Mary Ellen Hopkins once told a story about a new customer in her store (Crazy Lady and Friends in Santa Monica years and years ago). Seems this new customer came in with grocery bags in hand, looked around, and was standing at the register having a chat with the staff when old-time customer Mary came in and was loudly greeted by all. A great laughing conversation followed about the wonderful new stuff arriving, with new customer attentive to it.
The clerk reminded old customer Mary that her DH Joe had forbidden her to buy any more fabric and had called the shop to warn them off selling her any. Mary "phooey”d that dictate and continued having some cut.
Suddenly someone yelled, "Mary, Joe's about to come in the door!" Whereupon Mary scooped up the new customer's grocery bag, stuffed her just cut fabric into it, and left, covering her tracks just as Joe came in looking for her.
She merrily waved good-bye as the new customer, in shock, said, "She took my groceries!" The staff missed not a step in pulling out money to pay for the 'stolen' groceries and told her that's what quilting friends were all about!
Of course, Mary Ellen advised us that the real lesson in this tale was that astute quilters/fabricoholics ALWAYS carry a local grocery store bag and a couple big bags of chips in their trunk to hide their fabric purchases under in times of duress.
I personally no longer need to do this as I got rid of the 'duress several years ago. ;-)
Jan in VA