Debbie and her winning quilt at Sorella Farm Fabric and Quilt Shop, Woodland, WA, 2015.
Row by Row Home Sweet Home, our new theme for 2016, was announced last week. 16,119 fans watched the video where Janet and Debra brought you the exciting news. Over 59,000 of you fell in love with it on Facebook. “Love it! Can’t wait!” was heard everywhere on the internet and through social media.
Huge thanks to you and all of our Row by Row fans. We’re so glad you like the new theme because we certainly do too!
So what’s the big deal! Why is the theme so important?
Because it’s the glue that holds Row by Row Experience together. It’s the one single thing 50 states, nine Canadian provinces, 2700 independent quilt shops, and 100,000+ rowers all have in common. It’s part of the magic of Row by Row!
Folks often wonder how Row by Row can be so successful as a shop hop without coordinating fabrics or planned blocks to collect. They don’t realize it’s the theme that makes everything work. As travelers journey to quilt shops, the theme follows them. Shops can be traditional or modern. Rowers can be young or old. It doesn’t matter. The theme blends them all together in harmony.
But Row by Row Experience 2016 is eight months away. We still have two weeks left in this year’s Row by Row H2O event. Why announce it now?
Because a great deal goes into creating a memorable traveling, collecting, and sewing experience for all of you. Shops have oodles of decisions to make. What will their row pattern be? What will the phrase on their FabricPlate™ be? What will shop displays look like? How will their row design fit with the rest of their shop? What fabric will be needed? How much will they need for kits? How much will the fabric cost? Will they have enough in their inventory buying budget so they won’t run out? Yes! Shops have to budget how much fabric they buy too!
Shop Owners making fabric buying decisions at Quilt Market
Fabric buying presents the greatest challenge for shop owners. It’s usually ordered four to six months in advance. In some cases, such as batiks, orders are even farther into the future. Many shop owners will be attending Fall Quilt Market in Houston, TX, later this month. They will be seeing dozens of fresh, new fabric lines. Can any of these new fabrics be used for their row? Yes, but will they arrive in time to make up the shop’s row sample? Will the shop get all the prints they ordered or will one–the one they needed most of for their row’s background–be back-ordered? These are some of the obstacles shop owners face as they make decisions about their row.
So it’s understandable that shop owners need plenty of time to just think about their rows and make plans. They want to offer you a first rate experience. Getting the theme out there well in advance makes everything just a little bit easier.
Ruth B. winner at Antoinette’s Quilt Shop in Plover, WI, 2015.
Earlier, we said the theme was part of the magic of Row by Row. What’s the other part?
It’s you, of course! Just like a magician waves a magic wand, you turn thousands of rows from across the country into creative, exciting, and unique quilts. The colors you use. The layouts you arrange. The stories you tell. Thank you for making Row by Row magic for everyone.
