zeke Posted October 21, 2014 Report Share Posted October 21, 2014 Went to Pacific International Quilt Festival this last weekend & had a great time. Visited all our favorite vendors and was even asked to trade in my APQS machine for a Tin Lizzie . I politely said no thanks. The odd thing was, I couldn't find the APQS dealer there anywhere? Am I missing something. I mean it's a big show here in the bay area. Zeke.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barbm Posted October 21, 2014 Report Share Posted October 21, 2014 Zeke, if you find out why they weren't there, share with us. There are those of us who might be willing to step in as vendors...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oma Posted October 21, 2014 Report Share Posted October 21, 2014 I've only found APQS at one show in all these years. I didn't go to the one Zeke is talking about this year, but I've gone most all of the other times. In fairness I've only gone to shows mostly in the bay area and Portland. I really wanted to try out the Bliss system and managed to find a quilt show where there was a vendor. I don't remember which show, but it was when Bliss first hit the market. The vendor left her husband in charge and went off to take a class or something. Anyway, he knew next to nothing about any of it, wasn't particularly helpful and I waited over an hour for her to return and just couldn't stand around anymore. I even left to walk around and came back several times. I gave up and left. I still haven't purchased my Bliss. Gammil has always been well represented at the shows as have been other quilting systems, but APQS is the best at everything...machine...service...everything so why aren't we seeing them represented? Seems like some missed opportunities here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeke Posted October 21, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2014 I'll make a few calls and find out why. Zeke..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busy Quilting Posted October 21, 2014 Report Share Posted October 21, 2014 I took my APQS machine 2500miles across Australia in early October so that APQS could have representation at the only Machine Quilting Show in Australia. I too felt that they should be represented since they haven't been for the last two shows. I thank APQS for providing me with a 7 foot table. BUT there are huge costs involved with attending a show like that. Booth fee, Advertising, Van hire, Petrol, Accommodation to get there and for the duration of the show. My husband took ten days off work to assist me. I will need to sell at least 4 fully loaded Milleniums before I can see any return from my investment. And if the sale is put down to another APQS Rep I will get nothing in return. Cost is a huge factor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeke Posted October 22, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 22, 2014 Yes, I know the cost. Been there done that. Zeke.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemon Tree Tami Posted October 22, 2014 Report Share Posted October 22, 2014 Yes my husband was asking me the same thing. He went with me on Saturday just so that we could look at Bernina's version of a longarm. (Curiosity and all that.) Nolting, Gammill, Innova, Handi-Quilter, Tin Lizzie and even Baby Lock were all there. I wonder if anyone bought a longarm at the show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LindaSteller Posted October 22, 2014 Report Share Posted October 22, 2014 Geez. There was even an APQS rep at our dinky show here in Eugene! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonnie H Posted October 22, 2014 Report Share Posted October 22, 2014 That's too bad about the APQS not being at the show, but with the cost of traveling and vendor fees, it's understandable. The economy in our neck of the woods is bad, water limited, and that has to be hurting California everywhere, even northern California, I would think. Oma, so many quilters in my area (Tulare/Visalia) have Gammils. The Gammil dealer must have been out and making the show rounds and pushing hard in the last decade here! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancingraisin Posted October 22, 2014 Report Share Posted October 22, 2014 The number of vendors at PIQF was way up this year. (A friend thought disproportionate venders to quilts, in fact.) I too was surprised not to see APQS. PIQF is a big deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaniceC Posted October 22, 2014 Report Share Posted October 22, 2014 I have been to the last two MQX shows (Portland and New Hampshire) and APQS was at both, I think. They are even going to be at a show in Toronto this week. What I have noticed, though, is that the long arm classes don't seem to use APQS machines. I have taken classes with Gammill, Innova, and Handiquilter machines. I would dearly love to own an APQS and would instantly sign-up for a class if I knew the students would be using APQS machines - what a great way to get to 'play' on a machine for a couple of hours. I know it must be hugely expensive for the companies who do provide machines, but it seems like it could be a win-win for everybody. Just my two cents ..