Many of you know that Checker is a privately owned company.  Rob is the owner – and does everything he can to support independent businesses.  We offer many NICHE items to our customers.  That means that these products are not distributed to the chain stores – and are only available through independent shops.

Creative Grids is a perfect example of a niche item.  These rulers, in my opinion, are the best quality rulers on the market and are made in the U.S.A.  AND, they are only available through independents!  When customers want them, they must support their local privately owned quilt shop!

What does a quilt shop have to offer?  Quality products, education, and service!  Checker has already been instrumental in providing education to our customers.  The success of our booth demonstrations at major shows, the how-to videos on our website, and the educational opportunities at our Open House attest to our commitment to education.

Now we are offering more quality products that are only available through independent quilt shops!  We introduced two at Market and were thrilled with your response!

Print n Fuse

Item #PNF12 Retail $9.99
Item #PNF25 Retail $16.99
Item #PNF100 Retail $51.99

Print n Fuse is a paper-backed adhesive that can be run through any inkjet printer.  You no longer have to trace the patterns out of a book or pattern!  You can simply copy them right onto the Print n Fuse and iron it to the wrong side of the fabric!  Talk about a time saver!!!

And you can run as many copies as you need!  You don’t have to feed it through one sheet at a time!  The ONLY problem I had was self-inflicted!  When I was done running copies, I forgot to take it out of the paper tray so a contract to speak at a guild can now be fused to fabric!!!

We are even working with some of the top designers that use these products such as Mount Redoubt, Art to Heart, Granola Girls, etc., and asking them to lay out their patterns so that templates cut out of like fabrics are placed next to each other.  That will make your job even easier if you choose to kit!

In my shop, almost 60% of my sales were kits!  When they saw a sample, they wanted it just like the one on the wall!  This product comes in a 100 sheet pack so you can include the templates right in the kit.  Talk about customer service – they will love you for it!

And, when teaching, you no longer have to wait until everyone traces their templates in class – such a waste of quality time with an instructor!  All of the templates can be copied beforehand so your students can get right to the fun stuff!!!

We just approved the packaging this week so it should be available to ship by the end of the month!  Give it a try….you’ll be glad you did!!!

Batting by the Bolt

This product is too new for pictures – but the item numbers are6715WNCH (natural) and 6720WNCH (bleached).

When I had my shop, I hated batting!  It is big and bulky and not easy to maneuver through a crowded quilt shop.  Then there is the cutting issue!  Placing those long rolls on a cutting table is not easy either.   And shipping on those babies isn’t cheap!

Enter Checker’s solution to all of your problems!  We designed Batting by the Bolt!  It is a 100% cotton batting that comes in white or natural and is 60″ wide!  You now have a batting that is the same width as your 60″ wide backings and is a perfect width for most lap throws.

Lets face it, our customers are tired of buying battings and backings that are not the same size.  In many cases a third of the batting they are buying is going to be trimmed and thrown in their stash!  Personally, I design all of my lap throws so that they are 54″ wide.  That means you can use this batting with a 60″ wide backing and have absolutely no waste!

This product is folded in half and comes on 15 yard bolts!  That means it is affordable to the shop owner – less than a bolt of fabric and will retail for around $6.99 a yard!

Since it is folded, it is the same size as a bolt of fleece so it can be stored on the fabric shelves.  It is also easier to cut and carry.  As an added bonus, it is cheaper to ship because it is not an over-sized item – and easier to cut at the cutting table – a win/win/win for everyone!

This batting was produced for us by The Warm Company and I got to test it!  We had a yard of batting quilted by our favorite machine quilter.  Then, we cut it into 6″ squares.  We then washed it in hot, warm, and cold water – and then threw them in the dryer.  We even let one set of each air dry.  To my amazement, the shrinkage was negligible in all cases!  At most the samples shrank an eighth of an inch!  That means that the batting shrank an inch for every 48 inches.  My seam allowances have more variation than that!  And, it drapes beautifully and feels wonderful…

As an added bonus, we are now working with a major fabric manufacturer who has agreed to produce 60″ wide cotton backings to go with this product!  AND, they can only get these products through you……..an independent quilt shop!