Trip Report: Southern California Quilters' Run (South)--long!

[De-lurk mode on]

Hi everyone, I haven't posted much since I joined last year--been too
busy trying to absorb all the knowledge here and work on my mostly
small projects. A few months ago, I happened to pick up a flyer at my
LQS for the Southern California Quilters' Run, which made no sense to
me at first. Eventually, after asking a lot of questions, I decided
it made more sense to do both parts to get a shot at winning the best
prizes.

So I bribed my mom (who kept telling me how crazy I was) in San Diego
to let me spend the night, ran off a lot of information from MapQuest
and headed off solo to Palm Springs on Friday a little before 7am.
Since our home has been a "hospice" for several QI's the past 5 years,
it's been awhile since we've taken any trips, so this also was like a
mini-vacation for me. I had forgotten how starkly beautiful the
desert was, although the mountains were shrouded in the cloudy
remnants of Claudette that have raised the humidity to definitely
un-California levels. I have to admit at times (since I wasn't using
the a/c in order to save gas), I was starting to agree with my mother!
But I had a shopping list--I'm making a memory quilt of for my mom's
birthday in November of printed photographs appliquéd onto 16 blocks
of themed fabric, and I figured I should be able to make a good dent
in it visiting 12 stores--none of which I had ever gone to before.

I pulled into Creative Expressions 5 minutes after 9, a little nervous
about what I was getting into. I had seen them at 2 local quilt
shows, but was still floored by the selection of fabric, especially
already cut FQs and yards of batiks. I kicked myself then--and many
other times over those two days since I had just bought all 16 batiks
needed for the darks in a log cabin quilt. Luckily, I was able to
cross off some of my list after visiting the goodies table (the best
on the run). I definitely will go back if I'm anywhere near the area!

Next was Everything Nice in Calimesa, with a surprisingly large
selection (with most of the state flower fabrics including the
California one I needed!) for a small store and friendly staff.

Woerth Stitching in Temecula was the next stop--although I wasn't able
to find anything specific, it wasn't because of lack of fabrics!
Since it's right off the I-15, this will be a regular stop on visits
down to my mom. I didn't have time to do the store justice since
lunch was calling, so I definitely need to go back.

The temperature dropped quite a bit as I headed into Fallbrook and
made my way to the coast to Sew Much Better in Oceanside. I was able
to cross off another fabric and I actually won a prize--two pattern
books! One was a Bernina project book for sewing cushions and the
other an Elinor Peace Bailey booklet on wearable doll patterns. This
will be another regular stop, right off the I-5.

I headed down to Sowing Sisters in Carlsbad, more sowing than fabric.
The staff tried very hard to help me find material, but unfortunately
I left empty handed.

Then back inland to Amidon in Poway--another good selection of fabric,
but in too isolated an area to me to make it back. The last stop was
Patchwork Plus in El Cajon where I briefly met Carl as he was headed
out to a Padres game. The store was really organized well with lots
of space. By then, I have to admit I was getting tired, so I headed
to a Baskin Robbins to pick up some Jamoca ice cream and made it to my
mom's around 6pm--11 hours and 320 miles later. After a show and tell
of all the freebies I got (I had to hide the fabric for her quilt), I
had an early bedtime of 9:30--and slept well that night!

Saturday was a lot easier--I didn't leave until 8:30. The first stop
was Leah's in Mission Viejo--another awesome selection of fabrics
right off I-5. Not only did I get another on my list, but also picked
up a few FQs of sky and grass backgrounds for a paper-pieced house I
forgot I had to do by the end of August.

Next was Leah's in Orange where I ended up finding 2 more backgrounds.
This was the best organized of any of the stores with
actual labels on the shelves and a great assortment of cat fabrics for
future reference.

