On the Road, Again...

 Ahhh, the open road.  What is better than taking a trip, and stopping at every quilt shop you find along the way?  I will tell you...a trip to the National Quilt Museum (stopping at every quilt shop along the way)!  I must tell you all that my husband is a wonderful man.  He is quite long-suffering when it comes to my quilting habit:) Last week he drove me 1600 miles to see the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, Kentucky.  As we drove there and back, he also stopped at 7 (yes, I said 7!) quilt shops without complaining or even rolling his eyes!  After 28 years of marriage, I am more than sure that he is a keeper!
  They don't allow photos in the galleries at the quilt museum, so if you want to catch a glimpse of the wonders that I saw, you will have to click on the link and check out their website.  Suffice it to say that it was impressive and insane and inspiring all at once:)  You MUST go there!!!
  I do, however have pics from the many quilt shops that I visited along the way, and thought I would share some of them with you all. (ya'll to you southerners out there! As a side note, just a few days down south and I was saying ya'll--it is quite contagious!)  First stop...Missouri Star Quilt Co. in Hamilton Missouri where I went to four different building on main street, each housing a theme.  One had all reproductions and Kansas Troubles.  One had all seasonal fabrics.  One was for novelties, brights, and batiks.  One was for solids, blenders, and polka dots.  I was told that when they are through renovating the downtown of this little 1500 people village, they will have TEN buildings!  It was one of the craziest, and coolest things I have ever seen!  I can't wait to go back!

Hamilton, MO was the original home of JC Penneys--now converted to Missouri Star Quilt Co.

This building contained all the solids, blenders, and polka dots and had awesome, modern quilts samples hanging everywhere!

Next stop, Hickory Stick Quilts in Hannibal, MO (hometown of Mark Twain).  This shop filled three downtown buildings.  It was a great shop with lots of samples and handwork.  There was so much to see, I could have spent hours in there!  Great shop!

Along our route, I was collecting rows for my Row by Row Experience quilt.  I HAD to pick up a row featuring the St. Louis Arch in O'Fallon, MO at Suzy Q's Quilting.  The owner was a lovely woman who visited with me and openly shared some ideas that go over well in her shop.  It was to nice of her to be that open with business information when I told her my mom owned a shop and that I was a fellow longarm quilter.  I loved her!  If you are in the St. Louis area, you must stop in there!   I didn't get a picture at Suzy's but the above row by row is from Jackman's Fabrics in Fairview Heights, IL.  It was one of the Quilt Sampler's Top 10 Shops this past spring.  What a huge place!  Their row was cute, and it was the only shop in Illinois on our way to Paducah that had a row, so I had to stop there!

Quilt in a Day shop in Paducah---good prices.  They have batiks for $8.00 per yard.

Inside the Quilt in a Day shop...sadly, no Eleanor Burns :(

Hancock's of Paducah (not the same as the Hancock's Fabrics chain stores!) is a legit quilt shop with TONS of fabric.  I think the only shop I have ever been too with more fabric was the one billed as "the biggest in the country" in Portland, OR last fall.  This picture shows one part of the wideback section...a longarmers's dream!  There were literally rows and rows of fabrics, some for as little as $5.99 per yard.  I bought a Timeless Treasure fabric for a stack and whack for $5.99 that I can't wait to get whacking!!!

On our way home, we did stop at a shop called Prairie Point Quilt and Fabric Shop in Shawnee, KS to pick up another row by row.  By then, I was pretty much out of money, but I got my row of Kansas sunflowers and picked up some cute farmy kid print to complete a baby quilt that I need to make this fall.  All in all, it was a trip to remember, and I didn't even mention the non-quilty things we did!  For the sake of my poor husband, I do plan several non-quilt related activities for his benefit.  He always has a good time on our trips, and there is no other chauffeur I would rather have!