Mini B.C. quilt shop tour

Hi all

It's been a while since I've done any regular posting so hi to the new
folks, congrats on your new quilts and condolences to those we have lost or
been sick.

Tuesday morning my mom and I caught a ferry to the Sunshine Coast. This is
actually part of the mainland of B.C. but you have to take ferries to get
there.

Our first stop was Gibson's Landing were we checked out Molly's Reach [you
have to be a fan of the Canadian show Beachcomber's to know this trivia],
didn't have anything to eat there but enjoyed the view. Then we walked
through an antique mall and a clothing shop I used to find goodies at. No
luck this time.

Next we drove up to Sechelt and went into Sew Easy. They have a nice
selection of fabrics and books, but nothing wanted to come home with me.

Farther up the 101 we stopped in Madeira Park at the Quilted Path. This
shop used to have a large part of it devoted to crafters, this is all gone,
and their fabric selection is a bit smaller also. They have expanded their
wool selection and now sell some old sewing machines.

We headed north in hopes of making the 1220 ferry and luckily it was running
late and we made it. As the ferry guy said, 1220 is the earliest it can
leave!

In Powell River we had lunch and drove around, we found another couple of
antique shops but nothing was calling my name. We found a Wal-Mart mall and
I figured that must be the only fabric shop in town. On the main street I
went into a shop that had a collection of artisan's work and asked if other
than Wal-Mart if there were any other fabric/quilting shop. Their answer
was no. Across the street we went and as we were walking back to the car I
glanced behind the shop we had just been in and saw a sign for a quilt shop!

Rose Garden Quilts & Fabrics has some lovely class samples. They have a 50
member guild and were surprised to find out that the other shop didn't know
they were in town. She was quite upset in fact, and told me that someone
had told the tourist info folks that there wasn't a quilt shop in town
either. I suggested she take her business card over to the shop and
introduce herself as a joke and as we left she locked the door to do that!

We checked into the ferry line-up for Vancouver Island, and then mom grabbed
her knitting and I grabbed my quilting and we sat in the sun until the ferry
arrived. On our third ferry of the day we both got some more work done on
our pieces.

As we got off the ferry and headed into Courtenay we saw a doe just off the
roadway waiting to cross over.

We dropped into the Union Bay Cafe and had dinner, we found this restaurant
last year when my aunts were visiting.

We found a motel for the evening and it just started to rain as we unloaded.

The next morning we went to Fabricland, they have a quilt shop inside called
The Red Barn Quilt Shop, besides having some quilt fabric in the main store.
The great thing is they give you the Fabricland member's discount!

Next we found A Bird's Nest Quilt Shop, it opened last September. It's in a
new building and has a great fabric selection. I'm not sure how they do
classes, as I didn't see a separate classroom. I found some fun chicken
fabric for $5.00/metre.

On the road again and headed down to Coombs. They have a Farmer's Market
that is world known for the fact that they have goats on their roof! They
have a growing grass roof with houses for the goats on top! We saw two of
them out as it was a cooler day. They hide on hot days.

Then we headed over to Rainbow's End Quilt Shop in Errington. Last year I
went there and their monthly special was 20% off brown/beige fabrics. Would
you believe that was their September special again!!! Well, my browns grew
a bit.

Next we drove over to Port Alberni, this town is at the end of a very long
inlet and technically is on the west coast of the island. But in fact it is
approximately 1/3 closer to the east coast! We went to Pincushion Fabrics,
Grandma's Trunk Antique shop and Sew Rite Fabrics and found some treasures
at each of them.

Driving back through Cathedral Grove we almost stopped, but it was rainy and
windy, not the best conditions to view this remarkable stand of trees. Last
year we walked through and saw how several trees suddenly fell down in a
freak wind when others remained standing.

We stopped briefly in Coombs for one of their famous ice cream cones before
heading back on the road.

We stopped in at A Quilter's Delight Quilt Shop in Bowser. This shop has a
Bed and Breakfast and does retreats. She has a great fabric selection for
both traditional and those with a touch of whimsy.

Our next stop was Nanaimo, we found Serge and Sew. Lovely shop, some great
samples and very friendly staff. I would highly recommend stopping at this
shop if you every get to Nanaimo. They were featuring some quilts by a
Canadian artist I think her patterns are called Shaggy Dog Designs, she had
some First Nation's mask designs and some African inspired ones. I think
her last name was Frances.

At Snip and Stitch, our welcome wasn't the same. Last year I felt I was
bothering them and again this I felt the same. In fact I had chosen a bolt
of fabric, laid it on the cutting table and a clerk looked at me and the
bolt and then walked upstairs. A few minutes later she saw I was still
waiting and came down and said "oh, did you find something you wanted?" Uh,
duh...yes please.

Our second night was spent in Nanaimo. Our last day on the island we woke
to sunny skies again. After breakfast we headed down to Ladysmith where we
heard a new shop had opened. It's called Sweet Pea Quilting and they were
only 10 days old! Lovely shop and a nice classroom space. They were
working on making an African fabric quilt. They are having their grand
opening September 10th and 11th. If you live on the island, go and check
them out.

Down the block we checked out the Antique shop in the old post office.

