Hey, everyone!

Anyone in the mood for a fall road trip — quilty style? With September just around the corner, the perfect time to start making plans for the 2026 All Wisconsin Shop Hop is literally NOW! Otherwise known as AWISH, this first annual, two-month sewing adventure runs September 1st through October 31st, taking quilters across the state of Wisconsin on a tour of participating quilt shops. Sounds like my kind of fun! And the cherry on top? Primitive Gatherings just so happens to be on the Shop Hop route!

During the hop, stitchers will travel to participating quilt shops throughout Wisconsin and collect a passport stamp at each one they visit. The more shops they visit, the more prizes they’ll be eligible to win! In this particular hop, there’s no purchase required to participate, which means the only thing standing between you and a dang good time is a full tank of gas, some good snacks, and a friend or two who are willing to spend several hours trapped in the car with you!

To get prepared for the big day, you’ll need to pick up your official AWISH passport (you will need to bring it with you to each participating shop to collect your stamp). You can get your passport at any participating shop, OR inside the latest issue of All Wisconsin Shop Hop Magazine, which I highly recommend purchasing. The magazine is an excellent resource for the hop, and includes not only your passport and shop hop guidebook, but also exclusive state and regional maps showing shop locations (only available in the magazine), participating shop information, special shop hop hours, prize listings, and exclusive fabric information. You’ll also find patterns, articles, and additional resources, so it will continue to be a great reference even after the Shop Hop has ended!

Copies of the All Wisconsin Shop Hop Magazine are available now at participating shops as we speak — including Primitive Gatherings — so if you’re planning to join the hop, please feel free to stop in and grab yours as soon as you can! You can also order your copy on our website by clicking the button below. PLEASE NOTE: Youth passports are available for hoppers ages 8—17. Kids can collect stickers from participating shops and mail in their passports for a special youth gift. Please see your copy of All Wisconsin Shop Hop Magazine for full details!

One of the coolest things about this shop hop is the exclusive AWISH fabric collection created just for this event! Designed by QT Fabrics, the collection celebrates Wisconsin with prints featuring some of the things that our state is known for, from scenic landscapes and wildlife to dairyland icons, our state flower, and more (but no mosquitoes or construction cones, strangely enough). BONUS ALERT! There’s even a fabulous 36″ × 43″ panel featuring twelve mini scenic prints to round out the collection. Want to know more? Click HERE to check out the official AWISH 2026 Exclusive Fabric page!

Did someone say prizes? Me! It was me! To sweeten this already fabulous pot, AWISH has hundreds of prizes up for grabs during this event, with opportunities to win based on the number of shops or regions hoppers visit. You can hit five participating shops to qualify for general prizes, complete a whole region for a shot at regional prizes, or really go for the gold and visit every participating shop in the hop for the chance at an All-Event Grand Prize!

There are also halfway prizes and special Bonus Store prizes along the way (check your AWISH Magazine for the full prize list and rules). And speaking of prizes… We’re pretty excited about the prize we’re offering here at Primitive Gatherings — the North Central Region Grand Prize is a three-night retreat for one! Now there’s a darn good reason to make sure Larsen is on your AWISH itinerary!

Of course, what’s a shop hop without something fun to collect along the way? Every participating shop will have its own special 5″ collectible quilt square to give to Shop Hoppers who present their passports. These little squares are not for sale, so the only way to collect them is to hit the road and visit the shops. You can collect a few, collect a bunch, or collect them all. It’s up to you!

In addition to the collectible quilt squares, AWISH added another fun new idea to this Shop Hop adventure with Flat Hoppers! These flat travelers will be making their way from shop to shop throughout the hop. If one happens to be at a shop while you’re there, you’ll have a chance to take a photo with it and the staff. You’ll share your photo on Facebook, tag the AWISH Facebook group and the participating shop’s page, and then take the Flat Hopper along with you to drop off at your next stop. It’s an interesting and unique way to see just how far these guys can travel during a two-month Shop Hop!

So — are you ready to hop? If you’re planning to participate in the shenanigans, the one thing you’ll definitely want to keep an eye on when planning your route is the possibility of special Shop Hop hours. Some shops will have extended hours during the event, and certain regions will also have designated “Shop Hop Sundays” (those dates and hours are listed in the AWISH Magazine, which is another reason I highly recommend getting yourself a copy). Nothing puts a damper on a quilt-shop road trip quite like pulling into the parking lot five minutes after a shop closes! In the case of Primitive Gatherings, our retail shop hours will be as usual on Sundays, which is 11 a.m. — 3:00 p.m.

With quilt shops spread throughout the state, AWISH is a pretty great excuse to get out into the wild and explore some new territory. You might discover a quilt shop you never knew existed, find yourself driving through a part of the state you don’t usually get to, or stumble across a little Wisconsin town you’ve never had a reason to visit before — until now! You just never know.

Well stitchers, I think that covers just about everything you need to know to start planning your AWISH adventure. Lots of details in the process (this post only took me all week to write), but I think it’ll definitely be worth it! As for the rest of my afternoon, I think I’m going to try to sneak out a little early today and take advantage of the gorgeous weather we’re having. We’re right in the sweet spot before things start taking a turn toward colder weather… it’s sunny, the sky is blue, and we’re sitting at about 83 degrees with tolerable humidity levels for once — pretty much perfect in my book! I don’t have any big plans for the weekend, either. I’m just going to spend as much time outside as I can while I still can. There aren’t too many days like this left before Wisconsin remembers that it’s Wisconsin and Old Man Winter comes knocking. Have a great weekend, everyone. I’ll see you soon! ~Lisa