Sunday Stash--a little more loot

Just when you thought, she did pretty good at Miller's Dry Goods in Amish Country, yep, there is more!

Not including the brushed cotton in aqua on the bottom of the stack, this was a kit at Millers' Dry Goods to make a tree skirt.  I am going to turn it into a quilt, possibly with the Moda "Storybook" by Kate and Birdie 4 yard cut incorporated in the front and as the backing. Love these colours together.

One of Julie's of Pink Doxies all-time favourite yellows, which I very nearly didn't pick up, as I didn't have any thought as to where/what I'd use it (like that has EVER stopped me in the past from a fabric purchase, I'll admit), I'm so glad I went back and got a yard.  I love it.  Okay, to be honest, all 3 of these fabrics I have no clue as to intended project, but they will grow up into quilts, have no fear.  Love the Robert Kaufman ivory on the bottom, a great neutral. Love that aqua.  I'm working on getting more aqua shades in my stash. Oh, I also snagged five spools of Coats' Dual Duty thread at 75c for a 250 yd spool.  Ahh, I miss Miller's...

At Zinck's I also picked up some flannel at a great price, still all within my $200 total, remember; there are two other posts, here and here, about the wonderful trip.  Julie has tested it, and found that it has pretty low shrinkage.  Flannel is ideal for tablerunners, and smaller lightweight projects and quilts.  As well, I haven't shown, nor will I until I use it, a 2 1/8 yard roll of a wide fleece product I want to try in the wheelchair charity quilts.  Those should be being quilted soon (yes, I said those; there are 3 more flimsies complete with a fourth one being laid out all on the design wall.  I need a second design wall!

More on these various projects in another post

I also miss Boyd and Wurthmann...

The very best homemade pecan pie with homemade ice cream I have ever tasted

 Linking up with Molli Sparkles Sunday Stash Share.

More Amish Country purchases

Seriously you didn't really think all I bought was the two pieces of Minky Cuddle and the lake quilt beach-themed fabrics?  I had just short of $200 mad money from covering extra yoga classes this summer while other instructors were ill or on vacation, and I spent every dime of it. :-)

The fabrics below are going into a quilt a wee bit further down on my list of quilts to make.  Again, I had not planned to shop for this quilt, but you know how it goes, they percolate on the back burner of your quilt inventory in your head.  Well, mine do anyhow.  The bottom green I just liked, thought it might go in this quilt; didn't realize until closer inspection that it says "meow" or "mrow" on it amongst the yarn.  Darned if that nice grey isn't the same line, 'Purrsnickitty' - great name, very clever.

Most of the feature fabric is hidden, as the person for whom this is destined reads this blog--mysterious, I know.  It's background reads black here but it is a delicious deep navy.

Sunday Stash from Amish Country

Not Sunday Stretch for Sewers...Sewists...as I'd planned...hmm might have to switch that so we think happy fabric thoughts and not be thrown off by unpleasant smells thoughts...

Any-who.  In the previous post where I let you know why I'd not blogged for a week, and showed off two more bags I'd made, you learned that I'd spent a couple of days in Amish Country in Ohio.  I helped support a couple of several businesses there of course, amongst them cheese, wine, Amish foods, and of course, fabric.

Loved this.  Squealed in disbelief at the first few, never did lose the shine of seeing this:

I took a couple more of various buggies, on the road, parked, a team of four horses across raking in a field, but then I read that they do not appreciate being photographed, and so, in respect of that, I will only post this fairly anonymous shot.

I felt like I'd stepped back in time.

This is Miller's Dry Goods, two stores side by side, this one in a barn on what was the farm where the owner grew up.  There are two houses in back, now set up for (drum roll) quilt retreats(!) or family reunions.

This is Julie's favourite shop, and I can totally see why.

So!  On with the purchases.

May I just say a big fat, "EEEEP!"  This is Minky Cuddle from Shannon Fabrics.  The good stuff.  It is the only full price fabric I bought.  When I saw the footballs, well, done and done.  Brady.  Cost does not factor into the equation where my beloved grandson is concerned.  My dad, penny pincher extraordinaire, was like that with his grandchildren.  He bought Brianne her first pair of baby shoes:  excellent support, leather, expensive from an expensive specialty shoe shop in Windsor, he was with me and waved away my wallet, saying, "Grandpa is paying." They cost more money than he probably ever paid for a pair for himself...or his own kids, lol.