Back on the road with a quick shop and walk around Chemainus. This town has
an amazing collection of murals drawn on the outside of many buildings
depicting the history of the area.

Off to Duncan, where we looked for Robin's Country Quilting. We found Sew
Fabulous first. Unfortunately the shop owner doesn't live up to the store's
name. They had a sale and I got some nice batiks for 25% off, but when I
asked about directions to Robin's Country Quilting I got an earful about a
feud they are having and no directions. Enough said, not impressed with the
owner at all.

Managed to find Robin's Country Quilting, she has moved into her house and
the shop is very inviting. Lots of lovely samples and fabrics. She did a
mini outdoor show in her neighbourhood and had an album of photos to share.
I mentioned about the encounter at the other shop, but it wasn't Robin I was
speaking with. I suggested she put some information about directions into
the Country Register where she advertises and the clerk thought that was a
good idea that she would pass onto Robin.

Back on the road we headed down to Wiffle Tree Junction and checked out
another antique shop. Still no great finds...so off to the ferry to head
home. We got to the ferry just before 4 p.m., but too late to make that
sailing. So we grabbed a coffee, wandered around the vendors and enjoyed
the sunshine.

Suddenly it was time to load the ferry, and we set sail at 5 p.m. Had
dinner on the ferry, and then sat down and did some more quilting and
knitting. The crossing takes about 1 hour 25 minutes, and we were home
shortly after 7:30 p.m.!

Final count, 14 quilt shops, many antique shops [only one antique purchase]
two ice cream cones, and 4 ferries. If you every decide to do this make
sure you purchase your circle trip tickets at your first ferry boarding, you
save approximately 15% off the total ticket. If you are 65 or older [as in
my mom's case] you travel for free. We just had to pay for the car and
driver..$98.00 for the 4 ferries.

Hope you enjoyed the latest travelogue,

--
Sandi in New Westminster B.C.
Queen of the Travelogues.
....travel is as much a passion as ambition or love
L. E. Landon

In article 43p0d.364914$M95.300855@pd7tw1no,
"shhdesigns" wrote:

Hi all

It's been a while since I've done any regular posting so hi to the new
folks, congrats on your new quilts and condolences to those we have lost or
been sick.

Tuesday morning my mom and I caught a ferry to the Sunshine Coast. This is
actually part of the mainland of B.C. but you have to take ferries to get
there.

snip

Hope you enjoyed the latest travelogue,

Sandi, I *always* enjoy your travelogues! In fact, I almost feel that
I was there with you -- except that I didn't get any souvenirs from it.
G What a wonderful few days!

--
Sandy in Henderson, near Las Vegas
my ISP is earthlink.net -- put sfoster1(at) in front
http://home.earthlink.net/~sfoster1

Sounds like great fun.

--
Mary
http://community.webshots.com/user/mardor1948
"shhdesigns" wrote in message
news:43p0d.364914$M95.300855@pd7tw1no...
Hi all

It's been a while since I've done any regular posting so hi to the new
folks, congrats on your new quilts and condolences to those we have lost
or
been sick.

Tuesday morning my mom and I caught a ferry to the Sunshine Coast. This
is
actually part of the mainland of B.C. but you have to take ferries to get
there.

Our first stop was Gibson's Landing were we checked out Molly's Reach [you
have to be a fan of the Canadian show Beachcomber's to know this trivia],
didn't have anything to eat there but enjoyed the view. Then we walked
through an antique mall and a clothing shop I used to find goodies at. No
luck this time.

Next we drove up to Sechelt and went into Sew Easy. They have a nice
selection of fabrics and books, but nothing wanted to come home with me.

Farther up the 101 we stopped in Madeira Park at the Quilted Path. This
shop used to have a large part of it devoted to crafters, this is all
gone,
and their fabric selection is a bit smaller also. They have expanded
their
wool selection and now sell some old sewing machines.

We headed north in hopes of making the 1220 ferry and luckily it was
running
late and we made it. As the ferry guy said, 1220 is the earliest it can
leave!

In Powell River we had lunch and drove around, we found another couple of
antique shops but nothing was calling my name. We found a Wal-Mart mall
and
I figured that must be the only fabric shop in town. On the main street I
went into a shop that had a collection of artisan's work and asked if
other
than Wal-Mart if there were any other fabric/quilting shop. Their answer
was no. Across the street we went and as we were walking back to the car
I
glanced behind the shop we had just been in and saw a sign for a quilt
shop!

Rose Garden Quilts & Fabrics has some lovely class samples. They have a
50
member guild and were surprised to find out that the other shop didn't
know
they were in town. She was quite upset in fact, and told me that someone
had told the tourist info folks that there wasn't a quilt shop in town
either. I suggested she take her business card over to the shop and
introduce herself as a joke and as we left she locked the door to do that!

We checked into the ferry line-up for Vancouver Island, and then mom
grabbed
her knitting and I grabbed my quilting and we sat in the sun until the
ferry
arrived. On our third ferry of the day we both got some more work done on
our pieces.

As we got off the ferry and headed into Courtenay we saw a doe just off
the
roadway waiting to cross over.

We dropped into the Union Bay Cafe and had dinner, we found this
restaurant
last year when my aunts were visiting.

We found a motel for the evening and it just started to rain as we
unloaded.

