt is a sum of your experiences and memories of creating and making it. Quilts are made for the enjoyment and experience, not for perfection. That crooked quilted line is because my 3 year old wanted attention and pulled on the quilt top, that point is cut off because I had to hurry to meet the school bus, those are the things I think of when I look at my quilts-not ‘I should have been more precise’ life is too short for perfection-just enjoy the experience.”

Many of the stores provided us with bottles of water, coffee, fruit (bananas and cuties), snack mixes, granola bars, chips, cookies, candy and chocolate. We appreciated those sweet little treats for us weary shop hoppers. Some of the shops also gave us fun little freebies to take.

Here’s what’s left of the candy. My husband found a flattened Rice Krispies Treat in his pouch. (I told him it would taste just as good and offered to test it for him; he didn’t fall for it either.) Anderson Factory Outlet and Quilt Shop provided the mini retractable tape measure (it will be handy in my tackle box, err purse), nail file and notepad. The Quilted Ladybug and Rather Bee Quilting gifted us with pens. This is Sew Broadway included a notepad with our Quilt Minnesota patterns and fabric squares.

There was a shop that included a thank-you with my purchase.

Thank you ABC’s of Quilting in Grand Rapids, MN for that sweet little fat-eighth. it’s perfect for my black and white project.

The Metro section was giving free charms with a $10.00 purchase and I netted some.

The fish is just a scale width over 3/4″. These probably will be sewn onto a project since I don’t wear bracelets. Three more charms are hiding in a safe place. I didn’t want to lose them and now I can’t find them! I sure hope they’re not in my tackle box (purse) as they will be lost forever!

The incentive prizes from each section were a really big catch.

Northwest Section-12 Batik fat quarters: Northeast Section-Layer cake (21 10″ squares) of Flannels: North Central Section-Snack Pack of 42 2.5″ x 44″ strips (We had our choice of snacks and we each selected the red and white without consulting the other.): East Central Section-9 solid color fat quarters: Central-lunch box: Southeast Section-Zippered Vinyl and Canvas Pouch and 5 quilt patterns: Southwest Section-12 fat quarter bundle: Metro Section-entered into a drawing to win some fabulous prizes. If one of us wins, you’ll be some of the first to know.

It’s official; we are now part of the SWAT TEAM!

A fun little prop from Fabrics Plus, Marshall, MN that I used as a personal fan until my husband decided to use it to swat a fly.

Now onto the really good deals that seemed ALMOST FREE.

The best deal I found was at DeAnn’s Country Village Shoppe in Litchfield, MN. They were having a sale in their demolition room (clearance). So for just $3.00 per yard (that’s correct—no typo), I was able to catch two excellent quality backings for quilts. However, this could also be the “fish that got away” as I wish I would have bought even more!

The orange with white dot is 7.75 yards of Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Joanna Figueroa for Moda. The text print on the right is Odds and Ends by Julie Comstock for Moda.

I was working on a project before we left and this text print would be perfect. So I reeled it in and said I’d take all that was on the bolt! It was a whopper at 8.5 yards.

In case you’ve been thinking that I’ve just been lying around resting since we got home, I will let you know that I now only have 3 yards of that text print left.

But that’s another upcoming post with an interesting story that I will warn you will require a box of tissue.

I only bought 3 fat quarters on the trip this year compared to the 125 I bought last year.

Those two green fat quarters were a steal of a deal at only $1.50 each at Anderson Factory Outlet and Quilt Shop in Blackduck, MN.

Each store in the Central Section had a special Dollar Ditty promotion. If you spent $10.00, you could purchase the promoted item for just one dollar more. I purchased some of them. Since the policy was one ditty per person, I did what every devoted quilter would do. I divided my purchases in two so my husband could also buy some.

The seam gauge and measuring gauge together counted as one dollar ditty from Cottage Quilts & Fabrics in Elk River, MN. I’ll keep the little sewing kit in the car as we live by the Boy Scout motto “Always Be Prepared.”

Finally, some of the stores even gave us “invitations” to come back. How can I say no?

Coming up next: A look at which of the 2016 Quilt Minnesota Fabrics didn’t get away. But first I have some zucchini that needs freezing and now the crab apples are ripe enough for making jelly.

What I Learned Today:

Free is always fun!
Life is too full of regrets. Fabric at $3.00/per yard is an incredible deal. I should have bought more. Next time shop more so there are less regrets.
I still worry about perfect seams.

