What is the Row by Row Experience?

Hi there, I'm AccuQuilt GO! Getter Jen Strauser of Dizzy Quilter. Have you heard of the Row by Row Experience? It is a fun program that's been running since 2011 and was built for avid quilters and sewists who travel. The Row by Row Experience has a couple goals - make it easy for quilters to find local shops and bring together quilters of all levels for inspiration and free patterns. Sounds great, doesn't it?

Did you miss Pam's coverage of the GO! Fork-Knife-Spoon on the special Row by Row edition of Facebook Live? Watch it here!

More on Row by Row

Many quilt stores participate in the program, including my own local quilt shop who has taken part in it for the past several years. It's great for getting foot traffic in their stores and boosts attention around local quilt shops.

Each year a new theme is announced and this year is "Taste the Experience". Each shop designs a block, which is available as a free pattern for people visiting the shop in person. Usually kits are available to purchase, which include the pattern and the fabric for making the block.

Featured Pattern: GO! Broken Dishes Table Runner (PQ11608)

Customize this pattern with your very own stash using GO! Quilt for FREE.

When is Row by Row?

The 2019 program starts June 21st and patterns are available at shops for free until September 3rd. You then have until October 31st to bring in a completed quilt, including 8 current patterns from different shops. The quilt needs to be quilted, bound and labeled to be considered complete. The first person at each shop to bring in a completed quilt will win a bundle of 25 fat quarters.

It is the perfect excuse to get a group of your best quilting buddies together and go shop hopping. You can download a map of participating shops here.

Row by Row Junior runs along with the main program, and is designed to get kids 6-14 to love sewing. There are kits for simple projects, and when kids bring in their completed project they will receive a special “I made this” ribbon.

Great for Quilters, Great for Quilt Shops

At my local quilt shop, we get a pretty steady stream of customers seeking the Row by Row kits all year long. The spike in customers is good over the summer, and it keeps on going. My shop usually gets a fair number of tourists as customers, and our kits continue to sell years later as souvenirs.

See how AccuQuilt joined in on the Row by Row Experience last year! 

It has been fascinating watching the owners at my shop discuss design options this year. I can’t reveal the design yet, but is was fun listening to all of the different ideas that could be used to highlight a visit to New York City. My vote was for Pizza Rat. I lost.

GO! Fork-Knife-Spoon Die

This year AccuQuilt released the new, Limited Edition GO! Fork-Knife-Spoon die (55261) that coordinates with the 2019 Row by Row Experience theme. AccuQuilt designed this cute runner (pictured above), which is same size as one of the official Row by Row blocks. This is a great piece to add in to make your quilt a touch larger and impressive, and it's now available to purchase at your local AccuQuilt retailer.

Find your nearest AccuQuilt Retailer here to see if they have the GO! Fork-Knife-Spoon die in stock!

I was so excited when my die arrived. I played and ended up making an adorable picnic quilt. This was my first time die cutting through fusible, and it was FANTASTIC! So crisp and clean, and no fraying.

My Row by Row Experience

For my Row by Row project I’m going to do a shop hop with my local friends and hit participating shops in New Jersey. I’ll also be drawing up a map for the family road trip to the NY finger lakes. I’m planning to do a border with dancing utensils. I’ll have a great summer adventure quilt to keep us warm through the winter.

I have a final thought to share on programs like this. There are lots of quilt shops around me that have closed in the past few years. I know a lot of us shop online, either for bargains or for convenience. If we don’t visit our local quilt shops, they won’t be able to stay open. When you spend money at a local shop you are helping keep the doors open. You are helping an owner and employees put food on the table.

Learn more about the GO! Fork-Knife-Spoon and all other 2019 Limited Edition dies here!

For me, my shop isn’t just where I can get my Tula Pink fix. It is where my friends are, it is where I learn new skills, and it is a huge source of inspiration. Row by Row is a great program to get us out of our homes and into quilt shops.

Stay tuned to the AccuQuilt blog for a sneak peek at the tutorial for the completed GO! Fork-Knife-Spoon Picnic Quilt. If you subscribe to the blog, you will be the first to know when we post great articles and tutorials like these. And if you're making anything with your GO! Fork-Knife-Spoon die, please share it with us on Facebook or Instagram and hashtag #AccuQuilt. You can tag me too @JenStrauser, so I can see your work!