3 state shop hop
 

My husband and I just spent a week traveling from south west of Houston to Branson, MO. We traveled by way of quilt shops - about 12 in all. My plan was to get fabric to make a souvenir quilt using a pattern called "five and dime". For that I needed one focus fab and 12 fat quarters - we tried to get 1 or 2 fqs in each shop. I also wanted to pick up FQs in red/white/blue and in black/white/red. Somehow I end up making several things each year with those colors.

So how did that work out? I ended up getting
4 kits - one each for a grandboy's preschool nap quilt and 1 each flannel boy/girl that were just on too good a sale to leave behind. (The grandboy quilt kit/pattern has a fleece back, no batting, and you cut various size strips of 6 different fabrics and stitch and flip them. The pattern's already packed in the car and I don't find the name online. When I get it made, I'll share.)

2.5 yds of 108" backing for $10 total - that's for the back of the souvenir quilt - the shop owner had it for one of her own projects and decided not to use it.

all the fab needed for the souvenir quilt - this blog shows the pattern - it looked like a great one for a collecion of fat quarters. http://allwashedupquilts.blogspot.co...02/5-dime.html

about 10 fqs in red/white/black

8 fqs plus another yd of red/white/blue

about 7 1-yard cuts of different things that will fit in somewhere

a book that lists quilt shops all over the US and Canada - The Quilter's Travel Companion
http://www.quilterstravelcompanion.com/

I'm leaving for a quilt retreat in the morning and hope to get the top pieced for our souvenir quilt. My husband loves helping me pick out fabrics so it's rather a hodge podge of fabrics, but should be fun anyway.

This was so much fun! Did you know there's a quilt shop in an old church building? White Chapel Fabric in Western Grove, Arkansas. One that's letting go of fabrics and going to sell machines only? It's a Stitch in Humble, TX . ($3.99 for all bolts and 60% off everything else.) One where neither clerk spoke a word to either of us while we were there? NOT naming that one! (They were recovering from a show that had just ended.)

EVERYWHERE we found great shops and most had super friendly and helpful people. Can't wait to hit the road again!

Sounds like you had a great trip. Like the 5 and dime pattern, think it will really be great in the black/red/white.