Shades of blue fabric on the cutting table.
Photo courtesy of Janet Lutz.
Some people might stick to the old adage, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” but that’s not Janet Lutz’s way.
For nine years she’s been the force behind Row By Row Experience, a popular and widely adopted program that draws customers into brick-and-mortar quilt shops throughout what might otherwise be a slow summer season. Now, despite its success, she’s reshaping the program entirely, with a new name and new vision. Although changing things midstream is risky, Lutz is confident that Quilters Trek, Row By Row’s new incarnation, will serve shops, and customers, even better.
Organic growth
Lutz opened her quilt shop, Calico Gals, in Syracuse, New York in 2001. Ten years later she was searching for a way to draw customers into her shop over the summer. When a local shop hop turned her down, she came up with a new shop hop model that would be more inclusive. She called it Row By Row Experience.
Participating shops designed an original 9” x 36” inch pattern for a row in a quilt and gave the pattern away for free all summer long. Customers collected the patterns as they travelled, and the first to bring a quilt with eight different rows into a shop would win a bundle of 25 fat quarters. The program grew organically, first to surrounding states, then spreading nationally and internationally. At its height 3,100 shops participated.
“But over the last two years we saw our numbers on the consumer level dip,” Lutz says. She tried to stimulate excitement by diversifying the format of the quilt blocks, but participation continued to droop. “If you don’t have the consumers following it, then the shops are less interested, too.” It was time to do some rethinking.
Row By Row had grown up without any real plan and as the years went by there were things about it that Lutz knew needed to change. “I didn’t plan to create this big event. It was something I was doing for my own shop and the stores around me. So the fact that it grew to include all the states and provinces and countries in Europe was kind of an accident,” she says. The opportunity to start over, with intention, suddenly felt very appealing.
Quilters Trek is Row By Row reimagined.
Photo courtesy of Janet Lutz.
A fresh idea
So while vacationing in Orlando last December with Deborah Gabel, Row By Row’s Creative Director, she threw out the challenge to come up with something brand new. Lutz admits that the idea of change felt scary. “You know, it was the largest event in our industry. And we were just going to say, ‘never mind?’ This was a big ship and it’s really hard to turn a big ship.”
Customer choosing fabrics for a design.
Photo courtesy of Janet Lutz.
New dates
They had a brainstorming session in the hot tub and came up with Quilters Trek, a new program that Lutz describes as “Row By Row-ish.” Each tweak stems from a pain point in Row By Row. First up was the dates.
“The dates in Row By Row were all about me. This is my party and this is what I want to do in my store in Syracuse where summer doesn’t start until the end of June,” Lutz says. Shops in Alaska pleaded for years to be allowed to offer their Rows in early June when the tour ships came in, but an exception for one state would inevitably lead to others and so she could never make one. Quilters Trek begin will on May 22, before Memorial Day, and go through the end of August, truly encompassing the whole tourist season.
A cohesive aesthetic
A second change is focused on creating a more unified aesthetic for the finished quilts. “Everywhere you went with Row By Row you could buy a kit. The kits were very fun, and very interesting, but they would not create what you might call a beautiful quilt,” Lutz acknowledges. “They were meaningful, but not beautiful.” The customers who did make beautiful quilts curated their own fabrics in a unified color palette. “We came to realize that those people didn’t buy kits.”
The Quilters Trek tokens represent symbols from each state.
Photo courtesy of Janet Lutz.
To rethink that the theme for Quilters Trek is a color, rather than a motif. This year’s theme is blue. Not a specific Pantone shade. Just blue. “Blue can mean many different things to many different people and to many different shops. But how fun!” says Lutz. “We call it a color-guided shopping adventure.” Shops are encouraged to come up with a design that represents something local to their area. Timeless Treasures will continue to create a souvenir line of fabric for the event. This year’s line will, of course, be all blues.
A refined social media presence
The social media presence for the program is also getting a makeover. Row By Row’s Facebook presence had mushroomed into 64 pages. “It was a big animal to maintain,” says Lutz. Quilters Trek will have just four regional pages. There’s also new newsletter called Friday Four Points.
