Sewtopia Orlando--Part 2

 Sewtopia Shop Hop in Orlando was a lot of fun.  We had a great bus driver, Ron, who had never had a bunch of quilters before, so he asked a lot of questions, which was very entertaining.  Our first stop was The Sewing Studio in Maitland, Florida, near Tampa.  

It was a very large shop with plenty of fabric selections and also notions and sewing machines.  I bought a bunch of fat quarters---after telling my sister I didn't need any more fat quarters!  But they are a scrappy quilt lover's staple.  I concentrated on rebuilding my neutrals stash, which always gets depleted fast.  After shopping I wandered out to the parking lot with a few other folks.  Florida, of course, is very green due to plenty of rain, and the flora quite different from California, except for the many oak trees. 

This scene of vines overtaking a large tree and palms popping up everywhere was repeated many other places.  

I was attracted to this leaf shape, so unusual.  No idea of the plant species. We soon boarded the bus and made our way to Winter Haven.  This is a popular tourist destination, which has a charming shopping district and was our lunch stop--a last minute addition was the flagship Rifle Paper Company store.  I love Rifle Paper products and the shop had a large room of bargains.  There were even some fabric selections to pick up. I was impressed by the hand painted mural by the company founder, Anna Bond.

Lunch options were plentiful--my sister and I chose Pepe's Cantino and had a terrific meal and service.  I had carnitas tacos and Kathy had stuffed avocados.  We took a short walk afterwards until it was time to board the bus again. 

It was a surprise to see these gargoyles! 

Lots of folks were enjoying the shopping and ambiance. 

I also liked this unusual octagon building....

..and this covered stair entrance to a basement hair studio under another Oak. Before our time ran out, I scooted over to a park square where I had spotted an unusual dog I wanted a photo of. 

I though this was a balloon animal but it was more complex than I imagined...

...it was a Molecular Dog :)

Our final stop was The Quilt Place, in Orlando.  Another shop with great selection and service.  I liked their large precut yardage and sale bolts, large notions area and cookies!  Our group returned to the hotel happily loaded with purchases.  The sewing room opened later and we all got started on our projects--with a pajama party until midnight after a welcome reception!  I'll make another post of our sewing efforts, our trunk show by Carolyn Friedlander, and all the loot I hauled home.