Quilting in Monterey

This weekend our family friends took us for a vacation in the Monterey, California area.

We had a lot of fun and spend some quality time together, away from the noise of real life.  

My favorite part was taking photos at Point Lobos, which is land set aside for conservation as a state preserve.  Tons of animals, including sea lions and their babies.  Cute, although they still smell like sea lions!

You can see many photos of this place online, they will give you a feel for how dramatic it is.  Hiking around is not difficult, but it was a little tricky for our 3 yr old at times due to uneven ground and rocks.

Not far from there is the town Monterey, where we ended up playing around a little bit.

Here's the scoop:

1)  Quilting: Back Porch Fabric 

(photo above)

Great selection of fabrics.  Very friendly staff.  Tons of Kaffe Fassett Fabric.  Quilts hanging up on the walls are clean looking and inspirational.

Best Find: awesome selection of batting, my favorite kind was there for the taking - Quilters Dream in request (super thin) loft.  Also loved some fish themed fabric by Anna Griffin.  Lastly, near the counter, they have hand blown glass seam rippers.  I didn't buy one since I would lose it, but they were beautiful.

2)  Knitting and Spinning:  Monarch Knitting and Quilts

Large shop, excellent collection of various kinds of yarn, tools, books, and supplies for spinning.  Not a huge selection of fiber that is pre-dyed, but lots of un-dyed fiber and huge selection of acid dyes.  The shop itself has 2 dogs that seemed to spend a lot of time there, very cute.  Staff was extremely friendly and informative.

Best find:  Kromski Spinning Wheel Oil - very long nozzle for getting in those hard to reach places of your spinning wheel.  Super cool.  $8.

3)  Lunching: Victorian Corner

Cozy lunch spot with American food, sandwiches, salads, and they offered us a choice between both breakfast and lunch menus.

Best find: Meatball Sandwich - home made sauce.  Don't miss it.  2nd generation family business, yummy food, friendly service, great for families and super cute vibe.