F.A.R.T. completed! (Fabric Acquisition Road Trip)

We are back from HOT HOT HOT Montana! It was like being in the desert! All that lovely dry heat! In Calgary we have been battling the hail storms. So much of the city in the north have houses pebbled with hail dents and much of the siding on the houses are littered with squares of duct tape covering the holes until the repairs can be done. The news is indicating the losses are in the billions! 

On to good news though......I've been reading much about Sharon Shamber using glue to baste and piece, etc. I have always used the solid glue for my hexagons and loved how it works. Not only does it work -- it's CHEAP! I've used the quilting glue sticks, but I go through them quickly and they cost a lot! Elmer's glue is WASHABLE! I've also picked up the liquid to see how that works on placing applique's. I have read (not tried yet) that once you piece your applique on your main fabric and dot it with the liquid glue -- press it with your iron -- it's STUCK until you wash it I'm going to research some more of Sharon Shamber's video's and see if I can find some more info! I also bought some more pens for my labels and maybe I'll try to make a new lanyard for work!

I've been browsing some tree skirts! I made one for my daughter that is on the UFO pile (to be finished for THIS Christmas). We've had a little felt tree skirt for the past 30 years that is U G L YYYYYYYYYY!!! So the wedge ruler will help me throw one together fast! I know you can do things FAST if you want without all these fancy rulers -- but hey! I was on a F.A.R.T.! I was thrilled to add to my ruler collection!

While researching Sharon Shamber, I found another of her video's showing her Quilt Halo . I have been having issues with my arthritis in my thumb (now onto the second injection of cortisone). It sure looks easy enough, and it looks like I can manage it with my hands. Though it will be a while before I try it out, thought I would mention it here so you all can check it out!

Of course the F.A.R.T. would never be complete without fabric! The 2.5" strips are perfect for the hexagon quilt I am working on! It's always nice to start working with new fabrics! I'll be using a lot of Elmer's glue sticks in the process! Check out my tutorial on how to prep hexagon flowers here . I couldn't resist the cute little bug material for backing a baby quilt!

Now the photo below isn't quite the way I wanted, but it gives you an idea of the stash I bought. Before we left, I took a critical look at what I was short on. I don't have a huge stash, but I have been working on building it up. I was short of purple -- so that is much of what I focused on.

The shops we visited this round were:

Great Falls, Montana:
Big Sky Quilts
- love it for their selection. They have expanded their store front to include a number of long arm machines and added to their fabric selections.
- did not like it for them suggesting to Chef that he leaves to get a coffee. I sure wish quilt shops would welcome men more! The reason why they hate coming in is because of the way they are treated.
**suggestion --- have a reading area for the men with a couple of comfy chairs and some "guy" magazines (ok, not Playboy....but you know, Time magazine, etc.) and offer them a beverage and perhaps a cookie! ********************************ok...getting off my soapbox

Carter, Montana
The Quilting Hen
- This shop is off the beaten path, but well marked on the highway. To get there you travel a gravel road for about a mile -- really not that far. The owner is VERY welcoming and also welcomed the Chef with open arms. We were able to browse on our own and I did pick up a few things from there. There seems to be a great area for classes and it's spotless! So nice to go into a shop that is so well organized. Although I would have loved to take home some decorative chickens, I don't believe they are for sale, but they sure are cute tucked in and around selections of fabrics and notions.

Havre, Montana
Bearly Square Quilting
- We've never been to Havre, so we thought we would check it out. It's a pretty quiet little town driving in. BUT it has a QUILT SHOP! So all is good with that! The welcome I got when I walked into the store was like I have been a long-time customer and friend. Gotta like that about a store that you walk into the first time! This shop does not have the selection available in Great Falls or Carter, but there was still plenty to browse! I found my ruler there! They are relocating in September to another shop a couple of blocks down from where they are. I would definitely visit again! Maybe the new shop will allow for them to have a larger selection of fabrics?

Ben Franklin Crafts
- SERIOUSLY? That's all I can say. Wow! What a huge amount of inventory! I have never been into one of these stores, but I have read all about them. I didn't buy anything here, but it's HUGE. So much to look at, I would have needed hours to go through everything.

Those were the only shops that I really wanted to mention. We did do some "school" clothes shopping for the little man and bought our favorite oatmeal that we can only buy in the U.S. It was a lovely little trip! I came home and petted the fabrics (lol) and of course got them folded and added to the stash pile.

I even managed to finish the plane quilt. You've seen it, but I'll post another few photo's when I have a chance!

Meantime ... to end off my vacation, Chef and I are going to see The Hundred Foot Journey. Sounds like a nice afternoon to me!

Happy Quilting All!
Margo