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I konw what you mean....Have a quilting shop local and she has fabric in every nook and cranny. Not organized at all and then you go down stairs and rooms and rooms of fabric.....
Another one I go to has lots of fabric, organized, and I could spend hours at that one. Very homey atmosphere... Karen |
Originally Posted by MistyMarie
I believe it is all in how it is organized. My LQS does it by color. That is all fine and dandy, until you want to buy several pieces from the same collection. I like when stores group them by collection and then put their blenders by color.
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Last year I went to a very small fabric/quilt shop in Burnsville, NC, and it was really, really FULL of fabric, quilts, books, threads, etc. And I mean really FULL. But everything was on low tables and racks (except on the walls where it was up and up and up!) and brightly lit, and so it didn't seem claustrophobic at all. It was really kind of fun.
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I like a HUGE selection myself.
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I know exactly what you mean, and, yes, it has happened to me. I really do prefer the smaller shops.
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I find it hard to shop on line, as I can't choose!
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Originally Posted by marsye
Does a bear poop in the woods? :lol:
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Oh, I can't that I have run across that problem yet, but I can see myself feeling overwhelmed with what choices to make.Unless I had a pattern in mind and knew about what colors, could I manage. I have been known to go into the fabric store and be lost in there for hours and then I feel I have wasted a whole day looking! So I just know if I were to go to a place like Marshalls I would be lost for a week! lol :D
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We are fortunate to live in a metropolitan area. I love the LQS. They range from large to pretty small. Just depends on my mood, the sale and if I am looking for some specific theme.
A few years ago we were in OR and a relative took us to a quilt shop that had 20,000 bolts on 3 levels. OMG, thought I had died and gone to heaven. yes, I did find the specialty themes I was looking for and we had a great time. On the other side of the question,I found a small shop in Hot Springs, AR and spent a good bit there. Very friendly place, good sale and lots of completed projects/quilts to look at. A fun visit! Enjoy the all! If the staff isn't friendly, I don't care what they have, I won't purchase anything. |
No I would not see this as a problem but a great opportunity to have really fantastic choices for a quilt.
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Lorli,
You must be talking about Fieldstone House, right? I just moved from Amsterdam NY to NW Georgia. Our quilt group in Edinburg, NY would every once in a while travel down to the shop there, (took us about 2 hrs) and would have lunch there in the back. Her husband would make us lunch. We were wondering if they are still doing that. But to comment on the subject. The first time I went there I didn't have anything in particular in mind, and it is overwhelming. Another time I found a book I'd been looking for and couldn't find anywhere, even online and she had one copy of it. It's now mine. ggg And oh, I didn't appreciate enough all the quilt shops that were around me in upstate NY. There seems to be a dearth of them here, and so far haven't found many local quilters. Cecilia |
There is a big store in Amish country, in OHIO, that they say has lots 7 LOTS of goods.
I have never been there but would love to go, accept my stash is already big enfu. |
Were you by any chance in Bloomington, IL? The quilt shop I am referring to has fabric stacked to the ceiling, in front of the racks, under the racks, stuffed in corners, on tables, under tables and still have more coming in. She had 5 boxes of Jelly Rolls come in one day and had no place to put them. She had to move material off the table near the door to stack them as high as possible just to get them all in the store. There is no way 2 people can go down and isle together. The racks are so close together and so much fabric is on the floor you have to watch your step. Her notions are in the middle of the store and she has so much stuff that what isn't hung up is stuffed anywhere it can go. She has places you can't get into because of other stuff in front of it. She has been sited several times by the fire dept for not having access to the rear exit. I was so overwhelmed I had to leave. But if you are looking for fabric that is no longer made, go to her and she will know exactly where it is. It's amazing. Oh, another thing all fabric is the same price and if you pay cash you get a 20% discount!
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Tootsie, I so agree with you. I don't like going to places that are too big and overwhelming. There is a quilt shop near me that has a huge selection of fabrics, but I don't go there anymore. The few times I went the staff was not friendly or helpful or even seemed to care I was there. When I did need to ask someone for help, it took a while to even find a salesperson and I felt like I was intruding. To me, the ideal quilt store has nothing to do with the size. If there is a helpful staff that makes you feel welcome, the staff is knowledgable about quilting, the staff is willing to help you with any problems, the staff is happy.....to me that is an awesome quilt store.