Brady loves football.  Loves.  Cannot wait to start playing.  Last November he "ordered" a Halloween quilt from a picture he saw in my American Patchwork & Quilting magazine.  This is going onto the back.  Fall and Football, Halloween.  It works.

The gorgeous, plush, oh-my-god-should-I?-I-should, sculptured ivory Minky is for me!  Probably for the back of Wings.  These are 60" wide so 2 yards costs $35, not too shabby for a quilt backing, I'd say.  And what a backing.  You think petting cotton fabric is good for the soul?  This will massage your spirit, your senses, your soul, your inner mmmrrrroooowww of a feline rolling around in ecstasy.  You get the picture.  I'll stop before I feel the need to run downstairs and touch these two pieces again!

Two winters of collecting lake-themed fabrics

The top two in the run under the feature fabric are from my stash.  I show you this, because I did not know I was going to shop for some other pieces to go with this collection.  Look what I got:

I am not sure whether I will use the Moda wood grain (think dock) fabric, but it does work.  The sea glass, sea foam batik was bought with my Sea Glass quilt in mind, although I don't need any more fabrics for it... (pattern purchased on Craftsy- if you click through the Craftsy link on my sidebar and purchase this pattern, by an Alberta designer, cool, I will get a few cents, merci beaucoup)  However, it works, maybe, in this quilt.  It's not the exact green in the feature fabric, but is great with the wavy water fabric and the 'lake' peppered cotton on the bottom. The batik was $8/yard at Zinck's, the wood grain in the basement sale fabric for $6/yard. 

The lower fabric was at Zinck's for, as you see, $3.99/yard.  Score!  Backing for the lake quilt.  I bought 4 yards.  It's going to be a throw for the bench in the front entryway.
The other two shell and rope fabrics were from Miller's Dry Goods, $6/yard.  They might go into this quilt, might not.  They might grow up into a cushion for said bench.  The blue stripe will be the binding for the quilt!  $6/yard (I bought 1/2 yard).  Love that basement.  Bolts and bolts of fabric.  Current.  Amy Butler. Riley Blake.  Moda.  Quilt shop quality.  Prices for my budget.  Sorry Canada.  Can't do it.   This translates to about $7.50-8 per metre, which Sew Sisters does do on their site, and they do have a pretty good selection.  I've yet to see a quilt shop around here with this kind of sale prices.  And cough, $4/yard?  $5? like this shop does, as does my beloved Alma Sue's Quilts in Sarasota, smack dap in the Amish and Mennonite section of town, and my new favourite in North Port, Expert Sewing Center.  Facebook page here.  Online store here.  Rarely if ever, have I found $4-$5/metre fabric here in Canada, of the quilt shop quality.

If you are still with me, I have to share this "wee-ooh, wee-ooh" cue Twilight Zone music,  moment (there were a few, but this one--!) that happened in Miller's Dry Goods.  I had told Julie about the Amish and Mennonite ladies who hand quilt quilts at Alma Sue's for so much per yard of thread.  How I wanted, one day, to take a quilt down to Florida with me and get it hand-quilted by these ladies who come from Ohio and Pennsylvania and spend the winter in this entire section of Amish around the shop.  We walked into Miller's and a tiny Amish lady greeted us.  I did a double-take.  It couldn't be.  Come on, Sandra, with the dark blue dresses and white caps, they tend to look the same.  Look closer.  Name tag.  Mary.  No freaking WAY!

me:  Do you work at Alma Sue's in Sarasota in the winter time?
Mary: I sure do.
me:  (picking my jaw off the floor) I shop there while we are in Florida! I thought I recognized you!
Julie: What??? You know her??!!
me: You've cut fabric for me!
Julie:  She's (meaning me) visiting from Canada!
Mary: (who doesn't seem amazed in the least) We get a lot of Canadians at Alma Sue's.
Julie and Sandra: (laughing and exclaiming in amazement to each other) I don't believe it! Really?!  No way! This is crazy! etc. etc.

What are the chances, though,  that of all the quilt shops and all of the various counties where the Amish and Mennonite live, this particular store would be the one that Julie takes me to, first time visitor to the area, where Mary would happen to be working that day, and that Alma Sue's is the store I frequent while in Florida... Small world.

Linking this lengthy post up with Molli Sparkles for Sunday Stash #139.