sooooo hard....

not to buy any fabric right now.... i'm participating in the september fabshophop and i see so many fabrics and patterns and cool tools i want to snag. but i can't. i have to be good so i can spend my money at the international quilt show in 2 1/2 weeks. my hubby and my MIL will be with me this year, so i may get good things from them BUT i may have to limit myself at the same time because of my hubby. ooh. dilemma.

and the inter-gem show is the weekend before the inter-quilt show. shoot! must save...must save... trying to buy house... although, i do have some fabulous bright/deep blue hayunes on lay-a-way with my favorite gem cutter and i plan on picking them up at the october show. too bad they're loose and not set yet so i can't wear them to the mfah's fall bash later that night.

at least i'm doing some xmas fabric stash busting with john's quilt-along. lots o' fabrics that have been taking up storage tub space for 4-5+ years. i'd say it made room for new fabrics at the quilt show, but i've already filled that space. *gasp!!!* i know. i'm bad. i have an addiction i tell ya!

oh alex....

step-by-step

seriously...this man speaks to my heart. and so does robert kaufman. i stumbled across this fabric by alexander henry while shop-hopping before the end of the month. i neeeeeed this one. not really, but i really really want it. i have a black & white quilt started (and by started i mean the two sized squares are cut out and now it's sitting in a bag...it's paper piecing and i've never done it and it's circles for crying out loud). this one could be the backing. i have binding, but no backing yet. hmm...

i've been really good. ok - so sort of good. i have refrained from purchasing too much fabric this month and trying not to start projects, but finish them for the spring challenge. i've purchased some, but not as much as i wanted to. i put things in the virtual cart, but then leave.

shop hop

i read about the fab shop hop late last year in one of my quilting magazines - i think it was a fons & porter, but could have been a mccall's. it's at home and i'm at work... anyways, i've been meaning to check it out ever since then and register (but you guessed it!). so i just registered and there is a shop hop happening right now that ends tomorrow. it's not too late to register. find the clever bunny on another page and you can register for a prize from their site.

so i'm poking around and the people at fab shop hop suggest you start your "hopping" by the first letter of your last name. they have it all cleverly divided for you. i've already started to find some great online stores and be sure, i'll be back to them. of course, i have my favorites and will always shop at them, but it gives me some inspiration. one of my finds is the material girls in dearborn, mi. my family is from the detroit suburbs, so this one made me smile. i'll have to stop in sometime when i'm visiting. they've got some really awesome art fabrics and silks.

i have a huge list of shops not visited on the members page. who knew there were THAT many online stores? they did...