Then I visited the Calico House in Yorba Linda and the Calico Corner
in La Habra and realized one problem with the concept of
quilt shop hopping--when a deadline is looming, it's really difficult
to spend enough time to really get a good idea of what each LQS is all
about. Partly because of that, and partly because I was hungry, I
can't remember anything about either of the stores:-(

After stopping at Baskin Robbins for "lunch", I felt much better and
headed to the last shop, which was the most memorable--Timeless Quilts
in Anaheim. The flyer described it as being in a "beautifully
restored 1924 craftsman home" so I was interested in at least seeing
the premises. But it turned out to be the most fun of all--as I
walked through the door, I was immediately adorned with a strand of
flapper-like beads. Roaring 20's type music was playing and I was
given a ticket to play a game in the classroom. Now THAT was really
crazy--the staff were having a lot of fun with the music and the era.
Although I didn't find anything on my list, I ended up spending more
money there than anywhere else-and it was on material I "wanted"
rather than "needed"! There was a surprising amount of fabric stashed
in each room of the house. And since it's only about 30 miles away,
it may be a regular shopping trip.

I ended up home, after 6 hours and 150 miles (for a 2 day total of 17
hours and 470 miles). I managed to get all on my list except for one
fabric. I dragged my DH to look at all the free gifts--8 coordinated
charm squares, hand needles and threader, 3 FQs, 2 fat eighths, 2 gift
certificates/coupons, a wooden ruler, a yard stick, a band-aid
dispenser, measuring tape, a pen, beads and the 2 pattern books. Plus
I'm entered into 11 in-store drawings!

I've already mapped out this Friday's route to the northern shops, a
lot closer to home. I still need one background, plus I'm going to
look for the 4 light fabrics I need for the log cabin quilt.
Hopefully by next year, I will have joined a guild because it seemed a
little silly to be meeting people 150 miles away that were driving
from the same town as me…

debbe in torrance
[Lurk mode back on]

Oh Debbe, turn off that lurking mode. Welcome to the Road Warrior
Travelogue Team! I really enjoyed hearing about your Southern California
adventure. I've been to a few of the shops you listed when I visited last
in 1999.
Makes me want to come back down for another trip...hm...I've got some time
off at the end of the summer..might have to look into it.
Welcome to the group if I haven't done so before.

--
Sandi in New Westminster B.C.

"Debbe Nye" wrote in message
...
[De-lurk mode on]

Hi everyone, I haven't posted much since I joined last year--been too
busy trying to absorb all the knowledge here and work on my mostly
small projects. A few months ago, I happened to pick up a flyer at my
LQS for the Southern California Quilters' Run, which made no sense to
me at first. Eventually, after asking a lot of questions, I decided
it made more sense to do both parts to get a shot at winning the best
prizes.

So I bribed my mom (who kept telling me how crazy I was) in San Diego
to let me spend the night, ran off a lot of information from MapQuest
and headed off solo to Palm Springs on Friday a little before 7am.
Since our home has been a "hospice" for several QI's the past 5 years,
it's been awhile since we've taken any trips, so this also was like a
mini-vacation for me. I had forgotten how starkly beautiful the
desert was, although the mountains were shrouded in the cloudy
remnants of Claudette that have raised the humidity to definitely
un-California levels. I have to admit at times (since I wasn't using
the a/c in order to save gas), I was starting to agree with my mother!
But I had a shopping list--I'm making a memory quilt of for my mom's
birthday in November of printed photographs appliquéd onto 16 blocks
of themed fabric, and I figured I should be able to make a good dent
in it visiting 12 stores--none of which I had ever gone to before.

I pulled into Creative Expressions 5 minutes after 9, a little nervous
about what I was getting into. I had seen them at 2 local quilt
shows, but was still floored by the selection of fabric, especially
already cut FQs and yards of batiks. I kicked myself then--and many
other times over those two days since I had just bought all 16 batiks
needed for the darks in a log cabin quilt. Luckily, I was able to
cross off some of my list after visiting the goodies table (the best
on the run). I definitely will go back if I'm anywhere near the area!

Next was Everything Nice in Calimesa, with a surprisingly large
selection (with most of the state flower fabrics including the
California one I needed!) for a small store and friendly staff.