Some of the terminology has changed, too. Rather than calling the blocks the shops offer “rows” they’re now called “designs.” Shops are asked to create four 9” designs that can be assembled in to a 9”x36” row or an 18”x18” square. A shop can choose to just create one design and repeat it four times, or create four unique designs.
Tighter rules
The relaunch is also a chance to tighten some rules. “One of the challenges we’ve always faced was that there were these loopholes,” Lutz says. “In order to win quilters would take the nine rows and reduce them down, so instead of making a big quilt, they’d make a little quilt. And then other quilters would get upset.” With Quilters Trek winning entries must use 32 nine inch designs, four from eight different stores.
The prizes have been tweaked, too. Rather than one prize per shop for the first traveler to bring in a completed quilt, there are now two smaller prizes. “The difficulty became when someone won on the first or second day,” Lutz says. “So I’m hoping there won’t be that urgency of having to win right away.
New items to collect
Collecting was an important component of Row By Row, and it’s been built into Quilters Trek as well. To give customers an incentive to purchase the kits, Quilters Trek will offer “tokens” to all participating shops. A token is 2 ½” square of fabric themed to each state (prints might include the state bird, state flower, and state flag, for example). Each shop will get 77 tokens to put into its kits and the only way a “trekker” can get one is to purchase a kit. Each shop will also get three “golden tokens” (a golden fabric square) to slip into random kits. If a trekker buys a kit with a golden token they can take a selfie to post in a special Quilters Trek Facebook page for some added fun.
Altogether, Lutz is hoping Quilters Trek will capture quilters’ attention and bring renewed interest to a program that’s doing its best to bolster brick-and-mortar retail sales. “Basically we’re taking all the feedback and learnings from Row By Row and editing it to create something that hopefully will better serve shops and thereby consumers,” Lutz says. “Hopefully with a whole different name they’re going to look at this with fresh eyes.”
Another great idea Janet!
Hooray for the change to tighten up loopholes so people can’t turn in a quilt the first or second day. This levels out the playing field to actual dimensions!
Does it? It just means they don’t win as much. I never did this for the competition as I actually work and don’t stay home sewing all day. I also don’t play hooky to spend the first day running to eight different shops. I thought the point of this was to get people in the door. Take the competition out of it OR don’t allow people to submit until after the collection period is up. I enjoyed the collection. I enjoyed the themes. I think this is totally going in the wrong direction. Kits were already going to the $50 – $100 price point before people had to create their own fabric. Shops were already dropping off. If fabric creation is at Spoonflower rates ($16 – $30/yard), I’m out. I still have lots of previous “theme” collections to work with.
Looking forward to this new “trek” we’ll be taking! I like what you have come up with and am looking forward to seeing how creative the shops make their blocks! And what Timeless Treasures comes up with too!
Best wishes with the new concept. I’ve never been a Row By Row participant because I actually live in a lakes (tourism) area, so we rarely travel during the summer months.
Those are good changes. I agree that the Row by Row quilts were not cohesive. I purchased several kits one year, but have yet to make them as they just didn’t go together. Having a colour theme will be much better. And having more ways to win is a great idea.
This is by far the best explanation I’ve heard and seen for the new changes. I’m going to be quite honest, I started off thinking I wasn’t going to participate anymore, but this article has made me change my mind. (And my husband thought he’d off easy haha).
I tend to do a lot of kit swapping with friends from other states. Is that still going to be a possibility?
Yes, Janet mentioned that she’s taken into account that kit swapping will continue to be part of the program.
Thank you Abby!
Love food donation idea! Wish I could get kits by mail.
