Fabric Shopping as a Team Sport

Yesterday was the Big Game of Fabric Shopping for us.  Our wayward friend from across the pond flew in on Monday and we whisked her away to Lancaster PA for a day of catching up, shopping, eating, laughing and taking a break from the holiday madness.  And taking it all in, I realized that fabric shopping is alot more fun as a team sport. 

So we had the pre-game work: 

• examine the stash----what am I shopping for?
• determine which stores can we hit and make it home in time for dinner
• prepare snack basket for mid-game energy boost (sure the others made fun of me for bringing        along the snack basket, but they both "hit the basket" during the day)

and then the Big Game----get the kids on the bus and off we go and 2 hours later we arrive at our first stop---Sauders.

OMG, all budget and stash strategies go out the window momentarily, oxygen administered where needed, and we dive in....."
        "I need some of this"
            "what will I do with this"
                    "this is a great border fabric"
                        "there's a discount if you buy the rest of the bolt"
and then the cutting table where the cheerleading begins.  We stand at the cutting table and as each bolt is cut, we gaze upon each other's selection and say "I'll take a piece of that" or "take the whole bolt, you'll use it for backs and borders".

and it takes practically no effort to convince each other that we really NEED to have all this.

And we cheer as we watch the "scoreboard" and hand over the credit cards.
 

Back to the car to the next stop --Burkholders--where our team grew to include other shoppers.. and they joined in the "I'll take a piece of that" play and some directed us to a great re-fueling spot.

By now, the clock is our enemy so we decide to have a post-game meal and head home, where we find our cheerleading friends from Burkholders finishing their meal.

We arrived home victorious, exhausted and with that new fabric buzz. 

But the best part of the day was just being part of the team.

Hope you have a team to shop with....

Hugs and Stitches!

Megan

Comments

[Diane]

Hey Megan,
I have a favorite 'Sauders' story. You know that bench outside under the trees on the other side of the parking lot? Well, my hubby went to sit there, and encountered another gentleman, who looked up, groaned, and said something like 'been here 4 hours now' :0)

[Diane]

Hey Megan,
I have a favorite 'Sauders' story. You know that bench outside under the trees on the other side of the parking lot? Well, my hubby went to sit there, and encountered another gentleman, who looked up, groaned, and said something like 'been here 4 hours now' :0)

[Nanette]

I'm so jealous. I grew up in Reading and I remember many trips to the Lancaster area fabric shopping with my mother. Of course in those days I didn't appreciate it like i would now. You're making me very homesick. And I love the story from Diane above! So funny.

[Beth]

What a great assortment of fabrics you got there. Gosh, enabling others to buy stash is almost as fun as buying it for yourself, isn't it?

[Katiek]

Groan...almost makes me want to move back to Jersey. :-)

[lucy]

OOhhh my goodness what a beautiful fabrics !!

[Susan]

Megan,
I didn't know you were so close to Lancaster. I'll let you know the next time we come to visit #1 son.

Teamwork is so great in quilting -- don't you agree!

[kathie holland]

Thank goodness for that basket of goodies it saved us!
ok, ok, I admit I laughed but from now on it will be the first thing I pack before leaving for a road trip! thanks for a great day and all the laughs!
Kathie

[Jenni]

Just followed the fabric frenzy over from Kathie's blog. You bought some lovely fabric, and it sounds like you had great fun.

[JudyC]

I knew I needed to go back and visit Lancaster! I wasn't a quilter the first time I visited! *G*

[Patti]

Oh gad - I covet every one of these fabrics! Though I'm sure I already have a bunch of them. Oh my - I know this trip played havoc with Kathie's resolution to not buy. Or is this the trip she decided at the last minute to stay home from?