Question: What was the best deal you ever found?

Linking:

Tuesday to Connie at Freemotion by the River for Linky Tuesday

and Sew Cute Tuesday

Wednesday to Lorna at Sew Fresh Quilts for Let’s Bee Social (button on the sidebar)

and Silly Mama Quilts for Work In Progress

and Friday with Busy Hands Quilt for Finished or Not Friday (button on the sidebar)

and Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict for Can I Get a Whoop Whoop?

Tu-Na Travels: So Where’s “The Loot”?

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Hi-ho, thar buckos!

Tu-Na’s Treasure Chest. Actually, my sister found my hiding place when she came shop hopping with us for Day 8. She peeked inside to see what was for lunch.

’tis be Cap’n Tu-Na tellin’ ye that I have th’ loot counted, ‘n safely stowed.

She sure was surprised! I called it my “high fiber” diet.

Thar’s much more thar than I thought. ’tis just taken much longer than expected. Be back in a day or a pair wit’ th’ first ‘o th’ loot from me 2016 Quilt Minnesota Shop Hop to show ye. In th’ meantime, here’s a couple a pictures to whet ye appetite!

Were you thinking that was all?

Look what was waiting for me when I arrived home! Inside the envelope was the tiny Dresden plate template that I bought along the hop at the Spinning Spools Quilt Shop in New Ulm, MN. They were sold out but said they’d ship it when it was back in stock. I’d forgotten I ordered it so it was a nice surprise to have it waiting for me along with a hand-written note from the owner. It will be perfect for my 1930s repro fabric.

In addition to taking lots of pictures, I’ve had a pressing project to work on, too.

I’ll show you this project soon; I promise.

And these giants need some tending. The garden produce got out of hand while we were gone.

I’m thinking Oven-Baked Zucchini Fries, Zucchini Brownies, and Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread; my husband is thinking compost.

Stay tuned for Part Two of “The Loot—The Free and Almost-Free Stuff” coming up soon. Yes, I came across some really good deals—so good, in fact, that they made me think I was a pirate; I’ve got the credit card debt to prove otherwise! If you haven’t caught up with all my Quilt Minnesota Shop Hop adventures, you’ll see the list here.

What I Learned Today:

The cooler holds more than I thought.
The cooler made a good storage place after the garden produce was left at my daughter’s.
Receipts add up faster than I thought.
380 pictures of loot are a lot to weed out and edit.
The loot—it’s almost embarrassing.

Question: What do you do with overgrown zucchini?

Linking Sunday to Cynthia at Quilting is More Fun than Housework for Oh, Scrap!

Monday to Beth at Cooking up Quilts for Main Crush Monday (Button on the sidebar) and Love Laugh Quilt for Monday Making

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

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

RT1a

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:

Spontaneous activities can be lots of fun.
Slow down; enjoy the ride.
It is hard to shop hop all day and try to write a post at night.

Question: What have you done at the spur of the moment?

Tu-Na Travels: Day Two on the MN Quilt Shop Hop: 507 Miles, 10 Shops, Made a New Budget

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Our daughter, also a quilter, joined us for day 2.

We are enjoying some mother-daughter time sitting on the front porch waiting for opening time.

The day began early as we left her house around 8. After a quick stop for coffee, we headed down the road. Making our way along I-90, so close to the Iowa border we could almost see it, we stopped at Old Alley Quilt Shop in Sherburn. You can find more photos and info on their website.

Come along with me and I’ll show you why this shop scores a perfect 300! Located at 115 N. Main St. in Sherburn, MN.

The two owners had been school teachers and friends and shared a love of antiquing. Sharon was the quilter with Becky having no interest in it. During those antique-hunting trips, Sharon would drag Becky through some quilt stores and somehow, neither can quite remember how it happened, a quilt shop business idea was born. The big question was where. Sharon had lived in Sherburn for many years and had never thought that the old bowling alley would make a good business. Goodness, it had been abandoned for five years. After a quick inspection at 4:30 pm on Halloween night of 2003, they discovered this “diamond in the rough” complete with bowling balls, pins, and even cases of beer. Using a flashlight, brave Becky inspected the building walking through to the back while Sharon stayed and guarded the front door.

I think only these two could have seen the potential!