The next morning we went to Fabricland, they have a quilt shop inside
called
The Red Barn Quilt Shop, besides having some quilt fabric in the main
store.
The great thing is they give you the Fabricland member's discount!

Next we found A Bird's Nest Quilt Shop, it opened last September. It's in
a
new building and has a great fabric selection. I'm not sure how they do
classes, as I didn't see a separate classroom. I found some fun chicken
fabric for $5.00/metre.

On the road again and headed down to Coombs. They have a Farmer's Market
that is world known for the fact that they have goats on their roof! They
have a growing grass roof with houses for the goats on top! We saw two of
them out as it was a cooler day. They hide on hot days.

Then we headed over to Rainbow's End Quilt Shop in Errington. Last year I
went there and their monthly special was 20% off brown/beige fabrics.
Would
you believe that was their September special again!!! Well, my browns
grew
a bit.

Next we drove over to Port Alberni, this town is at the end of a very
long
inlet and technically is on the west coast of the island. But in fact it
is
approximately 1/3 closer to the east coast! We went to Pincushion
Fabrics,
Grandma's Trunk Antique shop and Sew Rite Fabrics and found some treasures
at each of them.

Driving back through Cathedral Grove we almost stopped, but it was rainy
and
windy, not the best conditions to view this remarkable stand of trees.
Last
year we walked through and saw how several trees suddenly fell down in a
freak wind when others remained standing.

We stopped briefly in Coombs for one of their famous ice cream cones
before
heading back on the road.

We stopped in at A Quilter's Delight Quilt Shop in Bowser. This shop has
a
Bed and Breakfast and does retreats. She has a great fabric selection for
both traditional and those with a touch of whimsy.

Our next stop was Nanaimo, we found Serge and Sew. Lovely shop, some
great
samples and very friendly staff. I would highly recommend stopping at
this
shop if you every get to Nanaimo. They were featuring some quilts by a
Canadian artist I think her patterns are called Shaggy Dog Designs, she
had
some First Nation's mask designs and some African inspired ones. I think
her last name was Frances.

At Snip and Stitch, our welcome wasn't the same. Last year I felt I was
bothering them and again this I felt the same. In fact I had chosen a
bolt
of fabric, laid it on the cutting table and a clerk looked at me and the
bolt and then walked upstairs. A few minutes later she saw I was still
waiting and came down and said "oh, did you find something you wanted?"
Uh,
duh...yes please.

Our second night was spent in Nanaimo. Our last day on the island we woke
to sunny skies again. After breakfast we headed down to Ladysmith where
we
heard a new shop had opened. It's called Sweet Pea Quilting and they were
only 10 days old! Lovely shop and a nice classroom space. They were
working on making an African fabric quilt. They are having their grand
opening September 10th and 11th. If you live on the island, go and check
them out.

Down the block we checked out the Antique shop in the old post office.

Back on the road with a quick shop and walk around Chemainus. This town
has
an amazing collection of murals drawn on the outside of many buildings
depicting the history of the area.

Off to Duncan, where we looked for Robin's Country Quilting. We found Sew
Fabulous first. Unfortunately the shop owner doesn't live up to the
store's
name. They had a sale and I got some nice batiks for 25% off, but when I
asked about directions to Robin's Country Quilting I got an earful about a
feud they are having and no directions. Enough said, not impressed with
the
owner at all.

Managed to find Robin's Country Quilting, she has moved into her house and
the shop is very inviting. Lots of lovely samples and fabrics. She did a
mini outdoor show in her neighbourhood and had an album of photos to
share.
I mentioned about the encounter at the other shop, but it wasn't Robin I
was
speaking with. I suggested she put some information about directions into
the Country Register where she advertises and the clerk thought that was a
good idea that she would pass onto Robin.

Back on the road we headed down to Wiffle Tree Junction and checked out
another antique shop. Still no great finds...so off to the ferry to head
home. We got to the ferry just before 4 p.m., but too late to make that
sailing. So we grabbed a coffee, wandered around the vendors and enjoyed
the sunshine.

Suddenly it was time to load the ferry, and we set sail at 5 p.m. Had
dinner on the ferry, and then sat down and did some more quilting and
knitting. The crossing takes about 1 hour 25 minutes, and we were home
shortly after 7:30 p.m.!

Final count, 14 quilt shops, many antique shops [only one antique
purchase]
two ice cream cones, and 4 ferries. If you every decide to do this make
sure you purchase your circle trip tickets at your first ferry boarding,
you
save approximately 15% off the total ticket. If you are 65 or older [as
in
my mom's case] you travel for free. We just had to pay for the car and
driver..$98.00 for the 4 ferries.

Hope you enjoyed the latest travelogue,

--
Sandi in New Westminster B.C.
Queen of the Travelogues.
...travel is as much a passion as ambition or love
L. E. Landon

Always enjoy your travelogues, Sandi. Only 2 ice cream cones though? It's
still officially summer so we're probably supposed to be eating more ice
cream cones now to make up for cold weather later on. At least that's my
theory. g

Dee in LeRoy, NY

"shhdesigns" wrote in message
news:43p0d.364914$M95.300855@pd7tw1no...
Hi all

It's been a while since I've done any regular posting so hi to the new
folks, congrats on your new quilts and condolences to those we have lost
or
been sick.

