My Shopping Day

I needed two heart charms from the needlework shop to complete the wedding sampler, so decided to turn today into a needlework and quilt shop journey. I began the morning with a stop at Dunkin' Donuts to get an extra-large iced coffee to hold me through my shopping, and then drove to my first stop ~ a charming quilt shop in an old house, nestled right into the downtown area.

My first time at this particular shop was when I took part in the "Quilt Shop Hop" last month. It was so crowded that it was difficult to see everything, so I wanted to go back. The shop is so much fun to visit. There are several items set up on the front porch in antique wheelbarrows and on old wooden benches. Each room inside the house holds something different, and there are things to see from the old wooden floor up to the very high decorative tin ceilings. There was a group of ladies sitting at a table in one of the rooms and they were chatting and working on their quilts. It was fun to hear them talking and laughing as I looked around :)

I walked through each room twice before making my selections. I bought a Homespun Elegance Shabby Chic Autumn chart which is a combination of cross stitch and applique. That was in their embroidery and wool room. My other purchase was a huge stack of fat quarters from their Chelsea Boutique selection. There are 23 of them in the prettiest shades of rose, tan and blue-greens.

After the quilt shop I drove up to the needlework shop to buy those two charms. Of course, I saw some other things I just had to have. They use a punch-card system so when you get a certain number of purchases (in dollar amounts) you get $15 free. I've been working on this card for a few months now and I think I only need one more visit for one or two items and I'm ready for that next free card :) (Of course, I can never seem to manage to go in there and just get the $15 worth of free items.)

I bought four Crescent Colours to use for various projects ~ Joshua Tree, Betty Bluebell, House Wine and Pixie Dust. I just love their names! I picked up the two small Country Cottage samplers to make for our sunroom ~ Sunflower Sampler and Rose Sampler. I bought the June and July Lizzie Kate Flip-it-Bits and the summer issue of Sampler & Antique Needlework. As I was on my way to the register I spotted a chart by Milady's Needle that I decided to buy. There's one design that says "Peace to All Who Enter Here", which I thought would be pretty hanging in the front hall. There's a place to add an initial, so I thought it might make a good gift to stitch for others, too. The other pattern is for an address book cover that has the same house and place for an initial, and says "Treasured Friends and Family". You could leave the word "addresses" off the bottom, and turn it into a nice cover for a scrapbook, too.

I decided not to visit any other quilt or needlework shops so I wouldn't spend anymore money :) So, I ended my journey with a trip to the specialty market to pick up some fresh produce and a few dairy items we needed.

Now, I'm going to enter my new purchases into my needlework notebook, and go stitch those little hearts onto the wedding sampler before I lose them :)