All Mid-Atlantic Shop Hop - August 2024

 

Month two - August

August 27th -  I discovered I own this 4.5 inch square template. Perfect for trimming the squares. If you have a rotating cutting Mat, it works even better.  I'm searching for a pattern to highlight the squares. I was able  to purchase the larger Mid-Atlantic square and I am looking forward to receiving additional squares for completing a region. I am still puzzled as to the size of those blocks.  Stay tuned...My final post may be on the finished product!

August 26th - 45 shops visited and I am calling my Shop Hopping finished. It was a wonderful experience traveling with my husband and a friend to visit so many shops. Most of the shops were new to me and I can't wait to visit them again. A few shops are local to me and are my favorites. Everyone was so nice and friendly, I hope this becomes a yearly event. Thank you to everyone who organized this Event and to those shops who participated.  The Facebook Group is an additional source of support and information. 

I decided to mail my Passport early, I sent it registered mail,  no signature required.

$5.58, not inexpensive, however, worth it for my peace of mind! Expected to be there by Thursday, Aug. 29th. 

August 3

Today's shop is Burkholder Fabrics and one I haven't been to in awhile. Holiday fabric is on the front displays as soon as you enter the store. There are many sale fabrics and those aisles are crowded.

In addition to my block and sticker, I was invited to choose a fat quarter from a basket.

August 2nd! My 73rd Birthday!

One more shop to complete the North East Region , what better way to celebrate my birthday?

Many different kinds of fabric - cotton, dress fabric, vinyl, etc. 

I bought an orange and black neutral fabric, love it!

We had a delicious meal at Harrison House (diner)  in Mullica Hill. 

Two sections completed, I may be finished for now. August is a busy month!

#allmidatlanticshophop2024 #allmidatlanticshophop

All Mid-Atlantic Shop Hop July 2024

All Mid Atlantic Shop Hop 

Part 1 - July 2024

I saw this magazine in a Quilt Shop and I was intrigued!  6 patterns inclosed, 96 participating shops, sign me up!

End of the first month,  42 shops visited! I wish I had taken more pictures and better notes. 

Some observations and musings:

For Organizers 

• A few squares are cut close to the black line, not even an 1/8 of a seam allowance. I didn't start noticing until halfway into the Hop. One shop owner who ran out said that she was shorted on what she ordered.  She had me fill out a self- addressed envelope. I've already received the square, great customer service!

* It has been pointed out to me that the patterns in the magazine require the blocks to be trimmed to 4.5 inches, so the black line is not the sewing line. 

For Shops

• Greet Hoppers and point out where the restroom is.
• Have a handout with local eateries (you know you are going to be answering this question multiple times a day.)  Can be a typed half sheet of paper, most can look it up if you provide name and address.
• Sue Schaefer suggests "indicating if the shop is accessible for shoppers with mobility concerns." 
• Be open when you say you will be open (we understand that emergencies can happen)
• If you have a shop pet, indicate it on your shop listing. A paw print will let allergic shoppers know.
• Be organized - set up a small section at checkout or a table to the side with a sign helps enormously.
• Goodies bags are not required, but are appreciated. Especially mini water bottles, chocolates, etc.
• Have clear signage indicating sales and specials. 
• Do not discuss other hoppers when you have customers in your store. I visited one store where the employee asked me if I wanted a picture with their display . I said sure and then heard her later making fun of the shoppers who were taking selfies and posting in the FB Group. Not kind and I felt very uncomfortable. 

For Hoppers

• Be cheerful, appreciative and supportive of the shops
• If you can afford it, try and buy something at each shop (I bought fat quarters for two different quilts.)
• Ask if the employees mind if you take pictures. The answer was always yes, but it doesn't hurt to ask.
• Carry your own shopping bag. It's really nice when shops provided one, but I declined their paper or plastic ones. The shop pays for them. 

Not only are some of my favorite shops included, I am always up for visiting someplace new!

The Shops are divided into Regions and are giving stamps to be added to a passport. Additional prizes will be given for completing a region. Each shop is giving out a block with their name on it and some are giving additional optional goodies. 

My husband and I started in the East Central Region with Bear's Paw Fabrics as our first stop. What a delightful shop! A large selection of fabric including Tilda Cotton Beach. 

The Quilted Nest

What a whirlwind it has been visiting all of the Shops. Thankfully, I have a very indulgent husband who likes to drive and is all in!

We woke up on Sat. morning (July 13th), packed an overnight bag and headed to the Central Region. Bob chartered our course and first stop was Artistic Artifacts in Alexandria, VA. I saw fabric here that I didn't see elsewhere, very beautiful and artsy, look for the colorful lighthouse!

Next stop...The Quilter's Study in Fairfax VA. Very busy shop with many different fabric lines. My sister is collecting the Ghastlies, an Alexander Henry fabric line and this store had it! I was able to FaceTime her and purchase what she wanted.

Stayed at the Winchester Hampton Inn and may have heard a few conversations at breakfast about binding and matching colors.

