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Using The Quilter's Trip Planner

Summary

Quilting Contessa shares the best ways to use the Quilter's Trip Planner™ on QuiltingHub.  Also, which quilt shops to visit so you can have the most fun!

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Using The Quilter's Trip Planner

I have been using QuiltingHub's Trip Planner for quite some time to find quilt shops, sales, shop hops, and quilt shows. When I share it with other quilters, they are amazed by the power of the planner. Some have been using it, but not to the fullest extent. I thought it would be good to share how I use it.

How To use the Quilter's Map/Trip Planner On QuiltingHub

 

What Is The Trip Planner?

The Trip Planner allows us to get a travel map from one place to another. It shows the roads you will take, just like Google does today. The fun part is when you click 'Places,' you can see the quilt shops along the way. When you click 'Events,' you see all the sales, shop hops, and quilt shows along the way. This is incredible! Now, you see why QuiltingHub is better for us than all the other sites and books!

 

How to use The Planner?

  • Go to QuiltingHub.com Home Page on your smart phone, tablet, or computer.
  • From the sliding option buttons, click the "Quilter's Map/Trip Planner™" button.
  • Enter a starting address (in my case, Kansas City, MO)
  • Enter an ending address (for example, Chicago, IL)
    • If you leave this empty, you get a local map of all shops, guilds, & services. Great for when you get to your destination.
  • Click search places
How To use the Quilter's Map/Trip Planner On QuiltingHub
Search example for Quilter's Trip Planner on QuiltingHub.com

 

That is it! You are presented with the roads you will take and the quilt shops along the way. More on how to use the map:

  • Adjust the slider above the map for how many miles off route you are willing to go for an amazing quilt shop! (in my case 10 miles)
  • For quick info, either click the shop name boxes or the red map pegs.
  • For detail info, click the blue view detail button that appears in the quick info box.
How get shop detail on the Quilter's Map/Trip Planner

 

To find events, simply click the search events button instead of search places. For the events, here are some things you can do with the map:

  • Adjust the mileage slider (same as above)
  • Adjust the date slider to find the best time to travel for the most interesting events.
  • Click a location either on the map or in the box to display all the events occurring at that place.
  • Click the event to see the basic info (from above).
  • Click the View Detail to see the details about the event (from above).
Find Quilting Events
How To use the Quilter's Map/Trip Planner On QuiltingHub

 

Two other event views exist other than the map:

  • List will show a list of all the events (instead of a map)
  • Month will show a calendar of events (instead of a map)

 

How To Pick Which Shops To Visit?

You quickly realize it is impossible to visit each shop, so how do you pick which shops to visit? My method is based on how far I am willing to travel, and how interesting the shop is. I will travel farther for better shops that others. Here are my tips:

  • I skip all shops with no photos, low likes, or no rating.
  • I list all the remaining shops I like in order along my trip.
  • Of course, if they have a sale or a shop hop, I am going no matter what!
  • As we approach each one, my hubby gets me there!
  • When I visit, I click Yes on the detail page next to "Is This Listing Accurate? Yes/No" If not, I tell the shop owner to fix it, or click No. I also rate the shop, and like the ones I want to visit again.
Find Quilting Events

 

Final Thoughts

I absolutely love this tool. It has saved me countless hours of searching. I also love that we, the community of quilters, verify the stores are accurate (verified date appears on the detail page). Long ago, when I was using books or other online directories, they were always out of date. But with QuiltingHub, we are all clicking the Yes or No next to "Is this Listing Accurate?" we are helping our fellow quilters! I hope my tips have helped you to add to your stash in a fun and exciting way.

 

Check This Out!

Check out the most popular tool on QuiltingHub. Use the search 'Map Of Resources' or the 'Resources Trip Planner' to the right (or below).

 

Glossary

Stash
A quilter's personal collection of fabrics. Buying more fabric is adding to your stash.
Author
Quilting Contessa

Quilting Contessa is a collection of various authors around the world that have submitted articles for the QuiltingHub 'How To' quilt wiki.  These are authors that do not write enough to have their own authorship, yet provide valuable content for the site.  If you wish to submit an article, contact us on QuiltingHub.

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Map Of Resources Near
Resources Trip Planner