My visit to Cindy’s home in Ohio last week was very lovely and relaxing. She gave me the guided tour of her favorite quilt shops and we did the initial phase of research into a <potential> new machine for me. We visited Red Rooster Quilts in “downtown” Dublin, OH and Quilt Beginnings in the shopping mecca of the Columbus area: Sawmill Drive (also in Dublin).

Have you ever walked into a fabric store and your head started swinging back and forth as you gawked at all the luscious fabrics? You wanted to touch, feel, consume each one, but you became a bit dizzy from the array and you starting to feel like you’ve over indulged, plus there are not enough hours in the day for a deep dive into the possibilities? Yeah, that happened to me. Both of these stores have unique offerings which are very different from what is available to me here in New York. Don’t get me wrong, my local stores are wonderful (shout out to Material Rewards, Mt. Pleasant Quilt Company, The Witch’s Stitches, and The Barefoot Quilter) , but I suppose the fabric offerings for each store reflects the personality of its owners, so it’s nice to explore uncharted territory. And maybe it’s a little bit of a ‘grass is greener on the other side of the fence’ effect. Case in point:

Red Rooster Quilts is where Cindy took the class to learn how to make Gracie. Hanging on the wall is another quilt from a  Laura Heine pattern.  This cutie is a bunny.

As I looked at this gorgeous quilt, I spotted a familiar fabric. Do you see the hydrangea that makes up the tail?

Cindy purchased that fabric at Material Rewards as part of our Elm Creek Quilt Sylvia’s Bridal sampler. The fat quarter she bought at Material Rewards traveled to Ohio and became part of our quilt square exchange.

After the exchange, scraps went into Cindy’s bin and she hauled it to her Gracie-making class. While there, she noticed the instructor coveting a hydrangea in her scrap pile. Cindy donated it for the quilt and now it sits perfectly on the fluffy backside of this adorable bunny.

So, what was available in NY was fresh and new to our Ohio friends. Neat how that works, right? Grass in greener to be sure.

What did I buy on these Dublin expeditions, you ask? Some more blue fat quarters for my friend’s retirement quilt. I also bought the fabric to work on Nathena’s yellow/gray living room quilt (I’m hoping for it to be a Christmas gift).

In our four days together, Cindy and I did not get a minute to sew, but we did manage to spend some time on the Sciota river paddle boarding and watching our sons experiment with an inflatable canoe.

We also indulged in some wine and some s’mores — a surprisingly yummy combination.

We also got to see the play Tecumseh! It was fantastic! I highly recommend this moving outdoor play. We were not allowed to take pictures, but that evening will be burned into my memory because it was so perfect: a live action historical drama, family, great food, the chance to meet some of Cindy’s friends, horses with great acting chops, romance (the play, not me!), fireflies and a full moon rising over the stage at exactly the right moment. A night to remember forever.

Things I’m working on now that I’m back home:

1. The fabulous Ms. G finished quilting my modified paddle wheel quilt. My roommate’s birthday is next Wednesday. I hope to finish tacking on the binding in time to finally gift it – maybe it’s only a year late?
2. I’ve taken my dresser scarf apart to extract the inexpensive fabric that I used in some of the border. It was driving me crazy, although I kept telling myself that it was the “thrifty” thing to do at the time. Maybe I can redo it quickly and get this beauty in place. Maybe I’ve learned my lesson about purging my stash of items that have drifted in that are not up to par.
3. Machine quilting. Ugh. I’ve taken two tries at machine quilting my patriotic wall hanging. To be clear, I am attempting nothing fancy, just your basic stitch in the ditch. I’m here to report that my un-sewing skills are rapidly improving. I cannot say the same for my quilting skills. As a result, it’s still St. Patrick’s day in my office.