all up, down, and around

SO...pictures as promised in yesterday's post...
First, from a quilt shop I visited
while in Rhode Island...
Here's the entrance:

Folk Art Quilts, Wakefield, RI

A very quaint shop, in a very quaint town, the owner and her sister were both pleasant; she/or they loved the large scale, two color print fabric, so there was a great collection of that. And they had the newest line of Lecien fabrics by Crabapple Hill!
My camera evidently didn't flash, so no inside picture, sorry -
but, here's the stash I gathered:

that's all the fabrics that I need, (yes, Need) for my

hand-embroidery project for this year -

Snow Days/Crabapple Hill.

The fabric on the left is Primitive Muslin by Primitive Gatherings, that I chose for my stitchery blocks.  Then, look at all of those great lights and mediums for the block piecings!
 Next I drove through a corner of Massachusetts and back into Rhode Island 
(!, not as bad as it sounds, it was only 25 minutes:)
and stopped in this shop:

Just Quilts, Bristol, RI

I picked up this cool tree fabric:

Don't know what I'll do with it, but I LOVE trees,

so I will find something to make, I'm sure.

Then on the drive home,
Sweetie, being bored in the car at only two hours into our 12+ hour drive,
plugged "quilts" into the GPS-thingy
(without me asking, btw; that's one of the reasons I call him Sweetie:)
and found a quilt shop only 20 minutes off the path home!
And he must have been really bored already,
as he suggested we make the side trip!
We found this quilt shop in the corner of an "L"-shaped strip center.

Quilting By The Yard, Vernon, CT

But, as we walked in, it was totally different
than the impression given by the strip center!
Each of those alcoves, pictured above, is a different family of color in their color wall!!
Totally worth the side-trip, even if it had been 3 times longer/out of the way!
Great selection of fabrics, friendly, and brightly lit.
Laura, one of the owners, was very friendly,
and will ship by phone order-
(which you will want to do when you see the stash I got).
If you give them a call or visit, Tell them that I said HI!
My acquisitions?

I totally spent my b-day money all up :)

when I saw Rouenneries Duex by French General:

THEN...

The entire line of

Blueberry Crumbcake by Blackbird Designs!

That's when I spent my b-day money 

not just all up,

but all down and around, too:)

Dear Santa

Ring, Ring:  "Buddy, the elf, what's your favorite color?"
Answer:  "Blue! - as in Bonnie Blues"

Ring, Ring: "Buddy, the elf, what's your favorite color?"

Answer:  "Red! -- as in "Cayenne 19th Century Reds" and

"Inkwell Reds"

and

Rouenneries"

(ok, the Rouenneries?, the whole collection is calling to me, not just the reds!).

To the Fat Quarter Shop Jolly Jabber... "thanks for being an elf!" 
Santa:  These are on my wish list:

fat quarters, layer cakes, yardage...anything gifted will be put to use in many planned projects! Thank you Santa...I will continue to try to be good and use the fabric stash that I already have.

And don't forget this "Elf"-ism:

"I just like to smile, smiling's my favorite."

Christmas packages already???

Today is my day "off" work from the LQS.  So, today when I should be quiltin' up a storm....what do you think I am doing???  Well, I do have a quilt loaded and ready to go.  But I have been having CHRISTMAS!!!

Look:  I opened all my envelopes from the gals participating in the fabric swap within the Snowball Quilt Challenge!!!  See, I told you ..... Christmas!!!
Cute packages, cute ric rac, cute little charms and a bonus cute silky fabric (in red and gold with a little blue shot through - I think this will make a great table mat with a little embroidery and applique') and not a single duplication of fabrics from all across this nation!  Thank you all so much to my swap partners!!!

So then, I had to get MY snowball fabrics out and play with them and let them play with the new pieces:

Aren't they all great?!
This is why I had to wait to open the swap fabrics all at once.  I would have had to have stalled every time I opened ONE.  So, every day or two....open a package, fold it and hold it and take pictures of it and then play with the fabrics I already have, then put the new with the old and move them around and, and, and.  You get the picture.  I call it Fabric-itis.  It's in the medical dictionary, I'm sure.  So I waited and only stalled once, for a very long time!!
Then.... in yesterday's mail, I also received this:

When I first saw these boxes I was surprised that I had boxes waiting for me.  I had momentarily forgotten what they might be.      The first was Lakehouse Dots in white!  Three yards!  When out shopping this past weekend at the not-local quilt shop, I mentioned that I was still looking for the Lakehouse dots in white, and the gal that was cutting my fabric said she had a whole bolt.  She could send me some!  So, THANKS, Roberta, you are a sweetheart!  That is going in a couple of projects, including snowballs!  Then the other box made me drool... again:  I ordered more of that

 line of fabric that is going to be my downfall!!!

Drat that Rouenneries French General Moda line!
But thank you quilt-this.com !!!  Now I can make my "Irish Birds" even bigger and better!!!

OK, Really, off to make the HQ hum! 
Another beautiful day in neighborhood!