Fat Quarters at the Ready Campaign

Last weekend, I went on a stash building mission in Lancaster County in Pennsylvania. For those of you who don't know, Lancaster is Amish country, and Amish country is where quilting happens. There are plenty of fabric shops there, some boutique-like and some warehouse-like; all are stuffed to the gills with 100% cotton goodness! Below is a list of the places I visited on this trip, if you are ever in the area, be sure to check them out.

Country Store

2679-B Old Philadelphia Pike
PO Box 259, Bird-in-Hand, PA 17505
717-393-5321

Burkholder’s Fabrics, LLC

2155 W. Route 897
Denver, PA 17517
717-336-6692

Log Cabin Quilt Shop

2679 Old Philadelphia Pike
Bird-in-Hand, PA 17505
717-393-1702

Martin’s Fabric & Craft Barn

2799 E. Cumberland Street
Lebanon, PA 17042
717-274-5359

Quilt & Fabrick Shack

3137 Old Philadelphia Pike (Rt. 340)
Bird-In-Hand, PA 17505
717-768-0338

Sauder’s Fabric

681 S. Muddy Creek Road
Denver, PA 17517
717-336-2664

Weaver’s Dry Goods

108 West Brubaker Valley Road
Lititz, Pa. 17543
717-627-1724

Zook’s Fabric Shop

3535 Old Philadelphia Pike (Rt. 340)
Intercourse, PA 17534
717-768-8153

Most of the shops carry notions as well. Zippers are in abundance.

I'm not certain of the psychology behind this but I am much more likely to purchase a fabric that I like but have no immediate use for, when it is pre-cut.  I have nothing planned for 11 of the 13 fabrics shown above, but I am glad to add them to my stash and did so because they were already cut into fat quarters. I would never however, have schlepped 11 of these bolts of fabric to the cutting counter and asked for a quarter yard of each. Too much effort and too much time to spend for something I don't really need.

I'm am sure that I am not alone in my thinking and wish to embark on a campaign that encourages shop owners to have at the ready, fat quarters of each and every one of their offerings. We need to devise an effective way to inform shop owners that they would sell much more fabric, and we would buy much more fabric than we set out to, if they would simply pre-cut their wares.

So who is willing to help me initiate a "Fat Quarters at the Ready Campaign"?