How to Shop A Quilt Store Closing Sale

Have you ever been to a closing of a quilt shop? It is so sad to see some of our local shops go out of business and we will miss the time we spent there and the friends we made. But we are also losing a great resource for purchasing our supplies. So, if you are fortunate/unfortunate enough to go to the closing sale, what should you focus on purchasing if you have a limited budget?

1. Think small - it's the little items that usually add up really fast. Are there special feet, hoops, or attachments you have always wanted for your sewing machine but they were just out of your price range? Now might be just the time to purchase them at a significant savings.

2. How about programs for your machine? They don't take up much physical space in your quilting space, but they are generally big-ticket items that you can save a lot on when purchased this way.

3. Rulers are another great purchase, especially those specialty rulers that can be quite hard on the pocketbook, but ever so helpful. This is another product that never goes out of style and doesn't take up much physical space in your quilting studio.

4. How about needles? Do you have a good stock of the ones that you use most often? Needles do not expire, but have to be replaced somewhat frequently, so stocking up on them at a good price is a great idea.

5. Patterns are another great buy. They don't take up much physical space and rarely go out of style.

6. Furniture! Is the shop selling off quilting desks, tables, chairs, cases to hold bolts of fabric? These things can help you upgrade your quilting space without putting too much of a dent in your budget.

7. Thread can be another great buy as long as you will be using it fairly quickly. This is one supply that does have a limited lifetime and it doesn't make sense to buy so much that it dry rots before you use it and your project falls apart, or worse yet it breaks frequently and causes machine problems.

8. Don't forget the batting! It is large to store, so think about your storage space before you stock up too heavily as batting does go on sale more often than some of the other supplies.

9. Last, but certainly not least, check out the fabric keeping a few things in mind. Styles and designs change over time as do our quilting tastes. You won't want to purchase more fabric than you will use within a year or two because if you run short, it may be impossible to find more to complete your project. Also, you don't want to crowd your quilting space with fabrics that may dry rot before you have the opportunity to use them.

Have fun and make sure you have plenty of time to shop and think through your purchases. If you will be purchasing fabrics, you may want to choose some patterns before you go or when you arrive so that you can make sure you have plenty of yardage to complete your project (and a little left over just in case).

Also, make sure that you try to visit along with your friends that you "only saw at the shop" and try to make plans to meet up elsewhere. Our quilting friends are special, and we don't want to lose them along with one of our favorite hang-outs.

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