Tuesday morning my mom and I caught a ferry to the Sunshine Coast. This
is
actually part of the mainland of B.C. but you have to take ferries to get
there.

Our first stop was Gibson's Landing were we checked out Molly's Reach [you
have to be a fan of the Canadian show Beachcomber's to know this trivia],
didn't have anything to eat there but enjoyed the view. Then we walked
through an antique mall and a clothing shop I used to find goodies at. No
luck this time.

Next we drove up to Sechelt and went into Sew Easy. They have a nice
selection of fabrics and books, but nothing wanted to come home with me.

Farther up the 101 we stopped in Madeira Park at the Quilted Path. This
shop used to have a large part of it devoted to crafters, this is all
gone,
and their fabric selection is a bit smaller also. They have expanded
their
wool selection and now sell some old sewing machines.

We headed north in hopes of making the 1220 ferry and luckily it was
running
late and we made it. As the ferry guy said, 1220 is the earliest it can
leave!

In Powell River we had lunch and drove around, we found another couple of
antique shops but nothing was calling my name. We found a Wal-Mart mall
and
I figured that must be the only fabric shop in town. On the main street I
went into a shop that had a collection of artisan's work and asked if
other
than Wal-Mart if there were any other fabric/quilting shop. Their answer
was no. Across the street we went and as we were walking back to the car
I
glanced behind the shop we had just been in and saw a sign for a quilt
shop!

Rose Garden Quilts & Fabrics has some lovely class samples. They have a
50
member guild and were surprised to find out that the other shop didn't
know
they were in town. She was quite upset in fact, and told me that someone
had told the tourist info folks that there wasn't a quilt shop in town
either. I suggested she take her business card over to the shop and
introduce herself as a joke and as we left she locked the door to do that!

We checked into the ferry line-up for Vancouver Island, and then mom
grabbed
her knitting and I grabbed my quilting and we sat in the sun until the
ferry
arrived. On our third ferry of the day we both got some more work done on
our pieces.

As we got off the ferry and headed into Courtenay we saw a doe just off
the
roadway waiting to cross over.

We dropped into the Union Bay Cafe and had dinner, we found this
restaurant
last year when my aunts were visiting.

We found a motel for the evening and it just started to rain as we
unloaded.

The next morning we went to Fabricland, they have a quilt shop inside
called
The Red Barn Quilt Shop, besides having some quilt fabric in the main
store.
The great thing is they give you the Fabricland member's discount!

Next we found A Bird's Nest Quilt Shop, it opened last September. It's in
a
new building and has a great fabric selection. I'm not sure how they do
classes, as I didn't see a separate classroom. I found some fun chicken
fabric for $5.00/metre.

On the road again and headed down to Coombs. They have a Farmer's Market
that is world known for the fact that they have goats on their roof! They
have a growing grass roof with houses for the goats on top! We saw two of
them out as it was a cooler day. They hide on hot days.

Then we headed over to Rainbow's End Quilt Shop in Errington. Last year I
went there and their monthly special was 20% off brown/beige fabrics.
Would
you believe that was their September special again!!! Well, my browns
grew
a bit.

Next we drove over to Port Alberni, this town is at the end of a very
long
inlet and technically is on the west coast of the island. But in fact it
is
approximately 1/3 closer to the east coast! We went to Pincushion
Fabrics,
Grandma's Trunk Antique shop and Sew Rite Fabrics and found some treasures
at each of them.

Driving back through Cathedral Grove we almost stopped, but it was rainy
and
windy, not the best conditions to view this remarkable stand of trees.
Last
year we walked through and saw how several trees suddenly fell down in a
freak wind when others remained standing.

We stopped briefly in Coombs for one of their famous ice cream cones
before
heading back on the road.

We stopped in at A Quilter's Delight Quilt Shop in Bowser. This shop has
a
Bed and Breakfast and does retreats. She has a great fabric selection for
both traditional and those with a touch of whimsy.

Our next stop was Nanaimo, we found Serge and Sew. Lovely shop, some
great
samples and very friendly staff. I would highly recommend stopping at
this
shop if you every get to Nanaimo. They were featuring some quilts by a
Canadian artist I think her patterns are called Shaggy Dog Designs, she
had
some First Nation's mask designs and some African inspired ones. I think
her last name was Frances.

At Snip and Stitch, our welcome wasn't the same. Last year I felt I was
bothering them and again this I felt the same. In fact I had chosen a
bolt
of fabric, laid it on the cutting table and a clerk looked at me and the
bolt and then walked upstairs. A few minutes later she saw I was still
waiting and came down and said "oh, did you find something you wanted?"
Uh,
duh...yes please.

Our second night was spent in Nanaimo. Our last day on the island we woke
to sunny skies again. After breakfast we headed down to Ladysmith where
we
heard a new shop had opened. It's called Sweet Pea Quilting and they were
only 10 days old! Lovely shop and a nice classroom space. They were
working on making an African fabric quilt. They are having their grand
opening September 10th and 11th. If you live on the island, go and check
them out.

Down the block we checked out the Antique shop in the old post office.