Becky’s husband, Joel, counseled them, “Don’t let a hole in the roof stop you.” So with that advice, they bid a $1.00 and scored the building for $125.00 after additional fees.

They spared no expensive, putting on a new roof first. No more hole in the roof now! The inside was completely gutted.

Renovations took a full year, even with the help of family and friends, and finally on October 30, 2004, they opened their door for business. By now they’d moved the front door to the side of the building and added windows.

The outside sports antique sewing machines and flowers. Becky is the nature lover and keeps those flower beds tidy.

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They kept the original bowling lane flooring.

Close-up of the floor.

Extra original flooring was used as a cutting counter.

This was the back of the bowling alley as you can see the places to set the pins.

When you visit Old Ally Quilt Shop (it is worth traveling out of your way for), be sure to look on top of the shelves as you will find more antique sewing machines.

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Sharon has her mother’s and her grandmother’s machines on display and says that people are now bringing their old machines to them.

The inside of the shop was furnished by dumpster diving and curb shopping. They held a rummage sale selling off the items found in that old building.

Sharon is showing the thread cupboard that they purchased for $3.00.

So where was Becky today? She’s gone fishing. According to Sharon, “Becky has come a long way (she now quilts and runs the longarm). I don’t fish.”

Thanks, Sharon, for telling me about your fabulous shop!

If you get the chance, and it’s worth going out of your way to find it, do stop in at Old Alley Quilt Shop to look around, talk to the gals, look at their scrapbook of before and after pictures, and of course, shop. Tell the gals that Tu-Na sent you.

During our drive we enjoyed watching a storm build.

There’s much more to tell when I get home and have better internet connections. In the meantime, here’s the three of us at the end of the day.

One more store to visit and we will finish the southeast section and earn a 12 fat-quarter bundle.

We each earned a 12 fat quarter bundle of Ariel by Robbin Rawling from Quilting Treasures.

What I Learned Today:

There’s beauty even in storm clouds.
Quilters and quilt shop owners are some of the friendliest people I’ve met.
A bowling alley makes a great quilt shop.

Tu-Na Travels: Day One: 635 Miles, 8 Shops, Blew the Budget Already

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The alarm rang at 4am signaling that our adventure was about to begin.

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By day’s end we had traveled 635 miles, visited 8 quilt shops in Minnesota, and bought many yards of Minnesota fabric.

The first shop was 250 miles away from home. When we arrived, we filled out our passports.

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Each shop on the hop will stamp their spot. We will also receive a pattern for a specially shop-designed block and a 5″ square of the Minnesota fabric.

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I love road trips as there is so much to see while traveling. Each day on the hop I will choose one amazing shop to showcase here. Picking today’s featured shop was difficult as I had many favorites from which to choose.

And then I found it!

Quilt Haven on Main is located at 7 Main St. in Hutchinson, MN.

Quilt Haven on Main in Hutchinson, MN will be celebrating their 4th year in business in November. Learn more about them here. This is the third year they have been participating in the hop.

As I entered the store, I could tell this was a place with some interesting history.

Interesting signs and other items greet you in the entrance. Be sure to look for their beehive and bee cookie cutters.

When I visited, the owners had left the shop for the day in the good hands of their employees: Marcie, Connie, Linda, and Karen. After talking with these gals, I knew they were partly responsible for putting and keeping the “fun and inspiration” into this shop.

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The building was built in 1913 and initially housed a furniture store. However, my husband remembered there was more to this story and I pressed Marcie for more information. She, rather reluctantly, said that furniture stores in that era were responsible for making caskets. Yes, caskets had been made downstairs in this building.

Later, the building became the design studio for Lynette Jensen of Thimbleberries with an attached Thimbleberries store. The store and design studio closed in 2012. However, Lynette continues to design for RJR. Sometimes customers ask the staff at Quilt Haven if they still carry “Lake Life,” Lynette’s fabric line.

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When visiting this shop, be sure to look up at the original tin ceilings which are found throughout the building including the basement. And don’t forget to look all around at the beautiful quilts on display on the street level as well as upper level.

Speaking of the upper level, Quilt Haven on Main offers “Laughter in the Loft” on the first Friday of every month. The girls will tell you that Laughter in the Loft is the free open-sewing time that is sure to inspire you to create in the presence of friends. Be sure to call ahead ((320) 587-8341 or (888) 843-8215) to reserve your spot as they are often filled. I know if I lived closer, I would be there often to sew and share.

