Out West and Back

Posted on June 29, 2013 by edges

My Reluctant Assistant and I finally headed out on Region 3 of the Northern Illinois Quilt Shop Hop.

For those of you who are unfamiliar, Region 3 spans the greatest distance. It starts in Clare and heads out to Galena, back through Rockford. We totaled over 250 miles on our car yesterday. Ambitiously and unrealistically, we attempted to do the whole region in one day. Alas, some of the stores toward the end close at 4 pm , and we just couldn’t physically get there in time. So we will be making another trip out to the Rockford area very soon.

We both have to admit that even though we spent a lot of time on the road, this trip was very enjoyable. The scenery is lovely as we headed farther west, and we stopped in some towns that I did not really even know existed. I find it somewhat depressing that many small towns just aren’t what they used to be, and many had empty storefronts that were clearly affected by the recent economic downturn, along with many other factors, I suppose. But that will have to wait for another blog post, as the quilt shops all seemed to be thriving and very well-stocked.

My advice: Take your time through these little towns and really experience them. Like us, you don’t have to complete it all in one day, and you’ll get to experience a piece of Americana.

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Basketcases in Clare

When you find yourself in the middle of cornfields and think you are hopelessly lost, then you are almost there.

The view from the parking lot at Basketcases.

The store is on a farm, in what looks like a barn. Very charming. The bulk of the product is upstairs, but be sure to look around everywhere. They did not yet have a basket created for the shop hop.

What I bought: Charm pack of Halloween fabric

Reluctant Assistant comment: “Very cozy. They had 2 dogs in the shop!”

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It’s for Quilting, Etc in Rockford

Located in a wood frame house setting, this is a very inviting place on the outskirts of Rockford. Small rooms inside the building can keep you hunting for hours, but we did not take that long!

What I bought: Several fatquarters and a “purple thang.” But for the life of me, I cannot find the “purple thang.” I’m sure it got shuffled around in the course of the day, and for all I know it is still stuffed in my car somewhere. For now , it is in the Bermuda triangle that was the Region 3 trip.

Reluctant Assistant comment: “So much fabric in this place , it’s almost claustrophobic!”

It’s For Quilting in Rockford.

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Lucky 2B Quilting in Pecatonica

A vibrant little quilt shop in this small town. I got excited about their basket for the shop hop. This is the one I really want to win, so far. Their basket is 3 blocks from one of Edyta Sitar’s Laundry Basket Quilts patterns. The basket includes the patterns and the laceys (laser cut appliques) for the 3 blocks.

Laundry Basket Quilt Pattern – 3 blocks included in Lucky 2B Quilting’s Shop Hop Basket .

Lucky 2B Quilting pattern for basket

What I bought: Cut fabric and a charm pack of batiks

Reluctant Assistant’s comment:

” A normal quilt shop.”

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Yellow Creek Quilt Designs in Pearl City

This quilt shop is partnered with an antique and gift shop called “Sew Many Antiques”. The two owners are sisters, and they have written a number of books. The owner promised to ship me a signed copy of her latest book, which she is also hoping to add to her shop hop basket ( a new shipment of books was due to come in soon.) Also, ask her for directions to Galena. Her route is very direct, and takes you right to 20 and into the heart of Galena. Your GPS will likely take you on a very long ride.

Yellow Creek Quilt designs in Pearl City

What I bought: A couple of quilt charms for a charm bracelet, some hand lotion (they have their own label) and a copy of the owner’s book.

Reluctant Assistant’s comment: “I liked the bank vault in the back room!”

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Phatquarters in Galena

This is a very tidy store that I have visited once before when they were in a different location. They moved to the main street in Galena and are right in the heart of things now. The store itself has a lot of Bernina accessories, with a large classroom in the back.

What I bought: Some fabric, and a small Bernina measurement guage that I had never seen before.

Reluctant Assistant comment: (Actually, he was totally distracted as I had promised we’d stop at the candy shop in town.)