Back on the road with a quick shop and walk around Chemainus. This town
has
an amazing collection of murals drawn on the outside of many buildings
depicting the history of the area.

Off to Duncan, where we looked for Robin's Country Quilting. We found Sew
Fabulous first. Unfortunately the shop owner doesn't live up to the
store's
name. They had a sale and I got some nice batiks for 25% off, but when I
asked about directions to Robin's Country Quilting I got an earful about a
feud they are having and no directions. Enough said, not impressed with
the
owner at all.

Managed to find Robin's Country Quilting, she has moved into her house and
the shop is very inviting. Lots of lovely samples and fabrics. She did a
mini outdoor show in her neighbourhood and had an album of photos to
share.
I mentioned about the encounter at the other shop, but it wasn't Robin I
was
speaking with. I suggested she put some information about directions into
the Country Register where she advertises and the clerk thought that was a
good idea that she would pass onto Robin.

Back on the road we headed down to Wiffle Tree Junction and checked out
another antique shop. Still no great finds...so off to the ferry to head
home. We got to the ferry just before 4 p.m., but too late to make that
sailing. So we grabbed a coffee, wandered around the vendors and enjoyed
the sunshine.

Suddenly it was time to load the ferry, and we set sail at 5 p.m. Had
dinner on the ferry, and then sat down and did some more quilting and
knitting. The crossing takes about 1 hour 25 minutes, and we were home
shortly after 7:30 p.m.!

Final count, 14 quilt shops, many antique shops [only one antique
purchase]
two ice cream cones, and 4 ferries. If you every decide to do this make
sure you purchase your circle trip tickets at your first ferry boarding,
you
save approximately 15% off the total ticket. If you are 65 or older [as
in
my mom's case] you travel for free. We just had to pay for the car and
driver..$98.00 for the 4 ferries.

Hope you enjoyed the latest travelogue,

--
Sandi in New Westminster B.C.
Queen of the Travelogues.
...travel is as much a passion as ambition or love
L. E. Landon

"Sandy Foster" wrote in message
...
In article 43p0d.364914$M95.300855@pd7tw1no,
"shhdesigns" wrote:

Hi all

It's been a while since I've done any regular posting so hi to the new
folks, congrats on your new quilts and condolences to those we have lost
or
been sick.

Tuesday morning my mom and I caught a ferry to the Sunshine Coast. This
is
actually part of the mainland of B.C. but you have to take ferries to
get
there.

snip

Hope you enjoyed the latest travelogue,

Sandi, I *always* enjoy your travelogues! In fact, I almost feel that
I was there with you -- except that I didn't get any souvenirs from it.
G What a wonderful few days!

--
Sandy in Henderson, near Las Vegas
my ISP is earthlink.net -- put sfoster1(at) in front
http://home.earthlink.net/~sfoster1

It was short and sweet, just two nights/three days but lots of fun. I
failed to mention the Victoria quilt shop cuz I didn't go there this time.
I'm heading to see the Eternal Egypt display from London on Tuesday and will
give a Victoria report then.

Glad to see you enjoyed it!

--
Sandi in New Westminster B.C.
Queen of the Travelogues.
....travel is as much a passion as ambition or love
L. E. Landon

It was, glad you took the time to read it.

--
Sandi in New Westminster B.C.
Queen of the Travelogues.
....travel is as much a passion as ambition or love
L. E. Landon
"maryd" wrote in message
...
Sounds like great fun.

--
Mary
http://community.webshots.com/user/mardor1948
"shhdesigns" wrote in message
news:43p0d.364914$M95.300855@pd7tw1no...
Hi all

It's been a while since I've done any regular posting so hi to the new
folks, congrats on your new quilts and condolences to those we have lost
or
been sick.

Tuesday morning my mom and I caught a ferry to the Sunshine Coast. This
is
actually part of the mainland of B.C. but you have to take ferries to
get
there.

Our first stop was Gibson's Landing were we checked out Molly's Reach
[you
have to be a fan of the Canadian show Beachcomber's to know this
trivia],
didn't have anything to eat there but enjoyed the view. Then we walked
through an antique mall and a clothing shop I used to find goodies at.
No
luck this time.

Next we drove up to Sechelt and went into Sew Easy. They have a nice
selection of fabrics and books, but nothing wanted to come home with me.

Farther up the 101 we stopped in Madeira Park at the Quilted Path. This
shop used to have a large part of it devoted to crafters, this is all
gone,
and their fabric selection is a bit smaller also. They have expanded
their
wool selection and now sell some old sewing machines.

We headed north in hopes of making the 1220 ferry and luckily it was
running
late and we made it. As the ferry guy said, 1220 is the earliest it can
leave!

In Powell River we had lunch and drove around, we found another couple
of
antique shops but nothing was calling my name. We found a Wal-Mart mall
and
I figured that must be the only fabric shop in town. On the main street
I
went into a shop that had a collection of artisan's work and asked if
other
than Wal-Mart if there were any other fabric/quilting shop. Their
answer
was no. Across the street we went and as we were walking back to the
car
I
glanced behind the shop we had just been in and saw a sign for a quilt
shop!

