Fabric-a-palooza or ROADTRIPING on April Fool's Day!

The weather was good and I got this idea in my head.  My cousins had told me about this "wicked cool" place to shop for fabric in Maine.  Yes. Maine.  The good news is that the part of Maine I was heading to was only 2 hours away.  Okay, 1 hour and 57 minutes.

I dropped off my grandson at school, left off some packages at the post office, put on my sunglasses and set "Jack" (our GPS) for 1247 Main St, Sanford, Maine and Marden's Discount Store.  There was a certain element of risk.  I'd never been - what was I in for?  Were they going to have anything I liked?  Would the price be "right"?  Why on earth was I driving 2 hours for this?

Oh well... the day was absolutely gorgeous - FINALLY spring!  (Must have been my door decoration!) Even if the shopping trip was a bust, I thought I'd try and find a quilt shop or two and share that with you all and have lunch out.  What the heck, let's just consider it an adventure!

I pulled up to what was, for all intensive purposes, an unassuming building in a strip mall.  Okay.  No worries.  I saw a quilt shop on the way up back in Rochester - I can totally hit there and maybe Johnson's for lunch?  I was a woman with a plan.  I checked my phone: it was 11:00 - see what they have and back on the road by lunch!  Yup.  I got this.

My first thought was "Building 19 1/2" - for those of you from New England.  Lots and lots of stuff.  I wandered a bit through the aisles - kind of overwhelmed and wondered "Where's the fabric?  Is it just a couple of bolts somewhere?"

Then, I found it.  And Bonnie found me.  Me?  I found a new friend.  And a new "happy place."  A REALLY cool "happy place."

This is Bonnie: she's like your sister, you best friend and hairdresser, all rolled into one!  She made me feel right at home as soon as I walked into Marden's fabric world.  Something happened when I crossed over the line that separates the fabrics from the rest of the store.  I felt like I was transported to a land of fun and beautiful things.

I became, a Material Girl.  Oh yes, a very material girl.  First I filled the cart with bolts.  Then, I turned the corner and discovered their "rems" --->  OMG!!  Exactly what I was looking for!  In my mind, I saw the chance to buy some smaller amounts (vs the 15-20 yard bolts I usually purchase on my buying trips down south of Boston) in oodles of lovely fabrics!  It was like they knew exactly what I needed.  Oh... sigh....

I had so much fun talking to Bonnie (remember: sister, BFF and hairdresser all in one...) and we had such a great time talking about different types of fabric that I kept putting MORE in the cart till it would hold NO MORE!

I brought home MOSTLY quilt shop cottons, but I've got some other WICKED cool things like Babyville PUL (for diapers and wet clothing bags!) and some gorgeous Free Spirit to make lunch bags or ponchos! OMG!  And snaps to do those cool re-useable towels.  And thread by the cone.  And... right, you get the idea.

So here's the back of my car - oh the joy of it! 

And YOU, you my friends who shop my eBay and Etsy shops?  YOU will get to see these fabrics FOR SALE!  "OH a listing we will go... a listing we will go..."

The adventure and fun didn't end there.  Oh no, there's more!  My tank was at about 1/4 full.  It's 2 hours back home, so, gotta hit a gas station.  Then I saw it: a Cumbies (Cumberland Farm) with gas for $3.39.  What?  Did I read that right?  It's 20 cents more/gallon at home! Here's the proof:

It gets even better.  That quick trip in Marden's?  It turned into a 2 hour venture.  Now it's lunch time and this lady also needs a quick restroom break.  Dunkin' it is.  Ahhh.... caramel iced coffee and oh.. what is that?  Dunkin' had GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICHES?  On thick bread?  With lots of cheese?  NO WAY!

Yes way and again, here's the proof:

My day was complete. 

Time to head home with my purchases.  And to start listing.  But first, I have a sandwich to eat.  :)

Thanks goes out to Bonnie who made my first trip to Marden's absolutely NOT my last!  Hugs!

Carrie