July 14th 

The Scrappy Apple

Charlotte's Cottage Quilt Shop

Capital Quilts

Patches Quilting and Sewing

Sew N Sweep

July 20th 

Byrne Sewing

Sew Jersey

Seamless Sewing Arts

Sew Jersey has Christmas in July fabrics as you enter the store!

Seamless Sewing Arts has a large collection of Tilda fabrics, unique Robot patterns and Featherweights for sale.

July 22 - Bob came home from playing golf all morning and was ready to hit the road - Material Girls in LaPlata, MD. He's Crazy! Off we go! Naturally, we hit traffic - we were close to closing time, so I called to make sure that they would be open. Four hours later, we enter the nicest Quilt Shop.  The ladies were so gracious and even recommended a place to stop for dinner - a restaurant by the railroad tracks. I finally had a crab cake dinner and it was delicious. 

July 24th!

Today's Shop Hop - North Central Region

Serendipity Stitch, New Bloomfield

The Fabric Center, Carlisle

Half Moon Handwerks, Camp Hill

and a return to In Stitches Quilt Shop in Womelsdorf where I purchased one of the larger blocks. Thanks Anne for Driving!

Serendipity Stitch 

The Fabric Center

Half Moon Handwerks

Last stop In stitches Quilt Shop - a return visit for me.

I was finally able to purchase the larger block.

July 26th!

Today's Shop Hopping completed the Central Region !

Sew N'Place , Fayetteville, PA 

Stitch - N- Time, Greencastle, PA  - Aurifil 11.99 a spool

Simply Stashing, Littlestown, PA - had stickers, but were out of blocks, will mail when she gets them.

Danner's Bernina Shoppe, Hanover , PA TILDA and signs indicating the weekly challenge, FLAMINGOS

Snyder's Sewing Center , Hanover, PA

Simply Stashing recommended Dutch Country Diner in Hanover for lunch, delish!

A quick stop for vacation snacks in the UTZ factory store in Hanover, a bargain and fun!

Wrapped the day up with Handel's ice cream in Downingtown and there was no line, perfect day!

Sew N Place has a coffee shop attached to it, win-win!

Stitch -N-Time was so welcoming!  They have an area set up for pictures/selfies! Aurifil is the best price that we saw in any of the shops, 11.99. 

 

Simply Stashing Fabric and Quilts

Gorgeous fabric and quilts. I loved Granny's Garden stacked plates and dishes. Unusual and beautiful!

We received a recommendation for lunch, the Dutch Country Dinner. My hot roast beef sandwich and cole slaw was delicious!

We took a side trip to the Utz Factory Outlet Store to stock up on snacks for vacation.

Danner's Bernina Shoppe made it so easy to find the Weekly Challenge! (pink signs)  And they have flamingo fabric, a favorite for me!

Last fabric store - Snyder's Sewing Center. 

It's a wrap for the day...Too tired to cook, Handel's Ice Cream in Downingtown for dinner. I can't believe there was no line, a first for us. 

July 29th! 

Closer to home and my go to shop...  The Old Country Store in Intercourse, PA.

There is a table set up outside with these cute signs, choose one and take a selfie!

The Quilt Shop at Miller's has beautiful quilted objects, gifts, quilts, stencils, notions, etc.

One of the many unique things about this shop is that they support local Quilt Guilds in their fundraising efforts. Middleton Piecemakers have created the beautiful items for sale this month. 

For information on the Shop Hop, click here

#allmidatlanticshophop2024 #allmiadtalanticshophop

Life, Loss, and Puffins

 

Life, Loss, and Puffins by Catherine Ryan Hyde. Seattle, Lake Union Publishing, 2024. 269 pages. ****

Rumaki Evans is freakishly smart. Ru overheard her mother telling someone that when she was five. She's now thirteen and about to start college. Ru has been accepted to a very prestigious university with a full-ride scholarship, the only problem is that it is 150 miles away from home. The University has a program where it matches students with a family in a live-in situation. Sounds perfect to Ru, her mother isn't too sure about the whole college thing.

Ru is paired with a mother and her son, seventeen -year-old, Gabriel. Through her friendship with Gabriel, Ru is for the first time able to feel accepted for who she is while encouraging Gabe to be himself. 

Hyde is my feel good author. Her books explore the messiness of humans and how love and friendship bridge the gap in relationships. Ru and Gabriel are at a crossroads in their lives, their current situations are untenable and both are longing for adventure and independence. Some may suggest that their ability to achieve items on Ru's bucket list as impossible, yet their philosophy of "right place, right time', gets them there. 

I received an ecopy for a review. 

Catherine Ryan Hyde is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and #1 Amazon Charts bestselling author of well over forty-five books and counting. An avid traveler, equestrian, and amateur photographer, she shares her astrophotography with readers on her website. For more information on Hyde, click here

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A Traitor in Whitehall

 

A Traitor In Whitehall by Julia Kelly. New York: Minotaur Books, 2023. 294 pages. ****

Book 1 in the Evelyn Redfern series, Evelyn's colorful past known as the Parisian Orphan, (not of her making) does not prepare her for her current position, enlisted by her father's friend to be a typist in the war rooms of Prime Minister Winston Churchill.  Ill-prepared for the politics of the typing pool she catches the eye of a special investigator who claims her as his assistant. Evelyn is soon drawn into murder and espionage.

