Tag Archives: Minnesota Quilt Shop Hop

Tu-Na Quilts: Day Six, 288 Miles, 9 Quilt Shops, 4 Remaining

If you recall from yesterday’s post (day 5), we secured the last hotel room in the greater Brainerd area for the night.

Cue the Music ♪ Do do, Do do, Do do ♪

We arose early to prepare to drive the short 30 minute trip to the quilt shop in Pequot Lakes in order to be there when it opened at 9 am. I was still getting ready as Tu-Na Helper announced he would start taking our bags to the car.

He grabbed the cooler, slung his bag over his shoulder, unlocked the door, reached for the handle, and pulled. Nothing happened. He moved the deadbolt to the lock and then to the unlock position again and pulled on the door handle. Again, nothing happened. We looked at each other. Could we both still be sleeping and dreaming or is this the beginning of a quilting thriller? Help! Let me out. There’s shops to visit and fabric that needs to be bought!

He tried several more times locking and unlocking the door and pulling down on the handle with the same result and then searched the room for the telephone to call the front desk. There was no phone.

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Tu-Na Travels: Day Four, 251 Miles, 8 Quilt Shops, 23 Remaining

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I knew something (or should I say someone) was missing when I first stepped through the door of Heather’s Book Nook & Sew Much More in Granite Falls. I looked around and then I asked.

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Tu-Na Travels: Day One, 352 Miles, 10 Quilt Shops, Only 49 Remaining

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The 2018 Quilt Minnesota Adventure Begins

We arrived at Bluffview Quilt Shop just a few minutes past opening time to pick up our passports and begin this hop. It’s our fifth year of hopping around the state. The gals at Bluffview are just as friendly now as they were when I featured them two years ago (read it here). They told me that this years Quilt MN Shop Hop fabric is going fast. I was able to convince a few yards of the swans on teal background to fly into the car and I quickly closed the hatch to keep them there.

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Tu-Na Travels: The Listed “Loot”

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I left home for the Quilt MN Shop Hop this summer with a list in my purse and a song in my step. Granted, I added onto that list while I was on the hop but I just couldn’t figure out why my favorite pair of Birkenstock’s squeaked when I walked.

You’ve all been patiently waiting for my next loot post so I hope I don’t disappoint you. If you need to catch up with that fun quilting shop hop trip, catch the links on this post and then here, here and here.

First, lets take a look at the list of things my mom wanted me to find for her: Airplane fabric, two spools of Aurifil thread, and a Sewline Fabric Pencil. Mission accomplished.

The airplane fabric on the right was the first score on the trip at the very first shop. One thing crossed off the list. “But I need more than one yard,” mom said when I excitedly told her later that day that I’d found some airplane fabric on clearance. So I spent the next 6 days looking for more. We found almost identical fabric but with smaller planes. I took all that was on the bolt–almost two yards.

The big item on my list was fabric for a Minecraft quilt for my oldest grandson who is seven and enjoys playing that computer game. He’s already picked out the blocks he wants from the pattern on the Seriously, I Think It Needs Stitches blog. On the shop hop, we found lots of solids and other interesting fabric for me to use for that quilt. I will have a nice selection to choose from when I begin that project.

One yard cuts of every color of the rainbow in these two pictures. Yes, I know there’s probably enough for three quilts here.

But I still need to buy some black–a lot of black for the sashing and borders and back. When we got to the quilt shop in Mankato, I found red, blue, and yellow Color Union by Robert Kaufman. They were out of that perfect black and so I searched and asked at each of the remaining 47 shops if they had any but sadly it was not to be found. I guess I’ll be doing some online searching now.

One of my readers asked me if there was anything that I’d bought on the hop that I now scratch my head and wonder “why on earth” or “what was I thinking?” I originally purchased these three 1-yard cuts for use in the minecraft quilt, but now I am scratching my head and wondering why on earth, what was I thinking?

I also listed more black and white fabrics to add to my black and white quilt. I have enough for a king-sized quilt (which I was planning to make anyway) and probably a couple more smaller size ones too. My Arizona quilting group has a black and white and one other color challenge this year. I think I’m all set in the black and white department.

More one yard cuts to add to my collection. Do you see a theme here? I really do like daisies. Can you tell?

A couple more interesting ones.

And my favorite! Why did I buy only 1 yard?

1930 Repro fabrics were also on my list. I looked for them last year and they were hard to find and when I did find them most of them were on clearance. Which was very good for last year. This year more stores had them but I didn’t find many in the clearance section. Which was not very good for this year.

Thirteen cuts of one yard each. Yes, I know I picked up a duplicate. See the ones on each of the ends. Now, how did that happen?

