Roada does South Charlotte 6-25-2011

FARTS cannot start without a stop here.

On the Road Again.......Isn't that a song title?

After the obligatory local Starbucks detour 4 friends and I hit the road north to pick up a reserved quilt kit at QBee Quilts, just over the border into North Carolina.  I really wanted to stop at Carowinds, but my arthritic companions wouldn’t hear of getting any where nearer to rollercoasters than seeing them from the main road.  And then I was warned to stop baring my little rodent teeth and to get on with anticipating wallowing in fabric (what am I a hedge pig?).

The new location is airey, bright and beautiful!! Go Visit!!

QBee Quilts has recently moved to a much larger, airy shop next to their old storefront.  Needless to say, far more than one quilt kit was purchased (Joyce won).  I posed with Diane, the owner, as well as my travel companions.

Diane,Judy,Sue,Beth,Roada, and unknown girl

I previously sported only a Quilters of South Carolina earring, I have gained a Velcro bellyband to attach pins to—I now sport the pin for the 2011 Mid Carolina Run Shop Hop (we made it to 5 of the 9 shops in the 2 week run).

Next we went to our favorite I-77 exit (# 85), where there is a wonderful Starbucks, which was passed up on this trip, for lunch at another Baxter Town Center location, ‘Six Pence Pub’.  I was allowed a Bud Lite since I wasn't driving, but they successfully restrained me from attacking the Hawaiian grilled chicken salad.  I was allowed a few crispy “chips” (aka French fries).  If you are ever in the area tell Amy that Roada F. Tripp sent you.

I had to be pulled away from this phone booth. I thought it was a really cool place to visit. I remembered that everyone had cell phones so I really didn't need to use the land line.












We arrived back at our starting point safely and in time for 'Knot Judy' to make her dinner engagement. I did have to inspect all of the bags to make sure that there was no lingering chocolate. Satisfied that I had taken care of all of it, we went our seperate ways, soon to be reunited for another great adventure (I understand that I will be going to Knoxville,TN in a few weeks).

Thanks to Beth and Joyce for transcribing my notes. I had to go take a nap.

Mileage this trip: 160 miles.  Total FART mileage for Roada:  494 miles

P.S. For those of you that think I have used a 'dirty' word, please note that FART stands for 'Fabric Acquisition Road Trip'.

Until next time,

Allow me to introduce myself

Hello, my name is Roada. That would be Roada F. Tripp. I started life as a porcupine,but have morphed into a very special rodent. How I got here is a long story and you really had to 'be there' in order to really 'get it'.

I have several friends and they all seem to be quilters at this point. They are part of this 'group' that have become known as the 'Frayed Knots' of One Loose Thread. It seams as though they stay in the road all of the time. They have sew much fun traveling from quilt shop to quilt shop on what they call a 'Fart'--that would be Fabric Acquisition Road Trip. They spend their time fondling fabric, eating good food, and having an occasional glass of wine/beer. Sometime they even go and meet other quilters and have a sew-in at a church, fabric shop, or quilter's home.

This was my first trip. My friends are Beth, Judy, Joyce, Cheryl, and Jenny took the picture. We started a 'Shop Hop' on Friday June 17. But, first we went to a quilt show in Mooresville, N.C. It was a really good show too. Lots of art quilts with a good mix of traditional quilts. You can view a slide show of some of the quilts over on One Loose Thread, Joyce has set up a 'Smile Box' with pictures of lots of the quilts.
This is how we looked when we met that morning and I was introduced to the group by my 'handler' Beth.

After the quilt show we started a 'Shop Hop'. On that day we shopped at Creative Crafters, Quilters Loft Company, Rene's Quilt Shop, and the Cottage Quilt Shop all in North Carolina. We did stop for lunch and had a great day. When we got back to Columbia we had supper at Stonefire Grill and it was wonderful.

All in all we had a fantastic day. We only stopped at one Starbucks and still managed to make it through the day.

Stay tuned to see what I will be up to in the coming months. I am available to travel with any of my quilting friends. All you have to do is contact Beth through One Loose Thread to set it up.

Until next time,

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