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RitaR Posted October 23, 2014 Report Share Posted October 23, 2014 I found APQS at Paducah a few years back. Not found at the Quilt and Fibre Art shows, as many others are.. Gammil, Bernina, Homesteader, HQ, etc. I'd think sales then, at the shows, would cover the costs in the long run.. though probably not in the near future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loraquilts Posted October 23, 2014 Report Share Posted October 23, 2014 I came across an APQS booth at the Long Beach Quilt Show last year. Her comments about fees, margin, cost, and trouble echoed those by Lyn. It seems like APQS doesn't attend or sponsor dealers at these shows and that the dealers have to shoulder the entire burden themselves. Then if the customer who was just "thinking" about buying a machine during the show, doesn't call the specific dealer to make the purchase, the dealer doesn't get any credit for the show sale. Didn't sound right to me. The women I spoke with said she had often run into cases where she went through all the trouble of expense of setting up the show booth and then other dealers would linger and pass out their buisness cards as if they were the one running the booth. After speaking with her, I'm not surprised that it's difficult to find an APQS booth at most of these shows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barbm Posted October 23, 2014 Report Share Posted October 23, 2014 Lora, you are correct for the most part: for most shows, local reps cover all expenses out of their own pockets. APQS does cover some or all the expenses at large shows. But those of us that choose to represent APQS at our local or regional quilt shows, do so to make contact with future customers or to reinforce our relationship with our existing customers. APQS doesn't expect its reps to do shows. It is frustrating, though, to spend time and energy with a customer, only to have them purchase directly from APQS or another rep. On the flip side, I am sure there are those who call me with an order after they have spent time trying machines at a larger show. I think it evens out in the end. That being said, if APQS corporate or one of the California reps don't want to vend at PIQF, call me - I might just be in the mood for a road trip! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemon Tree Tami Posted October 23, 2014 Report Share Posted October 23, 2014 I didn't realize that Barb. Thanks for the info. It would be frustrating to spend all the time, energy and money on a booth and then not get the credit for a sale if someone bought it later. (Now I'm especially glad that I made a point of ordering my machine and my IQ from the original sales people who spent oodles of time with me demo'ing and telling me all about them.) On another note, I understand that there was a Road Show here in San Jose in May. I missed it by a week but I'm wondering if in the future it could be scheduled to happen either just before or just after PIQF as well as setting up a booth. Would that be feasible and would it make enough of an ROI that headquarters would be interested? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barbm Posted October 23, 2014 Report Share Posted October 23, 2014 That would be a question for APQS. It would be nice to have a corporate presence at a show like PIQF, but at least a rep there vending and demonstrating would be good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busy Quilting Posted October 24, 2014 Report Share Posted October 24, 2014 If PIQF is only a week or so before Houston Market it could be difficult to have APQS vend, pack up and get to Houston so soon afterwards. It takes a lot of staff that would normally be answering your calls in Head Office to man/woman a booth. Is PIQF specifically for Machine Quilting or just a Quilt Festival. I know some of the visitors to the Adelaide Machine Quilting Festival were disappointed that there wasn't the fabric sellers there they were expecting............ but there were a lot of Quilting Machines.......light bulb moment! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnCavanaugh Posted October 25, 2014 Report Share Posted October 25, 2014 hi everyone, We appreciate the fact that you all would like APQS to be at shows all over the country (and even the world!) And we would love to be at as many as possible, too! APQS is actually one of the very few family-owned longarm companies not owned by a corporation or investment bank. One of the things about being that small company with family values is that unfortunately financial resources and manpower are not in unlimited supply. We have a fabulous dealer network who help represent us, several of whom also vend at regional shows on our behalf. Yet even with their help, we cannot be at every place we would like be. By the time 2014 comes to a close, APQS will have had a booth either corporately or through a dealer at 59 different shows PLUS another 60 road shows. With three full time sales team members and about 15 active traveling dealers, that leads to a whole lot of miles and days on the road. That is almost 2.5 shows every week! That is also why you won't see APQS machines in Longarm classrooms as much as when there were only 5-7 machine quilting shows in a year. Now nearly every major quilt show also has Longarm classrooms. That is great for students, but next to impossible logistically and financially to have 10 machines at each of those shows plus a show booth, plus people to manage it all. We do our very best to support our dealers who also represent us at regional shows by taking their own equipment to the show, take time off from work to do so, etc. These women and men use their time and talent to spread the word about APQS machines on their own time and often on their own dime because they also believe in the product and frankly love what they do. And as much as we would also love to financially support each of them, it just isn't possible. Their sales commissions