Twelve more yards of fun prints.

I also had this iron cleaner on the list. I bought some of these sheets last year as a notion promotion and was hoping I’d find more this year. I should have taken two.

Have you used this yet? It works great!

Aurifil thread was on my list so I bought two spools.

Cream and gray are the only colors I seem to use lately. I probably should have bought more of these, too.

Oh, I was so excited to find these wonderful perfect little scissors by Karen Kay Buckley. Yes, they were on my list! They are very pointed and very sharp and have a tendency to become lost. I bought two last year on the hop and one the year before. I gave mom a pair last year. I have already lost both of mine. So this year I bought two more and they were even on sale. With my history of losing things, I should have bought a few more.

Have you tried these? I really like them. Mom informed me today that she can’t find hers either.

I looked and asked at each shop for fabric that portrayed prairie with rocks so that I can make another covered wagon block like this one. Having previously bought only a fat quarter of that perfect prairie with rocks, there isn’t enough to make another block. I began the search and found the piece below on day 7.

While it’s close to what I used before, this one has more rocks and more green grass than I’d like. However, I took one yard anyway, just in case I didn’t find anything better.

That was the extent of the list but not the extent of this big pile. I still have more to reveal.

Up next: The Big Splurge (The things that weren’t on my list but still followed my plan to like all that I buy so I couldn’t leave them behind)

Coming Soon: Guest post by Tu-Na Helper (my husband) regarding his thoughts and impressions of the shop hop trip.

What I Learned Today:

If I think I might use it, buy enough the first time.
A fat quarter is not enough in most cases.
Label my scissors just like in kindergarten. Oh, and also label my mom’s.
Some scissors seem to have legs.

Question: What have you lost lately?

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

It’s a Finish! 9 Days, 3368 Miles, 72 Shops, Lots of Memories and a Car Full of Fabric!

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VERY IMPORTANT!—If you haven’t done so, you might like to read the first part of Tu-Na Travels: Day Nine on the Quilt MN Shop Hop: 503 Miles, 6 Shops, Diamonds Would Have Been Cheaper! so you know what’s going on and then come back to finish reading the ending here. (click on the title in this paragraph to go there)

Here’s all my posts about the 2016 Quilt Minnesota Shop Hop, just in case you need to catch up as you won’t want to miss out on any of those daily adventures and top shops on the hop posts.

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

Tu-Na Travels: Day One: 635 Miles, 8 Shops, Blew the Budget Already Featuring Quilt Haven On Main in Hutchinson, MN.

Tu-Na Travels: Day Two on the MN Quilt Shop Hop: 507 Miles, 10 Shops, Made a New Budget Featuring Old Alley Quilt Shop in Sherburn, MN.

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

Tu-Na Travels: Day Four on the MN Quilt Shop Hop: 258 Miles, 8 Shops, Car is Filling Up Featuring Eagle Creek Quilt Shop in Shakopee, MN.

Tu-Na Travels: Day Five on the MN Quilt Shop Hop: 232 Miles, 12 Shops, The Tires are Bulging Featuring Quarry Quilts and Yarns in Sandstone, MN.

Tu-Na Travels: Day Six on the Quilt MN Shop Hop: 261 Miles, 9 Shops, Wishing We Drove a Truck Featuring Timeless Treasures Quilt Shop in McGregor, MN and ABC’s of Quilting in Grand Rapids, MN.

Tu-Na Travels: Day Seven on the Quilt MN Shop Hop: 354 Miles, 5 Shops, Credit Card is Smoking Featuring Cabin Quilting in Cook, MN.

Tu-Na Travels: Day Eight: 466 Miles, 9 Shops, Credit Card is Having a Meltdown Featuring The Old Creamery Quilt Shop in Randall, MN.

Tu-Na Travels: Day Nine on the Quilt MN Shop Hop: 503 Miles, 6 Shops, Diamonds Would Have Been Cheaper! Featuring This is Sew Broadway in Crookston, MN.

Now on with my adventurous journey.

The door closed right in front of me. I grabbed it and pulled hard hoping that it was still open although it was after the mall’s closing time. Miraculously it was not locked even though the clock said it was 5:05pm. That’s 5 minutes past the mall’s closing time.

My husband had gone to another door but that one was locked already. I held my door open and waited impatiently for him to catch up. We were now running down one hallway and then another looking for the quilt shop. Because of construction around the block, we were forced to park in an unfamiliar area and our bearings were off. Nothing looked familiar in this mall.

