Last weekend the Good Sisters and our Mom travelled 700 miles, through 3 states, in 36 hours, and visited 8 quilt shops! It was a longggggg two days, but a lot of fun!
Bright and early Saturday morning we met up with 25 or so other quilters (and 2 husbands – not ours!!)
in Shipshewana, IN, and boarded our bus for a weekend of shopping!
Our first stop was in South Bend, IN, and we certainly hit the ground running . . . we found lots of great fabrics and patterns! Each of us had designated projects that we were shopping for, and I think everybody found what they were looking for, and then some!
We travelled from Indiana, to Illinois, to Wisconsin, back to Illinois, and then back to Indiana. We drove through big cities,
small towns, and open countryside.
We had a great bus driver, who got us from shop to shop safely and in great time, and only got lost once! Luckily, there was a convenient dairy farm for us to turn around in! The cows probably wondered what that big bus was . . .
We shopped . . . and we shopped,
and we ate . . . and we ate!
After a wonderful dinner of salad, lasagna and spaghetti at the Quilter’s General Store in Rockford, IL, we stopped for the night at a Comfort Inn and checked into our rooms for the night. Even after a couple of hours in the hotel bar (just the Good sisters and Mom – we didn’t see any of the other quilters there!), we were up bright and early again the next day, and ready for day 2!
Along the way, we saw a giant wind farm,
and some beautiful fall colors!
We all enjoyed our weekend together, visited some really nice quilt shops,
and even found one shop where we could have a “Quilting Retreat” together someday!
By the time we made our way back to Shipshewana, though, we were running out of steam!
Back at the Davis Mercantile, we had our dinner and then were treated to Jo-Jo’s Pretzels by the owner of Lolly’s Quilt Shop (whose sister happens to be “the” Jo-Jo!)
Tom and the boys had arrived to pick me up by then, so they each had a pretzel, too, and had a chance to say good-bye to their aunts and Grandma!
It was a great weekend, and I really enjoyed spending this time with my Mom and sisters before I take off on the open road!!