The hunt for batting

I finished the vintage block quilt!

Yesterday, we went on the hunt for 80/20 batting. The journey took us to Gainsville and the JoAnns there. Imagine my glee when I saw the batting was 50% off! Yippee!! I got it for what I would have paid wholesale, without the shipping! The interfacing was also on sale, so I bought another bolt of the lightweight fusable for tee shirt quilt making.

On the way home, we stopped at the top of Blood Mountain where the Appalachian Trail crosses through a man made structure the only time in it's 2175 mile path. There is a way station there for the hikers with supplies, overnight cabins and hot showers, as well as a swell gift shop. They sell tee shirts with many designs about the trail and hiking, all sorts of hiking gear and shoes and other bric-a-brac for casual shoppers like us. Tim was enamored with a ceramic vessel that looks like it is carved from a log. I got it for him, and it now lives by the fireplace.

Tim's new acquisition next to Tippie, the door stop dog.

Check out the history of this place here: http://www.mountaincrossings.com/aboutus.asp

The story of the building and the owners is wonderful.

Here are a couple of pics I took with my phone. Not as nice as I would like, but you get the drift.

There was a bike ride happening on the road over Blood Mountain...crazy fit people riding UP the 3100 foot peak on the ridiculously winding road. This guy was alone, but we passed groups of three or four together as well.

The actual name of the trail stop is Neel Gap. The building is called Walasi-yi Interpretive Center.

The long range views are breathtaking.

I would hate to get lost out there...a whole lot of woods.

The resident cat even has its own postcards.

junk collage outside the entrance.

The center was built in the 1930 by a logging company and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.

When we got home, I immediately went to work on the customer sampler that needed the 80/20 batting. The stitch in the ditch is done as well as the background fill on most of the blocks. I hope to get it finished (or almost finished) today, so I had better stop blogging and get to work!