Woerth Stitching in Temecula was the next stop--although I wasn't able
to find anything specific, it wasn't because of lack of fabrics!
Since it's right off the I-15, this will be a regular stop on visits
down to my mom. I didn't have time to do the store justice since
lunch was calling, so I definitely need to go back.

The temperature dropped quite a bit as I headed into Fallbrook and
made my way to the coast to Sew Much Better in Oceanside. I was able
to cross off another fabric and I actually won a prize--two pattern
books! One was a Bernina project book for sewing cushions and the
other an Elinor Peace Bailey booklet on wearable doll patterns. This
will be another regular stop, right off the I-5.

I headed down to Sowing Sisters in Carlsbad, more sowing than fabric.
The staff tried very hard to help me find material, but unfortunately
I left empty handed.

Then back inland to Amidon in Poway--another good selection of fabric,
but in too isolated an area to me to make it back. The last stop was
Patchwork Plus in El Cajon where I briefly met Carl as he was headed
out to a Padres game. The store was really organized well with lots
of space. By then, I have to admit I was getting tired, so I headed
to a Baskin Robbins to pick up some Jamoca ice cream and made it to my
mom's around 6pm--11 hours and 320 miles later. After a show and tell
of all the freebies I got (I had to hide the fabric for her quilt), I
had an early bedtime of 9:30--and slept well that night!

Saturday was a lot easier--I didn't leave until 8:30. The first stop
was Leah's in Mission Viejo--another awesome selection of fabrics
right off I-5. Not only did I get another on my list, but also picked
up a few FQs of sky and grass backgrounds for a paper-pieced house I
forgot I had to do by the end of August.

Next was Leah's in Orange where I ended up finding 2 more backgrounds.
This was the best organized of any of the stores with
actual labels on the shelves and a great assortment of cat fabrics for
future reference.

Then I visited the Calico House in Yorba Linda and the Calico Corner
in La Habra and realized one problem with the concept of
quilt shop hopping--when a deadline is looming, it's really difficult
to spend enough time to really get a good idea of what each LQS is all
about. Partly because of that, and partly because I was hungry, I
can't remember anything about either of the stores:-(

After stopping at Baskin Robbins for "lunch", I felt much better and
headed to the last shop, which was the most memorable--Timeless Quilts
in Anaheim. The flyer described it as being in a "beautifully
restored 1924 craftsman home" so I was interested in at least seeing
the premises. But it turned out to be the most fun of all--as I
walked through the door, I was immediately adorned with a strand of
flapper-like beads. Roaring 20's type music was playing and I was
given a ticket to play a game in the classroom. Now THAT was really
crazy--the staff were having a lot of fun with the music and the era.
Although I didn't find anything on my list, I ended up spending more
money there than anywhere else-and it was on material I "wanted"
rather than "needed"! There was a surprising amount of fabric stashed
in each room of the house. And since it's only about 30 miles away,
it may be a regular shopping trip.

I ended up home, after 6 hours and 150 miles (for a 2 day total of 17
hours and 470 miles). I managed to get all on my list except for one
fabric. I dragged my DH to look at all the free gifts--8 coordinated
charm squares, hand needles and threader, 3 FQs, 2 fat eighths, 2 gift
certificates/coupons, a wooden ruler, a yard stick, a band-aid
dispenser, measuring tape, a pen, beads and the 2 pattern books. Plus
I'm entered into 11 in-store drawings!

I've already mapped out this Friday's route to the northern shops, a
lot closer to home. I still need one background, plus I'm going to
look for the 4 light fabrics I need for the log cabin quilt.
Hopefully by next year, I will have joined a guild because it seemed a
little silly to be meeting people 150 miles away that were driving
from the same town as me…

debbe in torrance
[Lurk mode back on]

Did not do the run-- 1) no money, 2) someone has to keep an eye on kidlet
#2. Too bad I did not make one of my zillion runs to Leah's in Mission Viejo
this weekend. Could have met up with you for a few minutes.

