We shopped until we dropped and its all BULL!

Above is all the free or won items we got.  It includes 8 FQ, 5-6 Fat Eights, 2 patterns.  Some of these ranged from funny (the orange one with a pumpkin wearing a mask was Tanya's Get out of Jail prize) and the little cars and horns on top left (Dick and Jane) was Julia's Prize.  The top 3 were the finishing prize for the Wasatch Shop Hop, so most likely will have a few things I will give away over the next few months.  The Watermelon pattern we also got as a finish prize for the family finishing the 3 passports.  All in all a great time.  The 2 pins, green and pink Tanya and I won for dropping thimbles and bobbins into a milk jug. 

Here is our pile of papers with a million patterns on them.  We got a paper or 3, from almost every one of the 31 shops we visited.

Now these 3 piles of stash are what we bought (yes so much it would not fit on a single table) You can see in this top one there are 20 or so prints from the reunion line.  We have a variety of purples, a pile of fun dots and other fun prints, various Norman Rockwell era scout prints etc.  My wife had thought we could list all the stashes and make people  guess who bought what. That is no fun.  I will tell you the HUGE pile at the top was Tanya's shopping.  She kept telling me after each of the Reunion prints she bought that they were for me,  I wanted them.  Then keep adding to the lists of projects I will make for her out of it. Clearly they are all hers.  I just have a honey do list that is fun to do. Although I have been hinting about them for several months now. 

This next pile of fabrics are what I picked.  Granted I love the reunion above, but I got 9 of the Ghastly prints (I will buy more when my wife is not looking), but for now that's a good start.  I want to make 2 quilts one to sell (or keep, can't decide) and one for one of my sister in laws that would get a kick out of them.  The blue green and red prints on bottom left will go with the 2 lizards on the top right (Oh she bought another half yard of that on Saturday, I forgot to take picture of that) for one of the nephews.  I added 5 more batiks to my collection.  The top most was a clearance one, its 3 or so yards at just about 3 bucks a yard pretty good buy.  I got 3 of the bee block patterns and materials just because I thought  they were too cute to resist.  I bought 3 patterns (one of which is a Ghastly skirt pattern). I don't want to make the skirt, but I figured I would look for someone that can make skirt and trade them a quilt top or something for them making me the skirt for Julia ( for next year when she is big enough to wear it) (Hint, Hint anyone want to trade skirt making for quilt or quilt top making?)  I think in one of my other posts I mentioned the 2 Temple patterns I got and the bottom left is a cute pillow case pattern.  My wife wants us to make pillow cases for some step nieces and nephews for Christmas gifts and figured if I bought a kit to make one I could then make a few dozen more after (there are only 17 or so of them).

This pile is what Rebecca bought.  The dots at the top and the 2 materials bottom left is for that baby pattern she is going to make something for a neighbor that is pregnant with a baby girl.

OK now for the BULL!!  In the LAST shop we entered my wife pointed out some bag's on top of the shelves.  The shop was Floyd and Lizzie's,I like the shop and they had some fantastic batik's.

The bags though is what excited me.  I love surprises (as long as it is not a gift for Christmas or my Birthday)(My wife would argue this) and I love a challenge.  They are having a contest called the "Beautiful Swan Quilt Contest" and the point of the contest is to discover the joy of turning the ugly ducklings into a Beautiful Swan.  The bags are bought sight unseen for $20 dollars.  You get 4 1 yard selections of fabric and you have to make a quilt that uses 80% or more of all 4 of your fabrics on the front side of your quilt.  The contest ends next May.  I grabbed a bag (Lucky 7 or so I told myself) and wandered out to the car.  I looked into the bag and though "YES!!!!!!!!"

On the top of the bag were some pretty butterflies, blue flowers, and some blue and yellow flowers.  I handed the bag to my wife and told her she would love them and it was not so bad.  So she pulls them out and saw the fabric hidden at the bottom.

I think it took my wife 5 minutes to stop laughing.  I can of course handle any challenge.  This is a real one.  I have to make a quilt with butterflies, flowers, and Bulls.  Hum!  If you have any thoughts let me know.  As for me I already came up with a great plan, but I want to hear your thoughts.

So any way "It's all Bull's and and Flowers" here at the Healey house.  I have enough new material for 10 quilts (minus batting).  So expect to see new projects in the next few weeks. Wish me luck in the 31 drawings I entered.  The one I want the most of course is the grand prize of the sewing machine.  Boy oh boy could I use it now.