50 States, Day 114


50 States, Day 114, Indianapolis to Wilmington, Ohio. 156 Miles 

"Those who are the hardest to love, are the ones who need it the most."
~Dan Millman


 

We said goodbye to Indiana, but the excellent ride left us enjoying it even more. Two lane roads climbed up and down rolling hills with deciduous trees on either side, interrupted with farms. Good stuff, except the dead corn. Take the photo and multiply it by twelve. 
States.



We eased through a small town and both of us spotted a quilt shop. Slam on the brakes and take a tour of 'In Stitches Quilt Shop.' For a quilter widower, this turned out to be a great stop, as Cathy (the owner) and I talked shop. I've started and owned ten businesses, so I love to talk about biz.



She bought the shop instead of leasing, as the strip mall spots were five times the mortgage payment. And the place had history as a restaurant and a bar. It closed last because of a bar fight ending in murder. The bank had repossessed the building two times already. They must love Cathy. She's got a great shop, with another section she rents to a long arm quilter (the machine has a long arm, not the quilter), which makes for great synergy. I could have talked to her all day. Unusual for me in a quilt shop! QG will write about the quilt side of it below.
Ohio greeted us with more rolling roads and the tour maps promised scenic byways galore. This could be more of a riding state. We rode into Cincinnati (ugh- freeways, cars, trucks and concrete.) and toured the William Howard Taft Museum. Here's a test:
William Howard Taft was:
1.) A solicitor general
2.) A Supreme Court judge
3.) 27th President of the United States.
4.) Responsible for the successful completion of the Panama Canal
5.) Responsible for making the Philippines a democracy.




The answer is all of the above. Pretty cool tour, along with a look through his house, too.
We headed out, crawling along the freeway in rush hour traffic. Soon it opened up and we snuck out on a rural highway to (PP!)Thousand Trails Wilmington. We may run up to Columbus to the Capitol and return for a two night stretch. We are liking those. And now, give her a big hand, for the first time in Ohio... ladies and gentlemen... Quilter Girl!



The quilt store was a wonderful place. There were lots of quilts on the walls and the fabrics were displayed with samples, panels in a couple of rooms. It was a feast for the eyes and it spelled trouble for a motorcycle riding quilter. No race car fabric here either, I know there has to be some somewhere. There were lots of different panels, including an animal alphabet panel that I really wanted. There was a box of fat quarters on sale that were almost solid colors that would make a wonderful quilt. Where would I put them? In the end
, I got a couple of fat quarters and a remnant. Cathy showed us her classroom while we were there. There is room for each student to have a six foot table to themselves. Class envy of a new kind. I loved the store and someday hope to go back.
QG.
See the previous post for Special Feature Day 2 of the Racing Museum.


 






3 comments:

Mel Nason said...

I hope "In Stitches" doesn't have to close because of a fight over material things that ends in murder...

By the way, what is/are "fat quarters"? Sounds like something one might find in a coin shop or butcher shop, but in a fabric shop?! Really?! Please explain!

Unknown said...

A fat quarter is half of a half yard, but instead of cutting it 9 x 40, they cut it 18 x 20, hence a quarter yard, the fat way. Still when you say fat quarter, people line up for a Weight Watchers meeting.

Mel Nason said...

I was feeling somewhat guilty for asking about fat quarters, but thanks to your definitive answer, I feel more quilty now. Thanks for the help!