It was silent in the building. There was absolutely no one around. Were we in the right place? Frantically, I called The Quilted Ladybug hoping that someone would answer. When she did, I asked where they were located in the mall.

And then I looked up.

They even left the OPEN sign on to welcome us.

There I was right in front of the shop. We’d made it and they had waited for us!

Thank you to The Quilted Ladybug so very much for waiting for us! Otherwise, we would have had to wait to check-out until noon the next day or head for home and not finish the shop hop.

We did it! We are happy and tired statewide finishers; the first ones to finish at this shop.

Here’s the front and back page of my Quilt MN Shop Hop passport with all the participating store stamps. We are now entered in the big drawing for some really fantastic prizes. My husband thinks they should also have a prize to refund half the purchase price of items that were purchased from shops during the hop; in my case, that would be a very nice prize.

And here’s the inside with store stamps. It looks a lot different now than when we first got them (check it out on the day 1 post). There’s those ladybugs again confirming we stopped at and finished the NW section at The Quilted Ladybug.

While we were driving to the shop racing against time (but not speeding—well, not too much), I called The Quilted Ladybug in Moorhead to let them know that we were expected to arrive 5 minutes after closing time. “No problem, We’ll wait for you,” was Lisa’s cheerful response. “The outside doors will be locked so just give us a call and someone will come and let you in.” Thankfully, the mall door I tried was still open.

Our prize for finishing the Northwest section: 12 fat quarters of Blue Botanical hand dyed batiks by Clothworks. We picked up this prize from The Quilted Ladybug.

I have to admit there were several shops along the way that we called to ask if they would be around a few minutes before or after closing time.

It was refreshing to be the only people shopping in the store. I left my purse on the counter above and found more fabric to buy.

We didn’t bother to call shops if we would have arrived more than 15 minutes after their posted closing time. I did make it worth their extra time by making purchases at their shops. I never had difficulty finding something to buy.

There are ladybugs throughout the store. Can you find some in this pic?

So where’s all my “loot”?

Lisa remembered us from when we checked out at her store a year ago. Now that’s customer service!

Look for lots of pictures of my one-time only, special edition, never to be printed again, 2016 Minnesota fabrics; many solids for my grandson’s Minecraft quilt; thread; patterns; and some fabric I bought just because “I liked it” coming soon.

Thanks again, The Quilted Ladybug, for going above and beyond!

But first I need to rest a bit and look at what’s in the picnic cooler! ???????

Thank you Quilt Minnesota for a great shop hop experience!

What I Learned Today:

It’s (life) is all about the journey.
I have a terrific husband (but I already knew that).

Question: What’s in your picnic cooler?

Linking on Wednesday with:

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

Linking on Friday with:

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

The Quilt Journal for TGIFF

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

Linking on Saturday with:

Caroline at Sew Can She for Show Off Saturday

Tu-Na Travels: Day Nine on the Quilt MN Shop Hop: 503 Miles, 6 Shops, Diamonds Would Have Been Cheaper!

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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.

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 Travels: Day Eight: 466 Miles, 9 Shops, Credit Card is Having a Meltdown

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I remember when I was a teenager and my little sister wanted to tag along with me. Back then, I didn’t like it. Fast forward many years and now it’s a different story; it’s lots of fun to have her around now. When my sister asked if she could come with us for a day, we were able to make our route work and let her tag along.

The three of us: my husband, my sister, and I, left her log cabin early to get to the first shop by opening time.

One thing is for sure; the scenery in Minnesota is very interesting and beautiful. Especially when comparing it to the flat open plains of North Dakota.

These cars in Park Rapids are not waiting for the street light to turn green. This is one of the few towns around with parking down the center of the street (as well as on the sides). My sister says it probably has something to do with the logging industry in prior days or maybe the streets were extra wide so Paul Bunyan could get his cart through.

We found Paul in Akeley. Look at that gorgeous Minnesota sky; I just couldn’t crop it.

I think Paul spilled his bag of cotton balls!

Along the route, my sister pointed to another quilt shop as my husband kept on driving past. “What’s this?” she asked. “If it’s not on the hop, we don’t stop?” Well, that’s the way it’s been on our trip. We’ve driven past quilt shops (and also thrift stores) and we don’t stop unless they are part of this year’s quilt hop. What’s interesting is that she used the exact phrase that we had been saying during the whole trip! I guess, sister’s do think alike, too.

My husband and I completed two sections today; we had stopped at most of the required stores earlier in the week.

9 fat quarters of solids from the East Central Region and a vintage-looking lunch box from the Central Region.

I thought I was dreaming when we happened upon my pick for today’s top shop on the hop.

