Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Calle del Algodon

Calle del Algodon - do you know what that means????

Street of COTTON!!!  I was wandering around the historic part of Quito that houses the Centro Comercial, and happened upon this street sign.  Above the sign was...

...wait for it...

A QUILT BLOCK MADE FROM TILES!  (Sorry, no photo.  When I am wandering around alone, I never bring the camera - don't want to mark myself as a tourist any more than necessary.)

I thought for sure, I had found heaven on earth.  I looked down the street to see storefront after storefront of FABRIC!

But it wasn't heaven on earth.  It was like purgatory.  A teaser for what could have been.  There were lots of beautiful fabrics, but NONE were 100% cotton.  Not a one!  I felt everything that caught my eye, and got very good at asking, "No tiene tela de cien por ciento de algodon?"  Unfortunately, they all shook their heads no, and proceeded to show me some lovely knit or shiny cotton/poly mix.  Oh well.

In between the fabric stores were tucked little stores of trim and thread and buttons.  I was drawn in and pored over the buttons for quite a while before settling on these big black ones that remind me of wheels - I can see using them to embellish a kid quilt.

The coin is a dollar coin, placed there for reference - these are big buttons!
And then I saw the perle cotton.  Lots and lots of perle cotton.  I've been wanting to buy some, but I haven't found it anywhere near me, and it seems silly to me to pay postage for it if I buy it online.  So I inquired about the price.  Sixty-five cents for a ball of 95 yards of #8 perle cotton!  I've never bought it before, but that seemed like a steal to me!  I was drawn to the variegated ones, so I picked out five to buy.
I've never heard of Rose Brand, but frankly, I don't care!
Back in my room, I looked online to price them, and I'm finding them for anywhere from $2.29 to $3.50.  Can I just say I'll be headed back to that part of town to pick up some more in solid colors!  Some for me, and some to share in my little "help me figure out how to quilt this" giveaway.  If you've not yet put your two cents in, I encourage you to visit that post and comment.  Not only will there be chocolate covered coffee beans, but now there will also be #8 perle cotton for the winner!  And I'm not done shopping yet!

I did pick up some more trinkets to share around the office at home and put into some Christmas stockings - some colorful leather change purses
I'm not sure yet which one I'll save for me.  Maybe the black and orange?  Or maybe the green and brown?
and some more earrings (I love cheap earrings!!!).  These are made from Tagua, some kind of nut or seed that is indigenous to Ecuador.
I love the ones with the trees!
OK, off to bed to do some more quilting before I sleep like the dead.  The air is thin here at 10,000 feet above sea level, so I yawn A LOT and sleep very well.  Just three more nights until I get to sleep in my own bed!

10 comments:

The Cozy Quilter said...

looks like a fun little shopping trip! The tree earrings are interesting.

Vroomans' Quilts said...

I have loved all the 'share' on your travels. Love those large buttons. And yes, you did get a spectacular find on the perle cotton.

Char said...

Oh my goodness what a steal! I sure wish I was with you. I just ordered Perle cotton from Joann on sale with free shipping and it cost me $2.09 each. It's so hard to find here unless you want red, white or black.
Love the buttons. Have fun!

Gill said...

What fun you're having! Thank you for sharing your finds! I love the little purses - and the threads seem a good buy, we pay around £1 a ball plus shipping here in the UK

Caz said...

Ooh,, some lovely bargains. I like the look of the perle cotton,, specially the lilac one!!

Anonymous said...

What fun it looks like you are having...if you go back to the perle cotton place, can I put in an order for solid green, blue, yellow? Will reimburse...I've been eyeing perle cotton for applique since spring but haven't purchased any, yet. Love hearing of your travels.

beth said...

I hope you have room for a travel companion next time you go to Quito! Sounds like so much fun!

Cheryl's Teapots2Quilting said...

Isn't it fun to find such treasures when you aren't expecting to? Keep having fun!

Sharon said...

Looks like you are having a great time. I'm jealous!

StitchinByTheLake said...

While I was in Colorado last week I bought a little plaque for my house that has that exact tree on it! Or maybe not that exact, but almost. :) blessings, marlene