Last Wednesday I had the opportunity to attend the Wednesday potluck at Back Porch Fabrics. Salli has been hosting them for quite a while now. The one thing you can plan on is you never know who is gathering for lunch at these weekly potlucks. This Wednesday was no different. When I pulled up in the driveway there was three large motorcycles parked outside. My first thought was I wonder what a bunch of guys are doing at Salli’s? The bikes were beautiful though and I ventured in. To my surprise when I went in there was only women gathering inside. Anyway it turns out that these three quilting ladies were from Jerome and Twin Falls and decided to take a day ride over to Shoshone to check things out. Apparently the ladies had attended the Shoshone Arts Quilt show last weekend and Salli had invited them to come for lunch and visit her shop. This weeks lunch encluded seven guests, Linda, Jacque, Deanna, Jan, Violet and Salli and I. We all brought great food to share with each other. It was a lot of fun and mostly we spent our time together talking and laughing till we were crying. Then it was time to shop. I had brought with me a couple of art projects to buy the first borders for and I was thrilled there was so many other shoppers there to help me make the choice of color and design. Then the three quilting bikers stowed their fabric in there saddle bags and drove down the lane. Before they left one of them showed me the quilt block pattern painted on the front of her ride and then the words “sew fine” plus a needle and thread on the back. You don’t see that everyday. Salli’s Back Porch Fabric is one of those hidden gems that quilters are always looking for in there quilting travels. I have been shopping at Salli’s for a few years now and have had the opportunity to watch as her quilt shop grow into a wonderful gathering place for women. Her fabric is fabulous and she is very savvy about stocking her notions wall. If you can’t find something she will order it for you if she can find it. Salli wears many hats in her shop. Hair salon and massage therapy are of a couple of them. Last winter she hung up her massage hat and then tore down the walls of the massage room and made it into a nice classroom. Of course this made even more room for her fabric. A couple of years ago she added another little room to house even more fabric. As you can see in the pictures her shop is filled with great items. Probably she has the best western fabric selection I have ever seen. If you have the pleasure of hanging out there in the afternoons you will usually meet the UPS guy who delivers just about everyday and you guessed it he brings more fabric. I am starting to suspect that Salli might secretly be a fabric-aholic. Thank goodness for the rest of us quilters. Of course Violet and I couldn’t wait till she opened the boxes so we could see the new stuff inside. It is like opening up Christmas presents each time the UPS guy shows up. If you haven’t been to Salli’s Back Porch Fabrics yet take the time check it out. It is worth the trip. All and all it was a wonderful quilting day.