The Old Creamery Quilt Shop is owned and operated by a mother/daughter team.

Starting a quilt shop had been a dream for this mother/daughter team. They would drive by the old creamery building located off Highway 10 and think about the potential this historic building offered. When the chance to buy it became a reality, they worked hard to fulfill their dream of a business incorporating their three loves: quilting, knitting, and food.

The Old Creamery Quilt Shop is located at 120 Superior Ave., Randall, MN.

I contacted Linda and Janelle, the owners, to find out more about their unique building. They said the historic building was in horrible condition when they purchased it. You can click here to go to their website to see pics taken during the major renovation. They hired a carpenter who let them finish projects in the evening to help save some money. They said “We started renovating in December 2011 and finished June 1st at around midnight!! In preparation to open on June 2nd! We should have given ourselves a little more time, but looking back, we may have not ever been ready!! It has been a labor of love that is still going strong.” This shop is beautiful and I could have spent even more time and money there.

The Randall Creamery was built in 1920 for butter churning and other processing needs of local dairy farmers. It continued to be a butter-churning facility until 1970 and then a place for farmers to bring their milk until 1973. The second floor served the community as a place to hold dinners. get-togethers, and theatrical plays on its stage. Since local homes did not have indoor plumbing, the upstairs lavatory allowed local men to come and shower for a dime. Hey, what about the ladies?

When we visited, the owners had already gone for the day and had left the shop in Ruth’s capable hands.

I am talking with Ruth who has worked in the shop since it opened. She suggests that new (and experienced quilters as well) work towards becoming as accurate as possible especially with 1/4″ seams.

Where ever you look, quilt samples are on display.

In the excitement of the day, we didn’t take any planned pics of my sister. Imagine my surprise when I discovered her on one of them anyway. She’s by the arrow, just in case you can’t see her.

You will find a large variety of traditional and modern quilting fabric at The Old Creamery Quilt Shop. There are Civil War prints as well as lots of bright modern fabrics.

About the time you think you’ve seen all they offer, you turn around and discover there’s another room to explore.

Linda and Janelle offer this advice to beginning quilters: “Take your time and enjoy every piece. Quilting is therapeutic. If you have set a deadline to finish your project, be sure you have given yourself plenty of time so you don’t get burnt out. Choose simple. Make sure your first project is not too difficult! We don’t want you to get discouraged on your first project!”

Linda started quilting 25 years ago and makes 1-2 quilts or table runners per week to display in the shop. And like many mothers, she taught Janelle to sew.

If you are thinking of opening a quilt shop, they suggest having a solid business plan and patience. “If you have the drive and enthusiasm, your dream can come true like ours did!” Thanks, Linda and Janelle. That’s good advice!

The shop is light and bright with all those large windows.

When it’s time to pay, just mosey on up to the counter between those vintage machines.

They also operate the coffee shop and yarn shop which is found just across the hall from the quilt shop inside this wonderfully restored historic building. Their three “WONDERFUL part time employees, Ruth, Eileen and Mary” help them out. Maybe if I lived closer, I could work there, too.

The coffee shop is open 10-2pm M-F and 9-4pm on Saturdays.

You will also find a variety of gift items available.

This yarn is so pretty; I think I should learn to knit! When I do, I know just where to go to buy some.

Janelle has quilted more than 300 quilts since the shop opened in 2012. The shop’s longarm studio is located upstairs on the second floor. They provide longarm quilting services for quilters and also offer longarm classes allowing quilters who’ve taken the class to rent time on the longarm to complete their own quilts. The second floor is also used for classes and has a large ballroom with a stage that is rented for Yoga every Friday, the knitting group, a community theater, aerobics classes, and expos.

Lois Brenner of rural Randall, from left to right, Jean Clark of Little Falls, and instructor Kristie Roach move into tree pose during a yoga class on June 4, 2013. Yoga classes are held Tuesday and Thursday mornings in a second floor studio space at The Old Creamery Quilt Shop in Randall. The 1,200-square-foot room is used for classes and workshops and is also available for rent. (Ann Arbor Miller for MPR)

View of the spacious upstairs and a yoga class in action. Pictures used by permission from The Old Creamery Quilt Shop.

When you visit The Old Creamery Quilt Shop, plan to spend lots of time there and be sure to have a cup of coffee. Oh, and tell them that Tu-Na sent you.

What I Learned Today:

Little sisters can be lots of fun when they get older.
Dreams really do come true (with a lot of hard work and maybe just a bit of luck).
If it’s not on the hop, we don’t stop; even when my sister is with us.

Question: What is your dream?

Linking on Monday with:

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

Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt.