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Friday 27 September 2013

Maybe We Shouldn't Be So Afraid

Maybe we shouldn't be so afraid.  Afraid of what?  Afraid of taking our husbands into the fabric shops with us!  I am not even kidding.  You know the jokes on Facebook and in the quilting funnies... The woman buys fabric and doesn't tell her partner how much she actually buys.  She hides her stash from him.  Recently, my husband has taken an interest in my day job:  my sewing and my art, my classes and my exhibits.  It's quite unexpected.  He's always been supportive of what I do and appreciative of what I create.  However, lately when I announce that I'm heading out to run errands, he asks, "can I come with you!?"  At first I thought he was just humouring me.  Or maybe he misses me?  We are both entrepreneurs and stupid-busy at times.  Well... actually all the time.  I blog at midnight and he answers emails at 7 am.

Anyhow - back to my story.  This morning after breakfast and walking our kids to school, my husband asked what I was doing today.  "I have to go the quilt shop.  It's the 40% off sale day.  I need fabric and interfacing for next weekend."  My husband grabbed his sunglasses and shoes - "Can I come shopping with you?"  (really!??)  He sure looked serious.  Sure...  Sure honey!

So we head out.  I'm driving.  We go through the Tim Horton's drive through for our large-double-doubles (that's Canadian coffees with for 2 cream & 2 sugar).  Then we make a bee line to the fabric store.  I make fun of him.  I tell him THIS is the place - it's full of women all the time!  hehe  I shouted, 'WOOHOO!' out the window for him.  I totally embarrassed him.  We get to the parking lot and parked behind a vehicle with veteran plates.  We smile at each other.  He had better like older women.  I am in fact 3 years older than him.

We go in.  I'm trying to shop but he won't stop asking questions.  He picks up a quilt kit and says, "this is a good price hey!?".  I'm not sure what he's comparing it to.  He's never shopped here before.  Neither of us have ever purchased a quilt kit before.  Usually the men wait in the vehicles if they do come at all, or they head out around the corner to grab a coffee.  You know...

I have my arms full of a few nearly-empty bolts of batiks.  I head to the woman behind the cutting table and ask, "did I come on the right day!?  40% off if you buy the bolt?  Is there a limit to that?"  She smiled and says, "You came on the right day.  Buy twenty if you want!  There is no limit."  My husband pipes up, "go for it!  Buy lots honey!"  ...and he's serious! (!?)  He likes deals.  I'm thinking: why have I not done this before!?  Why wouldn't our partners be nothing but supportive of our craft?  Clearly, this is my issue.  Still I wonder.  Why do we assume our partners would hate being in a quilt shop?  Why do we assume they might say, 'no more fabric for you dear'.  (ps - I buy my own fabric with my own money.)  However, on occasion I have thrown a sewing or quilting magazine into the grocery cart thinking no one will read the bill.  Don't laugh.  I've seen you do it too.  Maybe we are the ones with issues.  : )

I pay and we leave and go to hit up one more fabric store.  Why not, right?  He's SO into this.  In the second store, he starts picking out bolts from the discount wall.  I can barely keep him under control.  "Slow down!" I laugh.  I pick what I want and then put the rest back on the shelves.  I head to the cutting table and wait.  I'm seriously confused but enjoying my time out with him.  It's kind of like a date.

While I'm standing in line with a few other women, I hear him again.  HE'S SO FUNNY!  He' hollars, "Monika!!  You should come here and feel this!"

He has discovered minky.  

"This stuff is awesome!  Oh!  Feel this too!  You could sew a dog with it!"  Now all the women are giggling.  He has discovered this brown minky/faux fur/ swirly poodle fabric.  I don't have a clue what it's called, but he is clearly blown away.  "I am sorry," I apologize to the woman at the cutting table.  "It's his first time in a fabric store".  She just continues to giggle quietly to herself.

And that was my morning.  It was awesome.  You should try it.  Best date I've had in a long time.  THANKS HONEY!  LOVE YA!



(This one is for you Brandy-Lynne!)

22 comments:

Karen @ Pieces of Contentment said...

Love it Monika! What a great time you both had.....if only more husbands were like this - but then if we had a great fabric store nearby you never know! This week I had a fabric parcel (flat rate envelope) arrive from the US (so much cheaper to buy and ship than purchase in Australia). My husband and eldest son made jokes about it. I only buy two or three times a year and I was quietly excited about its arrival.

