Have you ever shopped for fabric on vacation?
With the warmer weather comes graduations,
festivals, weddings, reunions, and vacations,
giving you opportunities to travel near and far.
And adding fabrics to your trip can give a whole new layer
of fun and meaning to your trip.
Whether you're staying at home
or heading across the country,
here are 10 tips to make the most of your time and dollars.
So stick with me and I'll show you how to do it.
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Hi, I'm Karen Brown of Just Get It Done Quilts.
I give you tips, tricks, and strategies
to help you make the quilt that you want to make.
And if you like what you see,
please click that subscribe button.
I have done a fair amount of travelling
in the past two years.
One of the great things about a hobby is it can add
a whole new layer of exploration to your travels.
You can search out what the locals are doing,
and see places and culture that previously
you would not even know it was there.
Here are some tips to get the most out of your adventure.
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Our memories are short.
If you store your fabric behind a door, in containers,
or keep them in another room, chances are,
it's been a while since you've seen what you actually have.
So spend a moment playing with your fabrics.
Take them out, touch them, sort them, maybe refold them,
and definitely take lots of photos that you can refer to.
Maybe one fabric stands out,
and you'll want to take a swatch with you too.
We all have works in progress and UFOs that are held up
just because we need something to finish them off.
And if it was available locally,
we'd probably already have it.
When we visit stores outside our home turf,
they often have a different selection and flavours
than we're used to.
So make a list of what you specifically require
to finish those projects,
so that you can actively be looking for it.
Is it a border fabric or a binding?
Maybe it's a backing or a binding.
And not only make a list, but do the calculations
of how much you actually need so you don't buy two yards
when you only need a yard and a half.
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Not only is hand sewing a great way to keep yourself busy
while you're waiting for planes and connections,
it's also a great way to meet other makers.
Every time you pull out a project like paper piecing,
embroidery, or applique, people will be curious
about what you're doing.
When I was in Holland, I started sewing on the bus
and I found another quilter who was on my tour.
When I was on the cruise in Panama, I could not believe
how many other quilters were on the boat
and just wanted to chat.
Even when I'm in restaurants, subways, and airports,
people will stop and chat.
And through these local people, you can ask about
all the local places to shop and other events
that you might not have known otherwise.
I have made a video about how to make a sew on the go kit,
and I'll leave a link to that down in the notes.
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Not only should you google fabric stores in the area
that you're going to visit before you go,
ask your online friends for recommendations.
That's how we found the two stores
that we just visited in Florida
before we got on the cruise in Fort Lauderdale.
My online friends recommended Cynthia's Fine Fabrics
and Once Upon A Quilt, which were both worth the drive.
We were promised that the selection and the service
would be amazing, and it was.
I highly recommend that you check them out.
And look out for stores with fabrics
that you've never seen before.
I did three videos about all the amazing
fabric stores in Toronto.
African prints, beautiful silks, fine woollens,
and warehouses full of every fabric under the sun.
And with research, you might also find coupons
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Shopping with friends takes fabric shopping
to a whole new level.
First, not only can you make a date out of it
with lunch and laughs, you can have twice the fun
helping others pick out fabric
or have others help pick out yours.
And they don't need to be quilters to offer good advice.
Second, an extra set of eyes can help you see your fabrics
in a whole new way.
My friend Susan is an amazing shopper,
and she can find diamonds in a clearance bin
that I just walk by.
And third, they can also be a voice of reason.
When I travelled to Missouri Star with my quilting buddies,
one particular sew sister, Anne, helped me review my fabrics
and helped me make some difficult choices.
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We all have our favourite colours and a mistake
that we all make is we buy them over and over again
in the same saturation and value.
What we need is contrast,
so that we can show them off in our quilts.
So maybe this time, instead of buying more fabric
in your favourite colour, you'll buy the fabrics
that will support it, so that you can actually use
your favourites in a future project.
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As a general rule, I don't buy fabrics on vacation
that I can buy back home.
Put your focus on the fabrics
that the local store has to offer.
In Alaska, there were wonderful fabrics
highlighting local scenery, culture, and wildlife.
Not to mention all the beautiful patterns
there were to choose from.
In Holland, I focused mainly on fabric
that was either produced or designed there.
On my recent cruise through the Panama Canal,
I focused on local handy crafts,
looking for local molas or woven goods.
I found a couple in Panama, but by far,
out of all the countries we visited,
Guatemala was the textile experience.
There was embroidery, leather work,
woven goods, beading, and quilts.
And yes, I did bring a scrappy one home.
It's not lined, so I'm going to quilt it on my long arm.
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It's your vacation and you just want to have fun,
but the good memories will only last so long
if you come home to a big credit card bill.
So do yourself a favour and set a budget.
Set aside the cash in an envelope, and only spend from that.
I know many of you just scoff at a budget,
but a budget doesn't mean that you don't get to buy
what you like, it just means that you don't get to buy
everything that you like.
And let's face it, if you have been quilting
for more than five years, you are probably very close
to STABLE status, stash accumulated beyond life expectancy.
That is, you are no longer
building your stash, but managing it.
So be picky about what fabrics are special enough
to earn a place on your shelf.
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Fabric is just part of a larger discussion
about domestic arts and textiles that connect us
to past generations and other cultures.
So don't forget to take a walk around local markets
and see the local makers.
Visit museums and ask about textiles in their collections.
Find out if there's a local craft show.
Look for tours that walk the fashion districts.
Textile tours are about history and culture,
and will take you to parts of the city
that you didn't know existed.
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All over the world, there are quilting events
both large and small, shows, workshops, and exhibitions.
I can't tell you how many people didn't know about QuiltCon
and they only lived an hour away.
I personally have visited quilt stores where I found out
some of my favourite quilters were there the previous week.
And if I had just done my research earlier,
I could have flexed my schedule and participated in it.
So when you're in the planning phase,
If you are coming to Toronto this summer,
take a look at my three videos on all the fabric stores
my city has to offer.
I have also made a video about my Alaskan fabric haul
and my Holland textile experience,
and you can check out those videos here as well.
So take care and I'll see you next time.
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