Question about quilt shop offerings...
 

If your local quilt shop offers a "sit and sew" or an event where you can work on finishing a UFO, what name do they call this activity? is it free? and how often does it occur?

my favorite LQS does do a sit and sew. And that is exactly what she calls it, a sit and sew. She usually charges about three dollars to cover the cost of electricity. But she is always there to give a hand if you need some help with something. she usually has a sit and sew
about 3 to 4 times a month.
I belong to a sewing group that meets at the LQS once a month. the owner seems to be a part of our group now. She joins us every month.

My LQS has a few different ones, one is friday night fever and they provide dinner and it cost $20. The other is called BYOP sit and sew and its free on Wednesdays.

Ours also has a 'finish your UFO'. It's more targeted at folks who get to a point in a project then cannot finish because they can't figure the pattern out. There's an instructor who works with you, and it's $15.

One shop has a charity sit and sew, and that is free. There is also a $5 sit and sew where help or advice is available. I think that charging for a sit and sew (other than the evening or all day "party" style events with food extras) kind of defeats the goal of developing a loyal base and comraderie. A goal most businesses have is to "get people in the shop." If you charge for that privilege, the shop doesn't feel so welcoming to me. When people are sewing in the shop, they often need supplies and purchase them convenienty right there.

An alternative to charging a fee might be to have a collection jar or expected fee to be donated to a local quilt related charity. The shop would be passing up an opportunity to collect money for itself, but it would create a lot of goodwill.

Dayle

My LQS is always busy with classes. Whenever I've needed help or just general oversight in case a question came up I just arranged a time to come in and they have a machine ready for me. There are always ladies who need extra guidance with a technique and they are always welcome but there has never been a specific time set up for UFO's. That would be kind of fun and I wouldn't mind paying a fee and making a day of it. I love seeing everyone's projects anyway. Maybe I should suggest the idea to them...

There is one shop here that I know of that has sit and sews one day a week. It is free.

At my LQS, you can use their large workroom upstairs (with prior notification) at any time there's no class or event scheduled. There's a ton of room and lots of tables that can be moved for sandwiching quilts, etc. It gets you away from phones and other interruptions so you can totally concentrate on your project if that's what you need, or it's fun to go with a friend and sew for a few hours in neutral territory. You bring your own machine, etc and it's solo work, not a formal group or class with advice available. The rate is $5 per hour per person.

Our shop has one sunday a month called Sew Far Behind. It's $15 for the day but it's a day the shop is closed and one of the class instructors is there for the day to help people. Usually the people who go are ones that took a class during the season, didn't finish, can't remember what to do next, etc. So having one of the shop instructors there is wonderful.

Each LQS seems to have their own name. Some charge and others are minimal fee only. Ask your LQS if they have such a thing, and if they don't they may well start one. It is good for business. Happy quilters buy a heck of a lot more.