iSew Blog: Santa Rosa

I can't believe it's been a week since I blogged! Oh my gosh, I hope you're still here. Sorry about that. I've been suffering from overuse this past week. Meaning, my hands and arms are in a lot of pain and I haven't been able to be on the computer or craft much. I haven't crocheted at all. :( I'm still taking it easy, but I had to check in with you.
I had a really bad farmer's market on Thursday - probably the heat - so Friday I decided to go for a little outing. I can't bear to sit still so I thought it would be a good way to pass some time while I rest my hands.
I started out in Santa Rosa, about 35 miles north of me. I found a couple of fabric shops in my Quilter's Travel Companion that I haven't visited yet. The first shop is called Material Girl. I really liked this shop. It's not huge, but they have an excellent selection. Quite a good mix, not too vintage and not too trendy. Just a bit of everything, which is what I like in a fabric shop. They also had some great vintage aprons and melamine dishes around the shop. I love that kind of stuff, and I love that linoleum floor!
My mission was to find some fabric to make a more trendy version of my Diana Handbag to photograph for the pattern listing. I want to appeal to a broader audience with my patterns, so trendy is a must. My stuff tends to be a little too pretty. I went for a Heather Ross print for the main part of the bag and some coordinating dots & a vintage inspired floral for the rest. I spent a little time cutting out the bag yesterday, but that's about all I could manage with my rubbish hands.
I also visited Beverly's while I was in Santa Rosa. It's more like a JoAnn type store but with more crafty stuff. They do coupons, so I had to stop in & see what I could get. I picked up some new monkeys and a great fabric from the Ginger Blossom collection by Sandi Henderson. I have to say, I'm falling more and more in love with those Ginger Blossom prints. I'm coveting this one right now. It was all I could do to leave it behind in the store. I so don't need more fabric right now. Don't even mention Sandi's new collection, Farmer's Market. Stop it!!
Next, I headed east to Sonoma to see another little quilt shop. It was the cutest little place, set up in an old home off the main road downtown. The Quilted Cottage was very sweet. I love fabric shops in houses. Such a perfect setting. I didn't buy anything, nor do I have pictures, but it was very sweet and worth stopping in if you're in Sonoma. This is a great time of year to drive through wine country, all the grapevines are covered in leaves. I'm so glad I got myself out of the house for the day!