Phatquarters in Galena

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Galena, of course, should be a day trip in and of itself. The day we were there, it was over 90 degrees, so while it was not raining, it was certainly sweltering. We stopped first at Chocolat where I got my self a bit of chocolate. If you go, try the strawberry rhubarb dark chocolate truffle. Almost worth the 2 hour drive by itself.

Next stop for us was the Candy Kitchen in Galena, an old-fashioned candy shop, complete with kids in front of us paying with nothing but nickels and pennies. My son wandered through here for awhile. Being from the suburbs, I don’t know if he’s ever really seen a penny candy shop like I knew growing up. I think it was a real treat for him.

Candy Kitchen in Galena

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The next stop was Orangeville. My GPS did not recognize the address of this quilt shop, so I called there and the gal working could not give me directions. So I had my GPS get me to the general area of Orangeville and told her I’d call back then.

The route from Galena takes you onto Meeker, and then onto a road called Stagecoach Trail. And it is almost exactly the way it sounds. It’s a two lane highway that swerves and curves its way through very picturesque farm country and is a real delight. The day we drove through, we had clouds moving in and out of the sunlight casting artful shadows over the hilly terrain.

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Once you are in Orangeville, be on the lookout. It’s probably best to call for directions. You literally pull into a side street that turns into a gravel road that leads to the driveway of the quilt shop. The shop is in the basement. Oh, and don’t mind the sign on the street that says Dead End.

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Uniquely Yours Quilt Shop in Orangeville

This quilt shop is in the lower level of what looks to be a home. They have a wide selection of fabric and even some that I have never seen before. They also have a very large selection of patterns and books.

What I bought: I found more of the fall fabric that I have been collecting.

Reluctant Assistant comment: “If you’re looking for fabric, it’s worth the ride, but wow, it’s in the middle of nowhere!”

Uniquely Yours in Orangeville

Region 2 Complete!

Posted on June 21, 2013 by edges

Finally made another quick visit to Thimbles in Lockport and that completed our Region 2 portion of the Northern Illinois Quilt Shop Hop. We’ll be moving on the road again soon, but with temperatures shooting up into the 90’s over the next few days, I think we’ll be cautious about how far we head out. We are actually going to try to do Region 3 in one day. That’s a trip out to Galena and Rockford. We’ll see how that goes.

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Thimbles in Lockport

I enjoyed myself here. The store is a delight – lots of samples and fun fabric, charming to wander and discover. Staff was welcoming and friendly.

What I bought: This fantastic cartoon fabric all about home sewing. They had a sample of it made into a bag and I loved it!

Thimbles in Lockport

On the Road Again

Posted on June 19, 2013 by edges

Continuing with our summer road trip to 32 quilt shops as part of the Northern Illinois Quilt Shop Hop, my reluctant assistant and I managed to get in another 2 shops. It would have been 3, but I’ve come to realize that I will likely NEVER remember to double check a store’s hours and days when they are open. For the record, Thimbles in Lockport is not open on Tuesdays.

But here are the other 2 shops we managed to get in:

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Roberts Sewing Center in Crest Hill

With over 7000 bolts of fabric, they bill themselves as “A Quiter’s Paradise”. The store actually looks rather small as you enter, but take a look at the next room! It’s almost a warehouse of fabric! My reluctant assistant took off like a shot to find some fabric he was looking for, and I was overwhelmed.

What I bought: Serger thread, fabric, and a book on hexagons.

Reluctant Assistant comment: “More fabric than you can imagine and some that you can’t!”

Roberts Sewing Center in Crest Hill. It’s a quilt pattern, with all the fabric in a kit.

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Sew Generously in St. Charles

Light, airy place with fresh fabric and friendly staff. This is my home base, by the way, so I may be a bit prejudiced. My reluctant assistant feels quite at home here, as do I. This much I know: it would be hard to find owners who are kinder or more eager to help customers. It would be hard to find sales people who are more knowledgeable or better co-workers and friends. Enough from me.

