Shop Hopping

My friend Susan and I enjoyed a busy day of shop hopping in and around the Barrie area. We went to all six stores on the shop hop, The Quilting Gnome, The Quilting Store, Country Concessions,Hummingbird Sewing Store, Thimbles and Things and Muskoka Quilting. This was serious work, we packed a lunch and refreshments and on the road at 7am!! We started at the farthest away 2.5 hour drive and got there just after they opened. As with all shop hops, it usually takes till the second or third store to get the hang of everything you have to do, get and have stamped.But all was accomplished and we were home for supper!!

Booty from the shop hop

At each store you could buy a mini charm bundle, if you got all six, at the last store you received a pattern to use them in.Some stores had an in-house draw or several prizes you could put tickets in on! I am patiently waiting to hear when I can pick up my prizes(I am sure I will win something)!!

I really didn't have anything in particular that I was looking for but I still managed to find a couple of deals and spend some birthday money(thanks Louise) on a jelly roll!The steal of the day was some lovely beige fabric with tone on tone cattails. It was half price and I got enough for a quilt backing! I bought some neutrals to replenish my stash, one book, one intriguing pattern,a couple of scrap bags(can't resist them)a new spritz bottle, some wonder clips and some hand stitching needles(for slow stitching with Kathy)of course!!

welcome desk at the quilt show

Now we did all this on Thursday. I know I am late posting but with good reason. Friday I helped set up our quilt show and attended it all weekend. So I was lucky to be able to squeeze in the shop hop.
Come back tomorrow and see all the goings on from the quilt show. There is some exciting news!!

Whirlwind holidays!

preparing for shoot

After reading Kathy's posts about visiting me, I have a few more photos from that weekend to share!We did have so much fun with each other. I put my blog stalking skills to work too. While Kathy was trying to get the best photo of her quilt top, I was goofing around trying to get "behind the scenes" pics! Someone else was taking pics of me! Pretty funny!!
You can check out Kathy's blog and her view from that day here.

just the right position for the photo

blog stalker!!

Wedding quilt finished

On that weekend I was working on a quilt for a wedding gift. Well it has been gifted and I can show the finished product. It took till the day before the wedding to finish the binding and wash it but lots of time to spare...or at least that is what I told the hubby!!




After the wedding weekend, hubby and I took a weeks holiday. We packed up the trailer, truck, boat and dog and headed out for a few days of fishing and relaxing.

home away from home and Belle

1st morning view

This was our view for the week. On the first morning it was cool and frosty but we were determined to go fishing. It was the best day, we caught 6 pickerel fish. We had never caught that many before. Unfortunately it was the best fishing day, the rest of the week we caught less and  less. The last day we went fishing, we came home empty handed but we had fun fishing!! Hubby made a portable fire pit for us to enjoy. The door was even big enough so I could roast marshmallows..smores were dessert a couple of nights. On the one rainy day we had we stayed at the trailer and I got to do some hand work. My hexies are never very far away. I wonder if I will ever get this top finished?!?!

2nd fishing day- 4 fish

sitting under the awning-all set to stitch

our last night camping

Our holiday was relaxing but back to reality! The garden is just about finished, meaning growing so there is lots to harvest and put away for the winter. Pickling will fill a few days then into quilting season!! Back to guild meetings and a routine of being home and getting into my sewing room! Stay tuned for what I am sewing on or starting new. Retreat weekend will be here before I know it so I better get to work!

Piranha adventures part 2

Kathy's floss box

We were so lucky to be able to get together on a long weekend which gave us an extra day.

doesn't she look comfy...NOT!!

picturesque photo op

Love Lake(yes that is really the name)

Sunday night after supper Kathy wanted to take pictures of her "Kevin's Mystery Quilt".So we took her on an adventure to a little lake near us. I didn't know it but Kathy had never been on an ATV. So what a great chance to check something off her bucket list(not sure it was even on it?)!! A short ride took place followed by a walk in the woods. No bears were seen only some hungry fishes once we got to the lake and they were jumping out of the water trying to catch bugs.

no bears or other critters were seen

After supper I was able to do some blog stalking as Kathy tried to get the perfect angle for a picture of her quilt on the clothesline. After seeing her quilt, I decided that I would like to make a few of these little blocks too. She helped me to get started and now like most scrappy quilt things...I am hooked!

blog stalking 101

little stars far away

little stars up close

This was our last night with Louise as she headed home on Monday. Kathy and Barb stayed one more night.Now a little sewing was done but we were all pretty tired. It had been a few late nights along with early mornings that soon took it toll on us all and we headed to bed.




I will miss my friends until we see each other again. A weekend just isn't long enough, but oh the memories we crammed into those four or five days!

"And that's the title of my next.......I can hear them giggling now!!!hahaha

Quilting friends are the bestest!!

Barb,me,Louise,Kathy

Well the Piranha holiday is over for another year. I think I came to the conclusion this weekend that we need to try to get together more than once a year. But that is something that we will have to work out later.
So Friday night we were finally all together! Louise arrive Thursday evening so her and I got to have a head start on the other two. They arrived late Friday night and we set up and enjoyed a glass of vino and caught up with each other.
Saturday dawned and we got into things. Finding out what each was working on and what was ahead for the weekend. Saturday was my hand quilting day. I have a quilt that needs to be finished. I didn't think I had that much to do till I laid out the quilt and quickly realized I had more to do than was already done.....oh no!!! So I quilted away most of the day till after supper. The quilt is a gift so there will be more about that once it is gifted. I just had the itch to sew on the machine. So out came some blocks that needed to be sewn together. I had all the parts ready and just needed to sew them together. Once I got started I didn't want to stop but the other quilt was calling.
Sunday was another full day of sewing but knowing the afternoon would be spent hand stitching in the gazebo for |Kathy's slow stitching Sunday. I had my work cut out for me to finish some machine quilting and get the binding on the quilt so I would have something to do. Mission accomplished! Now to say we got lots done on Sunday afternoon....hmmmm lots of giggling and laughing. My sides were hurting and my eyes were full of tears from laughing so hard. Of course you have to have treats and keep well hydrated too!Come back tomorrow and see what other adventures we got up to!!

all the necessities for slow stitching