One thing is for sure: there will always be economic uncertainty. It’s a part of life. What happens in the stock market is out of your control. All you can do is plan/prepare to the best of your ability, adapt when needed and get on with your life.

How might the current economic uncertainty from tariffs and blowback from other countries impact quilters and sewists? Who knows? I fully expect the price of things from fabric & thread to quilt retreats to increase across all sectors of the marketplace – whether you get your stuff online, Wal-Mart, Hobby Lobby or your LQS.

Rest assured, I’ll still continue to quilt, make projects for charity and take classes to hone my skills. This won’t change. What may change is where I buy fabric & notions and where I take classes/attend retreats. Like you, I have a finite amount of money to devote to quilting activities. My goal is to make the money stretch to include the quilty activities that make my heart sing.

New fabric in my area quilt shops averages $14.00/yard. For me, fabric has now achieved the same status as certain items in the grocery store. I’m not paying full price for those items. I can wait for a sale, buy it elsewhere at a cheaper price or substitute something else. Amazing how well this strategy works for fabric, too.

Quilt classes have increased in price. While my guild’s class prices have remained steady at $55 for members, most pattern and supply fees are now paid directly to the instructor, rather than being included in the class fee. I typically take at least 1 guild sponsored class each year. This week’s class with Tara Miller was awesome! The other class I want to take is in late July with Michelle Yeo. She’ll be in the US over the summer and my guild was lucky enough to book her. Her Giant Dahlia quilt is gorgeous. The acrylic templates and 2 patterns with shipping from Australia were just under $100.00 USD. A friend and I split the cost.

Quilt retreat/travel has also gone up. Retreat fees are up about 20% over last year – as are hotel prices. I’m in a quilt retreat group on FB and some organizers are having a hard time filling all their spaces. One organizer even admitted she should have planned for a private room option. Thank you. Some of us prefer private rooms – not 3+ twin beds stuffed in an alcove. As several FB retreat group members have indicated repeatedly, I’ll be happy to pay a reasonable extra amount for a private room.

This is why I tend to stick to events held at conference centers. In a couple of weeks, I’m headed to Idaho for a spring retreat with the JK Quilts girls. This will be my third retreat with them. It’s held at a local hotel & conference center in Boise. Always a great time! I’d like to try their fall retreat – held at a lodge about an hour north of Boise. In June, I’ll be taking 2 classes at Mountain QuiltFest in Pigeon Forge (TN). Points and incentives earned from my Idaho hotel stay will help cover some of the hotel cost of my Pigeon Forge trip. The rest of my summer/fall quilty adventures will be local or within a 3 hour drive.

The economy may be having a hissy fit at the moment, but I’m still living my best retirement life. I can’t do all the things, but I can do all the things I really want to do. Sometimes, it requires a little creativity, but that’s half the fun.