We Get Around: Part 2

So, this is a little delayed . . . but I can't help myself but share the rest of our weekend adventure with you. Only, I just realized we didn't take a single picture on Saturday or Sunday so, this will be another boring, photo-less post (unless I can scare up some shop photos of places we went). Sorry! I need to get back into my photo-snapping habit.

We left early Saturday and made our way up to the Milwaukee area to help some friends prepare for their soon-to-come baby by taking a big, comfy, leather chair off their hands. But, we couldn't go on a road trip without some shop-hopping fun.

First up was a little shop called Royce Quilting in West Bend, WI. I was a little skeptical when I pulled up where Lola—our usually trusty GPS—had led us. There was no sign that said Royce Quilting but the red Bernina sign in the window was a dead giveaway that we were at least in the right place. When I walked in, I had this sneaking suspicion that this little shop may have once been home to some of our beloved Flea Market Fancy. I scoured the shelves left and right, high and low. My mom and aunt who were with us on this trip both loaded up on 30s prints and some Civil War-era fabrics while I perused the small selection of familiar modern prints. I'm not generally a Moda lover, but there was quite a bit of Moda to be had here along with the standard small quilt shop inventory as well as the pretty standard wall of Batiks. I left with only a few snippets of 30s prints (fortunately, stuff I hadn't seen before) and the feeling that, somehow, I was standing in the presence of a FMF ghost. I just know there was some there at one time. Have you ever had that feeling? If you like Moda, love 30s, and have a hankering for Civil War prints (some oldies, I'm told), by all means take a trip to Royce Quiltling at 840 S. Main St. in West Bend, WI.

Next up was the Grafton Yarn Store which, I must say, is absolutely adorable. Tucked away in the corner of downtown in the old flour mill is the sweetest little shop. Creaky hard wood floors and a slightly musty smell greet you when you step into this place—and it's quite a treat. You can just tell that the owner loves to knit and create displays. I'm not a knitter but I was definitely smitten with more than one project. Smitten enough that I was tempted to buy another half dozen or so skeins of yarn that I'll never finish using and will end up passing on to my mom to complete for me. I was good—I abstained—but it was so hard! The owner was a real delight and was quite talkative when asked a question which was nice. She made us feel very comfortable in her store which I, personally, appreciated very much. You should definitely stop by if you're in the area—the highlight of her shop is probably the corner shelving unit which houses probably 20-30 of the shop's own patterns and projects and knitted samples. It's pretty awesome to see that kind of creativity and love for one's craft. I loved it.

We hit one more yarn shop on our way back down to Milwaukee. It was one we hadn't visited before and again were pleasantly surprised. Space was tight and they were having a sale so I didn't stay inside for very long but definitely check out The Knitting Knook in Fox Point, WI. I will say this, though—don't trust your GPS on getting there. Call the shop. They were more than happy to give us accurate directions. Bad Lola!

We had to sprint to the next shop—Bigsby's Sewing Center—in Elm Grove, WI because we were just about out of time before things would start closing. Bigsby's was my one must-visit shop on this trip. Last time we were up there, I scored some seriously hard-to-find, out-of-print fabrics I had been on the hunt for (namely Amy Butler's Nigella Primrose in aqua) and I knew there was more to be had in this quaint little place. I also knew that my mom would love to see all of the Japanese fabrics and Japanese books. I was so right! We didn't have much time so I quickly grabbed the few things I knew I needed and headed to the cutting table. They are such nice women in that shop and though they don't have a ton of fabrics that suite my taste, they always have some unique things that I can't often find in the quilting stores near my. I can always count on them for Anna Maria Horner and Echino and Kokka. They are also fully-stocked with Alexander Henry's Fashionista line and lots of old Amy Butler home dec fabrics. This was the source of my lovely navy blue Isso Ecco Lecien print in the photo in my last post—which I actually have a plan for (if only I could remember where I saw that pattern . . . ). So worth the trip (especially if you go to the more "mainstream" shop—Patched Works—half a block away while you're there which we didn't have time to get to before they closed this time).


From there we headed to our friend's house in Glendale where we distracted the pregnant lady (I love you, Jess!) and my mom, aunt, husband, and the baby-daddy quickly (and surprisingly effortlessly) moved a huge chair from their office to our van. We treated our friends to a nice dinner out at Cheesecake Factory (we LOVE Buffalo Blasts!) and then hit the long, dusty road back to sweet home Chicagoland. What a day. But I loved every second of it.

Sorry for my boring, long rant. Hopefully, if you made it this far, you've at least gotten the names of a few new shops out of your patience!

Happy Saturday!