HEART OF WINTER BUS TOUR

The Heart of Winter Bus Tour was this past Saturday and it was such a fun trip that I took lots of pictures to share with you.  There were four quilt shops involved in the tour.  We met at the Attic Window Quilt Shop at 7:30 a.m.  We ate sweet rolls and drank coffee while we meandered around the shop waiting for everyone to arrive.  The theme this year for the Tour was coffee mugs.  Above is the darling table topper that Chris designed.  Note the 9-patch to the left of the mug.  That is for playing tic tac toe!  How cute.  Patterns were given to participants and kits were available for purchase.

Above, participants signed in and picked up their name tags as they arrived.

This is Lauren and Brynn.  Remember Brynn from last year?  I blogged about her here .  And she gave us her wonderful cookie recipe here.   More about them later. 

Our first stop was Quilted Memories in Montague, MI.  Above, Jill (owner) shows us what we can do with the kits she gave everyone.  Included with each coffee cup were directions for making a mug rug and directions and fabric to make a pin cushion using the mug she gave us and a bag of green tea!  What a cute idea!

It seems everyone is crazy about hexagons.  Isn’t this quilt beautiful!

Jill showed us how to make these hexagons using the Creative Grids Hexagon Trim Tool.  She demonstrated how you can create perfect pieced hexagons with 2”, 4”, 6” finished centers by squaring up each round of strips as you go.   Since each round is squared up before the next set is added, the blocks created are perfect hexagons. This is a must-have tool if you want to make hexagons.

Of course there were refreshments and then we were on our way to Around The Block Quilt Shop in Portland, MI. It was a long drive, but the roads weren’t too bad and it gave us a chance catch up on what our quilting friends have been doing while snowed in.

Above the shop owner greets us and tells us about the discounts and that there was a marvelous lunch waiting for us in the other room!   It was a difficult decision…go eat lunch, or look at all the bright beautiful fabrics. 

We had plenty of time to do both.  Above, some of the women ate and admired the beautiful sample quilts in the room.

 Back in the bus and the next stop was Quilts Plus in Kalamazoo, MI.  The first thing that caught my eye as I entered the store was this beautiful quilt.  I think it is a Laundry Baskets pattern.

This is a lovely store with lots of fabrics and notions.  Above, Amber shows me this Dritz Bobbin Box that she said would not let my threads roll around and come loose!

Of course there was nourishment for us (these bus trips can be so taxing) and these cute mugs to purchase that were filled with directions and fabrics to make their mug rug.

Now, back to Lauren and Brynn.  Brynn came on the bus trip last year and this year brought along her friend Lauren.  Brynn told me that over this past year she’d made a number of pillowcases and lots of covers for her friends at school for their electronic items.  It was so much fun to watch these young women in the shops.  They knew what they wanted and pulled fabric bolts like pros.  If they couldn’t find it, they found a clerk and asked for help.  It was thrilling to see their excitement in a fabric shop.

During our long trips, the young women helped Lee Ann and me (co-hosts on the bus) and would go up and down the aisle distributing water and snacks.  They also helped with distributing the gifts.  Chris (AW owner) had put together a large bag of gift items.  Lauren would draw a name of someone on the bus, and Brynn would pick a gift from the bag and take it to the person whose name was picked!   Lee Ann and I cannot thank them enough for all their help.  It was a lot of work!

When we arrived back at the Attic Window Quilt Shop, dinner was waiting for us.  Above is just a picture of one small part of the table.  We had wonderful soup, wraps, Salad, and Red Velvet Cake!  I don’t think any of us had to worry about cooking that night. Chris also gave each of us a packet that contained a couple recipes, a couple patterns, some candy, and a fat quarter!  Thank you Chris!

Of course we had plenty of time to look around the shop.  This is a new quilt made with the Double Diamond ruler. Isn't it stunning?   I think Marilyn made it and will probably be having a class.  Keep an eye on the calendar for that.

I also wanted to show you Lee Ann’s latest bag.  I love this bag and can’t wait to take the class. 

I hope you will take advantage of this bus tour next year as it is fun and a great way to cure those winter blues.  Thanks Chris (and all the other shop owners) for all the hard work you did.  I can’t imagine this is an easy task!

DON’T FORGET: 
The Happy Scrappers meet on Wednesday, Feb. 12th, and on Saturday, Feb. 15th.  Don’t forget to bring things for show-n-tell.

ON ANOTHER NOTE:  Don’t forget your little fury loved one during Valentine’s Day.  Sew 4 Home has a tutorial for making a Valentines Catnip Heart Mouse.

Until next time,
♥
Stay Calm! Stay Kind! Stay Positive!
Caroll