help them earn a living doing what they love. If a potential customer develops a relationship with a local dealer, we encourage them to work with that local dealer before buying directly from APQS for just that reason. We love to sell machines because we believe in them. We designed them to be the best they can be. We hand build each one. We guarantee them for life. But I count myself lucky to work for a company that also values family and respects (and encourages) a work-life balance. That means sometimes choosing to say "no" when looking at all the possible quilt shows across the nation we could attend (have you noticed how many there are now? And have you noticed a drop in the number of quilts, vendors, and even attendees at the shows?) There are simply too many now for us to be represented at every single one, even with a strong dealer network. That is also why we take our "show on the road" with Road Shows. Even with all the quilt shows out there, there are still many parts of the country without any major or even "local" show for quilters to attend. We are always looking for ways to get the word out about APQS machines, and will continue to try and reach as many quilters as possible while maintaining the company's core family values. We THANK YOU all for your support and encouragement, too! The fact that you even posed this question shows that you believe in us and want to see more of us. We love all quilters! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norma H Posted October 27, 2014 Report Share Posted October 27, 2014 Something to ponder re the increased number of "quilt shows" and the drop in quilts, vendors and attendees - As reported by Meg Cox, Quilt Journalist in an email I received today - - " . . .Survey Shows 24% Drop in U.S. Quilters At Quilt Market on Friday, the latest industry survey of "Quilting in America" was unveiled with some fanfare at Quilt Market in Houston. The survey was completed under the auspices of two key entities in the field, Quilts Inc. and F+W, a Content and eCommerce company that owns such media brands as Quilting Arts, Fons & Porter and McCall's Quilting. While the presentation and press release emphasized that quilting grew as an industry, to $3.76 billion a year from $3.6 billion in the 2010 survey, that's only a 5% rise, less than the rate of inflation for those four years. And the really scary part is that the number of active quilters in this country dropped to 16 million from the 21 million reported in 2010. The 2010 figure was itself a big drop, from more than 27 million quilters counted in the 2006 survey. I'm guessing that industry folk are also concerned to see the average age of quilters ticking up again, to 64, from 62 in the last survey. What gives? I'm not saying the sky is falling, but if I were one of the investors who've been snapping up craft properties in the past decade, I would be watching this market like a hawk. As a journalist, I'll be watching to see how this news plays out, and will share my findings with you. As a quilter, I'm thinking, "So what?" I have never been obsessed with the endless expansion of my tribe. No one on Earth could make me stop making quilts, and I know that I'm far from alone. Whatever happens, I'll be here to tell you the news.. . ." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffq-lar Posted October 27, 2014 Report Share Posted October 27, 2014 Thanks for sharing the information, Norma. I always look with interest on any survey done by entities that have a vested (read "financial") interest in any industry. Of course they would be watching the demographic closely. I just think they didn't count us all. I'm 63--right on the demographic for a quilter. I don't think there are fewer quilters. My area supports one huge guild, one medium guild, and a two-year-old Modern Quilt Guild with members added every year. We also have two successful quilt shops, a JoAnns that is always busy, and full classes at the LQSes with lots of younger participants. *** This was the year of "use up your stash". The price of fabric has skyrocketed and many of my age decided to stash-dive to make tops this year. And every other blogger was pushing stash-busters and scrap quilts. So if you want us to buy fabric and maintain a stash big enough to insulate the sewing room--you better give us some better prices. *** I've stopped subscribing to quilt magazines. Unless I find one at the LQS with a pattern I can't live without, I pass. Unfortunate but true--I can find free patterns on-line or I can even (gasp) figure out simple piecing without a pattern. I don't need a pattern to piece a chevron quilt, or a column quilt, or a panel with a border of pieced stars. Maybe the demographic is smart? *** The industry has already tightened. Fewer quilt shows and more knitting or sewing shows on public TV. I can live without a couple of the older shows, but don't touch Fons and Porter! New blood has maintained this show and younger quilters are attracted by easier/ more modern quilts that have been demoed lately. That's fine with me. So if the survey of quilters was done by counting mag subscriptions, or looking at fabric sales that are flat, or counting those who have given their email addy to a quilt shop, or by support to PBS, or by a phoned cold-call---I think they're missing a few of us. Women of my age (ahem) aren't easy to categorize. We're pretty fearless, perhaps frugal, like to be challenged but are more likely to challenge ourselves as far as design and construction, probably don't need a lot of classes, and yes---love fabric. If fabric sales are down, that's because prices