Visit Your Quilt Shop Day, January 25, 2014 | Visit Your Quilt Shop Day, January 25, 2014

We Have Our Winners!

Jamie — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 19:23:44 +0000

Oh, my! We had so much fun seeing all of your photos submitted in this year’s I Love My Local Quilt Shop fan photo contest. We’re thrilled to finally announce a winner, so bring on the drum roll please…

Congratulations to Shannon Birnschein of Hartland, WI, whose favorite local quilt shop is Patched Works in Elm Grove, for winning the Grand Prize! Shannon’s photograph was selected as the Grand Prize winner by a panel of sponsors among the Top 10 Finalists, who all had the highest number of votes by readers and fans. Shannon has won a $500 Shopping Spree (courtesy of a $500 Brother Visa ® Prepaid Visa Card) to spend at Patched Works plus a PC4200PRW Project Runway^TMLimited Edition Computerized Sewing Machine from Brother International Corporation (MSRP $649).

Each of the Runners-Up will receive an “I Love My Local Quilt Shop” tote bag of fabrics, notions, books, and other prizes valued at $200 from runners-up prize sponsors: Aurifil, BasicGrey, Coats & Clark, C&T Publishing, Hoffman, In the Beginning, Martingale, Moda, Marcus, QuiltGate, Quilting Arts TV, Studio E, Timeless Treasures, and Windham.

There were 375 entries to the contest in this debut year, with nearly all 50 States represented as well as photos from Canada, and more than 3000 votes cast. Following is a list of the winners:

Grand Prize Winner:

Shannon Birnschein — Patched Works in Elm Grove, WI

Runners-Up and their Favorite Local Quilt and Fabric Shops (in no particular order):

Alma Kaczor —Fabrics Etc 2 in Bensenville, IL

Carol Lively — A Notion To Quilt in Shelburne, MA

Janet Ross — Ben Franklin Crafts in Oconomowoc, WI

Janice Zimdars —Patched Works in Elm Grove, WI

Jennifer Farrow — Stash to Stitches in Nash, OK

Melinda Lee —Quilters Haven in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada

Nichole Hilgadiack Ayers —The Fabric Shop in Springfield, TN

Pam Cope —Keepsake Cottage Fabrics in Bothell, WA

Shaena Green —Angel Quilters in Lincoln, CA

We applaud all our entrants for their creativity and enthusiasm for the contest, and we thank you for supporting locally-owned quilt and fabric shops. We can’t wait until next year’s Visit Your Local Quilt Shop Day! Save the date for Saturday, January 25, 2014!

Visit Your Local Quilt Shop Day — International

Teresa — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 17:57:54 +0000

Sew Sisters in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Make a purchase of $25 and get free Moda candy pack. Buy more than $75 and get a Moda charm pack. If your purchase is $100 or more, you’ll get Moda candy pack, charm pack and free shipping (Canadian orders only).

Snip & Stitch Sewing Centre in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada
20% off all regular-price fabrics, get a $10 punch for stopping by and more.

Michelle’s Sewing Basket in Ringwood, Victoria, Australia
A surprise for every shopper, all day!

By Hoki Quilts in Hokitika, New Zealand
Mini-quilt class for visitors.

Is your shop outside the US and celebrating? Let us know by emailing teresa.coates@fabshopnet.com and we’ll add you to our list. All submissions must be received by midnight (PST) on January 23, 2013.

Visit Your Local Quilt Shop –South/Southeast events

Teresa — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 17:56:48 +0000

Quilter’s Apprentice in Terrell, Texas
25% off notions, books and patterns. 25% off fabric with one-yard minimum. Fat Quarters are buy four, get one free.

Country Living Quilts in Marquez, Texas
50% off all books! We’ll have demos, snap sack kits at 15% off and a few surprises!

Stitchin’ Heaven in Mineola, Texas
An insane in-store celebration starting at 7 a.m.

The Quilt Asylum in McKinney, Texas
20% of one cut of fabric from the bolt.

Happiness Is…Quilting in McKinney, Texas
Homemade cookies, demos and prizes all day long!

Cabbage Rose Quilting in Fort Worth, Texas
Tons of demos all day long!

The Quilt Room in Huffman, Texas
Free gift with purchase!

HNT Quilt Shop in Durant, Oklahoma
Buy five yards, get five yards free, plus 25% off new collections, books, patterns, and notions.

