I've got lots to catch up on with my posting, so I may have a couple of posts in a row to try to catch up!
First, I received my back-tack package today! Here are my materials - a host of rich, olive green fabrics, a zipper, and a coordinating ribbon! Thanks back-tack buddy! I can't wait to get started!
Then, I thought I'd tell you about my crazy weekend... I decided to try to participate in the Central Coast Quilt Shop Tour, a quilt shop "crawl" from Paso Robles to Camarillo made up of 14 different shops. (For those who aren't familiar with California geography, this is a very long span of coastline - about 3.5 hours each way!) I started on Friday and visited 3 shops near me. Then, on Saturday, I began the trek up to Paso Robles and met the one and only Mariko! This was my first time meeting a blog-friend, and I was probably a bit nervous - especially because Brynne was with me, and I feared Brynne would throw sand in Mariko's face, give her a good head butt, and throw food all over her (all typical for Brynne!). Luckily, Brynne was very well behaved while Mariko and I chatted at the park and later over a lovely Thai lunch. We had a great time, and it was fun to finally meet Mariko in person!
From Paso Robles, we worked our way down the coast from quilt shop to quilt shop. Most were what I expected - filled with fabrics I'm not crazy about and traditional quilters galore. However, a few of the shops peaked my interest, and I hope to return. I'll mention them here in case anyone else is interested. My favorite was The Cotton Ball in Morro Bay. This place was run by cool, hip looking folks (even a guy running the place!), and they had tons of fun fabric, patterns, knitting/crocheting supplies, etc. My next favorite shop was The Treasure Hunt in Carpinteria - a maze of a shop with a good selection of fabrics, and it's pretty close to me! Lastly, I'll mention Quiltin' Cousins in Pismo Beach. This is a small shop, but good fabrics, and I actually snatched up 2 copies of Quilts Japan I didn't already have!
All in all, it was a very long day, and I wouldn't recommend doing this sort of trip with a toddler in tow. But, I did get to explore some areas I'd just driven through in the past, and I met lots of quilters! Best snippet overheard: "Well, the fabric is a bit modern, but just think what you could do if you added a doily." Yup! Having visited all the shops in the allotted time, I'm now eligible to win one of the grand prizes. I'll let you know if I'm a winner!
sounds wonderful and how brave of you!! sounds like brynne and sadie are birds of a feather!:)
Posted by: amy k. | June 06, 2005 at 06:26 PM
Thank you for posting the link to The Cotton Ball. The quilts they display are out of this world fantastic! The Dolphin Dance and the butterflies, and oh my, the use of different fabrics in the asian quilt. Just lovely. And Ron is a little cutie pie too - surfer dude! Love your site!
Posted by: debbie | June 06, 2005 at 08:01 PM
Wow--that sounds like a crazy adventure! How brave of you to do so with a toddler in tow! And how patient of her!
Isn't a doily all we really need for anything? LOL!
Posted by: amanda | June 07, 2005 at 05:38 AM
Doily? That is crazy! I'll definitely check out the Cotton Ball again (and yes, I've seen that guy employee. He looks like a surfer dude, right? Youngish?) and try to make it to the Pismo shop!
I hope you win the GRAND PRIZE.
Posted by: Mariko | June 07, 2005 at 11:49 AM
that is sweet that you had a blog friend meet-up! i wish there were more bloggers in the midwest, well actually i wish i was moving to the west coast, that would be better. soon... i did a "quilt shop hop" here recently, and it was doily-lovers to the max, no cool cotton ball shop, phooey. glad you had fun, brynne rocks, what a great fabric shopper!
Posted by: hannah | June 07, 2005 at 12:55 PM