Work and Play, Part 2
Work and Play, Part 2 – I thought I’d share a little bit about what we did before we made our way to Sundance. We flew in to Salt Lake City a few days early and decided to do some exploring. We ate at some great restaurants, took some mountain drives, and, of course, visited a few quilt shops.
This photo is from one of our morning mountain drives. It was a beautiful sunny, yet cool, day. Most of the ski areas seemed to be closing down for the season, but we did see a few hardy souls still on the slopes.
Our plane landed close to noon, so one of the first things we did was have lunch. The Red Iguana was recommended to us by a few people, and we were not disappointed.
Our server told us the restaurant is known for its mole (moh-lay) sauce, so he brought us out a sample plate. Notice that we got so involved in tasting the samples that I forgot to take a photo before we started . . .
The sauces had a mixture of flavors in them – fruit, vegetables, spices, peppers. I had enchiladas, one with Amarillo Mole and the other with Verde Mole. Oh my, so good! I stopped just short of licking the plate.
Later in the day on Saturday we decided to visit one quilt shop, because it was close to the restaurant we were planning to go to for dinner. But first, a confession.
I am the worst at taking photos when I’m in a quilt shop. I either forget, or I get a bit shy about asking if I can take photos. Yes, I know that most shops will gladly let you take photos of their shops for a blog post, so I know I shouldn’t be shy, but I am. So I don’t have photos to show you. Besides, I was more than just a bit distracted by all there was to see.
Anyway, we visited Pine Needles Quilt Shop in Gardner Village in South Jordan. This lovely shop is so bright and cheery, and it is situated in a little village of shops, which were fun to wander through as well. It had cute cross stitch kits; I almost bought one to work on while I was at Sundance. I did buy some fabric for the Art with Fabric Blog Hop coming up later this month. Here’s a photo of a fun little remnant pack I bought at this store.
I bought the pack because of the two fabrics in the foreground, the bowls and what I call the “hairdo fabric”, which made me chuckle. I have no idea what I’ll make with that fabric yet, but something will come to mind.
Monday morning we got up to wet snowflakes falling. In some areas, it was covering the grass. By noon, it was all melted with the warming temps of the day. Thank goodness, I’ve had enough of snow!
We decided to play a bit and check out two other quilt shops. The first one we stopped at was The Quilter’s Lodge in Draper, Utah. This was an impressive quilt shop. BigJ took this photo as he sat in the waiting area, lounging on a comfy sofa.
Just to the right of center in this photo is the front entrance. To the left of the blue quilt on the wall is the door to the spacious classroom. You can’t see it in this photo, but there’s a door to the right (across from the classroom) that opens to a beautiful patio area with chairs and tables. On a sunny day, it would be a wonderful spot to sit and stitch.
The fabric was well organized, with bolts and corresponding fat quarters in the same shelf area. Quilts were displayed on the walls, tucked into corners, on top of shelves. There were so many notions, all easily accessible and displayed. There was a huge display of thread. Yes, I bought some, but you won’t see it in the photos, because I just realized I forgot to add them to the groupings! Here’s part of what I bought:
I didn’t have much space in my suitcase, so I was showing restraint. It was probably a good thing, because I really could’ve had fun in each of these shops!
I finally got a binding baby! I chose the red haired one, in honor of my mom, and I might even call her by my mom’s name – Phyllis. The little embroidery kit is for my daughter, who loves to camp and trek around in the woods. She is excited for me to send it to her so she can stitch it up.
The last stop was Elaine’s Quilt Block in Salt Lake City. Not a large shop, but it had so much great fabric, patterns and books. Between these last two shops, I found a couple of books.
I had been keeping my eye out for Stash Statement, so it was fun to find it. Accentuate the Negative was new to me, but will be fun to read and study. I have a quilt to finish with quite a bit of negative space, so this should be helpful.
From the three shops, I gathered these fabrics to use for my project for the Art with Fabric Blog Hop. I’ll be posting my project on May 23rd, and I am really excited to show you what I’ve made. Actually I’m happy dancing that I got it to work!! I’ll give you a hint – it’s not patriotic.