Elizabeth |
I have been to that quilt store in Franklin, Tennessee and I felt just the same as you. It was too disorganized and I didn't like having to unstack bolts off of the floor to get the bolt I needed.
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Oh, I would LOVE to go to the Hancock's of Paducah store. Their catalog is beautiful and the prices reasonable. Last week I went to the annual sale at Keepsake Quilting in Center Harbor, NH. The store is full of incredible fabric, but I didn't get overwhelmed! Just inspired! Of course, it is all displayed in nooks and crannies interspersed with quilts as examples, so it's really like being in a series of quilting stores. And then, during this annual three-day sale, they put up a tent in the parking lot with bolts and bolts of sale fabric, along with lots of kits and medleys and notions. It was incredible. Can't wait till next year!
Originally Posted by bearisgray
I felt that way at the Hancock's of Paducah store.
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Never had that problem. I'm like a kid in a candy shop. I see and I want every thing . And boy all the ideas that pop into my head. ( I can make this with at fabric and that with this one) I would just have so much fun.
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Mine too.....it was awful.....I went to New England (from Georgia!) specifically to go to Keepsake Quilting's shop.....and couldn't find anything to buy. Well, of course, I did end up buying some stuff but the problem was I didn't have a plan or quilt or theme in mind when I walked in. I was there less than an hour and my overwhelmed brain was grateful to leave when I did!
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Yes a store can have too much and it is overwhelming and unpleasant to shop in a store like that.
I alway's thought a quilt store should have hammocks, benches, a side room with a tv and pool table for the hubbies. Oh, and a drink and snack machine. My DH is so patient when he takes me. Occasionally he will actually come in and shop with me and of course he has no problem carrying my pkgs. Yes, he's a keeper. |
I think so, we have a quilt store close by that is so jammed pack with fabric that you have to pull bolts away several layers thick, no kidding, to find anything. You can barely walk through the isles. She also has a warehouse and her home that she stores fabric in. If you need a fabric you need to go to her she will usually come up with it. She never runs sales, never!! It can be very difficult to shop in the store. I am always afraid of spiders hiding out in there. She has new shipments arrive daily boxes and boxes of fabric waiting to be stacked on top in front of you name it wherever it will fit. You have to see it to believe it.
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DSJ, Don't think I would ever shop there.
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Originally Posted by Tootsie
I visited a quilt shop this week and was so overwhelmed by all of the fabric that I couldn't really "see" what they had! I travel quite a bit and make it a point to find LQSs. Some are smaller and decisions on what to buy are easier. Others are large with hundreds, or thousands, of bolts and I just stand frozen to the spot! I almost feel dizzy! Anyone else experience this?
Fortunately, as evidenced by my stash, this isn't a permanent problem :lol: |
Yes, but then I resolve to focus on first one area, then the next, then the next. It's easier to eat the elephant one bite at a time. <G> I'm just glad when there's so much all under one roof... that way I don't have to drive around looking for other shops. In Houston, that's a big plus!
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Yes, I react the same way, have the same problem in the mall.
Sharon |
Ihave shopped at one of theseshops and love it. I can fins so many fabrics to meet my needs and I could stay all day. The shop keeps accurate records ofall the fabrics and if you want something specifically, they take u right to it.
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Hi Tootsie!!! I am new to quilting but my quilting sister has successfully got me started on this journey! We are going to a small quilt store on Friday in a town near us and from what I have seen of it,..WoW! It is a small store front but is just bursting with fabric!
One big reason we are going (to the fabric store) is to see what 'classes' they offer as all of their instructors also work the store. Though my sister is an experienced quilter, and I am learning under her tutelage, she thinks I am ready for this step so "onward"! Being a newbie---I am shocked at what my sister has helped me to understand and create! Quilting has given me a new perspective on my sister's talents / abilities and made us even stronger than we already are! So carry on Tootsie and everyone and onward to the quilter's stores and enjoy the fabric hunt! |
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