Row by Row question
 

As usual I have come late to the rodeo. In seeing all the wonderful rows done on here I decided to start collecting them. My question is: Is is okay to ask someone in another town pick them up for you? I will be traveling to the mid-west after Sept. 15th and it will be over. But I have friends in other areas that may be willing to buy them for me when I send the money. It seems okay to me, but the rules are so crazy about not ordering them that I thought I would like what you all think of it? I don't compete so it will not be submitted to any shows or local shops.

Yes, people are allowed to pick up kits for you. The stores are not allowed to ship them until Nov.

happy collecting!
sandy

My understanding is you can buy the license plates on line, but need to go into the shop for the row pattern. Another option is waiting until Nov when it's too late to win a prize.

My sister and I are buying for each other in different states.

QuiltingCandy, lots of shops will be selling the kits online after November gets here, too. The more popular kits may not be put together because they have some laser cut pieces that cost to much to reproduce unless you do a batch of 400. If you see one that you really like, call the quilt shop and ask if you can pay for one now and have them ship it to you in November if you can't get to the store before then. The patterns are available for free at the shops until November and then most people will charge about $3 for the pattern if you want it. If you know someone in the town that can pick up a pattern for you now, that won't cost you anything. If you want the fabrics that the shop picked out, then you'll have to buy that kit. Have fun!

Two shops 600 miles from my home had kits I wanted. Wasn't going to compete for a prize. Had the shops mail the kits to me after November 1. Will probably do the same thing in the future.

It's fine to have someone else go in and get a pattern or kit for you. As long as someone goes into the store, the rules are satisfied.

All these brick & mortar stores want quilters to come and and BUY items they have for sale. You are lucky to have friends that will help you out. Good luck in picking out the kits you want.

I live in Texas and the state is huge - no way can I get to all of the shops I want a row for. So far I have engaged my cousin, work friend, son, daughter, and sister-in-law to pick up the kits for me. I've picked up for my cousin and friend.

The shops don't mind. They even joke about the non-quilters that come in.

I have really enjoyed row by row because of all of the variety. I did one last year and got hooked.

In some of the shops (up here at least) they ask you to sign a Row-by-Row "log" or register. That way they are only giving you one free pattern. At least this has been my experience.

I have done Row by Row for three years now across several states as I have traveled and as I understand it one of the purposes of it is to drive traffic to quilt shops, hence the rule you have to go to the shop to pick up the pattern. I have many patterns for rows that I have collected that I will most likely never use in a quilt but I have had the experience of going to shops that I have never been to or some I've never even hear of. That in itself has been such fun. The shops work hard on designing the rows and participating in this event. If we want quilt shops to continue to thrive this is one way we can support them. This is why I usually purchase something while I am there. Each year I have a project in mind that I search for fabric for. This year it is fabric for a Lucy Boston quilt I'm working on. Many shops don't know what I am talking about so it gives me an opportunity to also share with them plus they are usually curious as they watch me with my templates auditioning different fabric. Last year it was felted wool for an applique project.
Technically if someone goes into a shop they can get a pattern or buy a kit regardless of who it is for. The pattern or kit is only part of it however. The being there, seeing the different shops' personalities is a big part of the overall experience.

Would love to see a picture in your future!

You buy the kit or pick up the free pattern in person; you've met the requirement. There's no way they know who is actually going to make it.

There is a facebook group called Rowed Warriors Swap where many are working out trades and/or purchases of kits they want from all over the US and Canada.

I've been to stores where they ask you to sign a notebook but I think the purpose is two-fold. First, to have a record of how many people this has brought into their store and how many patterns they have given out. Second, to enlarge their mailing and email list for the customer base. It's a lot fun for those of us who shop but they are running a business.