Rose Garden Quilts & Fabrics has some lovely class samples. They have a
50
member guild and were surprised to find out that the other shop didn't
know
they were in town. She was quite upset in fact, and told me that
someone
had told the tourist info folks that there wasn't a quilt shop in town
either. I suggested she take her business card over to the shop and
introduce herself as a joke and as we left she locked the door to do
that!

We checked into the ferry line-up for Vancouver Island, and then mom
grabbed
her knitting and I grabbed my quilting and we sat in the sun until the
ferry
arrived. On our third ferry of the day we both got some more work done
on
our pieces.

As we got off the ferry and headed into Courtenay we saw a doe just off
the
roadway waiting to cross over.

We dropped into the Union Bay Cafe and had dinner, we found this
restaurant
last year when my aunts were visiting.

We found a motel for the evening and it just started to rain as we
unloaded.

The next morning we went to Fabricland, they have a quilt shop inside
called
The Red Barn Quilt Shop, besides having some quilt fabric in the main
store.
The great thing is they give you the Fabricland member's discount!

Next we found A Bird's Nest Quilt Shop, it opened last September. It's
in
a
new building and has a great fabric selection. I'm not sure how they do
classes, as I didn't see a separate classroom. I found some fun chicken
fabric for $5.00/metre.

On the road again and headed down to Coombs. They have a Farmer's
Market
that is world known for the fact that they have goats on their roof!
They
have a growing grass roof with houses for the goats on top! We saw two
of
them out as it was a cooler day. They hide on hot days.

Then we headed over to Rainbow's End Quilt Shop in Errington. Last year
I
went there and their monthly special was 20% off brown/beige fabrics.
Would
you believe that was their September special again!!! Well, my browns
grew
a bit.

Next we drove over to Port Alberni, this town is at the end of a very
long
inlet and technically is on the west coast of the island. But in fact
it
is
approximately 1/3 closer to the east coast! We went to Pincushion
Fabrics,
Grandma's Trunk Antique shop and Sew Rite Fabrics and found some
treasures
at each of them.

Driving back through Cathedral Grove we almost stopped, but it was rainy
and
windy, not the best conditions to view this remarkable stand of trees.
Last
year we walked through and saw how several trees suddenly fell down in a
freak wind when others remained standing.

We stopped briefly in Coombs for one of their famous ice cream cones
before
heading back on the road.

We stopped in at A Quilter's Delight Quilt Shop in Bowser. This shop
has
a
Bed and Breakfast and does retreats. She has a great fabric selection
for
both traditional and those with a touch of whimsy.

Our next stop was Nanaimo, we found Serge and Sew. Lovely shop, some
great
samples and very friendly staff. I would highly recommend stopping at
this
shop if you every get to Nanaimo. They were featuring some quilts by a
Canadian artist I think her patterns are called Shaggy Dog Designs, she
had
some First Nation's mask designs and some African inspired ones. I
think
her last name was Frances.

At Snip and Stitch, our welcome wasn't the same. Last year I felt I was
bothering them and again this I felt the same. In fact I had chosen a
bolt
of fabric, laid it on the cutting table and a clerk looked at me and the
bolt and then walked upstairs. A few minutes later she saw I was still
waiting and came down and said "oh, did you find something you wanted?"
Uh,
duh...yes please.

Our second night was spent in Nanaimo. Our last day on the island we
woke
to sunny skies again. After breakfast we headed down to Ladysmith where
we
heard a new shop had opened. It's called Sweet Pea Quilting and they
were
only 10 days old! Lovely shop and a nice classroom space. They were
working on making an African fabric quilt. They are having their grand
opening September 10th and 11th. If you live on the island, go and
check
them out.

Down the block we checked out the Antique shop in the old post office.

Back on the road with a quick shop and walk around Chemainus. This town
has
an amazing collection of murals drawn on the outside of many buildings
depicting the history of the area.

Off to Duncan, where we looked for Robin's Country Quilting. We found
Sew
Fabulous first. Unfortunately the shop owner doesn't live up to the
store's
name. They had a sale and I got some nice batiks for 25% off, but when
I
asked about directions to Robin's Country Quilting I got an earful about
a
feud they are having and no directions. Enough said, not impressed with
the
owner at all.

Managed to find Robin's Country Quilting, she has moved into her house
and
the shop is very inviting. Lots of lovely samples and fabrics. She did
a
mini outdoor show in her neighbourhood and had an album of photos to
share.
I mentioned about the encounter at the other shop, but it wasn't Robin I
was
speaking with. I suggested she put some information about directions
into
the Country Register where she advertises and the clerk thought that was
a
good idea that she would pass onto Robin.

Back on the road we headed down to Wiffle Tree Junction and checked out
another antique shop. Still no great finds...so off to the ferry to
head
home. We got to the ferry just before 4 p.m., but too late to make that
sailing. So we grabbed a coffee, wandered around the vendors and
enjoyed
the sunshine.

Suddenly it was time to load the ferry, and we set sail at 5 p.m. Had
dinner on the ferry, and then sat down and did some more quilting and
knitting. The crossing takes about 1 hour 25 minutes, and we were home
shortly after 7:30 p.m.!

Final count, 14 quilt shops, many antique shops [only one antique
purchase]
two ice cream cones, and 4 ferries. If you every decide to do this make
sure you purchase your circle trip tickets at your first ferry boarding,
you
save approximately 15% off the total ticket. If you are 65 or older [as
in
my mom's case] you travel for free. We just had to pay for the car and
driver..$98.00 for the 4 ferries.

