Did You Guess Right??

I'm sure EVERYONE guessed right ... I went to the fabric store, of course!!  When I walked in the door, my jaw dropped to the floor.  The number fabric bolts was overwhelming!!  I'll take one yard of everything!!  I spent the first hour just walking around the shop, looking at all the kits.  I must have looked lost, because four of the five sales girls came up to help me.  At this point, I was more interested in this dress than anything else.  It was made by Jane, the youngest person in the store at maybe 20.  She participates in Civil War Reenactments with this and several more dresses she has made.  Since I just came back from Gettysburg, we spent a half hour discussing her hopes of visiting there for the most awesome reenactment in the States.

Although we could have talked for another hour, I didn't want to get her in trouble, and after all, I DID come here to get backing for my just finished shades-of-brown quilt.  That is until THIS caught my eye ... a Christmas quilt.  All around the top of the shop, as with ALL fabric shops, are examples of quilts you can make.  I fell in love with this one.  I can use my Hawaiian quilting skills to work on one panel at a time.  Here's where the story almost ended ... when I asked if they had the kit, the lady said NO ... we did this two years ago.  Then WHY do you still have it hanging on the wall??  If I can't make this because you don't have the fabric, WHY do you dangle it in front of me??  Irritation quickly set in ... I've had this happen at SO many quilt shops!!

As many of you know, I'm pretty stubborn ... and since they still had the pattern, I thought I could find similar fabrics ... the hunt was on!!  Another hour passed ... this was turning out to be harder than I thought.  I found only ONE of the original fabrics, but enough suitable fat quarters for most of the blocks.  The biggest problem was the border.  It makes the piece ... and I wasn't going to accept any substitutes!!  I'll find it somewhere else.  Let's get what I originally came here for ... backing material.  Uh oh ... I was too focused on the Christmas project and couldn't find anything.  Finally, in the "cut" bin, the perfect material jumped out at me.  The good news is if you purchase backing and batting for a quilt on the 15th of the month, you get 25% off ... and guess what day it was!!!  With almost 6 yards, THAT was a real savings!!

When I got home, I hit the internet running.  I was bound and determined to find the border material.  Everywhere I looked it was discontinued ... out of stock ... gone in a puff of smoke!!  I HAVE to find this ... and my stubbornness kicked in again.  FINALLY!!  On an obscure website in southern Texas, from a tiny little store, I found TWO YARDS!!!   SUCCESS!!!  I ordered it instantly ... along with a couple other small pieces of the original fabric for this quilt.  Persistence pays off!!  Isn't the internet wonderful???  I only need two more pieces and I can get to work.  It won't be an easy one, that's for sure, but it will keep me busy for the next six months at least.  If I'm not cranking out lots of easy quilts, the money for backing and quilting will stay in my wallet!!

Okay, play time's over ... time to wash the second half of the rig!!!