The Guys Fabric Shopping Survival Guide

[Stitchwiz]

Gentlemen, this is for you - but please share after you have finished, your ladies will enjoy it too!

I thought that many of you could relate to this. Many of you sew, or have women in your life who sew. Have you ever gone to the fabric store with her, or...bless you, for her?

I can see the eyes glazing already. But wait a minute... someone is on your side!

This blog was written by a husband, for his wife, for her blog while she sews - all will be revealed... Enjoy!


The Guys Fabric Shopping Survival Guide

http://mellysews.com/2015/05/guys-fabric-shopping-survival-guide.html

Ladies,
I was laughing so hard I needed kleenex for my eyes. Consider yourself forewarned.

Next, we all need to push for Partner seating in our favourite stores, a TV would be nice, too :soda: ...happy shoppers spend more money...
Read the blog and you'll understand...

[Tarheel]

Let us recognize, "Melly's man" for clarification, is a true romantic. To encourage the talents of his wife is commendable, to air his sarcasm is human. There is a trap "unwritten" in his adventure that I expect would be a great subject for his next blog. That would be, "Sent to the fabric store alone, by wife, with a partial list for items that he was supposed to learn from the previous visit, where he hung on her every word about her specific purchase for her upcoming project."
Forgive the chauvinistic slant to my words, but I shop with my wife and we can't even agree on the same eggs sometimes. She thinks quiche when I think omelets, she thinks (free range, medium, brown and fresh) I think cheap and large.
I love the differences in the sexes and appreciate how we make it work as a couple. We call that team work (sub-titled, Marriage contract.)

[ratspike]

It's only funny because it's dead on, but in my case that post applies to my wife. I've seen this dude plenty of times though, and he always looks all "OMFG I hate this and it sucks FML".

Now that I order almost all of my fabrics and materials online, my life has become a lot easier.

[Lady Grey]

Too funny, I spat tea over the iPad and so so true.
However I love it when an unsuspecting bloke enters the store looking for something to do with camping, work clothing or in one case motorcross.
They have a glazed look, then the ' stunned mullet' look, then they ask for help. The trail of women following him around the store is hysterical... All offering advice! And the number system at the cutting counter... They don't get it.
My local Spotlight Store has an electronics store next to it... It was great to send them in there so you could shop in peace. But.... There was the infamous day that my (now ex) husband came rushing in looking for the car keys. TV, Lawn mower, some router thingy, another thingy me bob, cord thingys, etc, etc, bought by him and he expected them to fit in the car along with my important fabric purchases....Not impressed!
Spotlight have wised up... They now have a cafe in each store, you just leave them there with the paper & a coffee.
I do like the betting idea however

[Kiltboy]

Thanks for posting. The bit about clocks on the wall got the loudest of my laughs.

[Geoff Withnell]

Having been married to a professional dressmaker for 43 years, here is my advice for surviving trips to the fabric store.

Step 1. Bring a book. I now use technology and bring my Nook, to make sure I have enough reading material.

Step 2. Fabric stores ALWAYS have chairs. The most comfortable will be in the sewing machine sales area, in front of sewing machines. If there is no sewing machines sales at the store you are in (unlikely but possible), there IS a pattern book table, with chairs.

Step 3. Sit in your selected chair and read. If asked to pass a particular pattern lots of book, smile, and pass it.

You will get lots of smiling approval, since you are both there supporting your wife's sewing project, AND staying out of her way.

[The Q]

Sadly SWMBOs favourite fabric shop is tiny, probably less than 10x20 ft of which one quarter is the till, counter and cutting table the rest is stacked floor to Ceiling both sides with material. If I can escape without having to give an opinion, there's a cafe 3 shops down!
I only know of one shop with chairs and that's Lakeland, a purveyor of small kitchen equipment. That has chairs just inside with daily papers to read.
But this problem of Shopping with SWMBO can easily apply to almost any shop except the railway modelling shop, then she wanders off somewhere else! but at least I don't try to get her opinion on something she has no knowledge of.
Our normal trips to town start with the Newsagents so that I can deposit myself on a bench in the high street and read while she takes hours and comes out with nothing. it gets a bit cold in the winter...

[Jack Daw]

Let us recognize, "Melly's man" for clarification, is a true romantic. To encourage the talents of his wife is commendable, to air his sarcasm is human. There is a trap "unwritten" in his adventure that I expect would be a great subject for his next blog. That would be, "Sent to the fabric store alone, by wife, with a partial list for items that he was supposed to learn from the previous visit, where he hung on her every word about her specific purchase for her upcoming project."
Forgive the chauvinistic slant to my words, but I shop with my wife and we can't even agree on the same eggs sometimes. She thinks quiche when I think omelets, she thinks (free range, medium, brown and fresh) I think cheap and large.
I love the differences in the sexes and appreciate how we make it work as a couple. We call that team work (sub-titled, Marriage contract.)

The difference between the sexes is not team work as it is an exercise in insanity. And, I am happily one of the newest inmates to the asylum.

[Stitchwiz]

Having been married to a professional dressmaker for 43 years, here is my advice for surviving trips to the fabric store.

Step 1. Bring a book. I now use technology and bring my Nook, to make sure I have enough reading material.

Step 2. Fabric stores ALWAYS have chairs. The most comfortable will be in the sewing machine sales area, in front of sewing machines. If there is no sewing machines sales at the store you are in (unlikely but possible), there IS a pattern book table, with chairs.

Step 3. Sit in your selected chair and read. If asked to pass a particular pattern lots of book, smile, and pass it.

You will get lots of smiling approval, since you are both there supporting your wife's sewing project, AND staying out of her way.

We obviously need to work on our stores on this side of the pond. I haven't seen a chair anywhere in a fabric store in all my years sewing - not in Canada or in the USA. Maybe they're worried the staff will use them - as if...

Great team work. I like your flexibility, Geoff.

[Bagpipe Esoterica]

[QUOTE=Lady Grey;1291037]Too funny, I spat tea over the iPad and so so true.
However I love it when an unsuspecting bloke enters the store looking for something to do with camping, work clothing or in one case motorcross.
They have a glazed look, then the ' stunned mullet' look, then they ask for help. The trail of women following him around the store is hysterical... All offering advice! /QUOTE]

The first couple of times going, they kind of view guys with suspicion. Like a Giant Wolfhound Dog that unknowingly walked into a Cat Fanciers Meeting. Once they knew me, and that I know what I am doing.. well its different after that. That is when we had a Fabric store. The owner retired, and closed and now we have dreadful corporate stores like Joan's and Hobby Lobby.

Generally, there should be chairs.. even if its the ones at the Pattern Books. If they aint no place else, you should find them there along with a nice table to set your laptop and so forth on.