Wow, Fran. Do indeed take a big suitcase!! Be careful about customs though as there will be a limit to the value of goods you can bring back. But I'm sure that you would still be able to get a heck of a lot of patterns and fabric.
Some years ago when I was in Vancouver I managed to join the rather spendidly named 'Fanny's Fabric Club' in the Hudson's Bay Compnany department store which allowed me even more money off the already cheap patterns. They even allowed me to rummage in the pattern drawers. When have you ever been allowed to do that in the UK??
They joined me as a 'senior' even though I was well under the senior category at the time. I didn't care. It just made it all cheaper! My other FFC bargain was lots of cheap, good quality nonroll waistband elastic. My friend coulnldn't understand why I was importing knicker elastic, as she put it, to the UK (though it makes the name of the club even more appropriate
).
I carried my expired FFC card around for years. Hope you have as memorable a fabric, pattern and haberdashery time, Fran!