QUILT SHOW TIPS

Welcome to the wonderful world of quilt shows.  Did you know there is an easy way and a hard way to shop a quilt show?  We’ve been a vendor at quilt shows for many years now and we have some tips that will help you enjoy quilt shows even more than you do now!  (If you can believe that is possible!)

First, it will be helpful for you to bring a tote bag or back pack with you. You will need a large bag to hold your purchases and to keep them together! Carrying several small bags can be a nuisance and can get in the way of looking at quilts and quilting supplies. It’s also easy to lose your treasures this way. A back pack will allow you to keep your hands free, a major advantage!

A fanny pack is perfect for your cash, credit, cards, business cards and return address labels. We all know what the cash and credit cards are for. Business cards, if you have them, are great for contacts, business and otherwise, that you make at the show. They are also great for entering drawings. You can drop a card in the drawing box and be on your way.

Return address labels are wonderful for mailing lists you’d like to be on. You won’t have  to wait in a long line to get your hands on a mailing list. You simply stick and go! These address labels save you time and keep you from having to write your name and address while hunched over a table, bags slipping down your arm. You also won’t have to put down your tote bag or find a pen. Plus there’s the legibility factor. If you write like I do, some names and addresses can be so hard to read that the catalogs mailed out never make it to their proper destinations. People that write hieroglyphics will seldom see interesting catalogs make it to their front door.

You may have heard that when you first enter a quilt show, it is usually best to head to the left. As a rule of thumb, people tend to go to the right.  This act of "rightness" is just human nature, unless you’re left handed and then you tend to go to the left automatically. But this way, by following this tip, you can more easily avoid the crowds, spend more time shopping and less time looking over heads.

When traveling with other quilters, it’s important to put your name on your own quilting supplies. Even after only one day on the road, all pairs of Fiskars start to look the same!

It’s also a good idea when traveling to carry your thread, scissors and other quilting supplies for projects, or pieces of sample fabrics for matching embellishments for example, in clear plastic, zippered cosmetic cases. This is so convenient and inexpensive, you could use one case for each project to refer to while at your favorite quilt shows. In addition, you know how to respect your quilt vendors. Children or grandchildren should not handle the vendor’s merchandise, since little ones can make alphabet soup out of appliques and turn white doilies brown with dirty hands.

If you’re waiting in a long line, it might be a good idea to use cash instead of a credit card. Credit cards take longer to process and can hold you up.  A lot of vendors also accept checks. Checks with pre-printed phone numbers are helpful to you as well as those people who are waiting in line. I’ll never forget the lady who forgot her phone number and tried to remember what it was while six people waited with baited breath behind her!

A great idea to help you save time is to do your homework before attending a quilt show and preview products with the quilt show vendors who have websites on the internet. This is also a great way to follow-up with vendors after a show is over. Some vendor websites have feedback forms or email where you can give suggestions for desired products. Other vendors have toll free phone numbers you can use to call in orders. Many websites list upcoming quilt shows.

In addition to the above, you can find quilting tips and a "Did you know?" section with interesting sewing facts here on our website. You can enter a monthly drawing where you can win quilting-related items.  You can find patterns, buttons, silk ribbon, appliques and clothing labels.  Take a peek at quiltware.com's home page.