When you visit Quilt Haven on Main, take a walk up and down the “Scarlet O’Hara” staircase so aptly named by Marcie.

“Oh, Rhett, I’ll take a yard of that red one and maybe three of that.”

Marcie, Karen, Connie, and Linda will welcome you to this shop and help you find fabric for every project you have in mind and even some you don’t. But then again, with so much variety to choose from, how can one resist adding some to your stash?

What I learned today:

4 am is really early.
Whatever I forgot to bring with, I can buy along the way. My husband assures me that they have stores in Minnesota, too.

Question: Have you been to Quilt Haven on Main? If you do visit, tell them Tu-Na sent you.

Tu-Na Travels: “All My Bags Are Packed, I’m Ready to Go” to Quilty Destinations Ahead

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Plans are underway for my husband and I to travel the entire state of Minnesota in a few days. The MN Quilt Shop Hop is beginning! Read more about it here. For the third year in a row, we will visit over 70 shops, get our “passports” stamped, enter to win prizes, earn some incentives for completing each section, and buy some unique quilting fabric—ok, probably buy a lot of quilting fabric.

Each year a fabric line is designed just for the hop. Looks like it’s the year of the mosquito! Campers is available in light olive (pictured) and light khaki.

Last year we spent 11 days traveling 4343 miles visiting 70 shops resulting in a fabric bill that was larger than our gas, food, and lodging combined! In my defense, we stayed at the homes of several friends and family members along the way, carried a cooler in the car for lunches, and drove a Prius which averaged in the mid 50s mpg.

I’m sure some of this fabric line will find its way into my house. Mosquitos is available in light khaki (pictured) and light aqua.

So how does one prepare for this event? My husband has entered all 73 shop addresses into a computer program and it’s been churning to give us the best route. The problem is that I closed his computer last night and he had to restart it all over this morning.

These fabrics could be pre-ordered but can not leave the shop until the hop begins. Trillium is available in light aqua (pictured) and light olive.

I’ve located the cooler. Why do we carry a cooler for lunches? Even with extended shop hours during the day, there isn’t much time to find a restaurant to grab a bite for lunch and still be able to get to many shops before they lock their doors for the night. In the evenings, we enjoy finding a local restaurant and eating a delicious meal but during the day, we snack out of the cooler and from the snack bag: cheese, yogurt, peanut butter, trail mix, and some fresh fruits and vegetables.

Just like last year, I decided not to pre-order. I guess I like the thrill of the hunt. Canoes is available in light khaki (pictured) or dark taupe.

I have my cell phone and charger in case I need to check with a store regarding their closing time. Several times in the past two years that we’ve done the hop, I’ve called ahead as the GPS says we’ll arrive a few minutes after closing and they’ve been nice enough to stay open for us until we arrive. Of course, I do reward their extended time by doing a bit of extra shopping. Yes, we use a GPS and my husband’s I-phone and, sometimes, we even have to resort to a paper map. We’ve been directed to dead ends, found ourselves miles off-course, and been re-routed by detours. Last year was the year the entire state seemed to be under road construction as even our detours were detoured. Eventually, we found our way to the shops often joking about having arrived by way of “the scenic route.”

Last year one particular wildflower fabric sold out within the first few days. Luckily, I happened to snag a yard of it. Oars is available in light teal (pictured) and dark taupe.

I’m bringing my running shoes. This year’s goal is to complete the hop in 8 days or less. This will require me to do a bit of running and fast shopping. I’ve got my list (and my mom’s list): Aurifil thread, more 1930 repro fabrics, solids for a Minecraft quilt for my oldest grandson, and, of course, some of this cute Minnesota fabrics.

And who couldn’t resist some fish? Fish is available in cream (pictured) and light taupe.

The fabrics pictured here are just some of the special fabrics printed just for the hop. See the rest of them here. Which ones will I find and which will I let get away?

All that’s left to do is load the car and drive…a lot!

What I learned today:

I left my favorite rolling suitcase at my winter house.
My husband says, “You need to have a plan for the fabric you will buy.”
I plan to like all that I buy.

Question: Have you ever gone on a shop hop? Tell me about your shop hop experience.

Your comments are appreciated! Click on the title of this post if you don’t see the comment box. I respond either by email or here on the blog. Thanks.

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