Vacation recap

I took a few days off last week and hubs and I did a few things local that we had been wanting to do for some time now. The first thing we decided to do was take a trip to the NC ZOO on Wednesday last week. I always love going to the zoo and our trip was wonderful because the weather was great and the animals were being very active while we were there. Here's some of the high lights. 

Thursday was another great day filled with a shop hop (VA shop Raley) in the south west part of Virginia -- I did this in conjunction with the row by row experience and got lots of great inspiration and some lovely fabric goodies. 

So as is my experience, each time that I go on a shop hop I find at least one gem of a shop that I will be sure to visit again if I am in the area. This time I am super lucky because I found 4 stores that I could see myself visiting several times in the future. Mr Pink came along for the trip and was very entertaining to several of the shop owners and patrons. 

• Sew What Fabrics and Batiks Etcetera -- Wytheville, VA -- great selection of fabrics. I hope to order a Judy Niemeyer pattern from them in the future. I've always said when I grow up I'm going to be making one of those stunning quilts. Mr. Pink even got his picture taken with one of them (which I later found out was one of Judy's actual quilts that she had made)

• Sew Biz -- Radford, VA -- there were lots of hidden treasures in this shop and I wish that I had really had more time to take it all in. 

• New River Fiber Company -- Blacksburg, VA -- they were not on the shop hop but they were participating in the row by row. This shop had AWESOME modern fabrics and great yarns. Whitney is super nice and she actually has a 2nd shop that I wish we had been near called Crooked Stitch in ...,VA. The amazing Alison Glass is going to be there later this year and I am seriously thinking that I need to plan a trip to see her trunk show -- see Mr. Pink agrees. 

•  The Sewing Studio -- Martinsville, VA -- we ran out of time here but they had great stuff and it's the closest to me so I know I am going back. 

Such a great time and my hubs got to drive on twisty roads which he loves but we were both exhausted by the end of the day. The rest of the weekend was pretty low key with some sewing and taking my dad out for his birthday -- the big 73 this year. Of all the places around he choose Kermit's Hot Dogs. 

Sunday we had a sew in with the guild and I got a little FMQ in and I also got my pattern test of Milky Way Medallion top finished. I am hoping to be able to show you all soon but I am waiting on the pattern to be released --- hopefully next week. who knows by then I may have it quilted (hahahhahah).