As someone who doesn’t have any local quilt shops and by necessity has to do all my fabric shopping online this program baffles me. I don’t understand why brick and mortar shops that have an online presence can’t provide the material to their online customers. It suggests that, as an online customer, the hundreds of dollars I spend in a shop are less valuable than the same money coming from someone in person. Why, if I’m buying the exact same things as someone in person, can I not access the Row by Row kit/pattern? It’s incredibly exclusionary for people who don’t have local shops and also don’t have the luxury of the time and money necessary to plan long road trips to visit shops. It’s doubly frustrating when the few patterns I like are not even in the same country as me on the other side of the continent. Is my business not valued? The program seems very outdated to me regardless of the changes.
AMEN!!!!!! Besides the fact that I forget in November to order the “cute” kits from other far away states.
It will be interesting to see how the changes play out this year. As always, when something changes, additional changes will have to happen down the road to work out any problems that pop up. I agree with the end of the program turn in time for quilts. Let’s get real. Even if I was industrious enough to travel and make the quilt top in a matter of a few days, I do not do the quilting part and long arm quilters do not have 1-2 day turn arounds. Yes, the local quilt shops would possibly have more quilts turned in at the end but the winner could still be determined by a “first in line” or customer voting. Even though I do very little on-line purchasing, it seems that it is an area that needs to be addressed, especially for those that only have that option. After all that, I will keep an open mind and look forward to the new adventure next year.
I’m hoping the pricing will be a little more consistent for the patterns. Some patterns were $50 this last year of Row x Row ,
which was ridiculous. Also, not having a “black out” time where nothing is allowed to be sold would be better. If patterns are free during the time period of Trek but still available for purchase after the time is over, more sales would result in stores that are in more rural areas. A store I went to last summer said she never got a winner in all the time she participated because to get 8 rows would mean traveling over 700 miles in that short time period to collect them. She had a great row, but I couldn’t buy it because it was 3 days after the program had ended.
Thanks for your thoughts, Pam. As far as pricing, are you referring to the pricing of kits? Or to the pricing of patterns after the program and blackout period are over? The patterns themselves, during the program, are free.
I agree with April although we have quilt shops in Albuquerque. However…. I wanted to make a special block for a friend
so she went to the store near her home (not ABQ) and mailed me the free pattern. I t was worthless and the owner
had made no effort to provide a useable pattern. SO disappointed. The best year of row x row was the water theme..
everyone loved it…..even non quilters!! I do find it disconcerting that to get a token..one must buy a kit. For those
of us on fixed incomes = hardship. However, what if shops offered the tokens free in exchange for a donation of
a non perishable food item, hygiene supplies, or a book for a child of any age? lots of good will result!
I hope lapel pins will be back
I agree with the person about shopping online. I do a lot of online shopping due to a disability and unable to drive distance. Why can’t I get the pattern or purchase the kit online.
As a former shop owner in Upstate New York, I joined the Row by Row frenzy the 2nd year it was in place (actually learned about it from a quilting group passing thru my town that stopped to inquire if I was a part of the RxR – I opened shop near the end of it the 1st year, so was not). It was a great way to ensure a more reliable income since it captured the visitors during the summer slow-time.
I think the issue people are talking about with the kits becoming more pricey is a valid one, however, unless you are a shop owner participating in the RxR and now Quilters Trek, you may not fully appreciate all that goes into a shops participation of these programs. I like freebies as much as the next person. While the patterns/designs take much though in creating, the “behind the scenes” expenses involved are what dictate the prices shops charge for their kits. Shops pay a fee to the larger entity to participate, pay for producing the pattern (some hire out while other smaller shops create in-house), kit prep (including making pattern copies, fabric cutting/packaging, possibly hiring extra help to do all this), advertising own shop, purchasing up front of the “extras” quilters may want to purchase to remember each shop (license plates, rulers, pins, bags, etc)… all these are very costly… and sales to re-coup these expenses don’t always cover and losses are taken. That is why some shops charge the prices they do. That, and I don’t believe there was ever a “cap” price point in place as a check.
I’d like also to address the online point of what I’ve seen presented here. There are many, many people who live in rural areas where there may not be a quilt shop for hours (note that I didn’t say miles!) or don’t have the funds or ability to travel to collect what they would like to. I’d like to see something in place to address this issue as there seem to be a growing number of shops that may have been a brick and mortar at one point but have evolved into an online presence for any number of reasons… why shouldn’t these online shops be able to offer the consumer something similar?
