Using Your Quilting Resources: Quilt Shops

One of the most overlooked resources that a quilter has is your local quilt shop. Quilt shops offer a wide range of services and information for quilters. In addition to an untold an unending supply of fabric that we all love. Quilt shops are becoming a dying breed thanks to the internet, and I think that we really need to consider shopping whenever we can at our local quilt shops. In my area in particular, we've lost, oh, at least a half a dozen quilt shops over the last two to three years, if not more, and now I have to drive almost an hour in order to get to a quilt shop, which is very, very frustrating. I like to feel the fabric. I like to know what the quality of the fabric is. I like to play with the bolts and move them around and see how they work together. I can't do that on the internet. Although there are times I will admit I do shop the internet due to convenience or a particular product that maybe I can't get it at my local quilt store. Quilt stores also carry all of the accessories and notions and gadgets and gizmos that you can imagine as a quilter. But more importantly, you have knowledgeable staff that can help you decide which ones are right for you to buy and which ones are going to be the most cost effective and which ones are gonna be the ones that you'll really really use. And it's nice to bounce that off of the staff and listen to their advice and guidance. They also sell patterns and books and the staff often will make samples of the different patterns and have them hanging in the shop so that you can see what the quilt actually looks like made up and also be able to buy the exact fabric if you happen to like that particular sample. That's not something you can always do on the internet. And so that's a nice thing to do. Most importantly, the quilt staff is there to help you select fabric, and they are usually very good with putting together different colors and patterns and if you tend to be afraid of color or just don't have confidence in picking out fabric this is a good resource for you to use, is your local quilt shop staff. Another thing is if you don't like picking out fabrics, usually a quilt store will have kits available that are already made up with the right amount of fabric and the pattern so that all you have to do is go home and start sewing. And for a lot of people that just takes a big load off their shoulders, and it's a sigh of relief to just go and find a kit that they like and walk home and immediately have the sense of accomplishment by beginning to sew. So there are a lot of reasons to use your quilt store. And another thing with the quilt stores they will usually have classes for anywhere from beginner to the advanced sewing on a variety of topics, on techniques, on individual quilts that you can gather to make. It's a great place to make new friends. It's a wonderful place to find out about quilt guilds in the local area. So when I say that your local quilt store is a great resource, I'm quite serious. I think you will find that it is a real treasure if you'll take the time and go there and get to know the staff.