Planning a Fall Adventure

I am getting ready to take a long fall drive this weekend through the Northeast, U.S. and I hope to try out my new digital camera on some beautiful foliage. I am especially excited because this area is famous for great fall drives, but even more exciting is the purpose of my trip! I am headed off to Lewisburg, PA for a fun fall outing with my sister, Amy. Last spring we made this trip and we had the best time exploring the antique malls. Located in central Pennsylvania, on the West Branch Susquehanna River, Lewisburg is northwest of Harrisburg. It is home to Bucknell University and its 19th century downtown was recently placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Leftover from its bygone river era the town has many old buildings and warehouses that have been transformed into wonderful Antique Malls. Last spring we ended up spending the better part of a Saturday afternoon inside one such mall. It is called The Famous Street of Shops and I am pretty sure we plan to head back there again this Saturday.We garnered some great finds at this location and we are hoping to repeat the experience.

One thing I learned last spring is that when I see something that I think I want, I need to go ahead and buy it! I learned the hard way not to ponder the purchase and tell myself that I might see something better. Every time that happens I regret not making the purchase because as a crafter I keep getting visions of what I could have done with all of those items. I have 3 in my mind right now that I keep kicking myself over. This part of the country is home to many of these small cities and towns and the people are friendly and the prices and finds are fantastic!

On our 2nd day at one such location, my sister came across a great find. It was a $3.00 quilt top that was clearly quite old, and a little tattered, but full of charm. It looked to be a very old child's quilt top - we thought maybe for a doll or a bassinet. It was missing the batting and bottom and was very old, but the fine pattern and fabrics were remarkable so she bought it. Aside from being an accomplished quilter, she belongs to Endless Mountain Quilt Guild so naturally she has a huge interest in all things quilt related so she figured she could probably re-purpose the piece into something quite spectacular.

A few months after the trip she shared this special purchase with her guild and it sparked a good bit of excitement. As it turns out, this may be a very special find indeed and it is exactly the reason I say don't hesitate on a purchase that your gut says you should make but your mind tells you to pass up. It may be pre-civil war and she is in the process of digging into this further with a quilt appraiser. I will keep you posted, but here is a glimpse of this precious find.

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We also spent a few hours shopping downtown Market Street. Here we found the finest 2nd hand clothing store I have ever been in and the other reason we were there - The Beckoning Cat. If you have fabric stash issues, you definitely need to stay out of this shop! They specialize in beautiful fabric from Japan for quilting, clothing, and interiors. And they also offer a unique assortment of jewelry, purses, ornaments and vintage treasures - ALL with a Japanese flavor! Well, needless to say, we both dropped a good chunk of change in this store and I haven't even touched my fabrics yet! But I do have some great ideas, so I guess you will just have to keep an eye on my shops and see if they show up some time in the near future!

So as the excitement builds for me I have visions of those special antique salt and pepper shakers and great pieces of Hull or McCoy pottery and I can't wait!