Monday, May 17, 2010

Heart of the Valley Quilt Shop Hop (Part 1a)

Everyone who knows me, knows my love of sewing includes quilting.  For years, I taught quilting starting around 1980 with Eleanor Burns Log Cabin.  But, even though, I have read of Shop Hops, and talked to ladies who have done them, I have never been on one.  When I found that my favorite shop Strawberry Patches was participating in one, I couldn't wait to get there to see what it was all about.
On Friday morning I rushed to get ready and was there soon after they opened. I really had no intention of doing the whole hop, but ran into my good friend Linda there and the excitement overcame us.  We decided to meet later and visit the local shops and one about an hour away. Then on Saturday we would visit the other 9.  When I started, I did not think blog....what's wrong with me....so I didn't get a lot of pictures of Strawberry Patches or the other 2 local stores.
I took this picture of Suzanne (the owner and my good friend) and her husband the (handsome celebrity chef) Bill in front of the store.



At each of the 13 participating stores, they had a quilt displayed made up of a block from each store.
At each stop you could purchase the pattern and fabric for their square, so that at the end you would have the blocks for the quilt.
This is Suzanne in front of her store's quilt.

Since I didn't get anymore pictures (at this time not knowing I was going to do the whole Hop and blog about it) I am posting some pictures from her blog to entice you to click on Notes From the Patch
and see all the other pictures of her great staff and shop.
This is hubby Bill (handsome celebrity chef) cooking for the ladies.

These Hoppers are enjoying Hot Dogs and Apple Pie and other goodies

Strawberry Patches' wonderful friendly staff that met and helped us enjoy their part of the Shop Hop.
Be sure to click on Notes From the Patch to see more great pictures of the fun had by all.

Locally we have two other stores, so I visited them too and apologize for not having more pictures.
Quilter's Haven was my next stop.
Owner Sherry and her quilt.


To Quilt 'n' Sew owner Robin and her quilt


Come back tomorrow for part 1b which will be in Maricopa, Ca. this historical town is just a short drive from Bakersfield and besides the quilt store, my friend Linda took some pictures of the community.

For those who have never been on a Shop Hop (like me), there are a lot of giveaways, delicious food, drawings for prizes, goodie bags, and the owners go to a lot of expense and trouble putting this on for their customers. We saw and met so many happy "hopping" women.  Quilters are some of the nicest people you would want to meet.


4 comments:

Pink Daisys Blog Spot said...

Oh, that looks like way too much and a day trip that I would of LOVED to go on!!! Thanks for taking us all on your trip and sharing this with us.. I love quilts and love reading about them too! Have a great day Beverly and thanks for Sharing!

Suzanne said...

We had the best weekend ever. Lots of laughs and happy hoppers going from shop to shop...shopping! Thank you Beverly for coming and for going with Linda all the way to Ceres. Put May 20, 21& 22 on your calendar for next year!

Patriotic Grandma said...

It was so much fun and so glad that you and I took the adventure. A lot of driving, laughs and pictures with some sidetracks which you will post. Thanks again to all the quilt shops that participated. We saw some unique quilts, wonderful hosts, refreshments, and the weather was fantastic. Looking forward to next year.

Dogmom Diva said...

Oh Beverly what fun! I would LOVE to come up next year and go with you and maybe some other ladies! I mean it, what fun. I don't even quilt, but I love quilts and that would be so much fun..

So maybe next year a party???

hugs
Barb