Linda and I had the day for ourselves. Gilles dropped at the 70mile mark of
Western States. While not being able to complete the race after anticipating running the race for 2 years (last year's race was canceled due to forest fires. Needless to say, Gilles wanted to rest which meant more quilt shop hopping for Linda and I.
Sunday in the Auburn, California area is a bit of a challenge to find a quilt store open. After combing the yellow pages, we found
The Sugar Pine Quilt Shop in
Grass Valley, California. They don't have a website. They are 25 miles north of Auburn. How good could it really be? We called and they were open on but they were open on Sunday. As Linda stated, We could drive around the countryside or sit in the hotel and stare at each other since it was 112 degrees.
When we arrived, we were pleasantly greeted by a nice shady parking lot and a welcoming house tuned quilt shop. Ok, maybe not everyday is a shady parking lot a plus, but on this day...
Anyway, back to the store, I was amazed and the amount of stuff that she carried in each room of this house. A few items I had seen before, but many were completely new to me. Best of all, there were lots of quilts gracing the walls. Loads of inspiration, ideas. The owner was very helpful with all our questions. It never felt like she was trying to sell, but rather enlighten. There were hand and fusible appliqué quilts, traditional quilts, Helene Knott's Garden Patch Cats series and so much more. There was also an incredible array of fabrics lines: Amy Butler, Moda, Michael Miller, Kaffe Fassett, FreeSpirit to name a few.
I was able to take a few pics in the store as long as I did not take a pic of the owner (fair enough).The owner also went to the back before we left to get a pattern of a quilt that was hanging on the wall. It is a simple pattern, but very dynamic with all the bright colors that are so popular these days. Thanks, I look forward to making it one day.
Purchases:
- Aunt Millie's Garden: 12 Flowering Blocks from Piece O'Cake designs
- Flowerbed by Sue Spargo
- 1.5 yards of Michael Miller Birds of Norway
- 1 yard of some really cool Japanese looking cotton fabric - Dress for Sofia comes to mind
- 2 yards of Yoki Kokeshi, Alexander Henry
- 1 yard Amy Butler, 1 yard Free spirit for an embroidery quilt I am working on while we are on the road.
The neat thing, was the care with which the owner folded and packed the fabric. When I commented on it, she merely stated, "they needed to fondle the fabric one more time before it left the shop".
For more pics from the shop:
click here
For each race Gilles does, there is always a project on the go. Usually, it involves knitting since it is portable. While I have 2 knitting projects on the go for this trip (socks and a sweater), I am most excited about my embroidery project. It is not very practical since it has a white background and can easily get dirty. But hey, life's about taking chances. I thought it best not to take it to the aid stations, but I did bring it to the race briefings and have it with me. Everywhere I went, I walked with it in hopes of letting the images come alive. Well, tonight after a lovely dinner, I put the final touches on the bricks and it was done. When I get home I will do the patchwork around it. For now the main goal is to work on the remaining 8 blocks. Next up is the princess and the pea. I will start on it tomorrow.