Love your last graphic!

monika@mysweetprairie.ca said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Brenda said...

great story. My sons barely tolerate fabric buying expeditions, but dh will stop at any fabric store I ask him to, and wait for me until I'm done.

Shawkl said...

Sounds like a wonderful time was had by you both!
Kathy

MariQuilts said...

Too funny!!

elle said...

That particular cartoon was on the bulletin board for many years. ;) My hubby did look for quilt shops whenever we'd be traveling. His idea, not mine. And like yours, he had lots of suggestions for acquisitions. The fact that I am totally in luv with lime green is his fault! He is a thrifty person and after a while he (and I) began to wonder if I'd ever get it all sewn up! LOL

Michele T said...

I am laughing and thinking to myself... when there is time and my husband comes shopping in the fabric store with me, he spots beautiful fabric (he has a Fine Arts Degree) and encourages me to buy some!!! It is an added bonus when there is a sale and we end up getting more than I planned!!

HollyM said...

That is funny and sweet! Mine would never come into the store but willingly goes out of his way to find fabric stores and always waits patiently in the car. Usually he has a nap.

Margaret said...

What a great adventure, Monika! I'm still giggling about the minky. I confess I've never sewn with it. I think I need to have small children around again before I do...

My late DH was always supportive of my work too. Once he and a buddy went to a LQS to get me fabric for my birthday. They came away with a fat quarter bundle in colours I never used. I was told later by a gal I knew who worked there that the two fellas looked "like deer in the headlights" most of the time they were in the shop. Still, his intentions were loving, and I still smile to think of it.

Giddings Art said...

I loved this story!! My awesome husband has behaved much like yours in fabric stores. It is wonderful to have his support.

Lorette said...

Love this story... and the cartoon! My husband loves to see new quilt stores and although he doesn't suggest any fabric purchases, he loves to look at the layout of the stores and the quilts and projects they have. Thanks for sharing.

Mary Ann Tate said...

A wonderful story. I can just imagine it.

My husband always comes into the fabric store with me....he's very good because he doesn't mind holding stuff while I look around. He even goes into Micheal's with me. I often say to him that he can stay in the car but he never does:)

Judy Hartman said...

Just happened upon this post!! Love your artwork and thoroughly enjoyed this story!! What a guy!!

JennyPennyPoppy said...

A great post Monika. Glad you have such a supportive husband and hope you have more dates like this together.

Dahn said...

Loved this post. Love the minky story. Lol! My hubby so ports my quilting but doesn't even like the word"shopping". Today he is dropping me off at West Ed Mall and coming back in 5 hours. :) Wish you were here! ! :}

Chatterbox Quilts said...

Monika, I love how your announcement starts with "I have to go to the quilt shop"! This type of announcement in our house usually gets a response such as "do you really need anything?" Of course, I'm not always buying for a new pattern design and "sale" is a green light for me, so maybe he has a point. Glad you had a great time with your hubby. Mine doesn't like to shop at all, so he is happy to find something else to do while I shop. He has, however, pointed out quilt shops to me several times on vacation - when I wasn't even really looking and would've missed them entirely without his "help", so he can't really complain when I actually go in and buy something :)

monika@mysweetprairie.ca said...

Oh Dahn! We will be in Edmonton likely sfter you are gone. Shopping with you would be fun! :)

Kit Lang said...

Lol My BSP is like this too. I say " I'm looking for something in browns and greens. Solid, tone on tone, or small scale patterns" and BSP is gone like a shot, diving into bins, bolts and dark crevices. It's amazing. I even get REQUESTS to go to the fashion district. And I often end up with more fabric. Like you, I pay for my own, but if BSP is along and I say "I can't afford that", I *always* get it as a present. ;)

Anonymous said...

Love this post. My partner always loved going with me into fabric shops and was buying fabrics not knowing yet what am I going to sew for him from!
Forward few years and it's mostly him serving ladies in our patchwork shop! And they love him ... also because he's french man living in UK.

Juanita said...

I got my morning chuckle reading your post. Good for him for braving the quilt shops! Your comments about hiding fabric remind me of Cathy Miller's song "A Hundred Ways to Hide your Stash"(www.thesingingquilter.com)

My sons regularly give me gift certificates to quilting shops but have never ventured in except to purchase the certificates.

monika@mysweetprairie.ca said...

That is awesome! :)

monika@mysweetprairie.ca said...

That is awesome! :)

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