Debbi in SO CA


"Debbe Nye" wrote in message
...
[De-lurk mode on]

Hi everyone, I haven't posted much since I joined last year--been too
busy trying to absorb all the knowledge here and work on my mostly
small projects. A few months ago, I happened to pick up a flyer at my
LQS for the Southern California Quilters' Run, which made no sense to
me at first. Eventually, after asking a lot of questions, I decided
it made more sense to do both parts to get a shot at winning the best
prizes.

So I bribed my mom (who kept telling me how crazy I was) in San Diego
to let me spend the night, ran off a lot of information from MapQuest
and headed off solo to Palm Springs on Friday a little before 7am.
Since our home has been a "hospice" for several QI's the past 5 years,
it's been awhile since we've taken any trips, so this also was like a
mini-vacation for me. I had forgotten how starkly beautiful the
desert was, although the mountains were shrouded in the cloudy
remnants of Claudette that have raised the humidity to definitely
un-California levels. I have to admit at times (since I wasn't using
the a/c in order to save gas), I was starting to agree with my mother!
But I had a shopping list--I'm making a memory quilt of for my mom's
birthday in November of printed photographs appliquéd onto 16 blocks
of themed fabric, and I figured I should be able to make a good dent
in it visiting 12 stores--none of which I had ever gone to before.

I pulled into Creative Expressions 5 minutes after 9, a little nervous
about what I was getting into. I had seen them at 2 local quilt
shows, but was still floored by the selection of fabric, especially
already cut FQs and yards of batiks. I kicked myself then--and many
other times over those two days since I had just bought all 16 batiks
needed for the darks in a log cabin quilt. Luckily, I was able to
cross off some of my list after visiting the goodies table (the best
on the run). I definitely will go back if I'm anywhere near the area!

Next was Everything Nice in Calimesa, with a surprisingly large
selection (with most of the state flower fabrics including the
California one I needed!) for a small store and friendly staff.

Woerth Stitching in Temecula was the next stop--although I wasn't able
to find anything specific, it wasn't because of lack of fabrics!
Since it's right off the I-15, this will be a regular stop on visits
down to my mom. I didn't have time to do the store justice since
lunch was calling, so I definitely need to go back.

The temperature dropped quite a bit as I headed into Fallbrook and
made my way to the coast to Sew Much Better in Oceanside. I was able
to cross off another fabric and I actually won a prize--two pattern
books! One was a Bernina project book for sewing cushions and the
other an Elinor Peace Bailey booklet on wearable doll patterns. This
will be another regular stop, right off the I-5.

I headed down to Sowing Sisters in Carlsbad, more sowing than fabric.
The staff tried very hard to help me find material, but unfortunately
I left empty handed.

Then back inland to Amidon in Poway--another good selection of fabric,
but in too isolated an area to me to make it back. The last stop was
Patchwork Plus in El Cajon where I briefly met Carl as he was headed
out to a Padres game. The store was really organized well with lots
of space. By then, I have to admit I was getting tired, so I headed
to a Baskin Robbins to pick up some Jamoca ice cream and made it to my
mom's around 6pm--11 hours and 320 miles later. After a show and tell
of all the freebies I got (I had to hide the fabric for her quilt), I
had an early bedtime of 9:30--and slept well that night!

Saturday was a lot easier--I didn't leave until 8:30. The first stop
was Leah's in Mission Viejo--another awesome selection of fabrics
right off I-5. Not only did I get another on my list, but also picked
up a few FQs of sky and grass backgrounds for a paper-pieced house I
forgot I had to do by the end of August.

Next was Leah's in Orange where I ended up finding 2 more backgrounds.
This was the best organized of any of the stores with
actual labels on the shelves and a great assortment of cat fabrics for
future reference.

