Friday, July 22, 2016

Day 4 and 5: All Caught Up!

Ahhhhh! So I finally have a day off and can focus on this project 100%!

I went to a "chain" fabric store last night (posted a couple of shots to Instagram, check it out!!) and picked up some new fabric - because when can you go into a fabric store and **NOT** pick up some new fabric?? - as well as a pattern for a caftan dress that I am dying to wear this summer.

One of the posts I made to Instagram was commented on by a follower that I had posted a picture from a "chain store", with a somewhat snarky emoji. I was shocked! I live about an hour outside of the center of Los Angeles and I don't think we have any local quilting stores (or if we do I don't know about them) and I only had a few minutes after work yesterday to stop in for some inspiration. It makes me sad to think that in this day and age, we can find something so small to pass judgment on!

For those of you who do not have a local, small business owner-type quilt shop to spend your money in, what do you do? Do you shop at the (gasp!!) chain stores? Or order online? Swap with friends? I am very interested, because I know that, for me at least, some of us must not have a big quilty community that we can rely on easily at our disposal. I have found a lot of inspiration online - through Pinterest, Instagram, online forums, etc - and I am so grateful for that!

Make a comment below - or jump over to IG to comment there - if you support your online quilty sisters (and brothers!) no matter where they shop!

Be kind to each other,
Courtney

4 comments:

  1. I shop wherever I'm able to get what I want or need. I also don't have a local quilt shop. I will shop online or at Joann's (OMG!) when I'm near one. Don't pay any mind to quilting snobs. Oh yeah, I don't use Aurifil thread either, shoot me!

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  2. I have two quilt shops close by but don't always shop there. I look for sales at my favourite online stores and try to just buy from Canadian online shops. Pay no attention to negative remarks, we shop where we can.

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  3. Some people are just mealy mouthed mean! People shop where they need and want and fabric is fabric and addictive; people shouldn't pass judgement with or without all the facts; yes small stores are finding it hard but so are we. Some people just have too much time on their hand, what's the saying 'if you can't say something nice don't say anything!' I don't use aurifil either; don't see it much in the UK and too pricey for me too. Keep shopping!

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  4. I respect your right to buy whatever you want to at whatever shop you choose. I have lived in southern CA for thirty years and over that time I have seen many quilt shops go out of business. Some people retired yet some shop owners closed as they couldn't compete with the chain stores and increased online shopping. Plus, there were a couple years when my quilting friends shopped from their stashes. A few years ago I could shop at eight quilt shops - some as close as ten minutes away or as far away as an hour. Today there are three. I try to support these quilt shops as they provide me with info., answer questions, help me find what I'm looking for, and greet me by name. My favorite quilt shop is thirty minutes away. This shop supports all of the local quilt guilds by offering their wokshop space for the guilds' workshops and philanthropy sew days. They give prizes for monthly door prizes at guild meetings, a 25% birthday discount, and give a $25 gift card for every $250 spent at the shop. If I take a class there and then go home and have trouble, the shop personnel help me. Yes, I am spoiled by this shop and by my ability to choose to shop there. Yes, I get the chain store coupons and do visit them occasionally and use the coupons for notions. Whenever possible, choose a quilt shop so there will be some still left in business. Even small purchases made there on a regular basis will help them. Thank you for letting me share my point of view. Sewing has enriched my life in so many ways that I encourage everyone to learn to sew and experience the pleasures.

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