Girls' weekend in Fort Smith

This weekend, my dear friend Denise, my daughter Olivia, and I went to visit another dear friend Scarlett in Fort Smith.

In between the gossip, the family updates, and the creative musings, we kicked around town and saw the sights of Fort Smith. Our very first stop was the Fort Smith Regional Airport. Scarlett planned this little outing because she had heard that the airport just a stone's throw from her apartment had it's very own award winning bathroom! And considering how many nasty, smelly, dirty bathrooms we'd all been forced to endure in various public buildings in the past, we HAD to see what an award winning bathroom looked like!

And what a bathroom it was! From the dimensional tile moulding around the ceiling to the buffet-style bank of sinks down the center of the room to the comfy chairs at either end of the room, this was one upscale bathroom! Oh, and the toilets have this little button that will cover the toilet seat with a sheath of thin plastic so that your butt doesn't touch the same plastic as someone else's. Toilet condoms!!

Here's our obligatory group photo, sans me of course because I'm the one taking the picture. I wanted so badly to find someone to take a picture of all of us, but thought better of walking up to a total stranger and asking them to accompany me to the bathroom. Sounded too much like a scandal waiting to happen.

Later that day, Scarlett took us out to Mama's. Mama's is a quilt/fabric store, though I can't remember the full name. I think everyone just calls it Mama's. Scarlett had warned us that it was a bit of a drive to get to Mama's, and she was right! We drove out of town for about 10 minutes, then turned off the highway and drove for another 15. Or maybe longer. I don't know. I do know that it was long enough, and far enough out in the country that I was wondering if Scarlett had made a wrong turn!

But then we rounded a curve, and there it was. A house by the side of the road with a sign on it. (Again, can't remember the name!) We walked in and I immediately understood why people drive out as far as they do in order to go there. Every nook and cranny was filled with fabric, books, notions, and more fabric! Not only was there plenty of selection, but it was GOOD selection! Many quilt stores I've been to stock plenty of novelty fabrics and order whole lines of fabrics because the designer is well known. At Mama's, the fabrics were clearly chosen because of their artistic value. There was not a single "dud" in the entire store! I am now insanely jealous of Scarlett and her access to this treasure trove. I have a feeling I'll be sending money so she can shop for me.

As much as I was tempted to go completely overboard, I practiced some restraint and came away with some gorgeous wool felt (tan, rust, aqua, and coral) for future felt projects and some fat quarters to make some doll clothes for my daughter's doll. They had the most awesome repro prints. The patterns, colors, and scale were all such that the only thing that marked this fabric as not actually vintage was the good condition and the manufacturer's name on the selvedge. Dolly Rachel will have the most dreamy wardrobe!

(I'm currently working on making a little dress out of the yellow and white polka-dot fabric.)