Last week, my sister and I took my dad down to Warsaw, Missouri, where my dad’s sister lives and where his parents (our grandparents) used to live after my grandfather retired from working in Kansas City. I was suppose to write to you from there on Friday with this article, but alas, the WiFi was too sluggish.

I took my hexies with me, of course! I knew they’d enjoy a little rest, relaxation, and attention, too, after all. I also knew about a quilt shop there that carries the fabric line I’m using. And, well… you know how it is…

So we drove down to Warsaw – which is just over a three hours’ drive – where we stayed in a little rental house that had a perfect porch for early morning stitching sessions.

Even the vintage-style furniture (definitely 50’s throwback, but pretty cute stuff!) color coordinated well with my hexies.

Warsaw is right before the northwest edge of the Ozarks, nestled on the Truman Reservoir and the Osage River. It’s not a mountainous place by a long shot – it’s more akin to Kansas prairie towns – but it is just the beginning of a beautiful mountain range that occupies much of Missouri and Arkansas. There are some magnificent spots in the Ozarks (very similar to the Appalachian Mountains), but Warsaw doesn’t really share the same qualities. It reminds me more of a Midwest, edge-of-the-prairie sort of town, only it has a lot of water nearby. It’s a good place for boating and fishing.

While visiting, it was great to have handwork along, and once again, I made some progress with my hexies. I’ve begun sewing small sections of strips together, to create larger sections. It’s exciting to see the quilt top grow!

Perhaps more exciting, though, was that the quilt shop I had in mind was barely a block from the house we were staying in. At first, I thought this could be dangerous. I could envision repeated trips to pick up just a wee bit more fabric.

For better or for worse, though, I didn’t have a chance to visit the shop more than once.

During that visit, I discovered something exciting, but at the same time, a little disappointing.

I purchased my original fabric (Moda’s “Porcelain” by Three Sisters) in layer cake form, as explained in this article. In fact, there are more options in the line than there were in the layer cakes.

I found several more coordinating fabrics from the Porcelain line at the quilt shop, and while I would have loved to buy yardage of each of the unfamiliar prints, I decided on just three – the lower three fabrics in the stack above.

The other fabrics were in the layer cakes and are featured in the quilt so far. I bought those because I wanted to make sure I had enough fabric for edging, binding, and backing. I plan to do a pieced back (large pieces). I already have some yardage, but I wanted to round out my collection with a little more variety.

I love the lowest fabric in that photo above, and I regret that it wasn’t part of the original layer cakes. Still, I’m going to cut some squares and baste some hexies in those prints, to add to the rest of the quilt. I don’t think it will be noticeable at all, given the completely nature of the quilt top.

The quilt shop I visited is called City’s Edge Quilt Shop and Sewing Center. They offer and service Janome machines, I think, and they have a long-arm service there, too, in a separate building.

The quilt shop is situated in a pretty Midwest-style house with a lovely porch overlooking Main Street.

Inside, you’ll find a selection of good quality quilting fabrics, lots of quilting patterns and the like, and of course, plenty of accessories!

The gal who helped us was super friendly. The shop was neat as a pin, bright, colorful, airy, with hardwood floors and white trim and everything just as charming as can be.

You can find City’s Edge Quilt Shop online, too, where you can purchase fabric. If you’re looking for the Porcelain line, they still have some in stock! They also carry Cosmo floss, so if you’re in the vicinity looking for decent embroidery floss, it’s a good line.

So that was my adventure at the end of last week. Unless anything catastrophic happens, it’s clear sailing here in the studio for the next several months!

Lots to do, and I’m looking forward to sharing it with you!