Field Trip to the Quilt Shop

On one saturday each month, one of my local quilt shops has a sale -- of sorts.

35th Ave Sew & Vac sells a reuseable shopping bag, the cost is about $6.  Seems a bit high, ok -- really high, but this is a great investment.  On one selected Saturday of each month when you bring in your bag to the shop you get:  a prize, a page of discount coupons, a game or two to play, and usually a meet and greet with a quilt designer.

Yesterday was the October sale day.  I bought  some fabric -- my current focus is on blenders and the Gees Bend solids are beautiful "almost" solids.  Plus, I knew I saw the Olfa frosted ruler somewhere -- this is the place -- I bought the 6.5" square ruler. 



My favorite part of the field trip was the meet and greet.

Carrie Nelson from Miss Rosie's was there with a wonderful selection of her finished quilts, books and patterns.  I had a few minutes to talk with Ms. Nelson -- she is talented, beautiful and is a really nice person.  Of course, I added another pattern to my collection.

Valley of the Sun Shop Hop 2010

Friday was day one for the Valley of the Sun Shop Hop, the hop run for 9 days.  There are 13 quilt shops to visit -- each shop has a demo (and discount) on a quilt tool/product, plus a page with directions for a Debbie Caffrey mystery quilt.  This is a great time to find a new shop and see what each shop has to offer. 

I started hopping yesterday and visited four of the shop hop stores plus one that is not part of the hop.  Five shops were enough for me in one day, more than that and I would never remember who has what!!  I started in the west valley....these are the shops and my impressions of each:

Bearly Stitchin in Goodyear -- Plus: beautiful shop - light and bright, great selection of batiks and brights, very friendly staff.  Minus:  very small (2000 bolts or less is my guess).  Overall: if I lived closer it would be a nice shop for classes and fabrics, I suspect that they have a rapid turnover of fabrics. 

Quilted Cactus in Surprise -- Plus:  fairly large selection of beautiful fabrics including flannels, well organized by color and style, plenty of fat quarters available.  Minus: clearance section needs to be donated.  Overall:  Definitely worth a visit and would be a great local store.

Sun Valley Quilts in Sun City -- Plus: large selection of fabrics including flannels, juvenile and wide quilt backs, great selection of buttons and misc quilt notions and tools.  Minus:  seems cluttered.  Overall:  Worth the drive -- great shop with a great selection.

Quilter's Bee in Peoria -- Plus: great selection of fabrics and kits, bright and cheerful, nice classroom with great lighting, staff seems very knowlegeable.  Minus: small -- probably not more than 2000 bolts, parking lot leaves a lot to be desired.  Overall:  a nice local shop.

35th Ave Sew and Vac (not in the hop)-- Plus: fabulous selection of fabric including complete lines plus kits, nice book selection always on sale at 20% off,  great variety of threads.  Minus: rather intimidating on the first visit, parking can be a problem.  Overall:  Worth a visit regardless of where you live in the valley... be sure to sign up for the email newsletter when you pay.