Janet Lutz – perhaps this can be brainstormed and addressed for those shops with an online presence?
Glad they changed the rules about sticking to the size in all the states. Some states refused quilts in which the rows were resized and re-formatted and others did not care it the rows were changed in size or layout and it really wasn’t fair to those of us who lived in the states enforcing the rules. When the sizes were changed to the bigger squares it became impossible for some of us who cannot make huge quilts and do not have a long arm. I do it for fun but did not participate last year for the first time in 5 years as the rows were not themed for my state (all of my state) since it has mountains, ocean, and flat lands and the quilts ended up being too huge for me. We will see what my state(s) do.
How about those of us who do not use Facebook? Will the pages be publicly accessible whether or not we have a FB account?
In response to the statement that customer participation has dropped… That might be bcuz your last Row by Tow experience was about food!!! I one right away that I would not participate, bcuz I do not want a Quilt about food… Although I did purchase Mulqueen’s blocks, bcuz I loved them…. Buuuuuuut, no other food blocks appealed to me. Having said that, just the theme made me not investigate many stores blocks.
I totally understand the rules… I understand why you don’t do it on line… Makes perfect sense to me…. However, I will miss the theme and the creativity that comes from the theme…. I think a color theme will mean blocks with less creativity, bcuz you can just do any old block…. Like a log cabin. I’ve enjoyed the theme and how alt shops have been so creative… Having a color theme is like having no theme at all…. Just picking a color.
I will probably no longer participate.
Totally agree with everything you said. I did not participate at all last year cause none of the food blocks interested me. Very sad to see this all change. I would much prefer the themes. We do travel in the summer and it excites me to get to stop at all the different shops. I truly hope this change is worth it.
I agree with the program needed change, but you’re missing out on a group by not using social media to get folks that don’t travel for whatever the reason.
Just a thought to ponder as Quilters Trek’s first year means potential tweaks to the new rules. Instead of making it “the first” (and second now) finished quilt…..how about encouraging finishing your quilt throughout the whole summer season? Set a deadline, maybe a month after the program ends…..bring in your finished quilt, photograph them (or just have participants send in photos) and post ALL the photos on Facebook groups and VOTE. Like a quilt show. Best of Show, Viewer’s choice, State quilt, Store quilt, professional, blogger, first quilt…..etc. There would be more winners, so more of us might participate? And a lot less UFOs (which could be the reason for the slowdown….too many UFOs so why do it again? First year I participated, I mapped out stores I hadn’t been to, with plans to take hubby away for a few weekends around my state. I had not even made it to 8 stores before winners were announced in some of the stores I was planning to visit. So I stopped. Not exactly what the purpose was meant to be. Now I just stop by a store if I’m nearby anyway. Less and less each year and frankly, I haven’t even made many of the patterns anymore. People like to win something….and at least me, it doesn’t have to be big. A couple of fat quarters is great….my name featured on the quilt store counter is even more exciting to me. Recognition. I understand “I” am not a big competitive person but the competitive spirit is getting mean and ugly lately. And stores…..it would seem more sales if more people felt they had a chance to win! Anyway….just MY personal thoughts….if others disagree, that’s ok. Just do it nicely!
JP, I think that’s a cool idea!
