Sunny With a Chance of….

..Quilt Shops!  We found two of them in our travels today!  This morning we decided to go to Carmel, Monterey, Pacific Grove and Salinas and take in the sights…

I did my homework the night before and scouted out a few quilt shops in these areas (on line)…apparently quilting isn’t a hot commodity in the land of sand, sun and sea…who knew?… Quilt shops are few and far between! 

We started off in Carmel…what a beautiful place but tourists all over and no place to park the brute (our truck).  The shop that I was looking for was called Findings…but I’ll be darned if we could find it….guess that’s why it’s called Findings.  (Carmel had a list of shops on the net and Findings apparently sells fabric…?)  Oh well, we did find the beach and got some gorgeous shots!

Next it was off to The Back Porch in Pacific Grove!!  The beach was right across the road so Rick took the dogs for a romp and I looked around- what a great shop!  They had renovated an old warehouse into a fabric shop….  Let me show you some pictures!

See the Sales sign on the umbrella….all fabric here was $5 a yard!  I spent a lot of time in this area! ;o)

I think this was an old seed warehouse and this was the original sign…a nice touch of history!

The staff was very nice and friendly!

I loved the way they had the quilts hanging from the rafters.  Lots to look at….

There were lots of nooks and crannies that held the gizmos.

This was the back room- probably for classes but it also had lots of things on Sale.

I really enjoyed this shop and would definitely come again.

The next two shops had closed down….;o(.  I always hate to hear of fabric shops closing up shop!  Very sad…especially if you are a quilter in the area. 
Our final stop of the day was Salinas…and we stumbled onto Beverly’s Fabrics.  They were having a sale – 25% off all fabric and notions. I`m not sure if Beverly’s is a franchise fabric store but it reminded me of a mini Michael’s Arts and Crafts store except with Fabric (quilt shop quality).  I had fun poking around in it….

Kim had emailed me about a shop in Hollister but it was getting late and I didn’t want to push my luck…if you know what I mean! ;o)  So I will save that one for our next visit to the area!  But thanks for the tip, Kim!!

Bet you`re wondering what I bought…?

  Some Kona cotton in black, tan and some mottled snowball fabric..perfect for snowmen!  I still need more sun…as I’m STILL thinking about snowmen…wouldn’t this make perfect snow fabric!

Some more Quilts for Kids by Amy Schimler (Robert Kaufman Fabrics) which I will add to my stash.

I have quite a bit of Dick and Jane fabric at home but will add these to my collection….you can never have too much of Dick and Jane! Ahhh the good ol’days!  Does anyone else remember Dick and Jane?  Spot and Puff?….you had to be there…

A Pat Sloan book for the price of a quilt magazine!! You got to love that! And some Frosted Memories by Moda…love this fabric and only $5 a yard!!  Love that even more!!

So tomorrow we are off to the Pismo Beach area.  If it’s as beautiful as Marina we are in for a real treat!!  The scenery and the beaches here are breath taking!

These beaches remind me of the West Coast of Vancouver Island-wild and rugged with huge waves.  I live on the East Coast of the Island where the beaches are sandy and the ocean isn’t as wild.

We are in paradise!  AND did I mention, the sun is shining!! :o) Imagine living here year round!!  Now that’s PARADISE!!

No stitching got done today…too busy at the beach!

Have a super Sunday and Happy Quilting!

Nothing But Blue Skies From Now On…..

We finally left the rain behind (somewhere north of San Francisco) and we were greeted with sunshine and 20 degree C temperatures!  Off came the rain jacket, followed by the big, puffy, down vest and I could have easily changed the sweater for a t-shirt but I thought it might be too much of a shock for my body- after all it’s been awhile since it’s been exposed to rays of any kind!

Marina, California is just gorgeous!!  Our RV Resort (Marina Dune RV Resort) is right on the dunes with a path leading to this….

Huge waves crashing on the beach but NO wind at all!! 

Look at the happy smiles on their faces!  Riley and Molly were so happy to be out of the rain and into the sunshine!  They LOVE the beach!

This is only a 5 minute walk from our camper…. Now you know why we are staying an extra day or two…

ON THE QUILTING FRONT~  Yes, we are back to the blocks- five down and seven to go!!  

Here’s today’s block… and I’m almost finished #6.   It’s starting to look like a quilt…. The colours are richer looking in real life as they look a little washed out  here….  But you get the idea.

Tomorrow I’m on the hunt for a good quilt shop….wish me luck!

Oh and did I tell you that we can hear the surf from our camper?

Sure hope it doesn’t keep me awake…..NOT! ;o)

Have a super Saturday and Happy Quilting!

DETOUR…..

Our plans quickly changed when we heard the weather forecast for the Siskiyou Pass was for SNOW- a foot and a half of the white stuff!  So we headed for the coast and it poured rain the whole way.  Lucky for us, we are use to rain!

We drove through lots of coastal towns…saw lots of tattoo parlours and kite shops but alas..no quilt shops!

It’s a good thing I sew while my husband drives as I would have nothing to blog about!  I’m surprised at all the comments from blogging friends who say that they get car sick from stitching in a moving vehicle.  I think the secret is to not look up very often…focus on your work not on the road and hang on for dear life!!

I have seven and a half more blocks to go so I can’t get car sickness now!

Here’s what I did yesterday~ 

                 

One and a half blocks doesn’t sound like much but if you could have seen the road that we took you would have been AMAZED!  Hair pin turns, steep hills and torrential rainfall.  Granted it could have been worse…so mustn’t complain…much!

I know I have mentioned this “Baste It” glue before but I just have to say it again- I LOVE IT!  A little dab under each little appliqué piece and it sticks without pins…makes stitching so much easier!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!  It’s been 10 year since the millennium!  Doesn’t it feel like a year or two…?  Is it just me or is life whizzing by faster than we took some of those corners yesterday?  Kind of scary –oh well nothing I can do about time….except maybe stitch a little more and a little faster and stop to enjoy a quilt shop….:o).  Now if I could just find one……with my luck I will see tons of shops in today’s travels and being New Years Day they will all be closed…. 

Have a fantastic day~ the first Friday of 2010!  And Happy Quilting!