What I bought: On this particular trip, I bought the fabric for a “transparency quilt” for my nephew’s baby-on-the-way.

Reluctant Assistant comment: “The employees are very, very nice.”

Sew Generously in St. Charles

A Touch of Sanity

Posted on June 11, 2013 by edges

Third time was the charm. We swung by A Touch of Amish in Barrington once before on a weekday shortly after 4 pm. They close at 4:00. Then we headed in that direction on a Monday. They are closed on Monday.

Finally, my Reluctant Assistant and I agreed we would try again, and call before we go. We also decided that today we would only attempt ONE shop. We would take our time and enjoy their goods. And then go home–instead of trying to cram in more shops along the way.

Barrington, of course, is a lovely town. We did eat lunch at their Egg Harbor Cafe, which is always a yummy place to go. And then, brilliantly, came home.

18 more shops to go.

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A Touch of Amish in Barrington

Their web site boasts that they are the oldest quilt shop in Chicagoland. They also claim to have the most fabric, but I think that some of the newer quilt shops in the area may be giving them a run for their money with that title.

They seem to specialize in traditional fabric, with that being the overwhelming majority. That said, I did find brights and batiks and even some food novelty, which my son has been chasing down. They did not have a giveaway basket made up yet. (Each shop on the Northern Illinois shop hop is supposed to have a basket worth $100 that is a giveaway to a lucky winner who visits their store.)

What I bought: Kaffe Fassett fatquarters, and some raspberry and orange fabric. Not very Amish, I’m afraid. But then, of course, neither are we.

Reluctant Assistant comment: “It’s bigger on the inside then it looks on the outside.”

Three Days

Posted on June 10, 2013 by edges

Three days. Three days was all it took. Three days of driving around the suburbs looking for locations and I finally let loose a string of profanity so clear, colorful and resounding that my 10 year old in the back seat learned correct grammatical usage and tense.

After driving to four quilt shops, two of them being CLOSED–(Note to all shop hoppers: check to see what days the stores are OPEN.)–and after inhaling the dust from my neighbor’s newly installed stone driveway for three days, we ran into more construction on the way home. 38, also known as Roosevelt, goes down to one lane between Winfield and St. Charles. The signage gives drivers plenty of time to merge. However, you know how it is. Someone always thinks that where they’re going is more important than where you are going. So they zoom all the way to the end of the lane that’s ending then cut in front of everyone to get back in line.

Today, I found myself inching over the middle line to prevent the zoomers.

I never do this. And I don’t recommend it.

But you’ve seen this too, people like me who get tired of being cut off and attempt to stop others by blocking the second lane. Well, needless to say, someone came up behind me and laid on their horn, eventually swerving out into the emergency lane to go around me and cut everyone off.

I knew it was time to go home.

My husband told me a story about the same type of thing happening in front of him on 64 (where, if you don’t already know this, is a construction nightmare on the east side of St. Charles). He said one car moved over the middle line as lanes were closing, blocking people from cutting others off. Of course, someone else attempted to go around the vehicle on the passenger’s side. Then he said the passenger of the first car swung open the door as the other was attempting to pass. Interesting tactic. Luckily, no one was hurt.

I almost forgot to mention. As we passed the intersection of Arlington Heights Road and Rand Road, I heard a huge crash. Uh-oh. I reached the front of the intersection. Yep. It became clear that a pick-up truck had hit a car. The woman inside the car was crying hysterically. She had at least one child in the back seat. The front lefthand side of her car was crunched like a paper bag. I could plainly see she was wearing a seatbelt and the air bag had engaged. Instantly I reached for my phone and dialed 911. There was no way for me to jump out to assist without causing the potential for more accidents. If you’ve ever seen the amount of traffic at Arlington Heights Rd and Rand, you understand.

Shop Hoppers, be careful out there. It’s crazy. Drivers are unpredictable, traffic and construction is maddening. The main goal is to stay safe. I’m reminding myself. I’m reminding you. Now on to today’s shops.