Sew This! in Abita Springs, Louisiana
15% off all regular priced fabric and merchandise and receive free fat quarter with purchase. Excludes Bernina products.

Little Quilts in Marietta, Georgia
Goodies, a free LQ pattern or booklet, and special deals all day.

Intown Quilters in Atlanta, Georgia
Visits from Ellen Luckett Baker, Melody Miller and Rashida Coleman-Hale, refreshments and class previews.

Suzanne’s Quilt Shop in Moultrie, Georgia
Hourly special and door prizes.

Rabbit’s Lair in Rogers, Arkansas
Spend $25 and get a free Michael Miller solids free! Plus demos this weekend.

The Fabric Shop in Springfield, Tennessee
Demos, raffle, and charity sew with a special visit from the mayor.

Fabrics N’ Quilts in Jamestown, Tennessee
Stitch a pre-cut block for our Quilts of Valor quilt or make a pillowcase for the local children’s center. With door prizes, sales, refreshments and demos!

The Thread Bear Quilt Shop in Walnut Cove, North Carolina
25% off all books today, continuing the celebration tomorrow with 25% off all panels and cheater cloth, and on Saturday will have 25% off all Batik fabrics.

Wish Upon A Quilt in Raleigh, North Carolina
Refreshments, double rewards on all purchases, enter to win a free Janome sewing machine. Extra online savings too!

Rachel’s Quilt Patch in Staunton, Virginia
Door prizes, refreshments, and a limited supply of grab bags with purchase.

Batiks Etcetera and Sew What Fabrics in Wytheville, Virginia
Get a free fat quarter with a purchase of $15 or more!

Nancy’s Fabrics in Ronceverte, West Virginia
Demos, refreshments and new fabrics.

We’re Sew Creative in Concord, North Carolina
Sale fabric marked down to $3.50/yard, a chance to win a Molly sewing machine and a free fat quarter to everyone who comes in.

Is your shop celebrating in the south/southwest? Let us know by emailing teresa.coates@fabshopnet.com and we’ll add you to our list. All submissions must be received by midnight (PST) on January 23, 2013.

Celebrities Support Local Quilt Shop Day

Jamie — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 13:10:42 +0000

We are extremely grateful to all the fabric designers, pattern designers, teachers, authors, and quilt- and sewing-world celebrities who have shown their support of local quilt shops in our public awareness campaign. You’ve made a huge impact in getting the word out around the globe. Thank you!

Visit Your Local Quilt Shop — Midwest events

Teresa — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 00:25:17 +0000

River Place Quilt & Sew in East China, Michigan
All-Day sew (free!) with coffee, tea and water provided. Every attendee receives a free pattern and fat quarter.

The Icehouse Quilt Shop in Grayling, Michigan
Lots of in-store specials.

The Quilter’s Garden in Fenton, Michigan
15% off everything and a customer quilt/project show-n-tell at 6:30 pm until 8 pm.

Quilted Treasures of Rogers in Rogers,Minnesota
Ten deals of the day and a hot cocoa bar

Cheri’s Fabric to Quilt in Mercer, Wisconsin
Pick Your Discount basket and save up to 20%

Fabric Essentials in Concordia, Kansas
Sales, fun and food!

Sew Natural in Newton, Kansas
Demonstrations of fusibles–interfacing, stabilizer, batting, slicker and more.

Fabrics, Etc. 2 in Bensenville, Illinois
15% off batiks, flannels, books, and patterns. One-day sewing machine sale, too.

The Quilt Corner in Morton, Illinois
Buy one yard of sale wall fabric, get the second yard half off.

Sew Biz in Marion, Indiana
30% of flannels, 20% off batiks plus more discounts, hot chocolate for everyone and help submitting to the photo contest!

The Quilted Kitty in Lincoln, Nebraska
Demos, make-and-takes, mini-classes and lots more!

Red Rooster Quilts in Dublin, Ohio
Spend $60 or more and get a free pattern kit! We’ll have special buys and other surprises for everyone.

Is your shop celebrating in the Midwest? Let us know by emailing teresa.coates@fabshopnet.com and we’ll add you to our list. All submissions must be received by midnight (PST) on January 23, 2013.

Visit Your Local Quilt Shop — Northeast events

Teresa — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 21:20:46 +0000

Heartland Quilt Shop in Lockland, New York
Open sew, along with 25% off fabrics, books and patterns, and door prizes every hour!

