Hi, Delia ... nice to have back with us ... hope the computer keeps up ...

I had a problem with my old dinosaur yesterday in that it turned off due to a power outage and would not come back up properly ... my DH had to get it working again late at night ... I am lost without my computer these days ...

No ... I did not make the trek ... I had a very lazy weekend around here ...

It looked like a wonderful sale, but I have a lot of fabric piled up around me and projects ahead of me, so I really could not justify the expense ... including the gas ... and I did not really want to get caught in the weekend bumper to bumper on the highway north and the local traffic around Winnepesaukee.

I am planning to do the Summer Shop Hop:

http://www.summerhop.com/index.htm

Are you?


I really like that the ME shops are not included in this one this year. (I like the shops, just not the distance and the summer coastal traffic.) They are in the September one instead:
http://www.seacoastshophop.com/
Much better!

Pat,

Unfortunately, no I'll not be doing the summer hop, though I'll probably be doing the fall one. I totally understand about the expense of it, I can't justify the gas either. Of course, since the Bunkhouse is just a few minutes away from me, I somehow seem to be able to justify the purchase of more fabric from time to time...

The big thing is that in about 2 weeks, all four of my kids will be home full-time and the swimming lessons and soccer practices will then take over my life. So... no summer hop for me.

Oh well, there's always the next school year!

Delia

Delia ... ah, the days of soccer practices, swim lessons, tee-ball and softball games, scout meetings, music lessons and summer day camp ... I remember them well ... and mostly fondly ... I do miss my kiddos being little ones ...


Somehow I can always find a just reason for buying some new fabric now and again ...


... and since the Bunkhouse's e-newsletter tells me they are having a "FRIDAY THE 13TH - THE ONLY ONE THIS YEAR!! And, once again, we will offer 13 Fat Quarters for $13.00" deal tomorrow ...

... and I do need to maybe run some errands in Meriimack ...

... and, of course the Bunkhouse is ONLY a few more miles away on the other side of Milford ...

... MAYBE I just MIGHT need a few more fat quarters in my life ...

Pat,

I went on the 13th, too. The pickings were pretty slim by the time I arrived, but I still managed to walk out with 26 new fat quarters!

Somehow I always find the room...

Delia

Delia,

In the end, sadly, I did not make it to the Bunkhouse.

My DH was fixing the brakes on our DD's car most of the weekend, starting on his day off on Friday, and we had lots of other errands to do ... including a visit to another quilt shop for me.

However, the shop I bought the fabrics for the Burn Camp Quilt also had a 13 Fat Quarters for $13 Sale so I visited them instead.

Here is the info on this shop ... Bits and Pieces, in Pelham, NH:

It is about 15 minutes south down Route 38 from the Mall at Rockingham Park in Salem, NH, Are you familiar with this big shopping area on RT 28 in Salem? The main road where all the shopping plazas are at front side (east side)of the mall is Rt 28. The back (west) side of the mall (near the food court entrance) is Rt 38. It is also about 20 minutes away from Canobie Lake Park, if you have ever been there. Pelham is the small town just south of Salem and just north of the MA line.

It is a small shop and shares space with a frame shop. It is the most cluttered quilt shop I have ever been in, but they have a great selection of novelty fabrics as well as tonals, thimbleberries, flannels and are starting to have more new lines all the time. The owner and the people working there are very friendly and if you ask them for a specific type of fabric someone can usually pull it right out of the vast piles of bolts. The owner told me she may be either expanding or moving as her business is booming since she started online shopping. I am hoping she moves soon to a bigger and better place.

They have alot of weekend sales if you sign-up for their newsletter you will receive info on them

Bits & Pieces is a great shop and Liz, the owner, is a stitch! Online prices a little high though. I think she is hoping to double or even triple her space, which would be great!

Hi, Ginny,

I have never purchased from Bits and Pieces online as I live close. Obviously you do, too. I love to shop the special weekend sales. You should have heard me convincing Liz on Sunday that I should have the weekend 25% "Summer Quilt" discount on my flannel fabric purchase. It worked. She is smart. She knows I'll be back ...

I don't live that far from Keepsake but I do stay away from it during sale time. I when once and once was enough for me. Yes I know we are die hard quilters here but some of them quilters are just plain crazy. You go to grab something and before your hands are on it there is someone behind you grabbing it first. you can't look at anything until your hands are on it tight. I wait until the store thin out before I go in now. I am one to look, feel and play with before I buy unless I know what I am getting then i am in and out. I notice that the last few times i was there, they cut some of the fabric area and added scrapbooking stuff. oh another thing, if you see a kit that you really like best to get it when it comes out of the box because I saw something in a book, when to get it and it was sold out. it just hit the shelves 4 days before. They need to move to a bigger place. I know they were next door but now they need a BIGGER place, no a BIGGER BUILDING....lol

I am just going to have visit Keepsake Quilting sometime ... when it is quiet ... and the price of gas comes down ...

I am, though, thnking of pouring gas in the guzzler and venturing out for the Summer Shop Hop ...
http://www.summerhop.com/index.htm

Anyone else doing this?

Not me, Pat, not this year. Can't afford the gas. I'm hoping to do the fall one http://www.harvesthop.com/theshops2.htm though my LQS doesn't look like it's participating this year, so I'm not sure. It's probably too big of a drive for you down there in Mass.

Here's hoping gas $ comes down!