Shopping Fun

What a rough week.  School, union meetings, negotiations, and parent/teacher conferences with 28 sets of parents, students falling ill, teachers falling ill, a friend having surgery and trying to keep up with all of the "at home" responsibilities too.  I can't think of a better way to battle the stress other than taking part in quilt related activities.  Soooo ... I set out to battle the stress.....

I went fabric shopping the best way I know how --- by the bolt.  Troy Fabrics in Chicago, IL held an Open House and I was invited to attend.  Of course I went.  I spent the greater part of the day battling stress (shopping for fabric).  The only catch to shopping at the warehouse is that you must buy the entire bolt of fabric (but, Honey, I had to take the whole bolt!!!!).  I love this rule!  I enjoy lining up all of my choices on end in my cart.  Matching colors and planning projects --- talking to others who ask, "oooh, what do you have planned for that one?" and answering when I ask them the same.  I even pick a few  bolts "just because I like it" without a specific project in mind.  

I love roaming through the many aisles of shelves stacked with bolts of fabric, sharing the excitement with the other shoppers.  It does my soul good to sort through thousands of bolts of fabric to find the ones that are perfect for me.  I try not to miss anything.  I go through the sections of the building in an orderly fashion, traveling up and down the aisles methodically checking the shelves from top to bottom oohing and aahhhing at the beautiful colors, prints and panels from some of my favorite designers and manufacturers.

I found three bolts perfect for backing some quilts waiting to be quilted.  I found just the color needed to add the final border and backing to a scrap quilt waiting for the perfect finishing touches.  I found two new prints and the best green to add to my frog collection as well as two different ovarian cancer fabrics to enhance that part of my stash.  I also found the perfect zebra print for my son's girlfriend.  A basketweave print perfect for the T-shirt quilt I plan to make with my shirts from attending basket weaving conventions came home with me too.  Two great apple prints and  a  perfect coordinating vibrant red along with a few more just because I liked them.  All in all this was a very productive shopping (stress relieving) day.

One of my friends and one of my sisters spent the day with me.  We shopped, we talked, we laughed, we planned projects we even stopped and had lunch on the way back home.  I felt the build-up of stress begin to melt away.  We unloaded our treasures from the back of my car and mine were carried into the house.  I showed all of my new acquisitions to my family (who always act surprised that I was able to get them home without renting a U-Haul !) and realized I was in need of a little nap-----the stress was all gone.

On to a new week ...... I think I'll go reorganize my fabric :).

Happy Quilting!
Laurel