Meanwhile, I’ve been sewing away on this project and testing a pattern for a fellow quilter. So nothing I can show you, yet.
Do you have a favorite quilt shop where you like to play? Tell me about it.
Happy quilting, my friends!
Wendy
27 Comments
Tu-Na Quilts
I see you enjoy reading quilt books, too. Visiting quilt shops in faraway places is so fun. I am glad you were able to find some to check out.
piecefulwendy
I agree that discovering new shops is fun. These three were so good!
Cocoa Quilts
Wendy I am enjoying your trip. We have similar interests. I love the beautiful scenery, stopping at local quilt shops and eating at little local spots. Keep the pictures of all coming.
piecefulwendy
Thanks, Jan! We enjoy ourselves, and I’m thankful he’s okay with quilt shop stops!
rl2b2017
Hi Wendy,
This just confirms that I need to go back to SLC, get up to Sundance and pop in the quilt shops. I just adore the hairdo fabric! OMG – it reminds me of Jackie Kennedy, and I cannot wait to see what project it turns up in. I love how your husband takes photos for you, and it sounds like he doesn’t mind at all stopping at quilting shops. LOVE! ~smile~ Roseanne
cozyquiltslb
Hi Wendy, oh! all those lovely fat quarters…just drooling. I’ve never heard of a binding baby before…..looks useful. Next time I’m in the States, I’ll be looking for it and that book… Linda
piecefulwendy
Thanks, Linda! I’ll have to post photos of my binding baby at work!
Karen
I have not heard of a binding baby – I always just drop mine on the floor over to the right side of me – I guess if I had quilt shops around I would have heard of it or seen them by now. I usually forget to take photos in shops too as I am busy looking around.
piecefulwendy
I might have to write a post on binding babies. I thought I was one of the last to know. Haha!
Vicki in MN
Fun to hear more about your adventure! Can’t wait to see your newest projects of course;)
piecefulwendy
Thanks! I’m excited to share them soon!
Louise Hornor
Oh, that quilt shop with the gorgeous high ceilings looks wonderful! It would be dangerous to my budget to live close to that one. Phyllis is so cute 🙂
piecefulwendy
Oh, if we had been on a road trip, my stash would have increased quite a bit more! Probably good we were flying!
Barbara
We’ve traveled through Utah many times, but haven’t ever been to Sundance. Clearly we are missing out. Next trip we’ll get there.
piecefulwendy
Even a drive up to Sundance for lunch would be worth it!
Tish
I’ve debated on purchasing the Accentuate the Negative book. I’ll be interested to hear what you think of it. I’m never sure if quilt shops or eating is my favorite part of trips 🙂 Sounds like you have so much fun and great views.
piecefulwendy
Thanks, Tish! I’ll let you know as I use the book!
handwroughtquilts
What great finds! Glad you had a good trip.
Nancy @ Grace and Peace Quilting
I love Pine Needles Quilt Shop! Super cute little embroidery project. I would’ve been tempted to start it! Your DD is going to love it.
piecefulwendy
Thanks, Nancy! She’s better at embroidery than me, so I’m sending it to her to finish!
Sandra Walker
Those views–! Just breath-taking, though I’ve had enough of wintry weather…mind you my quilt I posted today would’ve looked good in that snow too! Great you got to check out some quilt shops, and local restaurants while playing. I like Phyllis! Dare I admit? Guess I will, I’ve never heard of a binding baby…
My Sewful Retirement
Wendy, I loved seeing the views from your trip — the scenery is beautiful! Love your fabric selections! Looking forward to seeing your secret sewing project! How exciting!
piecefulwendy
Thanks, Karla!
Bernie
What a fun trip! A nice balance of fabric, food and nature. Who would want more than that??? Phyllis is cute. I have thought about those but I really like to just string the binding along – I set it over my shoulder and keep pulling down a bit at a time. Glad you and your husband got this getaway together!
piecefulwendy
Thanks, Bernie! We do enjoy traveling together!
Sherry @ PoweredByQuilting
you showed so much restraint! I’d be so proud! I’m bursting at the seams with fabric lately… once i get moved hopefully i’ll have lots more time to sew!
piecefulwendy
Truly, air travel keeps me from going overboard. Haha!