Then I visited the Calico House in Yorba Linda and the Calico Corner
in La Habra and realized one problem with the concept of
quilt shop hopping--when a deadline is looming, it's really difficult
to spend enough time to really get a good idea of what each LQS is all
about. Partly because of that, and partly because I was hungry, I
can't remember anything about either of the stores:-(

After stopping at Baskin Robbins for "lunch", I felt much better and
headed to the last shop, which was the most memorable--Timeless Quilts
in Anaheim. The flyer described it as being in a "beautifully
restored 1924 craftsman home" so I was interested in at least seeing
the premises. But it turned out to be the most fun of all--as I
walked through the door, I was immediately adorned with a strand of
flapper-like beads. Roaring 20's type music was playing and I was
given a ticket to play a game in the classroom. Now THAT was really
crazy--the staff were having a lot of fun with the music and the era.
Although I didn't find anything on my list, I ended up spending more
money there than anywhere else-and it was on material I "wanted"
rather than "needed"! There was a surprising amount of fabric stashed
in each room of the house. And since it's only about 30 miles away,
it may be a regular shopping trip.

I ended up home, after 6 hours and 150 miles (for a 2 day total of 17
hours and 470 miles). I managed to get all on my list except for one
fabric. I dragged my DH to look at all the free gifts--8 coordinated
charm squares, hand needles and threader, 3 FQs, 2 fat eighths, 2 gift
certificates/coupons, a wooden ruler, a yard stick, a band-aid
dispenser, measuring tape, a pen, beads and the 2 pattern books. Plus
I'm entered into 11 in-store drawings!

I've already mapped out this Friday's route to the northern shops, a
lot closer to home. I still need one background, plus I'm going to
look for the 4 light fabrics I need for the log cabin quilt.
Hopefully by next year, I will have joined a guild because it seemed a
little silly to be meeting people 150 miles away that were driving
from the same town as me.

debbe in torrance
[Lurk mode back on]

Great post! Sounds like you had a successful hop so far. Hope you tell
us about the rest of it.

marcella

In article ,
(Debbe Nye) wrote:

[De-lurk mode on]

Hi everyone, I haven't posted much since I joined last year--been too
busy trying to absorb all the knowledge here and work on my mostly
small projects. A few months ago, I happened to pick up a flyer at my
LQS for the Southern California Quilters' Run, which made no sense to
me at first. Eventually, after asking a lot of questions, I decided
it made more sense to do both parts to get a shot at winning the best
prizes.

So I bribed my mom (who kept telling me how crazy I was) in San Diego
to let me spend the night, ran off a lot of information from MapQuest
and headed off solo to Palm Springs on Friday a little before 7am.
Since our home has been a "hospice" for several QI's the past 5 years,
it's been awhile since we've taken any trips, so this also was like a
mini-vacation for me. I had forgotten how starkly beautiful the
desert was, although the mountains were shrouded in the cloudy
remnants of Claudette that have raised the humidity to definitely
un-California levels. I have to admit at times (since I wasn't using
the a/c in order to save gas), I was starting to agree with my mother!
But I had a shopping list--I'm making a memory quilt of for my mom's
birthday in November of printed photographs appliquéd onto 16 blocks
of themed fabric, and I figured I should be able to make a good dent
in it visiting 12 stores--none of which I had ever gone to before.

I pulled into Creative Expressions 5 minutes after 9, a little nervous
about what I was getting into. I had seen them at 2 local quilt
shows, but was still floored by the selection of fabric, especially
already cut FQs and yards of batiks. I kicked myself then--and many
other times over those two days since I had just bought all 16 batiks
needed for the darks in a log cabin quilt. Luckily, I was able to
cross off some of my list after visiting the goodies table (the best
on the run). I definitely will go back if I'm anywhere near the area!

Next was Everything Nice in Calimesa, with a surprisingly large
selection (with most of the state flower fabrics including the
California one I needed!) for a small store and friendly staff.

Woerth Stitching in Temecula was the next stop--although I wasn't able
to find anything specific, it wasn't because of lack of fabrics!
Since it's right off the I-15, this will be a regular stop on visits
down to my mom. I didn't have time to do the store justice since
lunch was calling, so I definitely need to go back.

The temperature dropped quite a bit as I headed into Fallbrook and
made my way to the coast to Sew Much Better in Oceanside. I was able
to cross off another fabric and I actually won a prize--two pattern
books! One was a Bernina project book for sewing cushions and the
other an Elinor Peace Bailey booklet on wearable doll patterns. This
will be another regular stop, right off the I-5.