O’Susannah’s Quilts and Gifts in Watkins Glen, New York
Potluck with author Marie Bostwick ($10).

Marie’s Sewing Center in Lockport, New York.
$40 tune-ups, 25% off non-sale items, drawing for a new Janome sewing machine and more!

Mariner’s Compass Quilt Shop in Bath, Maine
Sign up for our newsletter for a 25% off coupon.

One Stitch, Two Stitch in Littleton, New Hampshire
Free pattern, special discounts and demos all day long

Norton House: A Quilter’s Paradise in Wilmington, Vermont
Refreshments, door prizes and 25% off all fabric on the bolt.

Is your shop celebrating in the northeast? Let us know by emailing teresa.coates@fabshopnet.com and we’ll add you to our list. All submissions must be received by midnight (PST) on January 23, 2013.

Visit Your Local Quilt Shop –Western events

Teresa — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 21:06:27 +0000

Grandma’s Attic Quilting Emporium in Dallas, Oregon
Bed Turning with vintage quilt collection showing at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Hollyhill Quilt Shoppe & Mercantile in West Linn, Oregon
A complimentary fat quarter to all who visit and anyone who makes a purchase will be entered to win one of four $50 gift cards.

Jean Marie’s Fabrics in Springfield, Oregon
Sales (including an extra 10% off clearance fabrics) and demos of quilting techniques and the Go! machine.

SewPo in Portland, Oregon
25% off everything in the store!

Cool Cottons in Portland, Oregon
Door prizes to the first 25 shoppers who make a purchase, along with refreshments!

The Attic Window Quilt Shoppe in Wenatchee, Washington
Demos, refreshments and more. Bring your Attic Window Quilt Shoppe bag and get 10% off

Crazy for Quilting in Potlatch, Idaho
Buy one, get one free on all pre-cut fat quarters! (limit 25 free) Plus, 30% off on select quilt kits!

Cozy Quilt Shop in El Cajon, California
Coupon draw for various discounts or even a gift card!

The Loft in Gualala, California
Sales, refreshments and the first 20 shoppers to make a purchase get an extra gift!

My Girlfriend’s Quilt Shoppe in Logan, Utah
Tons of demos all day long, plus food, prizes and 20% off all fabric.

The Sewing Circle in Fort Collins, Colorado
25% off all notions

Quilter’s Stash in Windsor, Colorado
Refreshments and a chance to win a $50 gift certificate

Is your shop celebrating on the west coast? Let us know by emailing teresa.coates@fabshopnet.com and we’ll add you to our list. All submissions must be received by midnight (PST) on January 23, 2013.

The Countdown is On!

Jamie — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 14:22:18 +0000

It’s going to be a fab event! Thousands of quilters and fabric lovers around the globe will be showing their support for local, independent quilt and fabric shops this week on Visit Your Local Quilt Shop Day—a worldwide event to raise awareness for the importance of these businesses in their local economy and in the creative pursuits of quilters, sewists, fabric enthusiasts, and crafters everywhere.

Independent quilt and fabric shops will be hosting celebrations for Visit Your Local Quilt Shop Day this Thursday, January 24 and offering customers product discounts, raffle giveaways, special classes, demonstrations, make-and-takes, and a fun photo contest to win a $500 shopping spree and sewing machine from Brother International.

“This is the biggest days of the year to show support for local quilt shops,” says Laurie Harsh, President of The Fabric Shop Network, the trade organization for independent quilt and fabric shop owners.

“Quilt shops are vital to our industry, our Main Streets, and our local communities,” says Harsh. “They are much more than a retail venue — they are a place where sewists and quilters meet and connect, trade stories, take classes, and learn new techniques, and are inspired to work with fabric in exciting new ways.”

The event website, www.quiltshopday.com, is a hub for information and features the stories of many independent shops around the country. Be sure to visit your favorite local quilt or fabric shop this Thursday so you don’t miss out on the fun!

Want to get involved and help spread the word? Here’s a checklist of some ways you can share:

Invite a friend to come to your favorite local shop with you this Thursday.
Write a blog post about your favorite local quilt or fabric shop and link it up to our blog tour.
Tweet with #LQSday about your plans for the day. (You can follow us on Twitter here).
Like our page on Facebook to stay up-to-date on the latest happenings.
Share on Facebook your plans for the day and rally others to come shopping with you!
Post photos of your favorite local quilt shop on Instagram with #LQSday.
Enter our photo contest on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. The contest hashtag is #ILoveMyLQS

We’d love to hear from you! Leave a comment and let us know how you plan to share with others about Visit Your Local Quilt Shop Day!

