Of course, all quilters know the best way to plan a road trip is to layout the route based on where the quilt shops are located, am I right?! Well, Karen and I developed our own shop hop and visited 10 shops over the week. I did my Google Maps search and here are the shops we chose based on location, their websites and images of their shops. I must say, they were all worth the stop.

*Stitch Lab  -Austin, TX  stitchlab.biz
*Las Colchas  -San Antonio, TX    lascolchas.com
*Creations‎  -Kerrville, TX   creations-online.com‎‎
Honey Bee Quilt Store -Austin, TX honeybeequiltstore.com   (Will be featured in the 2012 Quilt Sampler Magazine)
The Quilt Store, Inc.  -Austin, TX    quiltstore.com
Ready To Sew Bernina   -Cedar Park, TX readytosewbernina.com
Poppy Quilt ‘n Sew‎  -Georgetown, TX    poppyquiltnsew.com‎
B & B Quilting & Gifts  -Buda, TX   bbquilting.com
Quilt Haus  -New Braunfels, TX   creativesewlutions.com

Here is a little bit about my top three favorites:

The Stitch Lab in Austin was such a cool place. Leslie, the owner, was so kind to take a moment and tell us a bit about herself, her journey and how her place was evolving. Her selection of fabrics included cottons, voiles, linens and home dec – all were current and vibrant. There was lots of energy flowing thru the rooms and lots of busy hands cutting and folding the new fabrics that just arrived. We fell in love with the quaintness of the shop and wanted to hang out all day –click here to see more pictures of her shop.

Las Colchas was another must see shop in downtown San Antonio. A charming cottage home converted into a quilter’s paradise filled with fabrics from modern to folk, a cozy classroom and deck off the back. The staff was pleasant and very helpful.

When we walked into Creations in Kerriville (NW of San Antonio), I was instantly drawn to the 100’s and 100’s of bolts of Batiks. Their selection was amazing…I had to touch each bolt and wanted a yard of each for my stash. About 15 minutes into the shopping spree, my phone started beeping -I had a new text…hmmm, who could it be…it was Karen texting me from the front of the store telling me “this place is huge!” and before I knew it she was at my side saying “you’re still here? You’ve got to see this place”. Creations had a separate room for every style quilter and do-it-yourselfer. The staff was so personable and helpful I didn’t want to leave –a definite must see!

Below are some of the goodies I couldn’t do without! I definitely went on a Batik binge.

Looking for a great gift for your sewing buddy? All Anthology box sets are 50% off this week at SewModDesigns and the Etsy shop!

High Society includes 12 fat quarters. Now on sale for $12.00.

Assortment of 8 fat quarters from the “Bonjour” collection, $10.00.

Mod Charm includes 12 fat quarters, $12.00.

Tropical Fruits Story Strips (40 strips/pack, 2-1/2″ wide x 44/45″ long), on sale for $17.00. SOLD OUT

Sale runs 12/11/2011 thru 12/17/2011.

Paige’s tuffet was featured in digaliggins Treasury on Etsy titled “Sugar Rush“. Isn’t it a bright a cheery collection? A Treasury is a grouping of favorites in a certian style that a member chooses and creates. Being on a Treasury means added exposure on Etsy, so we’d like to send a big thanks to digaliggins for choosing us!

We would also like to announce last call for the Tuffet Class Sign -Up.  Next week we are going to set the dates for the classes. We have one full class and almost a second. If anyone is in the Chicagoland area and would like to have a fun day of sewing and leave with an awesome footstool that you can impress all your neighbors with, then let us know. We would love to meet you!

Remember I’ve been on a turquoise kick lately, so I couldn’t resist these prints.

I’m finding that the only Batiks I seem to be attracted to are the ones that read a certain design. Like the daises above or the one’s that arrived at the store recently.  These are from Anthology and Kaufman.

And look at how this one reads flowers. I was immediately drawn to these dark prints.

These caught my interest because they look like cute polka dots. These are the Emma and Essentials line.

And just look at this awesome woven basket made out of Batiks that the store is giving a class in. It’s called Knotty Baskets.

And since I’m Batik challenged, Paige let me borrow several of her books. I’m going to be picking a quilt design and trying to put together an entire Batik quilt. Wish me luck!