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This is the time of the year when many of us find ourselves traveling to visit family and friends.  If you are like me, you can easily be sidetracked to see a few local attractions along the way!  As often as I can–which translates into when I can get the guys to stop, I visit sewing and quilting stores along the way to our destination.

This year I was able to repeat some of my favorite places, and explore some new ones!

Early in July we found ourselves heading towards Atlanta, Georgia. Fortunately for me we went through Paducah, Kentucky.  Of course we had to stop at Hancock’s of Paducah–I was looking for a particular green fabric that I needed to teach my photo transfer workshop.   (Or so my husband believes.)

In August , Zede, Joanne, and myself found ourselves heading to the Chicago area for Bernina’s Version 6 training.  When they suggested checking out Vogue Fabrics, how could I refuse?  I was very motivated to purchase a variety of knits, since I had just taken Zede’s T-shirt workshop.

Then in September, we found ourselves heading North to visit relatives.  Imagine how surprised I was to find out how close Beaver Dam was to Madison, Wisconsin! What was really advantageous was that the van needed an oil change, and so I had an hour to spend shopping and dreaming in Nancy’s Notions Retail store.  By the way, if you are ever in the area say hello to Judy Inman, she took excellent care of me!

Then on our way home, I was surprised at how close New London, Wisconsin was to the Chicago area–so we made a slight detour to Vogue Fabrics again!

Last weekend I was back in Nebraska to help relatives celebrate their anniversary.  So I called up a friend, in Grand Island, Nebraska, who is learning to quilt.  She went with me to a local grocery/variety store, called Skagway, that happens to carry fabric, and to the quilt shop, Material Girl.   We were able to share ideas and techniques as we shopped together.  Some how, I did most of the buying!

While it is always nice to stop when it is just the guys and I, shopping with a friend is always more fun! It is good to be home, but now I have stacks of projects waiting for me to find some time to work on them.   It is a good thing that there are tons of creative ideas at Zede’s Sewing Studio.  It will definately help me work through my piles until my next trip!

Let us know if you have a favorite place to stop on your travels–you might help me plan our next family vacation!

Safe Traveling,

Linda B.