Hope you enjoyed the latest travelogue,

--
Sandi in New Westminster B.C.
Queen of the Travelogues.
...travel is as much a passion as ambition or love
L. E. Landon

Thanks Dee,
I'm not a great ice cream person, so two in two days is a lot of it for me.
Today/tonight has been very wet and rainy here, not summer weather at all.
In fact northern B.C. had about 6 inches of snow earlier in the week, fall
is coming fast, not to mention winter!

--
Sandi in New Westminster B.C.
Queen of the Travelogues.
....travel is as much a passion as ambition or love
L. E. Landon
"DDM" wrote in message
...
Always enjoy your travelogues, Sandi. Only 2 ice cream cones though?
It's
still officially summer so we're probably supposed to be eating more ice
cream cones now to make up for cold weather later on. At least that's my
theory. g

Dee in LeRoy, NY

"shhdesigns" wrote in message
news:43p0d.364914$M95.300855@pd7tw1no...
Hi all

It's been a while since I've done any regular posting so hi to the new
folks, congrats on your new quilts and condolences to those we have lost
or
been sick.

Tuesday morning my mom and I caught a ferry to the Sunshine Coast. This
is
actually part of the mainland of B.C. but you have to take ferries to
get
there.

Our first stop was Gibson's Landing were we checked out Molly's Reach
[you
have to be a fan of the Canadian show Beachcomber's to know this
trivia],
didn't have anything to eat there but enjoyed the view. Then we walked
through an antique mall and a clothing shop I used to find goodies at.
No
luck this time.

Next we drove up to Sechelt and went into Sew Easy. They have a nice
selection of fabrics and books, but nothing wanted to come home with me.

Farther up the 101 we stopped in Madeira Park at the Quilted Path. This
shop used to have a large part of it devoted to crafters, this is all
gone,
and their fabric selection is a bit smaller also. They have expanded
their
wool selection and now sell some old sewing machines.

We headed north in hopes of making the 1220 ferry and luckily it was
running
late and we made it. As the ferry guy said, 1220 is the earliest it can
leave!

In Powell River we had lunch and drove around, we found another couple
of
antique shops but nothing was calling my name. We found a Wal-Mart mall
and
I figured that must be the only fabric shop in town. On the main street
I
went into a shop that had a collection of artisan's work and asked if
other
than Wal-Mart if there were any other fabric/quilting shop. Their
answer
was no. Across the street we went and as we were walking back to the
car
I
glanced behind the shop we had just been in and saw a sign for a quilt
shop!

Rose Garden Quilts & Fabrics has some lovely class samples. They have a
50
member guild and were surprised to find out that the other shop didn't
know
they were in town. She was quite upset in fact, and told me that
someone
had told the tourist info folks that there wasn't a quilt shop in town
either. I suggested she take her business card over to the shop and
introduce herself as a joke and as we left she locked the door to do
that!

We checked into the ferry line-up for Vancouver Island, and then mom
grabbed
her knitting and I grabbed my quilting and we sat in the sun until the
ferry
arrived. On our third ferry of the day we both got some more work done
on
our pieces.

As we got off the ferry and headed into Courtenay we saw a doe just off
the
roadway waiting to cross over.

We dropped into the Union Bay Cafe and had dinner, we found this
restaurant
last year when my aunts were visiting.

We found a motel for the evening and it just started to rain as we
unloaded.

The next morning we went to Fabricland, they have a quilt shop inside
called
The Red Barn Quilt Shop, besides having some quilt fabric in the main
store.
The great thing is they give you the Fabricland member's discount!

Next we found A Bird's Nest Quilt Shop, it opened last September. It's
in
a
new building and has a great fabric selection. I'm not sure how they do
classes, as I didn't see a separate classroom. I found some fun chicken
fabric for $5.00/metre.

On the road again and headed down to Coombs. They have a Farmer's
Market
that is world known for the fact that they have goats on their roof!
They
have a growing grass roof with houses for the goats on top! We saw two
of
them out as it was a cooler day. They hide on hot days.

Then we headed over to Rainbow's End Quilt Shop in Errington. Last year
I
went there and their monthly special was 20% off brown/beige fabrics.
Would
you believe that was their September special again!!! Well, my browns
grew
a bit.

Next we drove over to Port Alberni, this town is at the end of a very
long
inlet and technically is on the west coast of the island. But in fact
it
is
approximately 1/3 closer to the east coast! We went to Pincushion
Fabrics,
Grandma's Trunk Antique shop and Sew Rite Fabrics and found some
treasures
at each of them.

Driving back through Cathedral Grove we almost stopped, but it was rainy
and
windy, not the best conditions to view this remarkable stand of trees.
Last
year we walked through and saw how several trees suddenly fell down in a
freak wind when others remained standing.

We stopped briefly in Coombs for one of their famous ice cream cones
before
heading back on the road.

We stopped in at A Quilter's Delight Quilt Shop in Bowser. This shop
has
a
Bed and Breakfast and does retreats. She has a great fabric selection
for
both traditional and those with a touch of whimsy.

