Found in Maine

     On our vacation, I was looking for a large thimble. I recently decided to do big stitch hand quilting on my colorwash quilt after seeing how someone had quilted this way on one of Wanda's quilts. Locally, I could not find size 8 pearl cotton or needles to do this. My old thimble is way too small. Joann's had white, black and ecru in the store, but nothing else. 
     I visited Knight's Quilt shop in Cape Neddick, Maine, but found nothing to help me or any different fabric to tempt me. I visited a needlework shop in Kennebunkport with no success except to get the name of a wool store in Kennebunk. I bought a needle threader there that does not fit the eye of the needles I had bought online which I can't get the pearl cotton through.
     Camp Wool, in Kennebunk, was a great store and the owner was terrific. She had DMC and Valdani pearl cotton in many colors at a reasonable price. I bought some gold chenille needles there that are easy to thread, but are a little thick and harder to pull through the fabric. She carries tons of wool for applique and such, but no thimbles. She was a great help. She also had some cotton fabric there, and I bought a precut half yard of coffee cups and fat quarters of handwriting. If they were on a bolt, I would have bought more. 
     I really prefer to buy my supplies from brick and mortar stores, but it is so hard to find what I want. I like to see the real colors and textures. I lost two local quilt stores in the last year.

Handquilting I did on vacation, much more to go. But now I have different colors.