pieces

I agree fussycut, support your LQS. If everyone continues to order fabric online. Soon the LQS will all go out of business. :(

LindaR

I agree with this and say "good morning" the minutes I step in the shop and see a clerk...

CarrieAnne

I got to go to one yesterday...it was SOOO fun! I worked all day Sat. and made a bit of money so I wanted to splurge, I bought only one yard of a barn scene. I was SO pretty, and not as expensive as I would have guess....less than 9 dollars a yard! I think 8.25.
BUT its dangerous going there, I saw SO many things Iwould have LOVED to buy. Good thing I only carry cash!

Minda

I support all 3 of the LQSs in my area. At each shop, I'm greeted by name when I walk in the door. Sometimes I buy; sometimes I don't, but I'm always treated like a friend and valued customer.

I know the value of shops where I can get suggestions and help when I need it. This forum is wonderful, but sometimes I like to have someone there with me when I'm trying to pick out fabric or match fabric. It's also soooo much fun to get a group of friends together and quilt shop hop. My local shops also sponsor classes and retreats, which are a great way for quilters to socialize and quilt together. They are also a nice place to meet new people with the same interests.

I'm not criticizing anyone for not buying fabric at quilt shops. I'm just pointing out some of the reasons why I like my LQSs and will support them as much as I can.

Again, no criticism intended toward anyone.

feline fanatic

I am very fortunate and blessed in that I can afford to shop where I like. This does not make me a fabric snob nor does it mean I don't appreciate a bargain. I had the misfortune of making my first two bedsize quilts out of JoAnn fabrics. The first the quilt is only used on my guest bedroom so very gently used. Fabric is wearing threadbare in spots and faded terribly. Second I use on my bed and it is also fading terribly, had one fabric bleed (even with prewashing) but appears to be holding up structurally.

So that said I tend to be a bit pickier about my fabrics now. Anyway, I have yet to walk into a LQS where I wasn’t treated nicely. I am not high maintenance but when I ask for assistance or an opinion I have always been helped. I recently did my own mini shop hop to explore some LQS that are somewhat in my area. I visited 3 shops and all 3 were wonderful. I will support an LQS as much as I can.

Scissor Queen

I support as many LQS as I can. LOL

IrishNY

I get far more "attitude" in my local Joann's than I have ever gotten in a LQS. The people who work there get paid whether I come in or not and most of them act like they know it. They seem to go out of their way to deny allowing the use of Joann's coupons. I dread going in that store and try to avoid it at all costs.

Shelia

I have most shopped at Walmart for fabric. In fact, I started buying huge quantities of it for my stash when I found out my local WM was going to stop carrying fabric. Don't get me wrong, I don't really care for WalMart. I no longer use their pharmacy and I buy my groceries at Publix and BiLo now, because I have learned to buy the sales and use coupons and we have more food in the house than we ever have....anyway, I just don't like WM. BUT, I am on a budget and can't afford LQS prices. If I were to pay those prices, I wouldn't be doing much quilting. The quilts that I've made with the best quality WM fabric have held up well, so what's the big deal?

Now I shop at Hobby Lobby and a couple of weeks ago I found 15 yards of wonderful muslin at the Goodwill. Guess what I paid? $1.00. Yep, you read it right ONE DOLLAR. So, I started thinking outside the box and have bought drapes and curtains at Goodwill and a great local thrift store to use not only as a backing, but in the quilt itself.

I attended a quilt show in Pigeon Forge late last winter. One of the presentations was a Bed Turning. A lady had collected a great number of old quilts, dating back as far as the late 1800s. Most of the quilts were scraps made from worn clothing. HELLO!!!! Those quilts are still going strong after 50+ years.

My name is Shelia and I am not a fabric snob. :-0

tryitall

I went to my lqs Saturday. I picked up one of their newsletters. The was an article in it about fabric's quality at discount stores and the lqs. It said that there are 3 grades of fabric. The first go through, the second, and the third. The third time through is the best fabric. The colors etc are truer too. These are the ones that LQS buy. They also choose the fabric they want with a one on one with the salesman, or that they think their customers want. Discount stores get what they get! This is just a VERY short version of the article.

GrammaNan

My LQS is across the parking lot from my local Joann's fabric and has been in business for years! That demonstrates the quality and service this LQS provides. I was dissatisfied with a remark an employee made to me at my LQS and decided never to shop there again. However, I went back the next day and told the owner. I was so upset I even started crying. But I told her what happened and the thoughts I had of never returning. She was so nice and apologetic. I can't imaging surviving in this economy. I try to buy from her whenever I can but the sales at Joann's are too good to pass up sometimes.