Going to Mecca

My husband is fond of saying " Vacations are a great goodness".  Yup, we are on vacation this week in what is known as the lakes area in New Hampshire.  Picture postcard views, wonderful weather and great places to shop for fabric...does it get any better??  So here I am updating my blog on vacation but know I won't have time to do it when I get back home.

On Monday we motored over to the Maine coast so I could deliver some merchandise to Mainely Quilts in Kennebunk, ME.  We would be driving through Sanford, ME and my husband asked me, isn't there a Marden's there that has a fabric department....YUP!  A GOOD fabric department.  This will not be this year's newest lines of fabric but who cares, they are all $3.49 - 4.99 /yard.  GOOD quality, name brand stuff.  Managed to get out of there with only spending $40 but that was almost 10 yards of fabric.  

A FB friend who loves to sew, was staying in the same cottage we are staying in on Crystal Lake a few weeks ago and was nice enough to clue me in on other fabric stores since it isn't all about Keepsake Quilting in the area.  Since it was raining on Tuesday we used the time wisely (my husband might disagree) and visited 2 more shops.  I needed to find a nice green to go with what I had purchased at Marden's and accomplished that task at the first shop.  I found a couple of interesting fabrics at the next shop, The Quilting Corner in Tilton, NH which I think will make lovely shoulder bags. (see pic on right) 

One of the wonderful things about vacationing in the area is not just the NH liquor stores (which we have taken advantage of) but our friends Bob and Wini live in the area. They came for a visit on Wednesday and we had a chance to catch up with them.  I didn't realize at the time when we rented this lovely cottage that it was a mile from the .farm she grew up on over looking the lake.  She got a hoot out of seeing her old stomping grounds again.  A good time was had by all.

Thursday it was off to Center Harbor and Keepsake Quilting.  For anyone who sews,  KQ is considered Mecca.   I have been there only once before when I first started quilting, long before I was sewing professionally.  The amount of fabric is overwhelming.  They last time I was in the shop they did not have a marked down area, which they have now, which is where I headed first.  Didn't see anything in there that interested me so on to the main store.   I looked through the entire store TWICE and did not see anything all that interesting.  It was shocking considering the thousands of bolts of fabric that I did not find anything different, overly unusual, whimsical  or all that striking.  There were very few jewel tones and bright fabrics for the modern fiber artist to choose from.  I went back into the discount area (which you have to purchase a yard of) and so that the trip wasn't a total bust, bought 2 fabrics that go together which I will make bowls from but if I had had a choice, I would not have purchased an entire yard of.   There was a much more interesting array of fabric in the smaller shops and needless to say, a much larger collection of bright and interesting fabrics at Marden's which is basically a factory over runs/salvage place.  

Well, it's time to go swimming and enjoy this beautiful day.  Sadly we will be leaving tomorrow but was have been enjoying ourselves and can't wait to come back again!