I headed down to Sowing Sisters in Carlsbad, more sowing than fabric.
The staff tried very hard to help me find material, but unfortunately
I left empty handed.

Then back inland to Amidon in Poway--another good selection of fabric,
but in too isolated an area to me to make it back. The last stop was
Patchwork Plus in El Cajon where I briefly met Carl as he was headed
out to a Padres game. The store was really organized well with lots
of space. By then, I have to admit I was getting tired, so I headed
to a Baskin Robbins to pick up some Jamoca ice cream and made it to my
mom's around 6pm--11 hours and 320 miles later. After a show and tell
of all the freebies I got (I had to hide the fabric for her quilt), I
had an early bedtime of 9:30--and slept well that night!

Saturday was a lot easier--I didn't leave until 8:30. The first stop
was Leah's in Mission Viejo--another awesome selection of fabrics
right off I-5. Not only did I get another on my list, but also picked
up a few FQs of sky and grass backgrounds for a paper-pieced house I
forgot I had to do by the end of August.

Next was Leah's in Orange where I ended up finding 2 more backgrounds.
This was the best organized of any of the stores with
actual labels on the shelves and a great assortment of cat fabrics for
future reference.

Then I visited the Calico House in Yorba Linda and the Calico Corner
in La Habra and realized one problem with the concept of
quilt shop hopping--when a deadline is looming, it's really difficult
to spend enough time to really get a good idea of what each LQS is all
about. Partly because of that, and partly because I was hungry, I
can't remember anything about either of the stores:-(

After stopping at Baskin Robbins for "lunch", I felt much better and
headed to the last shop, which was the most memorable--Timeless Quilts
in Anaheim. The flyer described it as being in a "beautifully
restored 1924 craftsman home" so I was interested in at least seeing
the premises. But it turned out to be the most fun of all--as I
walked through the door, I was immediately adorned with a strand of
flapper-like beads. Roaring 20's type music was playing and I was
given a ticket to play a game in the classroom. Now THAT was really
crazy--the staff were having a lot of fun with the music and the era.
Although I didn't find anything on my list, I ended up spending more
money there than anywhere else-and it was on material I "wanted"
rather than "needed"! There was a surprising amount of fabric stashed
in each room of the house. And since it's only about 30 miles away,
it may be a regular shopping trip.

I ended up home, after 6 hours and 150 miles (for a 2 day total of 17
hours and 470 miles). I managed to get all on my list except for one
fabric. I dragged my DH to look at all the free gifts--8 coordinated
charm squares, hand needles and threader, 3 FQs, 2 fat eighths, 2 gift
certificates/coupons, a wooden ruler, a yard stick, a band-aid
dispenser, measuring tape, a pen, beads and the 2 pattern books. Plus
I'm entered into 11 in-store drawings!

I've already mapped out this Friday's route to the northern shops, a
lot closer to home. I still need one background, plus I'm going to
look for the 4 light fabrics I need for the log cabin quilt.
Hopefully by next year, I will have joined a guild because it seemed a
little silly to be meeting people 150 miles away that were driving
from the same town as me…

debbe in torrance
[Lurk mode back on]

I just got back from San Diego. My daughter is planning to go to SDSU this
fall and we hac orientation Mon. I got to go to one quilt shop on Tues. -
Rosie's Calico Cupboard. It was great! 16,000 bolts is their claim. I ended
up only buying a yard of "San Diego fabric" so I can put some in a block on
daughter's quilt. Then I saw a flyer that the SD Quilt Show is Aug. 29 -31,
which is when I have to take her back to stay. I was surprised they only claim
300 quilts. I think Boise has at least that many and Sisters OR has over 800.
I'll probably check it out anyway. One can never go to too many quilt show in
my opinion.
Debra in Idaho

After such a great travelogue you have to stay out of lurk mode, Debbe! g
We visited friends in Escondido last year and so many of the places you
mentioned were familiar. Lovely area. Now I should go back just to hit the
area LQSs!