Our next stop was Nanaimo, we found Serge and Sew. Lovely shop, some
great
samples and very friendly staff. I would highly recommend stopping at
this
shop if you every get to Nanaimo. They were featuring some quilts by a
Canadian artist I think her patterns are called Shaggy Dog Designs, she
had
some First Nation's mask designs and some African inspired ones. I
think
her last name was Frances.

At Snip and Stitch, our welcome wasn't the same. Last year I felt I was
bothering them and again this I felt the same. In fact I had chosen a
bolt
of fabric, laid it on the cutting table and a clerk looked at me and the
bolt and then walked upstairs. A few minutes later she saw I was still
waiting and came down and said "oh, did you find something you wanted?"
Uh,
duh...yes please.

Our second night was spent in Nanaimo. Our last day on the island we
woke
to sunny skies again. After breakfast we headed down to Ladysmith where
we
heard a new shop had opened. It's called Sweet Pea Quilting and they
were
only 10 days old! Lovely shop and a nice classroom space. They were
working on making an African fabric quilt. They are having their grand
opening September 10th and 11th. If you live on the island, go and
check
them out.

Down the block we checked out the Antique shop in the old post office.

Back on the road with a quick shop and walk around Chemainus. This town
has
an amazing collection of murals drawn on the outside of many buildings
depicting the history of the area.

Off to Duncan, where we looked for Robin's Country Quilting. We found
Sew
Fabulous first. Unfortunately the shop owner doesn't live up to the
store's
name. They had a sale and I got some nice batiks for 25% off, but when
I
asked about directions to Robin's Country Quilting I got an earful about
a
feud they are having and no directions. Enough said, not impressed with
the
owner at all.

Managed to find Robin's Country Quilting, she has moved into her house
and
the shop is very inviting. Lots of lovely samples and fabrics. She did
a
mini outdoor show in her neighbourhood and had an album of photos to
share.
I mentioned about the encounter at the other shop, but it wasn't Robin I
was
speaking with. I suggested she put some information about directions
into
the Country Register where she advertises and the clerk thought that was
a
good idea that she would pass onto Robin.

Back on the road we headed down to Wiffle Tree Junction and checked out
another antique shop. Still no great finds...so off to the ferry to
head
home. We got to the ferry just before 4 p.m., but too late to make that
sailing. So we grabbed a coffee, wandered around the vendors and
enjoyed
the sunshine.

Suddenly it was time to load the ferry, and we set sail at 5 p.m. Had
dinner on the ferry, and then sat down and did some more quilting and
knitting. The crossing takes about 1 hour 25 minutes, and we were home
shortly after 7:30 p.m.!

Final count, 14 quilt shops, many antique shops [only one antique
purchase]
two ice cream cones, and 4 ferries. If you every decide to do this make
sure you purchase your circle trip tickets at your first ferry boarding,
you
save approximately 15% off the total ticket. If you are 65 or older [as
in
my mom's case] you travel for free. We just had to pay for the car and
driver..$98.00 for the 4 ferries.

Hope you enjoyed the latest travelogue,

--
Sandi in New Westminster B.C.
Queen of the Travelogues.
...travel is as much a passion as ambition or love
L. E. Landon

On 9/10/04 5:31 PM, in article 43p0d.364914$M95.300855@pd7tw1no,
"shhdesigns" wrote:

Our next stop was Nanaimo, we found Serge and Sew. Lovely shop, some great
samples and very friendly staff. I would highly recommend stopping at this
shop if you every get to Nanaimo.
Thanks for the renewed memories at this end Sandy. My DH and I did a similar
trip a year ago last March and were at this shop. I bought several books on
Landscape quilting and Thread Play. Our memories of the island and
Cathedral Grove are wonderful- even though it was so cold we had to buy
mitts and hats. There wasn't a flower blooming in Buschart (?) Gardens but
it was still magnificent. We are definitely planning a return trip when the
temperature is more guaranteed!
Joanne in Ontario- who wants to travel, travel, travel!

Sounds like a wonderful time!! Thanks for sharing.
Donna

"Joanne Passmore" wrote in message
...
On 9/10/04 5:31 PM, in article 43p0d.364914$M95.300855@pd7tw1no,
"shhdesigns" wrote:

Our next stop was Nanaimo, we found Serge and Sew. Lovely shop, some
great
samples and very friendly staff. I would highly recommend stopping at
this
shop if you every get to Nanaimo.
Thanks for the renewed memories at this end Sandy. My DH and I did a
similar
trip a year ago last March and were at this shop. I bought several books
on
Landscape quilting and Thread Play. Our memories of the island and
Cathedral Grove are wonderful- even though it was so cold we had to buy
mitts and hats. There wasn't a flower blooming in Buschart (?) Gardens but
it was still magnificent. We are definitely planning a return trip when
the
temperature is more guaranteed!
Joanne in Ontario- who wants to travel, travel, travel!

What time of year did you come and visit...must have been fall/winter to
need hats and mitts. You do have to come back and see the gardens in bloom,
May is a great time to see the bulbs and cherry blossoms in flower!

--
Sandi in New Westminster B.C.
Queen of the Travelogues.
....travel is as much a passion as ambition or love
L. E. Landon