Hop through quilt shops to collect patterns, prizes

Do you like to quilt till you wilt?

Do you want to shop till you drop?

Or are you simply a chick who likes flicks?

If any of these apply, the Wasatch Front Sixth Annual Quilt Shop Hop 2006 is the place to be.

Running Wednesday through June 24, the hop features 15 quilt shops, stretching from Providence to Springville. The theme this year is "Everyone's a Star," and each shop will be focusing on a different movie, explains Sandy Workman of Pine Needles. Workman is president of this year's hop committee.

The shop hop was started to help quilters learn about the diversity and differences in local quilt shops, she says. "Each store has a unique feeling, and we encourage quilters to go beyond their favorite store to check out the others."

The hop is also a lot of fun. "We have people from all over the state, even groups from Idaho and Wyoming, that come." Each of the stores gives away prizes, and people who visit all the stores are entered into a grand-prize drawing for one of two Pfaff quilting machines, gift certificates, sewing-machine carriers and other prizes. "Last year, one in five people who completed the hop won prizes," says Workman.

Plus, each store will have a star block pattern to give to all participants. The patterns can be put together to make one big quilt. In addition, each store will use its own pattern to make a quilt built around a specific movie theme.

For Pine Needles, the movie is "Blue Hawaii," the old Elvis classic, says Workman. A sampling of others includes "Breakfast at Tiffany's" at Corn Wagon Quilt Co., "Little Women" at Red Rooster, "Grease" at Elaine's Quilt Block, "Viva Las Vegas!" at Quilts Etc., "The Wizard of Oz" at Pipers and "The Work and the Glory" at Mormon Handicraft.

Each store will have a quilt, refreshments and decorations based on its theme. Participating shops:

1. Village Dry Goods, 96 S. Main, Brigham City

2. Red Rooster Quilts & Treasures, 517 W. 100 North, Providence

3. Gardiner's Sew & Quilt, 3789 Wall Ave., Ogden

4. Threads of Time, 158 Parrish Lane, Centerville

5. Quilter's Haven, 583 S. 2600 South, Bountiful

6. Mormon Handicraft, 2601 E. Sunnyside Ave., Salt Lake City

7. Sew Sweet, 289 N. Main, Tooele