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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..$98.00 for the 4 ferries. Hope you enjoyed the latest travelogue, -- Sandi in New Westminster B.C. Queen of the Travelogues. ....travel is as much a passion as ambition or love L. E. Landon |
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#2
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In article 43p0d.364914$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 |
#3
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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..$98.00 for the 4 ferries. Hope you enjoyed the latest travelogue, -- Sandi in New Westminster B.C. Queen of the Travelogues. ...travel is as much a passion as ambition or love L. E. Landon |
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Always enjoy your travelogues, Sandi. Only 2 ice cream cones though? It's
still officially summer so we're probably supposed to be eating more ice cream cones now to make up for cold weather later on. At least that's my theory. g Dee in LeRoy, NY "shhdesigns" wrote in message news:43p0d.364914$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..$98.00 for the 4 ferries. Hope you enjoyed the latest travelogue, -- Sandi in New Westminster B.C. Queen of the Travelogues. ...travel is as much a passion as ambition or love L. E. Landon |
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"Sandy Foster" wrote in message ... In article 43p0d.364914$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 |
#6
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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..$98.00 for the 4 ferries. Hope you enjoyed the latest travelogue, -- Sandi in New Westminster B.C. Queen of the Travelogues. ...travel is as much a passion as ambition or love L. E. Landon |
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Thanks Dee,
I'm not a great ice cream person, so two in two days is a lot of it for me. Today/tonight has been very wet and rainy here, not summer weather at all. In fact northern B.C. had about 6 inches of snow earlier in the week, fall is coming fast, not to mention winter! -- Sandi in New Westminster B.C. Queen of the Travelogues. ....travel is as much a passion as ambition or love L. E. Landon "DDM" wrote in message ... Always enjoy your travelogues, Sandi. Only 2 ice cream cones though? It's still officially summer so we're probably supposed to be eating more ice cream cones now to make up for cold weather later on. At least that's my theory. g Dee in LeRoy, NY "shhdesigns" wrote in message news:43p0d.364914$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..$98.00 for the 4 ferries. Hope you enjoyed the latest travelogue, -- Sandi in New Westminster B.C. Queen of the Travelogues. ...travel is as much a passion as ambition or love L. E. Landon |
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On 9/10/04 5:31 PM, in article 43p0d.364914$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! |
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Sounds like a wonderful time!! Thanks for sharing.
Donna |
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"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 |
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