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Bargains on fabric or those special items that are not available at home. Actually I don't buy much. I just oooo and ahhhh and snap a few photos of my dream quilts.
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I go to an annual sewing show. I always take cash, as much as I am willing to part with that day. That way I never spend over my budget. I never have a written list, but do check out the notions catalogue before the show, so I know what the current price is for things I cannot get locally.
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I attended Hershey on Thursday and Friday. I went by myself and started with the quilts. They were very beautiful, but the ones that I really liked were the ones that were done by the children. I also thought that it was interesting that many were quilted on a home sewing machine instead of a long arm. I spent the rest of the day with the vendors. I was looking for a 6 1/2 x12 1/2 ruler because it was part of the class list for my Friday class (turns out I didn't need it and I didn't like it that well) I like the Omnigrids and it was a Creative Grid. I bought a silicone overlay for my machine that I saw demo'd but after the ladies I met at lunch talked about how great it was, I decided to buy one. I bought a pattern and stabilizers for those fabric leaf 'bowls' and a few fat quarters. I ended up buying a 2 yd piece of Kaufman's Effervescence because the fabric just caught my eye and I have never seen it before. I took a class and had a 2 hour break for lunch. I looked at all the great books that Dover had but didn't buy any. I had fun!
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Well, I too love to find what grabs my attention. I sometimes get the new thing Shiva Paint Sticks, Angelica, or whatever. I buy limited fabric, usually fat quarters, and in something I haven't seen at my LQS. I have often taken classes at Quilt festival, and sometimes things are recommended in class as 'wonderful', (Kai scissors, etc.). Sometimes it is just a great place to be overwhelmed by this industry that has been spawned by our passion.
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Originally Posted by cricket_iscute
(Post 6201697)
I go to the Vermont Quilt Festival every year, and my budget varies. Some years, I can buy whatever I want, within reason. Other years, I have to be more focused. One year, I bought no fabric at all. This year, I allowed myself to buy fabric only to go with a series of quilts - all from the same part of my fabric stash -- on which I'm working. I have been collecting fabric for this series for eight years now. This year, I bought four pieces of fabric yardage, two yards each, a dozen threads I needed from Superior Threads, and several books. I told myself that if I did not buy much there, I could afford the order of sale thread from Connecting Threads that I wanted and have now ordered.
In 2008 and 2009, when the economy was so bad, the vendors complained that they did not make enough sales to justify coming back. Some refused checks as one check was a large part of their sales then and if it bounced, they were in trouble. The Aurifil dealer was skittish about taking a $300 check from me; it was a bigger sale than all their other sales combined that year. I think all the vendors did better this year. |
If I am looking for a machine, I like the shows because most of the dealers are there and you can test drive every one of them in one place and they are usually discounted for the fair prices or as a demo machine still under warranty
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I am off to the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham UK next week. This year I have made a list which includes needles, 505, wadding, new cutting mat, and fabric to finish a quilt. I hopefully intend keeping to this list. No more being seduced by new fancy rulers,etc. I have been thinking for a while about a new machine (not that I really need one), so I might, just might, look at the machines.
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I just like to look and see what is new and what I haven't seen before. I would rather wait and get it on sale unless it was something that I just couldn't live without !!
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I look for fabric and supplies that are not available at LQS.
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