This weekend is the North Texas Quilt Shop Hop.  The 13th Annual for those who care about statistics.  I was the tour guide on the bus that left from Quilter’s Dream Friday morning.  At 8:15 in the morning.  I had to be at the Shop at 7:45.  That meant the alarm rang at 6:20.  For those of you who know me well, you understand that is not my favorite time of day.  Don’t tell Pioneer Woman.  She gets up before the moment when dawn cracks every day.  Or as some would say, before the crack of dawn.  And she would think me quite the wimp for complaining about getting up at the late hour of 6:20.  Late being a relative term in my world, of course.

I say all that so you’ll understand what I’m about to tell you next.  And you’re definitely not going to believe it.  Unless of course, you know me.  And understand how foggy my brain is at 6:20 a.m.  Are you ready?  I forgot my camera.  Horrors!  How is a blogger supposed to blog with no pics of the day?  I was so mad at myself at the first shop on the hop that I nearly called Dear Hubby to ask him to meet us along the way and bring my camera to me.  I can just hear that conversation now.  “You want me to what?  Drive how many miles to meet you with your camera?  For the blog?  You want me to what?  You’ve got to be kidding me.”  I didn’t really think I could convince him to leave work to drive an hour to bring me my camera.  An hour each way.

So what’s a poor blogger to do?  Well, stopping by the local camera shop for a new camera was definitely not an option.  So I settled on the only solution I could come up with.  A blog with no pictures.  Are you laughing yet? 

OK – only kidding…… I used the camera in my Blackberry!  Ain’t technology wonderful?  But I must say – there are precious few pictures.  Not nearly the amount that I’d have if I’d had my camera along.  Perhaps that’s a good thing for those of you with shorter attention spans?  Maybe you’ll get all the way through to the end of the blog today?  Only if I shut up and show you the pictures, you say?  Alright, already!

First stop – Waxahachie!  Cute town.  If I’d had my camera along, I’d have snapped a pic of the fabulous courthouse on the city square.  And the outside of the shop.  And the cute things they had inside the shop.  Their display window was fabulous by the way.  Pretend you just saw a picture of it.

I did get a picture of this cute kitty who greets you as you walk in the door.  I don’t know if he was made out of ceramic or what, but he sure was cute.  And cat lover that I am, I thought he deserved a picture on the blog.

And also might I say that my Blackberry camera takes a pretty mean picture, don’t you think?

I also snapped a picture of their Shop Hop Quilt.  I should explain.  As a part of the Shop Hop, each shop put together a quilt block and they give you a pattern if you participate.  There are fabulous door prizes too – the best for which you are entered in the drawing if you go to all 13 shops.  So each shop makes their version of a “Shop Hop Quilt” and many sell kits in case you’d like to make a quilt in their version – using the free patterns from each shop for the blocks.    I hope all that made sense.  I’m writing this late after returning from the all day bus tour.  And remember…. I got up at 6:20.  I’m not responsible for making any sense.

Next stop:  Midlothian!  They won the prize from our bus gang for the “Best Interpretation of the Theme.”  That requires an explanation of the theme of the Shop Hop.  This year the theme is “Rock Around the Block” and each shop’s block was based on a song.  Midlothian’s song was “Going to the Chapel” and their whole shop conveyed the theme well.  They had the song playing.  Each employee was wearing a corsage.  And here is their quilt……

….. complete with wedding dress!  Their block was “Steps to the Altar.”  Cute.

They decorated their refreshment table with their own wedding pictures.  And the little bridal cupcakes each had a wedding ring on top.

There were even chocolate “groom” cupcakes.  And a big bouquet of flowers.  Well done!

They also had a wedding arch above the table where you got your “passport” stamped.  If I’d had my camera I would probably have taken a picture.  But I digress.

Next stop: Burleson!

Look how different their Shop Hop Quilt looks.  What a difference color makes!

Now I have a confession to make.  At about this time in the day, I apparently forgot that my phone was also a camera.  Maybe I was afraid I was going to use up the battery?  The memory card?  I really have no excuse.  But the rest of the day, the only pictures I took were of each Shop Hop Quilt.  But perhaps that’s not a bad thing?  A quilting blog that shows you quilts?

This is the quilt at the shop in Granbury.  They added a totally different center with appliqué.  Nice look!

And this was the quilt at the shop in Weatherford.  All purple and blue batiks.  Striking!

And this quilt greeted us at the shop in Fort Worth.  Their song was “Dancing Queen” and they’d been dancing to that music all day. 

I even failed to get a picture of the quilt at Quilter’s Dream!  But all is not totally lost.  If I go get my camera right now and set it next to my purse, I might remember to take it to work on Saturday and get a picture of the Shop Hop Quilt there.  Although these pics from my Blackberry aren’t too bad, are they?  Our song was “Time in a Bottle.”  Beverly even brought in a phonograph and some old albums to play!

And if you read this early enough on Saturday, there’s still time to join in the fun!  I am not the tour guide on Saturday’s bus, but they will be going to Rockwall, Whitesboro, Gainesville, Keller and two shops in Arlington.  Of course it’s also acceptable to just hop in your car and drive to any or all of the shops.  Each shop is also giving away a fat quarter and you get to choose from all the inventory of FQ’s in each shop!  You can find more information at the website: The North Texas Quilt Shop Hop.

If you go, please take your camera along and take a picture of each of the quilts.  If you email them to me, I’ll put them on the blog next time.  Then we can all enjoy 6 more beautiful quilts.  And while you’re at it, take some pics of the cute little towns, the shop signs and anything else that would make for a good blog.  Apparently I can’t be trusted with blogging without help these days.

Happy with BB pictures,
Barb