The final leg of the trip was good. I'm really liking Sleep Inn. All three I stayed in on the trip out and back were very nice. I am definitely keeping them on the list of good ones although I did have one small problem Wednesday night. I couldn't figure out how to get to the hotel. I could see it but I couldn't get there because of all the construction. I ended up back on the interstate and went 6 miles out of my way at 10 p.m. at night. Ughhhhhh. I finally had to call and get them to help me find the one convoluted way into the stinking place. I was exhausted after driving almost 12 hours.
Due to the fact that I got in so late last night I overslept by about an hour and got a late start but that's okay I didn't have as many miles to cover as day two of the trip and I'd even decided to go about an hour out of my way so I could check out "THE LARGEST QUILT SHOP IN OKLAHOMA" (echoing sound). Yep, I'd never been to Prairie Quilts in Hennessey. It was worth the extra hour.
When I walked in, I was greeted by about 6 women. Turns out it was inventory day and about 20 of the 23 employees were on the premises so I had plenty of help since I was about the only one in the store. It was a huge store, three large rooms deep and two levels with an elevator!!!!!
There were samples everywhere and kits to go along with many of them. You know I love that. There were wide ranges of fabric choices which were well organized and most of the samples had a pattern pinned to it making it easy to find what you wanted.
I checked out a couple of kits and the prices were reasonable but I didn't succumb. There were three in particular I was checking out including a Halloween quilt that had a minky backing. Plus I really liked this bright quilt but I passed on the kit but bought the pattern.
I also really coveted the block of the month quilt "EIEIO" but at $48 per month it was out of my price range. Heck even the pattern alone was $93 but then it was such an amazing quilt I get it. I've been known to get some pretty expensive McKenna Ryan patterns.
While I rode the elevator up to the second floor I had time to check out the flyers hanging in it including information on retreats. I talked to a very helpful woman and she explained all about the retreats as well as giving me a tour of the retreat center in the next building. I am definitely interested in giving it a shot one of these days.
I bought several items including some Halloween fabric. Cuz who doesn't love Halloween fabric!!!!
Next I was off to Stillwater OK which had two quilt shops, Quilting Post and Sew and Sews. The Quilting Post shop was right on main street in a quaint little downtown area.
It is an average size shop and has lots of quilts hanging on the walls. Some even had kits.
I did have one huge complaint about the shop especially after being treated so well at Prairie Quilts, I was completely ignored. In fact, the young woman working the cash register was having trouble staying awake. So disappointing. I didn't stay very long and didn't get anything except the free Row by Row pattern which was really cute.
A few miles away was Sew by Sews in a strip mall. It is mainly a Viking dealer with lots of machine, embroidery patterns, and thread but they did have some pretty fabric and some quilting/bag patterns as well.
The two ladies working at the shop greeted me and were very nice. At the time they were on the internet trying to track down 2.5 inch buttons that you cover in your own fabric for a class that was coming up. I did think the shop was a little dark for a sewing shop but there was a wall of windows if you needed to take the fabric over to good light. Most of the shop samples were machine embroidery and a couple were really really cute but since I don't have an embroidery machine I tend to pass over those.
I really liked the jelly roll race quilt in the bathroom but their row by row pattern was less than impressive.
I grabbed a quick lunch across the street at Schlotsky's and started the remaining 4 and a half hour drive home. I listened to some quilting podcasts on the drive. The Lazy Daisy podcast was interesting but didn't cover as much quilting as I was hoping. Sort of the same thing for the Off Kilter Quilter. I guess I am spoiled by Pat Sloan's American Patchwork and Quilting which is all quilting all the time. I love that podcast. On one of her shows, I learned of a product by Sulky, Sticky Fabri-Solvy, that I want to try. You can run it through the printer for hand embroidery patterns, peel off the back, stick it on your fabric, and when you are done just wash it out with warm water. No tracing. That is a plus.
I'm glad to be home and as soon as I get the car unpacked I'm going to have to figure out what to start sewing.
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