A Beautiful Day With A Beautiful Friend...

 Rather than head north from our camping location this year, Kathy chose to

introduce me to two fabulous shops in the south-central part of Wisconsin.

She pointed our chariot toward the Madison area and we we off!

First in our two-stop trip was "J.J. Stitches" in Sun Prairie.

(I've made the shop names a link, so you can visit their websites, too!)

My intrepid quilt shopping partner, Kathy.

 When we walked in, we were greeted by high ceilings, mountains of fabric, walls

 covered with delightful fabrics and a warm and friendly face behind the counter.

She was more than happy to answer our questions and help during our shop stop.

 Kathy told me that the shop owner's specialty is to purchase antique

quilts and then create patterns in current fabrics to sell to other quilters.

I think that's a really great idea to keep those old quilts alive. This one is a 

version of her "Martha Washington's Star" quilt. The large quilt was not 

set on point, but all the colors were the same scrumptious blues and whites.

I was especially taken with the "writing on the wall" above it. It reads,

"ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE WAS ENOUGH TIME."

-

 This is one in a series of woolworked Blocks of the Month. When completed, 

the pieces are just moved in and out of the frame. The calendar page below was 

simply a page from a scrapbook shop. It's mounted into one of two standard

12" (or was it 14"?) square frames that are joined with two hinges. By placing the 

blank calendar behind glass, the dates can be written in with a dry erase marker

and changed as needed month-to-month. Isn't that a clever idea? We both agreed,

and Kathy signed up on the spot for their twelve-month (only $20/mo.) kit program!

 Another clever idea was to take a quilt/applique' piece and frame it.

The piece was not finished and bound. Rather it was mounted on acid-free

stock with reproduced pages from old quilt magazines. I really liked this

idea, and I think it would look especially nice to hang in a studio (like mine!).

 For those of us who do woolwork, this is another way to display postcard-

sized pieces. They were stitched onto a larger wool fabric piece and then 

mounted into an open (and fancy) frame. Its quite a contrast between the

simplicity of the woolwork and the ornateness of the frame. What do you think?

 After visiting JJ Stitches (and leaving a few $$$ with their friendly clerk), we 

walked down the street to the Market Street Diner. The place was hopping and

the food was great. We chatted over our meals and then left to head further west.

 Our second and final stop of the day was at the "Country Sampler" in Spring Green. 

I mentioned how quaint their little downtown area was, and Kathy told me that 

there are only about 1400 regular inhabitants in town, but the tourist trade and 

traveling Wisconsinites, such as herself, help support their commerce.

This shop is a wonderful mix of cross stitch and quilting, all with a prim flair.

 Everywhere I looked, the soft muted colors caught my attention. I found myself 

pondering just how I might purchase the gift of "more time" mentioned in the first

shop, so I'd be assured of completing each and every lovely quilt. Each finished piece 

had nearby piles of bound kits patiently awaiting the quilt shopper's eager hands.

 I also loved how each quilt was thoughtfully displayed in this shop. I could just 

imagine these quilts lying across our own beds and keeping us warm on 

(all-too-infrequent) cool Florida nights. I must find out the name of the light-colored 

quilt pattern. The kits for it are right behind the wool pillow, and although I didn't 

purchase one of the kits, this one continues to call my name. Perhaps "mail order"?

 I adored the antique, wrought iron crib in the front window...and the 

quilts that made up the bed. Again, the kits were part of the display.

 I told Kathy that I have been wanting to make a patriotic quilt of my own,

so when I saw this lap quilt in soft, muted colors - with kits in the basket next

to the bed, I snapped one up to add to my purchases. The flags are pieced and sewn

using a red and white ticking fabric and a blue and white star fabric. Then they're

sashed and bordered with the linen colored cotton to complete the quilt top. This

will make a fabulous quilt that will be finished in no time! You'll see this one soon.

I have to again thank Kathy for being my chauffeur and tour guide to two more

wonderful shops. As always, we had a great time together and we'll do it again

next year. Our most difficult decision will be whether or not to just rotate our trips 

between shops in the south or shops in the north - or to seek out new shops to explore.

We won't worry about that now. We have a years' worth of quilting to accomplish

before then. In the meantime, I'll smile when I remember the day we spent together.

A beautiful day, with a beautiful, creative friend making brand, new memories.