Some time ago, our local quilt shop asked me to help one of the staff with CorelDraw so she could improve their newsletters. What fun! She was an eager learner, a delight to work with.
The shop paid me in gift certificates. I bought a new book, but then pondered what to do with the rest of it. Then, a couple weeks ago I was looking for a pattern for someone else and found one called "Splendid Stars" that I liked myself.
The LQS had a Christmas quilt on display with a lovely wintery border by Jayson Yenter (In the Beginning, no link. I may have bought the last yards left on the planet)... so putting the two together, I have a king-size in mind... and used the remaining certificates for the fabrics below. Maybe it will be done for next year?
Being away from home without my sewing machine -- what can I say? It is a patience-builder, at least. However, there are quilt shops! Yesterday we went to two, and one of them is still whispering to me, "Come back, come back..."
The shop is Sunshine Sewing Company in Margate, FL, near Fort Lauderdale. It is tucked away into a business park and almost invisible. Without a big WE ARE OPEN sign on the door, we might have missed it. However, Fay Nicoll knows her stuff. I asked for "geraniums" and she took me to five places in her humongous collection (at least 12,000 bolts) and found exactly what I wanted in the "end of the bolt" section.
Some of this I bought in other shops, and I did buy other pieces, but love this set and am eager to get home and sew! I also bought some quilt books and another Patsy Thompson DVD.
We have to go home early (as in Monday) because one of our kids got a long-awaited call for repair surgery on a very painful shoulder. While it is 80 degrees here and below freezing there, we are okay with that.