Dee in LeRoy, NY

"Debbe Nye" wrote in message
...

[De-lurk mode on]

Hi everyone, I haven't posted much since I joined last year--been too
busy trying to absorb all the knowledge here and work on my mostly
small projects. A few months ago, I happened to pick up a flyer at my
LQS for the Southern California Quilters' Run, which made no sense to
me at first. Eventually, after asking a lot of questions, I decided
it made more sense to do both parts to get a shot at winning the best
prizes.

So I bribed my mom (who kept telling me how crazy I was) in San Diego
to let me spend the night, ran off a lot of information from MapQuest
and headed off solo to Palm Springs on Friday a little before 7am.
Since our home has been a "hospice" for several QI's the past 5 years,
it's been awhile since we've taken any trips, so this also was like a
mini-vacation for me. I had forgotten how starkly beautiful the
desert was, although the mountains were shrouded in the cloudy
remnants of Claudette that have raised the humidity to definitely
un-California levels. I have to admit at times (since I wasn't using
the a/c in order to save gas), I was starting to agree with my mother!
But I had a shopping list--I'm making a memory quilt of for my mom's
birthday in November of printed photographs appliquéd onto 16 blocks
of themed fabric, and I figured I should be able to make a good dent
in it visiting 12 stores--none of which I had ever gone to before.

I pulled into Creative Expressions 5 minutes after 9, a little nervous
about what I was getting into. I had seen them at 2 local quilt
shows, but was still floored by the selection of fabric, especially
already cut FQs and yards of batiks. I kicked myself then--and many
other times over those two days since I had just bought all 16 batiks
needed for the darks in a log cabin quilt. Luckily, I was able to
cross off some of my list after visiting the goodies table (the best
on the run). I definitely will go back if I'm anywhere near the area!

Next was Everything Nice in Calimesa, with a surprisingly large
selection (with most of the state flower fabrics including the
California one I needed!) for a small store and friendly staff.

Woerth Stitching in Temecula was the next stop--although I wasn't able
to find anything specific, it wasn't because of lack of fabrics!
Since it's right off the I-15, this will be a regular stop on visits
down to my mom. I didn't have time to do the store justice since
lunch was calling, so I definitely need to go back.

The temperature dropped quite a bit as I headed into Fallbrook and
made my way to the coast to Sew Much Better in Oceanside. I was able
to cross off another fabric and I actually won a prize--two pattern
books! One was a Bernina project book for sewing cushions and the
other an Elinor Peace Bailey booklet on wearable doll patterns. This
will be another regular stop, right off the I-5.

I headed down to Sowing Sisters in Carlsbad, more sowing than fabric.
The staff tried very hard to help me find material, but unfortunately
I left empty handed.

Then back inland to Amidon in Poway--another good selection of fabric,
but in too isolated an area to me to make it back. The last stop was
Patchwork Plus in El Cajon where I briefly met Carl as he was headed
out to a Padres game. The store was really organized well with lots
of space. By then, I have to admit I was getting tired, so I headed
to a Baskin Robbins to pick up some Jamoca ice cream and made it to my
mom's around 6pm--11 hours and 320 miles later. After a show and tell
of all the freebies I got (I had to hide the fabric for her quilt), I
had an early bedtime of 9:30--and slept well that night!

Saturday was a lot easier--I didn't leave until 8:30. The first stop
was Leah's in Mission Viejo--another awesome selection of fabrics
right off I-5. Not only did I get another on my list, but also picked
up a few FQs of sky and grass backgrounds for a paper-pieced house I
forgot I had to do by the end of August.

Next was Leah's in Orange where I ended up finding 2 more backgrounds.
This was the best organized of any of the stores with
actual labels on the shelves and a great assortment of cat fabrics for
future reference.