Enter our Photo Contest!

Jamie — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 14:55:55 +0000

Have you entered our amazing photo contest for a chance to win a $500 shopping spree* to your favorite local, independently-owned quilt or fabric shop and Project Runway Limited Edition sewing machine from Brother USA? You haven’t? Well, what are you waiting for? There are more than 75 entries so far but the field is wide open! You have until midnight on Visit Your Local Quilt Shop Day this January 24 to enter!

Here’s how it works:

Visit your favorite independent quilt or fabric shop, take a photo inside the shop, and upload the photo to the contest page at facebook.com/quiltshopday with a caption saying why YOU love your local, independent quilt or fabric shop.
Or, if you’re not on Facebook, you can still enter by uploading your photo to Twitter or Instagram with hashtag: #ILoveMyLQS in the caption or tweet.
Deadline for entries is January 24, 2013 at 11:59 p.m. PST.
Fans will vote for their favorites January 25, 2013 through January 31, 2013.
Have fun! Share your Local Quilt Shop Love with the world! Win prizes!

Here are the official rules, and check out some of the fantastic entries so far:

We would like to thank our Grand Prize sponsor, Brother USA for donating a Project Runway™ Limited Edition Computerized Sewing Machine. The winner will also receive a $500 shopping spree* to the shop featured in their winning entry (*shopping spree courtesy of a $500 Brother Visa ® Prepaid Card).

Plus, the 10 runners-up will receive an I Love My Local Quilt Shop tote bag of fabrics, threads, notions, books, DVDs, and other prizes from runners-up prize sponsors valued at retail $200. This is an amazing prize package for our Top 10! Special thanks to our runners-up prize sponsors: Aurifil, BasicGrey, Coats & Clark, C&T Publishing, Hoffman, In the Beginning, Martingale, Moda, Marcus Fabrics, QuiltGate, Quilting Arts TV, Quilting Treasures, Studio E Fabrics, Timeless Treasures, and WindhamFabrics.

Join the Blog Tour!

Jamie — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 11:43:16 +0000

The Visit Your Local Quilt Shop Day blog tour kicks off today! Join some of your favorite designers, teachers, and popular bloggers in the sewing and quilting world and visit their blogs as they talk about their favorite local quilt and fabric shops, shops they’ve visited on their travels, and why independently-owned shops are important to quilters, sewists, and crafters everywhere.

But wait, you can be a part of the blog tour too! If you write on your personal blog about YOUR favorite local, independently-owned quilt shop or fabric shop, you can add your blog to the tour! You heard that right – this isn’t an exclusive blog tour for just the “who’s who” of the quilting and sewing world (though we really, really appreciate all of our famous peeps who are helping us kick it off). Everyone is invited to write about their favorite LQS between now and January 24!

Follow the blog tour:

Abby Glassenberg – While She Naps
Alissa Haight Carlton – Handmade by Alissa
Allison Harris – Cluck Cluck Sew
Cara Wilson – Cara Quilts
Carolyn Friedlander – CarolynFriedlander.com
Cheryl Arkison – Dining Room Empire
Christina Lane – The Sometimes Crafter
Debbie Grifka – Esch House Quilts
Diane Gilleland – CraftyPod
Pam Harris – Gingerbread Snowflakes (Read Diane’s and Pam’s back-to-back)
Jane Davidson – Quilt Jane
Jen Carlton-Bailly – Betty Crocker Ass
Julie Herman – Jaybird Quilts
Krista Hennebury – Poppyprint
Laurie Wisbrun – Scarlet Fig
Michelle Freedman – Design Camp
Monica Solorio-Snow – Happy Zombie
Pat Sloan – Create with Pat Sloan
Penny Layman – Sew Take a Hike
Rachael Gander – Imagine Gnats
Rae Hoekstra – Made by Rae
Rita Hodge – Red Pepper Quilts
Victoria Gertenbach – The Silly BooDilly

Are you ready to join the fun? You’ll find some of the blogs above in our thumbnail previews below (for people who like photos before they click), and you can also link up your post!

Don’t forget to grab our buttons and other free downloadable images for your blogs!