Treasure Hunting

I’ve been traveling, as you might have guessed from the lack of blog posts. I desperately needed a road trip. The one I was supposed to take in early March was postponed due to the impromptu road trip to Tacoma at the end of February, and if I don’t get away every couple of months, I start to get twitchy.

As it turned out, my evening T-shirt class that was supposed to start last Wednesday night got cancelled for lack of students. My original plan was to teach that class, then leave early Thursday morning and power all the way through to Seattle, arriving Thursday afternoon. With Wednesday freed up, I changed the plan. I got everyone fed and watered Wednesday morning and headed to Spokane. I gained an hour going over, which put me there in the early afternoon.

I had a shopping list for this trip, as I usually do. I get overwhelmed if I don’t. The focus for this trip was serger supplies—thread, patterns, and anything else that might be helpful for teaching classes. I hit all the Joann Fabrics and Hobby Lobby stores in Spokane but didn’t find much to tempt me. I spent an hour wandering around The Quilting Bee, which is like Disneyland for quilters. They had all of their Accuquilt dies on clearance for 30% off, so I picked up a circle die in a size I don’t have.

This one makes 4”, 6”, 7”, and 8” circles.

As I was checking out, I noticed a basket of threads at the counter, also on sale. Yay! I picked up a spool of YLI 8wt rayon in black and one in gold, as well as a spool of Wonderfil Flash. That’s a 40wt reflective thread. I have no idea what I will do with it yet, but it was there so I bought some. (I suspect it is used mostly by people making athletic wear.)

I spent Wednesday night in Spokane and was on the road bright and early Thursday morning. It was showery and cool as I left Spokane, but the weather improved considerably the further west I got. I timed my drive so that I arrived at the Moses Lake Joann Fabrics just as they opened at 9 am. This store usually has a well-stocked remnant rack, but remnants were thin on the ground everywhere I went. Joanns has changed many of their pricing and sales models and I am starting to see the effects of those changes.

I continued west on I-90, over Snoqualmie Pass, to my next couple of stops. Gossypium Quilts is a lovely little store in Issaquah, Washington, just off the highway. They had all sorts of treasures, including one entire room devoted to Kaffe Fassett patterns and fabrics. That was a feast for the eyes. I bought a couple of yards of Essex Linen in colors I don’t have, as well as a pack of 240 die-cut hexies that were on the clearance rack for half off. Moda Fabrics was offering these for some of their designers. I don’t know if they will continue to offer them or not, but that was too good a bargain to pass up.

Just down the street from the quilt store is Issaquah Sewing and Vacuum. I was most excited about visiting this store because they are a Wonderfil Boutique and carry most of the Wonderfil line of threads. I was not disappointed. I filled my shopping bag with all sorts of goodies, including two holiday packs of Glamore, which is Wonderfil’s 12wt glitzy rayon/metallic, a spool of 30wt Mirage (rayon), some Fruitti (a varigated 12wt cotton), and another metallic thread recommended by the saleslady.

Because I was there on a “Sew Time” day, I got an additional 20% off and was invited to stay for the Sew Time presentation. The store does this six times a year and I just happened to be there on one of the days when they do a YouTube livestream. I was in the studio audience, LOL.

[The wool in that picture came from Friday’s shopping expedition.]

This thread haul will give me plenty to experiment with on my serger. I can also use many of these threads for my hand embroidery projects. My embroidered chickens are going to get some bling.

I made it to DD#2’s apartment around 4 pm. We ordered dinner in and then I headed up to the Airbnb. I found a nice Airbnb about five minutes from her, in a lovely little residential neighborhood. The mother and daughter who live in the house had converted their basement into an apartment. Basements are rare in Seattle, being that it is a city built mostly on a rock outcropping. This basement barely qualified as one, and there were a few spots inside the Airbnb where my head was touching the ceiling. Still, it was a great find, although I ran into an issue toward the end of my stay. You’ll have to stay tuned for the details, and for more on the rest of my weekend visits.