The trip took a day and a half but it's taken me 10 days to get the highlights posted!
When we were together last it was Thursday morning and I was headed out of Kalona, Iowa on my way back home. By rights since I had driven over an hour east of Des Moines the evening before, if I was leaving in the morning I should have made it home by noon. HA HA HA!!! Look I made a funny! No quilter worth her weight in fat quarters never, ever travels in a straight line when there are shopping opportunities along the way, or along a short detour from the way.
You know, like down a gravel road, which was off a gravel road,over the creek, turn at the big barn, heading for the location circled in purple highlighter by the nice lady at the hotel. Turns out there it is - JK Creative Wood Gifts.
They made FABULOUS wood items including custom laser engraving, along with selling local artists work including hand quilted quilts! I found this great wooden trivet in the clearance area but I won't be putting anything hot on it. It may even be a future quilt inspiration but in the meantime it decorates the shelf in the sewing area.
Back on Interstate 80 heading east, I stopped at a rest area decorated in Quilt Blocks!! Actually the rest stop commemorates Cedar County's history in the Underground Railroad and the role quilts played in communication along the way. Here's the outside.
They even have blocks laid into the floor inside the building.
And the Women's Restroom entrance wall.
A little further down the rode I spied a billboard advertising a Quilt Shop. Oh no way am I missing that. I pulled off to fill up the gas tank and googled the shop. Oh - how convenient! Expressions in Threads was right off I-80 on the west bank of the Mississippi in LeClaire, Iowa. Since I was planning on stopping in LeClaire for an entirely different reason (more on the down below), this was fate!
Really nice quilt shop, with a friendly & helpful staff. I bought a few batiks and some solids and then strolled around the corner & up the hill a half block to... Antique Archaeology.
For those of you who watch American Pickers on the History Channel, you'll recognize this as the home base of picker Mike Wolfe. I stopped and picked the pickers! Who, by the way, are adding a new building to their property.
As you can see by this picture, the rain was moving in so it was time for me to be moving on toward home. Only stopping again when necessary - food, gas, restroom - I made it home about 4:30 pm Central Time - 37 hours after I started this road trip! Thanks for riding along.
