A little time off

For the last couple of weeks, there hasn't been much quilting but there has been fabric shopping!

We went to Belvidere, IL, to pick up our permanent school records. We knew our records could be destroyed soon. The law for Illinois schools says permanent student records must be kept for at least 60 years after high school graduation. We were able to get the originals and it's been fun to see the comments from teachers, our IQ scores, and more.

While in Belvidere, we stopped at Sunshine Stitches. This is a great shop and I visit whenever I am nearby. This day, I purchased some purples and blacks.

Then we did a little hiking nearby in Spencer Conservation Area.

A few days later, we headed north to visit family. We enjoy driving the backroads and saw this little waterfall in the Village of Merrillan, WI. The water was rushing over the dam. A lady stopped to also take a picture and said the spot is a favorite for homecoming and prom photos.

In Rice Lace, WI, we stopped at Busy Bobbin. I've been frequenting this shop for many years. I found kit to gift and some purples and black. Do you think there is a theme happening?

Further north, we stopped at Seams Like Quilting  in Spooner, WI. I stop at this shop every time we visit family in the area. I found some purples and a fabric, called Northern Brights, with purple in it.

Then we decided to sit down on a bench and enjoy a snack. We were quite surprised to see it was Ellen's bench! Ellen was a lake friend of ours for many years. It was nice to recall some good times with a super nice lady and her family.

This picture shows my brother's boat. The lake is so low that they'll have to move the boat lift to deeper water before they can get the boat off and out of the lake. Those steps should be below water.

We had a nice visit with my brother, Jim, and also with our sister-in-law (my oldest brother's widow), Sam. A bonus was having our twin nieces and their friend visiting also. We enjoyed some great food and too many wonderful treats!

Ray and I took walks in the area where Jim and Sam both live. The trees were beginning to change.

We headed south to visit my aunt in Hudson, WI., and then went on to LaCrosse, WI. We had a rental on Lake Onalaska and saw a gorgeous sunset.

It wouldn't be a visit to LaCrosse without a stop on Grandad Bluff.

We love the view from Grandad's. You can see the University of Wisconsin - LaCrosse, our alma mater. The trees are just beginning to turn.

We stopped at Olive Juice Quilts in nearby Onalaska.I found more purples. This is a neat shop that I try to stop at whenever we are in the area.

We also stopped at River Road Quilt Shop @ Nelson Flag in LaCrosse. I found some purples and a periwinkle blue. Ray found a Cubs flag! This is another stop we always make when we are in the area.

We headed to Decorah, IA. Although we've passed through this city, we've only stopped to eat once or twice. We decided that this time we would stop and see the sights! We "hiked" to Dunning's Spring. (It was an about 200 yards!) It was a gorgeous day and some water was coming down the falls.

I loved the stone bridge.

Then we headed to the Ice Cave.

The temperature dropped considerably at this point.

We stopped here where we had to turn left, thinking our backs would not bend the way needed to get thru this and further gaps.

Lunch one day was at Dixie's Biergarten, home of the 2026 Best Burger in Iowa. The winning burger was a smash burger.

It was delicious!

The last quilt shop on the trip was Red-Roxy Quilt Co. This was my first visit but I will definitely stop again when I'm close.

My treasures included blacks, purple, a brighter periwinkle, and a backing.

We took a longer hike to Malanaphy Springs. It was a beautiful day, but the waterfall was at the edge of the river, facing the river, and there was no way to actually see it unless you were across the river or in a boat. 

One afternoon we stopped at the Fish Hatchery where rainbow trout are raised. This little falls was fed by Siewers Spring right at the hatchery. Many people were fishing or just relaxing in the area.

While in Decorah, this Airbnb was our home. 

We had the right half of the duplex. Maybe you can see the rooftop terrace on the garage. "This historic duplex was curated by Decorah's famous architect Charles Altfillisch and is part of the South Decorah tour of his buildings across Decorah." It was interesting and very comfortable to stay in this  beautifully restored duplex.

I think I have enough purples and blacks for one of the next graduation quilts. I won't need it until May, 2028 but when I heard purple with black and Galactica, I decided I'd better get started. my stash WAS lacking both purples and blacks. I think I have a pattern designed and I'm anxious to see how this goes.

2025 Fall Trip Part 3 of 3

First, I need to remember that we shouldn't be driving distances on Mondays - too many quilt shops are closed! On this trip, we traveled on three Mondays; thank goodness I still found some open shops! I even found more than the items on my list.

Our first stop was a return trip to Nancy Zieman Sewing Studio and Quilt Shop in Beaver Dam. This store has lots of brights which I love. I was able to find two backs for quilt tops I've made. 

backs with finished tops

 

Our second stop was at Quilting Legacies in Fond du Lac. They had a long arm class going on that I was invited to attend (but didn't since we were traveling.) We were able to look around in the store but there was no one to help us. I'd like to stop another time - it was a nice shop.

On Washington Island, we stopped at Sievers School of Fiber Arts. They have a shop where they sell a variety of art and supplies. They had a little fabric and I found a couple pieces for my stash.

In Sturgeon Bay, we found Barn Door Quilt Shop. The owner was really nice and I was amazed at the variety of her stock. I remembered to take photos outside her shop but they aren't good. I'll definitely stop the next time I'm in the area.

I found two backs that will go with my scrappy two-inch squares. There will be four of these quilts total so I now have 3 backs.

backs with a finished top

I've been to Plum Lake Quilts in Sayner before. They carry lots of wool and muted colors. This is a place I love shopping for things for us.

I left with four kits. Ray was quite interested and all of a sudden, I had four kits instead of two. Yes, my husband is an enabler!

A wool Santa wallhanging

A quilt kit that I've looked at before

A cute wool pillow

A wool table runner

We found the Fabric Patch in Ironwood, MI

  

This is a superb shop with a large selection of fabric on two levels. The lady working was related to the owner; she was very helpful and friendly. I found fabric for 3 backs.

The red will be the back of 
the blue and paint splotch quilt.

The fourth of the 2" square quilts, scrappy nine patches
with red sashing will look nice with this navy back.

Finished top, binding, and new backing.

Quilt Elements is in Ashland. I found this shop many years ago in Bayfield, when it first opened. A mother and son worked together and after she passed 9 years ago, the son moved the shop to Ashland, renamed it, and expanded. Since the items on my list had all been checked off, I decided to go with a new quilt. The sailboat fabric spoke to me so I added the darker blue and the red. The fish fabric is for the back. The design is still a bit sketchy and lives in my head.

The last shop on our trip was new to me. We found A Little Piece of Mind Quilt & Yarn Shop in New Richmond.The friendly fellow working was a quilter and a knitter. He was working while the owners were at a quilt show a ways away. There was a large, great selection of fabric and yarn.

I loved the print below - I think being around water for the last 2 weeks has influenced my fabric choices! I thought I could use it with the leftovers when I make the quilt from the last shop. Of course I now know they aren't the same color so I'll find something in my stash. The solid fabric is wide backing and may be used with the print or just stay in my stash.

This was a great trip. Now it's time to sew!