This week in Podunk

 Wow, this week has flown by! Busy, busy , busy all week long and didn't accomplish everything on my to-do list.  Doesn't look like I'll be catching up over the weekend due to the holiday.  We'll have our annual summer family get together on Sunday.  It's been a year since I've seen one of my sons and my niece and nephew.  One part of me is looking forward to the gathering but the quilter in me isn't as excited.  I told her to hush up and be nice but she's still nagging me about the cooking that will need to be done this afternoon.  Back in the day I would have muzzled her with a few sips of happy juice.  These days I just let her ramble on and do my best to ignore the constant whining.  She's very ungrateful for the wonderful week we've had playing with pretty fabrics.  I should have been quilting the quilt on the frame this week instead of starting a new project.  How could I not play with patriotic fabric this week?   

Another big thing that happened this week was walking, lots of walking.  I stepped up my walking game without Miss Khaleesi.  She can't handle the heat so I was on my own.  Your never really on your own out here in Podunk.  There's always tons of critters.  I saw this one in the cornfield and knew she would hop out so I had my camera ready.

Deer are worse than squirrels about running right out in front of you.  You'll think they are gone and then BAM, they are on the hood of your car.  Or in my case in face.  Thankfully she decided to run and hide.

Yesterday was my weekly trip into town for groceries.   While out and about I decided to go by Joann's.  It's been months since my last visit.  If I had to guess I'd say February because Valentines day means red fabric is going on sale.  Yes it's all about the RED.  

This wall of red looks impressive from afar but really there isn't much in here I don't already have in my stash.

But they were having a good sale, 50% off patriotic fabric and 20% off anything that wasn't on sale.  I saved $9 with my coupon, not to bad.  

Since the price was right I purchased a half yard of each.  I'm thinking about using these for Bonnie Hunters Mystery quilt this fall.  By the way she's coming out with her yearly free leaders and enders quilt in the next few days.  She didn't give a definite day, she just said soon.  You can find her blog here.

I also picked up a package of RED buttons that I may or may not use for my current project shown at the beginning of this post.

I rarely come to this city.  The traffic is horrible.  It's basically one strip mall after another with every restaurant you can think of and a lot of people in a hurry to go shopping.  So while I'm here I might as well make the best of it and go the quilt shop.

Back Door Quilts never lets me down.  Oh if I were a rich woman....so much I want.  I want to make all three of these.  Those little chicks are just too darn cute!  You know I've been making half square triangles like a mad woman. It's my current leaders and enders with no plan to use them.  I've already made over 300 of various sizes and colors.  The quilt with the green arrow would only use a handful but what if I made 4 and put them into one big quilt.  Oh yah!  And the flag quilt looks like it could be made from HST's also....and the pinwheels in the chick quilt.  See it only makes since that I buy all the patterns, right?  I resisted.  I'm not ready for another project.

This quilt looks familiar.   I couldn't find a pattern for it, which is unusual for this shop.  Someone must have moved it.  Well I posted these pictures on Instagram yesterday and the designer is one of my followers.  Luann from Luann's Loose Threads!  Some of you probably read her blog.  She too is from right here in central Indiana.  Such a sweet lady.  I met her a couple of years ago when I was doing a trunk show for a local guild.  Anyway, she reminded me that this was her quilt pattern.  I knew I had seen it before!  The little flowers  are so clever and cute.   The pattern (Four O'clock Fancy) is available online in her shop.  Click here for to go to her pattern shop. 

While this is an amazing shop there's not too much red fabric in here that I don't already have.  That could be a sign that I have enough red....no way, that's not possible.  So I ended up purchasing a Lori Holt red that I already have but love it so I bought another.  I also bought the very last Lori Holt panel they had in stock.  SCORE!  I've been eyeballing this online since it came out.  Fabric is easier to resist online but when your face to face with it that's another story.  It's even prettier in person.    

Y'all, I left this store feeling like a million bucks.  The world seemed like a better place.  The horrid traffic didn't seems so bad as I made my way to the grocery store.  At the grocery store the crabby and rude people made me laugh.  Oh what a glorious day it is in Podunk.  I'm in love, I'm in love with fabric and I don't care who knows it!  (Elf movie reference)  How many of you feel the same after visiting a quilt shop?  Joann's didn't give me this feeling, neither did the Walmart fabric I bought last week.  There's just something about a quilt shop.

I was ready to quilt like a wild woman after returning home.  In my mind I was the stitching queen but in reality I didn't get anymore done than I normally would, I just felt better doing it.