73+quilts

IF I ever need to purchase any more fabric I will go to the store as I personally want to feel the fabric to know if it is soft enough to be used for one of my gift quilts.

I say IF as I have more fabric than I have been able to go thru in the last 7months. 23 more bins and each holds a mess of fabric. As I wash it, it gets put back in the same bin but I have to stop and fold it out of the dryer. Today I folded everything from the dryer and found that the netting is enough for a wedding veil and train. It is a very light pink.
I'm NOT making any wedding clothes but I do have a job for some of the netting. I will be making laundry bags that I can use to wash smaller pieces so it does not get tangled in the load. It will also go thru the dryer in the bag.

Just starting a new larger lap robe for a couple of friends. I'm making one that I am still trying to decide on the actual pattern. It will be a sunset. The second will be a picture of her puppy's breed. He is such a wonderful little guy.

They both know I am making them one but have no idea as to the graphic.

aashley333

Mostly, I shop online. I am picky about fabric. That is why I don't join swaps. I gravitate towards tropical prints and batiks. I will put anything that catches my eye in My Cart. The next day, I eliminate any that I cannot live without!-Down to a reasonable total, usually enough to qualify for free shipping. I find LQS intimidating. Does anyone else? I feel guilty looking at prices, or that I should apologize for not purchasing. The salespeople are nice and helpful-It's me.

Lena1952

Aashley333, no need to apologize. As long as you are not checking out fabrics in the shop and then go home to purchase that fabric online. I worked at a quilt shop and would often see people taking photos of the bolt end for the information and we knew they wouldn’t purchase from us but go home. They often had the audacity to return to the shop to ask how much binding or backing material they would need and not purchase that either🙄. Shops run on a thin margin. If we don’t support them, at least occasionally, they close.

Like Maryka, and others, I don’t need to purchase more fabrics. But occasionally I will find something I just can’t live without. Either in my local quilt shop or online. If I’m looking to match certain colors, I always go to the shop. I’ve ordered the perfect color online and when it arrived it wasn’t nearly as perfect as I thought. While that fabric got used for something else, it was disappointing to have to start over again by going to the quilt shop.

Austinite

I have a couple FLQS but they have hours that I can't make due to my work schedule but I am often shopping from local quilt shops online, just not local to me!
recent purchases: Charlotte's Sew Natural in Newton Kansas https://www.sewnatural.com/
My Favorite Quilt Store in Humble Texas https://myfavoritequiltstore.com/
The Country Caboodle in Nashua Iowa https://www.thewholecountrycaboodle.com/ (not a B&M but a family owned business)

peaceandjoy

Three Dog Night, that is an awesome marketing tool for your LQS - and, as you said, a win-win for all.

I definitely buy less when buying online. No impulse purchases.

Most LQS brands are pretty consistent with fabric quality. If there is a designer whose style you like, you pretty much know what you will get, so no need to see/feel in person when buying.

My tastes in fabric have changed dramatically since I started quilting oh-so-many years ago. I loved the CW, darker and more muted prints, warmer colors. Now, I prefer bright and saturated! I really need to figure out how to divest myself of much of my stash.

One big advantage of online buying is sales. The bigger sellers - FQS, Missouri Star, Quilt in a Day, Hancocks of Paducah, all have excellent sales.

Snooze2978

SInce going nuts at a bus tour to a bunch of quilt fabric shops back in late 2018, I had to go on a "NO BUYING FABRIC" spree until I could use up a good portion on my stash. Yes, I went absolutely nuts on that bus tour coming home with63 partial bolts of fabric. I had no where to put most of it so I kept them in boxes, totes, whatever I could find to put them in. I finally decided to go thru my stash, orphan blocks, scraps, etc to see if there was anything that just didn't sing to me any longer. I gave away over 8 large brown paper bags full for the stuff. In time, making 6 oversized laps, 1 queen size quilt, I was finally able to put most of the partial bolts away. I also made use of some narrow book shelfs in the basement hallway for a lot of the bolts to lay flat down. So I'ms till not ordering fabrics unless it's a backing. But I did take a trip down to MSQ to search for a special backing for a quilt I found out was one of her patterns I made back in 2019 so I did enter into fabric shops down there, picked out a backing and 2 flesh colored 1yd fabrics for an appliqued wall hanging coming up. I went thru a bunch of shops and came out not buying anything. Took us 3.5 hrs to drive down there and we left a little more than an hour later. But yes, now I can say it's off my bucket list.

toverly

I love to shop hop and have participated in several. I try to purchase something from every shop. It may not be an entire quilt but it does help support the smaller shops. If I need something specific or a particular item, I purchase online. Recently I went to local shops with a friend and was looking for a certain Clover pen to mark on dark fabric for Sashiko. After not finding it, Amazon delivered the next day. Hard for shops to compete with that. But this time, I did look first.

joe'smom

This is similar to my approach, although I use a 'wish list' where available instead of the shopping cart. I find that I can eliminate most fabrics over time . . . I realize after a while that I can live without it.

lberna

I rarely buy online. I love everything about walking into a LQS. I love the smell. Just looking at rows and rows of bolts of fabric gives me a thrill. Then, I love the feel of running my hand over the fabric. Even watching someone cut my fabric is exciting. Just mentioning all of this makes me want to hop in my car and go to a LQS. I know, I’m ridiculous. I can’t help myself.

bearisgray

I am finally willing to admit it -

I really enjoyed the chase and purchasing of fabric more than actually using it.

The problem with a buying addiction - is where to PUT all the stuff once one has it.

Some of the other addictions - once the product has been "used" - it's gone!

I can't think of any "addiction" that is useful to a person over the long haul.