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Fabrics Etc in Bensenville

One of the largest shops I’ve seen. Lots and lots of fabric and notions and thread. They had a class in the back that must have held 60 people. They sell machines, Bernina and Babylock from what I could tell.They did not have a basket prepared for the giveaway.

What I bought: Fatquarters

Reluctant Assistant comment: ” Lots of variety. The life size poster of that lady (Eleanor Burns) is a little scary.”

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The Quilt Merchant in Winfield

A charming store, very inviting. Mostly traditional fabrics, but a nice selection of brights and batiks in the back. They did not have a basket prepared yet for the giveaway.

What I bought: Kaffe Fassett fatquarters

Reluctant Assistant comment: “They will cut fatquarters for you. They did for my mom.”

Still Hopping

Posted on June 10, 2013 by edges

I managed to squeeze in another four stores this weekend…found the ones that were open on Sunday and headed out. Alas, I did not bring my sidekick with me this time. He was devastated. Not.

Nevertheless, I was able to navigate these few on my own.

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Prairie Shop Quilts in Batavia

Lots of fun novelty fabric, including plenty for children. I noticed many children’s patterns too. She also had a nice selection of batiks. Active shop for a Sunday afternoon!

What I bought: More food fabric for my son’s soon-to-be-quilt featuring all snack fabrics.

Reluctant Assistant comment: Not present, but he would have loved the novelty prints.

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Heading over to Oswego, just thought I’d mention this little tidbit for those of you who like to imbibe: The Fox Valley Winery is en route from Batavia to Oswego, on Ogden. I was so tempted to stop but unfortunately, I had to keep moving. But now I know where it is! I’ll be back!!!

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Prairie Stitches Quilt Shoppe in Oswego

Very traditional. But I loved the furnishings and the layout, it was all inviting. While it has some modern fabric, it’s clear they specialize in loads of traditional fabric, lots of browns, maroons, very warm and rich. Large selection of wool in colors I don’t normally see.

My eye was drawn to a quilt on the wall made from their “ugliest fatquarters” contest. It’s currently a raffle quilt.

What I bought: Teal colored wool, Mary Janes Farm Magazine

Reluctant Assitant’s comment: Not present.

Prairie Stitches Quilt Shoppe in Oswego

Raffle Quilt made from “ugliest fatquarters”. Prairie Stitches in Oswego.

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Quilter’s Quest in Woodridge

This is a brand new shop–been opened about a week now. They have 2000 bolts of fabric, with a goal of getting up to 6000 in the near future. They sell Bernina machines and they also have just about the largest longarm in the back that I have ever seen.

They do not have a sign outside yet, and Woodridge will not allow them to put anything up outside. Follow your GPS, then look for the Wood Craft shop. They are to the left of it, behind the Baker’s Square.

What I bought: Fabric for my stash

Reluctant Assistant comment: Not present

Quilters Quest in Woodridge

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Quilt Fabric in Westmont

This is a very big store, with tons of fabric. They sell Janome machines and Innova longarms, I believe. Be careful here…they don’t have fatquarters but half yard cuts. it’s easy to buy twice the amount of fabric you intended!! (I did!)

What I bought: Fabric and some quilt stationary.

Reluctant Assistant’s comment: Not present.

Quilt Fabrics in Westmont

Shop Hopping in the Rain

Posted on June 6, 2013 by edges

Nothing like a shop hop in the rain. Unless it’s a shop hop in the rain with your edgy 10 year old son. However, he did man up and take charge of the GPS, and we stayed completely on track the whole day. Only 25 more shops to go.

He also helped me find some really nice fabrics…and he found a few of his own as he scheduled my time to make a quilt for his bed.

All in all, we got to 7 quilt shops today. We were given permission by all shops to show their raffle basket, so here goes!

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Sewing Concepts in Carpentersville: Small shop but loads of Janome sewing machines and fabric with a very cheerful and helpful staff.

