Hurray for Purple and Two Quilt Shops

 Welcome to Treadlestitches!  Thanks for stopping by!

It's purple month at the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, and I couldn't be happier about it!  I started my RSC blocks with the Greek Cross (above) in lots of different shades of purple.

Have you noticed the purple Halloween fabrics?  When I was a kid Halloween colors were orange and black.  Next they added green, and now purple.  I really appreciate having more cute purple prints to choose from.  BTW, I like that the ghost above is reading a book of ghost stories.

The candy corn fabric here has a lighter purple background.  Fun stuff!

Here's more fun:  Minions dressed as vampires! I haven't used this one yet, but I know I'll find a good place for it.  I have a yard and a half so it might end up as a border on something.

I got the purple minions fabric at this shop, Quilted Ewe in New Hartford, Connecticut.  I was in Hartford mid-August for a family reunion.

The shop is in this converted building (old factory? warehouse?) and it is AWESOME.

They have thousands of bolts of fabric, lots of space, and helpful staff.  They're even open on Sunday.  Plus, there's a decent clearance rack, and that's where I found the purple minions!  I might have bought some more cat fabric there, plus a couple of light prints, etc.

I try to shop quilt stores when I travel.  Fabric is my favorite souvenir.

This year, I planned my RSC quilts before I started so I wouldn't end up with so many orphan blocks.  Now that the purples are done, I can figure out the layout and start setting them together.  There are 42 blocks, 5 of each plus an extra of red and orange. This is going to be fun!

But wait, more shopping!  As I have mentioned before, the Wisconsin Museum of Quilts & Fiber Arts started a resale shop on the museum grounds.  They call it Shop Our Stash, and it recently moved from a small outbuilding to the downstairs of the old farmhouse.  Of course I had to check it out.

Guess what I saw when I walked in the door--a whole laundry-size basket of CAT FABRIC!  There was a lot to choose from, and they were adding more while I stood there with my mouth hanging open.  It was hard to decide, but in the end I bought these six fat quarters and the 2 yard light print in the back.

Everything in the store is well organized, labeled, and priced.  All the merchandise is donated and most if not all of the staff are volunteers.  I was so impressed.  It seemed more like a quilt shop and less like a thrift store.

Even though I talk about my cats all the time, I love dogs too.  I've been thinking about making a dog quilt like the cat quilt I just finished, and these fat quarters were so cute so I scooped them up.  The fabric in the back is four yards long and will make a great quilt back. 

As you'd imagine for a resale shop, the prices are amazing!  They average $6 to $8 per yard, and even less for bundles and scraps.  I also bought some pink fabrics, a few more fat quarters, and a solid blue.

Resale shops in general are such a good idea.  They keep fabric out of the landfills, and into the hands of quilters or sewists for good prices.  The people who donate get rid of stuff they won't use, the buyers get a good deal, and the money in this case goes to support the quilt museum.  Win, win, win!

If you're going, you should know this:  their hours are very limited.  They are only open on Friday and Saturday, from 11:00 pm to 2:00 pm.  Definitely worth the trip!

No pictures of the boys this week, sorry!  Most days I only see them for a short time after school.  But they will be here tonight to sleep over, so I'd better start getting ready.

Have a lovely week, everyone!  And happy quilting!

Thanks for reading,

Sylvia@Treadlestitches

Linking up with:

Alycia at Finished or Not Finished Friday

Angela at So Scrappy