I have only been to a few local quilt shows, and because of my arthritis, find I can only go if I take frequent rest periods. That said, I once attended 2 local quilt shows, searching for cat fabric, and I found the mother lode between the two shows, sometimes a fat quarter and sometimes more. I've used some of the larger pieces to make baby quilts, as linings for bags and tote bags, etc., etc. I had a blast, especially since the various vendors had such a great variety to choose from.