I for one don’t want to see the “brick and mortar” quilt shops fold and become online shops. Row by Row was designed for an in shop adventure. A prize is nice but really, not what I go for. It’s the adventure. Meeting new people. Seeing new designs. Visiting new areas. Have I ever won a prize, no. Does this adventure work for all? No, nothing in life does. The Brick and Mortar Quilters Trek, is just one avenue for an adventure in the Quilting world. I see potential, for someone to find a new avenue, in the online purchasing. Thank you Team Quilters Trek, for brainstorming in ways to make Quilters Trek as fair as one can. I like your method of break storming, in the hot tub. May the joy of “brick and mortar” quilt shops live on. Happy stitching 🧵
I agree with Marlene Clark…It was a fun adventure visiting shops in my state that I had never been to before. My friend & I even took Hubby’s and traveled to several states to shop. It was a riot…I was not in it for a prize but agree that setting a date for 1 month after the RxRmaybe Nov. 1st. is an awesome idea for the finished quilt prize. It appears many are not able to do the travel and I think this year with Covid its even more difficult to put oneself out there. Maybe the brainstorm is to help those who need online shopping. I am careful this year as I need to take care of 90 year old parents so will not go to stores. Also I have plenty of them to do from past years!!!. If you buy kits you are buying a lot of work the stores prepare for these kits. Some even used machines to cut the shapes of animal/letters/shapes, etc. and the adhesive on the backs of these cut outs. I’d like to see the color include a theme or maybe a state feature, a holiday, that can be included with the color idea. I hope more stores get back with the Quilters Trek as well. Seems there are many that have dropped out. Not everyone will be happy with every element of this but I think it is worth going forward. Good luck and have fun…
I think change is good, and your new ideas are certainly welcome.
My only concern is the 77 tokens? Does that mean if a shop sells 95 kits, the other 18 kits sold will not have tokens in them?
Shops can request more tokens, but if they don’t then yes the remaining kits will not have tokens.
The revisions sound great. I still have dozens of kits from past years that I never completed. For me, the best component is the list of all the stores across the country. I have planned several cross-country road trips via the quilt stores. It’s a great way to travel (although, my husband teases me that it would be less expensive if he chartered a private jet!).
Love the new ideas! I too think that a store with a kit that also has an online presence should be able to sell the kit. I know I ordered several kits for the Stonehenge Challenge online when I could not get to the store. I live in a large city but our quilt stores have closed this year and we only have 2 left and very few in surrounding areas… 😢
lucky me that my husband plans to ride his bicycle across the country this summer with me as his Sag vehicle and the new timeframe matches! LOVE the color theme! It will be easier to make a cohesive quilt that would be useable! I don’t win prizes but do like to complete the project! Agree that UFOs are defeating for many and limit future involvement. Like having end date for turning in rather than first one turned in wins! LOVE idea of voting on line!
Thanks for all your work in helping to keep this program viable and fun!
I am excited to see how the changes affect the quilt block designs. I jumped in on the Row by Row H2O and visited all 106 shops in PA! However, the majority of the rows were (and continued to be) applique, which to me was an easy way out. Many shops had the same type of row each year, tweaking it just a bit to fit the theme, but always simple applique. There were some VERY creative applique rows, don’t get me wrong, and I will eventually make them. However, I am hoping with the color theme that there will be more pieced blocks. Someone mentioned ‘easy’ blocks like Log Cabin, with no creativity, but if the shops put a twist on a traditional quilt block, a pieced sampler would be fun! And it would be in keeping with my taste and preferences in quilt designs.
How do people ‘reduce them down’ when the rules state each kit makes a certain size row?
I think rules were being overlooked then other rules were strict making it hard for the stores.
one thing I always wondered was how someone could enter their finished quilt in the first couple days of the summer long event. Even an expert professional quilter would take a few weeks to sew 8 ‘rows’ and finish the whole quilt.
and it seemed like the winner in a store was always the first to enter not necessarily the best.
I’ve participated most years by collecting many kits, travelling state to state some years and have enough to keep me busy in retirement. Its been a lot of fun without the competition.
I have won the last three years in Row by Row (2016, 2017 and 2018). All of my quilts were full sized and turned in within 2 weeks of initial date. Yes, I missed a lot of sleep but I did follow all the rules. It did help that I have my own long arm machine and do my own quilting. The biggest competition was between myself and my two sisters to see which one of us could win first. (They have also won in their towns). Even with all the COVID stuff we still plan to try to win again this year! I do admit I have been working on my blue stash to be ready for this year!
Great Idea