What I bought: Some fabric for a quilt for my nephew and niece and their new baby.

From the Reluctant Assistant: “They asked me if I actually want to ‘hop’. I didn’t.”

Sewing Concepts – Carpentersville

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A side note here. The construction near 72 and Randall is a nightmare. Traffic was held up while the lights changed several times. We were pretty backed up on 72 trying to get from Dundee out to Hampshire. If you can find another route, take it. I’d try to avoid this intersection.

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Stitching on State in Hampshire:

Charming setting, with lots of great samples. I was drawn to some of the quilter’s jewelry at the front of the store. Very nice staff ( I knew one of the gals.)

What I bought: More fabric and a charm for my scissors so they don’t get mixed in with someone else’s at a class.

Reluctant Assistant comment: “A normal quilt shop.”

Stitches on State in Hampshire

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Quilt in Joy in Huntley:

Tidy little store with lots of lovely fabrics–brights and batiks. I would have spent more time browsing fabric but my helper was ready to go.

What I bought: More fabric and a “Seam Fix” tool. I’ve been looking for one of these. It’s just a seam ripper with an eraser on the end to easily remove all the tiny threads on a ripped seam.

Reluctant Assistant comment: “I found a fabric stack (a layer cake) that will make me gain 97 pounds!” (Fabric with all snack foods on it).

Quilt in Joy in Huntley

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Woodstock Quilts in Woodstock:

Tiny little building that might be easy to miss…look for the bright teal door! She had a nice selection of fabrics and was very helpful with directions. Her raffle basket is actually a quilted bag. So we took the goodies out of the bag to display them.

What I bought: More fabric..imagine!

Reluctant Assistant comment: “Probably the single hardest-to-spot building!”

Woodstock Quilts

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Royal Patchwork in Woodstock:

One of the larger shops with machines and fabric. They were helpful in providing lunch menus to local places and offered suggestions.

What I bought: Found some lovely fall/winter fabric — perfect for placemats!

Reluctant Assistant comment: “Spent all eternity in this store.” (Mom’s note: it was time for lunch.)

Royal Patchwork in Woodstock

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The square in Woodstock is really a charming place to visit–even in the rain. The Public House looked like it had a wonderful menu, a place I would have loved to try. Alas, we were on the lookout for a place with chicken fingers and fries. We ate at the BBQ King Smokehouse– tiny, but the pulled pork and sweet potato fries were pretty good. You can also find a number of other interesting shops along the square, so you may want to take your time through Woodstock and enjoy it a bit.

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Material Girl in Crystal Lake:

Big, bright and airy shop with lots of new fabric lines and an emphasis on contemporary and youthful fabrics. School was just out in Crystal Lake and teenagers wandered in and out of the shop. Fun! I had to take a quick pic of her “button wall”.

What I bought: More fabric of course.

Reluctant Assistant comment: “They had a LOT of food fabric!”

Material Girl in Crystal Lake

Button Wall, Material Girl in Crystal Lake

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Pieceful Gathering in Fox River Grove:

Lots of primitive, darker colors, with lovely cozy quilts. Wonderful selection of felted wools, even on the bolt. I’ll post their basket as soon as they send a pic to me!

What I bought: Some felted wool.

Reluctant Assistant comment: “They had cool toys at the front desk.”

Pieceful Gathering wools

Join the Northern Illinois Quilt Shop Hop

Posted on June 3, 2013 by edges

You have all summer! From June 1 through Aug 31. Get your passport and join the shop hop while supporting your local quilt shops!

Find out all the details here... including the possibility of winning a new Bernina sewing machine! Each store will also be raffling off a basket worth $100 worth of sewing supplies.

You will get 15% off your purchase at each store on the day you get your passport stamped–how can you go wrong?

I’m going to visit every shop this summer, with a goal of finishing in June or early July. I’ll be blogging about each store and showing a picture of each raffle basket. (with permission from each store).