are so high compared to 5 years ago. We're hunkering down and using what we have. A good friend who just turned 70 and is a prolific piecer has stopped buying fabric all together. She says her piles of projects will outlive her and she doesn't want to think of all her lovely fabric being sold by the pound at the garage sale! I hope quilting isn't on the decline. It isn't declining in my world. I agree with Meg and her statement "So what?" I hope I'll be able to quilt until I fade away. We're still here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T Row Studio Posted October 27, 2014 Report Share Posted October 27, 2014 well said Linda....my well aged fabric looks great in quilts and the old Saying the woman with the most fabric wins is a myth I never found out what she wins and she woun't be around to enjoy it so we might as well use it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shirleyl Posted October 27, 2014 Report Share Posted October 27, 2014 We have became a little more frugal. I will rarely pay full price for fabric. I have hard this from my clients also. Things are tight in our area, the boom has went bust once again, but will come back around in a few years. I catch a lot of flack from the local shops for not buying, but truth be told I haven't had time to work on one of my own projects in over a year. I have bought maybe 2 kits this whole year, because I wanted them for me! I will eventually get yo them. Fabric normally doesn't spoil. So all is good! Shirley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewingpup Posted October 27, 2014 Report Share Posted October 27, 2014 I agree that the price of fabric is a deterrent to younger quilters starting out who have student loans to pay off among other things. I am thinking that it costs about $200 dollars just for the materials for a large quilt now if you go to quilt shop....then add in the rulers, pattern, machine, thread...and quilting gets out of reach for a lot ......oh...and don't forget the quilter too to finish it up....I never could afford that well into my working years...or at least not very often...so we have the scrap quilters who are recycling,.....I am loving the scrap quilting that I have done too..it is freeing...I just went to a dedicated quilter's estate sale (just the fabric part) and picked up enough fabric to do the backing for 6 queen sized quilts and it worked out to be about $2 a yard. A lot of it is homespun...which I am not sure of as a backing but I don't see why not....it has a soft fuzzy feel to it and I think will by fine for well used bed quilts...but I have also been think about making one of those chenille quilts out of it.....and I won't even have to quilt that! Just a lot of channel stitching and cutting those channels open...oh...I have been wondering here...best get that first cup of coffee down! Lin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mercedes Posted October 27, 2014 Report Share Posted October 27, 2014 This seems to be a trend in many retail institutions - their demographic age group is getting older and older. I attribute a lot of this to our younger generation using technology as their hobby - meaning use of iPhones, iPads, games, etc. SO much time is spent using these items that there's no time for other interests like outdoor activities and hobbies like sewing, knitting, etc. Years ago school classrooms actually had sewing machines in their sewing classes - enough for students to actually sew with them. My granddaughter took a sewing class and there was ONE sewing machine for the whole class - a little bit ridiculous. Many schools don't even offer sewing anymore. I feel the only way we're going to get the younger generation involved in sewing/quilting activities is if we spend the time to teach our children/grandchildren and their friends these hobbies. We want this industry to continue to grow and spend the money to research new technologies in these areas, however they need to be able to make a profit in order to continue to provide us new, more innovative quilting tools. We can all be a part of promoting sewing/quilting to others. I spend one Saturday morning a month at our Church making quilts for children's hospitals, knitting/crocheting scarfs, hats, etc. for the homeless. In addition anyone who comes is offered help to learn these activities. Getting just one additional person into the quilting world could end up bringing in their children and friends and who knows how many others. What have you done to educate others on the joy of sewing/quilting? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancingraisin Posted October 27, 2014 Report Share Posted October 27, 2014 Somewhat disorganized thoughts: The face of quilting is changing and must change as the oldest of us pass on or step away from their sewing machines. That said, our guild is seeing strong interest among younger women recently. I agree with Linda, though, that the expense can become a problem. Quilting is not a cheap hobby and seems to become more expensive every passing year as everything, starting with fabric prices goes up. Some well-loved faces were missing from a relatively inexpensive retreat that I attended this past weekend--the word was that they could no longer afford it. Are the magazines, loaded with expensive long arms and top-of-the-line fantasy machines putting off other young sewers on their first look-see? I remember when quilts were thrifty -- something you made with scraps from garment sewing . . . . . . Cynthia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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