Then I visited the Calico House in Yorba Linda and the Calico Corner
in La Habra and realized one problem with the concept of
quilt shop hopping--when a deadline is looming, it's really difficult
to spend enough time to really get a good idea of what each LQS is all
about. Partly because of that, and partly because I was hungry, I
can't remember anything about either of the stores:-(

After stopping at Baskin Robbins for "lunch", I felt much better and
headed to the last shop, which was the most memorable--Timeless Quilts
in Anaheim. The flyer described it as being in a "beautifully
restored 1924 craftsman home" so I was interested in at least seeing
the premises. But it turned out to be the most fun of all--as I
walked through the door, I was immediately adorned with a strand of
flapper-like beads. Roaring 20's type music was playing and I was
given a ticket to play a game in the classroom. Now THAT was really
crazy--the staff were having a lot of fun with the music and the era.
Although I didn't find anything on my list, I ended up spending more
money there than anywhere else-and it was on material I "wanted"
rather than "needed"! There was a surprising amount of fabric stashed
in each room of the house. And since it's only about 30 miles away,
it may be a regular shopping trip.

I ended up home, after 6 hours and 150 miles (for a 2 day total of 17
hours and 470 miles). I managed to get all on my list except for one
fabric. I dragged my DH to look at all the free gifts--8 coordinated
charm squares, hand needles and threader, 3 FQs, 2 fat eighths, 2 gift
certificates/coupons, a wooden ruler, a yard stick, a band-aid
dispenser, measuring tape, a pen, beads and the 2 pattern books. Plus
I'm entered into 11 in-store drawings!

I've already mapped out this Friday's route to the northern shops, a
lot closer to home. I still need one background, plus I'm going to
look for the 4 light fabrics I need for the log cabin quilt.
Hopefully by next year, I will have joined a guild because it seemed a
little silly to be meeting people 150 miles away that were driving
from the same town as me.

debbe in torrance
[Lurk mode back on]





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Hi Debra,
Isn't Rosie's the best! My mom lives only a few miles from it (right
by SDSU), but unfortunately, I didn't get to make it there during the
Quilters Run because it closes early on Fridays :-(

My mom and I bought several yards of the SD fabric--much of it I made
into Attic Windows placemats for relatives back east, with the rest
was turned into a tablecloth for my mom (with one of Carol Doak's
gorgeous paper pieced stars at the center). I also saw 2 people at
the Del Mar fair wearing shirts made of the material, and there was a
story on CNN about many SD area military families making the fabric
into quilts for their loved ones stationed overseas!

I picked up a flyer for the quilt show too--not sure if I'll make it
or not!
debbe


On 24 Jul 2003 03:59:54 GMT, (DebsPrintOnIt)
wrote:

I just got back from San Diego. My daughter is planning to go to SDSU this
fall and we hac orientation Mon. I got to go to one quilt shop on Tues. -
Rosie's Calico Cupboard. It was great! 16,000 bolts is their claim. I ended
up only buying a yard of "San Diego fabric" so I can put some in a block on
daughter's quilt. Then I saw a flyer that the SD Quilt Show is Aug. 29 -31,
which is when I have to take her back to stay. I was surprised they only claim
300 quilts. I think Boise has at least that many and Sisters OR has over 800.
I'll probably check it out anyway. One can never go to too many quilt show in
my opinion.
Debra in Idaho

YEAH SDSU!!!! My alma mater! Where will your daughter be staying? I too
plan to go to the SD Quilt show if the kids don't have plans for me. I live
about 60 miles north

Debbi in SO CA


"DebsPrintOnIt" wrote in message
...
I just got back from San Diego. My daughter is planning to go to SDSU
this
fall and we hac orientation Mon. I got to go to one quilt shop on Tues. -
Rosie's Calico Cupboard. It was great! 16,000 bolts is their claim. I
ended
up only buying a yard of "San Diego fabric" so I can put some in a block
on
daughter's quilt. Then I saw a flyer that the SD Quilt Show is Aug.
29 -31,
which is when I have to take her back to stay. I was surprised they only
claim
300 quilts. I think Boise has at least that many and Sisters OR has over
800.
I'll probably check it out anyway. One can never go to too many quilt
show in
my opinion.
Debra in Idaho