I will be accompanied by my reluctant assistant who is in charge of the GPS. We’ll be heading to your local store soon! See you then!

Reluctant Assistant.

Craving Structure

Posted on May 30, 2013 by edges

Every now and then we long for the structure of a quilt that requires repetition and precision.

This is such great fabric called Birds and Berries–so appropriate for this time of year.

And it couldn’t be easier to make with one of the Creative Grids rulers. If you have not checked out the Creative Grids website, be sure to visit www.creativegridsusa.com. They feature videos for all their rulers. And more importantly, they are all designed by women who are over 40. So the numbers are BIG. And CLEAR. And EASY TO USE on all fabrics. Even more importantly, they sell only to small quit shops. Be sure to ask your local shop if they have them.

This particular ruler makes it easy to whip together quarter square triangles. Just stitch together a couple of 2 1/2 inch strips (from a jelly roll is fastest!), press and lay flat.

Lay the ruler over the top and follow the angles. The lines on the ruler mark the top and bottom of the fabric and the seam line, so your cut is precise. Cut along the edges of the angles, and move on down the strip. Very little waste.

Before you know it, like me, you’ll have piles of quarter square triangles to assemble.

One of the books recommended by Creative Grids is Strip Smart Quilts by Kathy Brown. Using this ruler she provides 16 different patterns for this one technique. You’re sure to find something you like. And the best part is that the piecing goes really fast.

I’m just loving this, but have no idea what the quilt will look like when I’m done or how to quilt it in the future. For now, I’m making blocks.. lots of them, all basically the same–repetition, precision, structure.

For now.

Needle Punch Peonies

Posted on May 10, 2013 by edges

As I wait for this years’ peonies to find the courage to rise and bloom, I am inspired by a picture of last years’, and so I pulled out some wool, some roving and decided to needle punch a bouquet of peonies. If you are not familiar with needle punch, it is the process of using needles to insert colored fabric into another fabric. The process of punching the roving into the wool actually creates a whole new fabric because both fabrics become one.

Here’s an example of some roving, which is essentially semi-processed wool or cotton fibers.

Samples of dyed roving.

Needle punching on the sewing machine.

Using special needles on a machine and a needle punch foot, you can use your sewing machine to “punch ” the roving down into the wool fabric below. You’re not using any thread, and if you have thread sensors on your machine, you’ll want to turn them off. After that, the process is a lot like painting with watercolor, or more precisely, like charcoal drawing, using the different colors of the roving to create shading, shapes and color.

My intent was to capture the carefree way the flowers moved and “relaxed” into the group. I always want to loosen my style. Sometimes my art is uptight. One of the reasons I enjoy working with fiber over paint is the amount of control that one must give up to the medium. That’s exciting and unpredictable. (Some people love precision and this may be frustrating for you.)

After punching out the basic shapes, just add some background texture.

Adding texture through small quilting patterns. I added some batting to the back for stability.

Adding texture through small quilting patterns. Add batting to the back for stability.

What it looked like before I added the topstitching.

What it looked like before topstitching.

As the final touch, add topstitching to the whole arrangement. This brings a bit of dimension, with a “pen and ink” feel. All of this is very textural. Interesting to look at, interesting to touch.

Anyone can do this with a little inspiration, some wool, and some roving. You can purchase hand needle punch kits at any craft store and I’m sure most sewing machine manufacturers have some form of needle punch accessory. (Bernina does, for certain!) After that, the sky’s the limit.

Machine tip: Be sure to clean out your sewing machine really well after doing needle punch.

Now get out there and have fun!!

Final piece. Not sure if I’ll turn it into a pillow cover or garment or something else entirely!

Edgestitch

Sewing is life. Life is art.

Category Archives: quilting

Out West and Back

Region 2 Complete!

On the Road Again

A Touch of Sanity

Three Days

Still Hopping

Shop Hopping in the Rain

Join the Northern Illinois Quilt Shop Hop

Craving Structure

Needle Punch Peonies