Do you have Quilters' Runs in your area?

14 years ago

There's one happening in my area (Southern California) right now.

There are 42 participating stores from Chula Vista near the Mexican border to Lancaster in the Mojave Desert to Palm Springs in the High Desert with a couple stores up in the local mountains as well. I think -- if my math is remotely correct -- that's an area of about 4800 sq miles.

I'm about 3/4 of the way through it. I've got the southern most part to finish tomorrow.

It's kinda fun and I got to really spend some time at shops in the zones closest to me. I enjoyed that and found a few places I might go back to from time to time. The ones that are farthest away are tougher because so much of the time is devoted to commuting to them. And the worst is falling in love with a shop that's just too ****ed far to drive to for fabric.

So far, I did some damage to the bumper of my car when I didn't see a metal pylon in a parking area =o and I got stuck up in the mountains when a fatal car accident closed the road down =o. A little fabric. A little adventure. ...and more than a little gas. ;>

Here is a link that might be useful: Map to the Southern California Quilters' Run

Comments (13)

User
14 years ago
If I went on the shopping trip your working on I would have to build a building just to hold my stash. Good luck and happy quilting.
fran1523
14 years ago
It's called a Shop Hop here. I actually worked for a quilt shop while we were getting ready for one. What a lot of work. I cut and folded so many fat quarters I thought my arm would fall off.
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I just finished the second half. Several new shops this year. A couple of repeaters with new or expanded locations. Civil War era repros have become very popular. In addition to the 2 Temecula shops, Fat Quarter in Vista and Quilters' Emporium in Woodland Hills that have always specialized in CW repros, The Calico Horse in Redlands has a large CW section and Cozy Quilt'n in Apple Valley has added a CW section. The Temecula Quilt Co's pattern is a patchwork purse in CW repros. Really stylish. ...but then everything they do is really stylish! And it's designed to be made into a charming period purse as well as a quilt block. My vote for best patterns has to go to Butterfield Quilt Company in Hemet (Area 3) for their antique orange crate label appliquÃ©, Cozy Quilt'n (Area 3) for their sand castle appliquÃ© and Temecula Quilt Co (Area 3). Fat Quarter's was cute (like most of their area, a purse) but they packaged the kits to make it in the most adorable tiny plastic purses. The packaging would break any little girl's heart! But, overall, I think Area 1 had the best theme (My Neighborhood) and the shops that put the most consistent effort into their sample quilts. Boo to Area 4 where few shops did more than their own block and some of them only did it as unfinished blocks. I got a TON of things including enough new projects for the next 5 years. I hope to get started on a couple quickies in the next week. Right now I need to catch up on sleep and 4 days' housekeeping! ;> Anyone else do any more shops? There are still 2 days if the above report gives you any inspiration.
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jennifer_in_va
14 years ago
We have a shop hop here in Virginia in October each year. It's called Tour D'Quilt.

I'm not sure of the number of shops, but it's quite a few. Each shop picks a certain fabric from a certain line and they all stock & sell the line for the tour. You can pick up free quilt block patterns at each shop that utilizes their chosen fabric. By the time you're done, you could have enough coordinated blocks (to complete) for a quilt. Nice little reason to complete the tour.

I've never done this, but would like to! It takes a whole weekend (which I can't usually get away for) and I'd probably have to do it with at least one child in tow (which wouldn't make it as much fun). But some day......
grammyp
14 years ago
Life is and adventure or it is nothing at all (attributed to Helen Keller). That sounds like a great adventure to me. I don't think there are that many quilt shops in the entire state of Alabama.

Perhaps the shops you really like that are too far to drive to have on-line or mail services.

beverly
caroline1947
14 years ago
Well,that sure gave me a start!!!! Not sure what a quilters run is,but around here the runs are also refered to the "backyard trots"...LOL!!!!
jennifer_in_va
14 years ago
Isn't it funny how many different terms there are for the same quilty thing?! And not all of them sound so favorable!
kathi_mdgd
14 years ago
We have them up here in the N.County also.I worked at Beverly's in Oceanside for 10 years and i thought they were a lot of fun.We got to see and chat with all those ladies from S.Ca.We always had coffee,donuts etc for them.

They would come in caravans and some groups from orange cnty would call and tell us they were coming,so we'd open earlier if they got there before our regular opening time.

I don't see Rosies shop on the list,does she not do it anymore.The Beverlys all closed in 99 except for the one on Balboa,but i don't know if they are still there.

Have fun,save some money for gas!!LOL,LOL
Kathi
toolgranny
14 years ago
We have shop hops here several times a year, different locations of shops each time. One will be north shops, then west shops and so forth, about 15 each time. The best time to be had is when they load a bus. The bus takes you to each and brings you home with all your loot. I took it last year, two days and different shops each day. Can you just imagine how much you can spend in two days? I didn't sign up this year.
biwako_of_abi
14 years ago
Oh, what a shame if Rosie's Calico Cupboard has stopped doing it. It's such a great store. But who am I to judge them, when I have never taken part in a quilters' run? (It would be disastrous to our family finances. Bad enough just to go to Rosie's to buy one or two things and come out with 12!) Once when I was in there, it was full of ladies on a QR, and that's the closest I've ever gotten to a shop hop.
The ladies had come in a big bus. But I get the impression, Rainey, that you are driving around at your own pace, in your own car. Am I right? Are people on the QR car-pooling?

Kathi: I go to Beverly's on Balboa once in a while, and to the best of my recollection, it was still there a couple of months ago. I bought several beautiful prints there last summer to make myself muumuus. They have really nice stuff, but nowhere near what Rosie's has, as I'm sure you know.
imrainey
Original Author
14 years ago
Carpooling is the way most people do it -- not busses but passenger carsful. I talked to the people in one group who had everything gridded out and they had 15 minutes in each stop. I bet the company and the navigation help would be wonderful but I did it by myself as it was the first time I did it and I didn't have a master plan -- wasn't even sure how many of the shops I'd want to go to when I began. Never planned to go all the way down to the Mexican border a couple hours away from home.

As it was, once I began, I got pretty compulsive about it and I don't know who would have put up with that. Plus I have to admit that it was nice to get to check out every nook and cranny of some shops and breeze through others without consulting anyone or feeling that I was imposing on them in one way or another.

I must say that today I was in the area furthest from my house and there were two shops that were nothing short of fantastic. I'll probably save a fortune by not being able to get to them again until next year. ;> And I saw a lot of SoCal I've never been to before. That was interesting -- we have such diverse topography and communities!

Finally, the place I went to last -- the last shop on the list for me -- was a small shop in a very tiny community on the perimeter of the whole sheebang (Ramona) where they were so excited to be the last shop on someone's list. I was exhausted. They were ebullient. They were soooo nice. It was a hoot!
jck1210
14 years ago
I just did my first shop hop ever this past weekend!! It was really so much fun!! I'd only been to 2 of the 6 stores before so I really loved seeing lots of new fabrics and patterns. My stash looks amazing and my bank account looks empty!!
ginnie5
14 years ago
how exactly would you find out if there was one in your area?
imrainey
Original Author
14 years ago
If you've got a quilting shop, check their bulletin board. If they're participating in one they'll have flyers for sure. Also any local guild would know and be interested in keeping people informed. They probably also be the folks to hook you up with a carpool if you're looking for one.

Do you have Quilters' Runs in your area?

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