A Virginia Quilt Shop

Our goal as we kicked off summer was to take a mini-vacation every month. Pick an area of interest, go for a scenic drive, tic some items off our bucket lists, and be back home in 4-6 days. 

In May we took a southerly route - Columbia, Charleston, Savannah, Beaufort, Hilton Head, Augusta, Gibbs Gardens of Ballground, GA, and home. Fun trip. Great weather. Gone 6 days.

June's trip has just been completed. We still headed south, but not quite as far south - Shenandoah Valley, Skyline Drive, Harper's Ferry, Gettysburg, Lancaster County, PA. Another fun trip. Some stormy weather this time. Gone 5 days.

While I love seeing all this great big gorgeous country, I don't know if I am up for more trips. I like staying home, too! Maybe July will mean just a 2-day trip somewhere. We have not decided anything, so before we make more plans we will recover from this trip while we mull over some options.

I will do a more complete vacation wrap-up later when I can have my gazillion photos sorted and ID'd. Today, I want to tell you about some vacation shopping.

On May's trip we did not stop at any quilt shops. *GASP* I know! A travesty! You can be sure I made it a priority on this trip, and based on a neighbor's recommendation, I went to a good one! 

We chose a visit to the Shenandoah valley because here in Ohio we live amongst a growing community of Mennonites who mostly came from there. Having never visited the area, DH and I wanted to see it. I asked one of the neighbor girls with whom I've gotten acquainted for recommendations - not just quilt shops, but definite must-see locations in their homeland. Kathaleen recommended a good quilt shop! Patchwork Plus, located in Dayton, VA, was exceptional.

While I have no real need for more fabric, I do have a baby quilt to make, and my supply of suitably whimsical baby-type options had become limited. That situation has now been rectified. *grin*

Fat quarters to the rescue! I just couldn't resist all these playfully fun prints of dots, numerals and old-timey toys. It will be fun coming up with a sweet quilt for this grand-nephew due in September.

Patchwork Plus looks rather small from the outside; a deception, to be sure. It seemed that the rooms went on and on! Here are some various areas to satisfy your curiosity.

I really like the way fat quarters are stored directly above the matching yardage; this was quite convenient. The displays are really scrumptious, too! I think they had a wonderful variety of fabrics to satisfy every preference a quilter might have. I did not take any pics of the Kaffe Fassett section, but it was there! And I did peruse it! I also checked out their notions, templates, and book sections. A very complete quilt shop, for sure.

It's good to explore, but it's also good to be home. Today involves laundry and household stuff. Yippee!

Happy Quilting, Friends!