What do you do first at a quilt show?
 

What do you do first when you go to a quilt show - shop the vendors or see the quilts? My friends and I always shop first and then view the quilts. I hate to admit it, but there have been times when I've gone to a quilt show and ONLY shopped!!

It depends on the show's layout.

at Houston and Lancaster the vendors are closest to the main entrances, so I zipped through them first; made mental notes; go back to look more closely at anything that still interests me after i've been through the quilt exhibits.

at Jacksonville and Amelia Island, i went straight to the quilts because those displays started at the entrance.

at this stage of the game, i consider a show trip a success if i walk out with nothing in my bag except inspiration.
i have learned that most of the prices are about the same as i'd pay online.
i try hard to part with my $$$ only if it's something i really need and the price is especially low.

(ok ... confession ... i didn't really need that machine i got at Lancaster, but i really, really, really wanted it and the price was too good to pass up. LOL)

At large shows, its typically the vendors first. There is one vendor that I now has the most exquisite fabrics and I can not relax and take in the quilts till I have been to that booth.

I see the quilts first because I alway buy and I don't want to wag a bunch of stuff around when I am drooling over the quilts.

I have to look at everything at least twice. So I usually do a "fast loop" through the whole show (vendors AND quilts) and then go back for a more leisurely look at specific things that caught my attention. Otherwise I'm afraid to linger at any one spot (quilt or vendor booth) because what if I run out of time and MISS something!?!?

well I used to head for the quilts on display but lately they haven't had anything but vendors. Not my type of "quilt" show at all!!!

I usually walk through the quilts first, then vendors. That way I don't have to lug my goodies around much! ;)

I've been to all the major quilt shows but Paducah is my favorite. You aren't confined to one building, the show takes over the whole town. I have a set routine for Paducah which takes 2 days. For other smaller shows I first view the quilts and then make the round of vendor booths. I take a coffee break, then go back to the vendor booths I checked as wanting to browse more. I take a another walk through the quilts and vote for the Best in Show or Viewer's Choice.

I do the raffles/silent auction first. LOL These are usually right inside the door at our guild's quilt show. Then on to the quilts on display and finally the vendors. Have not had the privilege of going to a really large show.

Because I live close to Houston, I am lucky that I can (and usually do) go every day. For those of you who haven't been or may not know, if you sign up for a class at the Houston IQF, you are able to go to preview night and every day at no extra charge. There is a processing fee (last year it was $38) and the cost of the class, but it is totally worth it. You can go to their website and put your name on a list to be notified when the class catalogue is ready to download. Once you have taken a class, you will automatically be on their list as long as you take a class each year. Also, if you sign up for a class, you are permitted to enter preview night at 5pm, where the general public doesn't get to enter until 7pm. Also, there are a couple bag check booths, where you can store your stuff, so you don't have to haul it around. Be sure to take a big bag that you can put it all in, because they charge $1 per bag. You can get your bag and put more stuff in it, but each time you do that, it costs you another $1. There is a parking garage directly across from the George R. Brown Convention Center, and you can also just haul your stuff to your car instead of checking it.

At the Houston show, preview night is always about the vendors for me, because the extra two hours with very little crowding means you can see demos easier and booths are not crowded. I try to visit the special area for "causes", like Alzheimer's, Quilts of Valor, etc., first, then alternate between the quilts and the vendors. Also, plan to stay for Sunday, because a lot of the vendors start marking their stuff down, rather than having to haul it all away. One year, I got 7 packages of king size W&N cotton batting for $100. And last year, I got a small Tutto rolling case for 50% off the retail price.