Part cozy mystery and historical fiction, this first book in the series promises more fun and challenges to follow. 

From the back cover

Julia Kelly is the international bestselling author of historical women's fiction about the extraordinary stories of the past. Her books have been translated into thirteen languages. She has also written historical romance. In addition to writing, she's been an Emmy Award-nominated producer, a journalist, a marketing professional, and (for one summer) a tea waitress. Julia called Los Angeles, Iowa, and New York City home before settling in London. 

For more on Julia Kelly, click here

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Don't Forget Me

Don't Forget Me: A Thriller  by Rea Frey. Seattle: Thomas &Mercer, 2024. 266 pages. ****

"I found a body, in the lake." Ruby Knight's life gets more complicated when her neighbors claim that the dead body is her missing husband. All Ruby wanted was a fresh start with her husband and daughter until they both go missing. It doesn't help when the members of the neighborhood murder club decide to discover how and why the body appeared in their lake. Delving into Ruby's past as part of their investigation leaves Ruby vulnerable and unable to trust anyone she knows. 

This psychological thriller will leave you guessing until the very end. A quick fun read! Perfect summer beach read and will challenge your deductive skills. 

Fans of BA Paris are going to love Don't Forget Me. 

From Amazon

Rea Frey is the award-winning, #1 bestselling author of several nonfiction books and suspense, thriller, and contemporary fiction novels. Known as The Book Doula, Rea helps other writers birth their stories into the world.

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The little liar

 

the little liar by Mitch Albom. New York: HarperCollins, 2023. 333. *****

Eleven-year-old Nico Krispis has never told a lie." When offered the opportunity to save his family from the Nazis when they invade his home in Salonica, Greece, Nico tells lies he believes to be truths. Deceived by the Nazis, Nico tells his family and friends that they will be transported by train to new jobs and safety. The lie becomes apparent when Nico's family and friends are herded into a boxcar headed for Auschwitz. Nico escapes and assumes many identities to survive and never tells the truth again. Sebastian, his older brother cannot forgive what Nico did to his family. His childhood friend, Fannie, does what she needs to survive while looking for her childhood friend, the fair-haired and blue-eyed Nico. Their lives intersect and connect in the most unpredictable ways. 

In my estimation, this is Albom's best work. I was hooked from the very beginning and yet afraid for what was coming next. Albom can weave a story like no other. Narrated by Truth, Album shows us the power of deceit and how love and forgiveness provide hope. I have grown weary reading Holocaust historical fiction. However, this one is not to be missed. When traveling in Germany, I visited Dachau, one of the first concentration camps.  I felt like I couldn't breathe, the emotions were so overwhelming. That's exactly how I felt reading this book. 

I highly recommend The Happiest Man Alive as your next read.

From Amazon...

Mitch Albom is the author of numerous books of fiction and nonfiction, which have collectively sold more than forty million copies in forty-seven languages worldwide. He has written seven number-one New York Times bestsellers – including Tuesdays with Morrie, the bestselling memoir of all time, which topped the list for four straight years – award-winning TV films, stage plays, screenplays, a nationally syndicated newspaper column, and a musical. Through his work at the Detroit Free Press, he was inducted into both the National Sports Media Association and Michigan Sports halls of fame and is the recipient of the 2010 Red Smith Award for lifetime achievement. After bestselling memoir Finding Chika and “Human Touch,” the weekly serial written and published online in real-time to raise funds for pandemic relief, his latest work is a return to fiction with The Stranger in the Lifeboat (Harper, November 2021). He founded and oversees SAY Detroit, a consortium of nine different charitable operations in his hometown, including a nonprofit dessert shop and food product line to fund programs for Detroit’s most underserved citizens. He also operates an orphanage in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, which he visits monthly. He lives with his wife, Janine, in Michigan. Learn more at www.mitchalbom.com, www.saydetroit.org, and www.havefaithaiti.org.

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The Little Ghost Who Was A Quilt

The Little Ghost Who Was A Quilt by Riel Nason. Tundra Books, 2020. 48 pages.

The first time I read this story and saw that people were creating the quilt. I knew I had to join in the fun!

Originally, I planned on using all scraps from my stash, however, we all know how that goes. I saw this charm pack at MSQC as a Daily Deal and the colors were perfect, mixing in a few that I already had.

There are many versions of this quilt in Pinterest and online.

Pinterest - the Little Ghost

Free Pattern and Video 

Pattern Making

I watched a free video to piece the eyes. 

He didn't look very friendly to me. I enlisted my husband to draw ovals (ellipses, according to my engineer) and I liked these much better.

I enlarged the pattern that I saw to 8x10 blocks (5 inches each). Straight line quilting, easy peasy!

I am pleased with the result and it is a very easy child's quilt to make. I ordered the book from Amazon, however, it is readily available at book stores and online quilt stores. 

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