1 Day, 520 miles, 3 states, 2 time zones, 8 Quilt Shops

Yesterday was the first time I  participated in a quilt shop hop.  I'm pretty sure not all shop hops are as brutal as the one in my area and I will probably not try it again.  I started the trip very early to be at the first shop when it opened and entered the last shop 10 minutes before it closed.  That's over 12 hours.  I had to go it alone because my mother-in-law couldn't go and my other quilting friend had to work.  It was such a time crunch to get to every shop, I had no time for lunch and the only other stop I made was for gas.  Thank goodness some of the shops had  bottled water and snacks.  No pain, no gain.....

My home isn't on this map.  If you went to the right of Cimarron another inch, that was my starting point.

The 2013 Prarie Stars Quilt Shop Hop had 8 participating shops in 3 states (Kansas, Colorado, and Oklahoma).  A lot of prairie and a little shoppping.  Each shop created a unique quilt featuring Postcard Garden fabric by Red Rooster.  The individual shops each had kits available for purchase which included one Postcard panel, one Postcard Garden fat quarter, and one fat quarter of a coordinating fabric from the Shadow Play collection by Maywood Studio.  A sweet surprise included in each kit was a quilting charm. Now I have a super sweet quilt charm bracelet that I drove over 500 miles to make.  lol

Today I am resting, cleaning, and looking at my loot.  Some of the shops had free gifts and some are having drawings.  I was able to visit all 8 shops (crazy) so I am in a drawing for a sewing machine.  Why is it we will do anything for a drawing?  Free?  SIGN ME UP!  (Not free, exactly when you figure all the purchases and gas.  lol)

That's how I spent my day off.  Driving and a little shopping and more driving.  The day was fun and I connected with a lot of fellow quilters.  I was even able to reconnect with a college roommate!  Ok, that was extra exciting and would have never happened if I hadn't gone on the shop hop.  Still, I think I will stick to one quilt shop at a time unless there is a hop with more shopping and less driving involved.

Happy weekend,