So Many Quilts, So Little Time

The quilt shop is a very interesting place to visit. There are many quilts on display which get your creative juices flowing. You want to make each and every one you see hanging on the wall. At this time of year they start to show all the fall and Halloween quilts, wall hangings and table runners. I found a kit I'd like to get and make for Halloween. I will wait another week or so because I'll get my birthday card with the birthday discount when August comes. Shopping at a quilt shop is sometimes a bit more expensive than shopping from a catalogue, but since there is no shipping and handling fee, it is sometimes beneficial to buy directly from the shop. It's quite a lot of fun to view the bolts of fabric on the shelves. It's like being in a candy store and looking at all the different pieces of candy in the case before selecting the one you'll finally buy. And isn't it tempting to get one of everything? Of course that's not possible because the cost would be prohibitive. The same reality sets in in the quilt shop. If I only have X amount of money to spend, I have to make a decision on a smaller purchase. So, you wander around the store looking and eliminating the less favorite fabrics until you finally decide on the one you'll be taking home. The only thing is, one piece of fabric does not a quilt make. So you'll be back another day, after you've found a pattern, to purchase coordinating fabrics which will go into the quilt. It's not an inexpensive hobby because the material is not cheap. The time you spend putting the quilt together and quilting the finished top is hard to put a price tag on. So, a word to the wise, If you are given a homemade quilt by a friend, treasure it. A lot of time, money and love went into the making of it.