Fabric.com is another great place that I like to go to when I’m shopping for fabric. For one thing, they have a huge selection of all kinds of fabric, not just quilting fabric. Another reason is that they have great sales, but even their everyday price is discounted from the manufacturer’s suggested retail price. I also like that there are so many ways to look for fabric. If you know the exact manufacturer or designer or line of fabric, of course you can search by those, but you can also search by color, by pattern, by theme, by fiber, and by width, to name a few. That helps me immensely because if I am ever browsing just for blue polka dot quilting fabric and I can quickly see all 67 of those at once.
There is a lot of useful information on the individual page for each fabric. One thing I especially like is when the thumbnail shows a ruler so I can see exactly how big the design motif is.
This page also gives the manufacturer and where it was made, the fiber content, the width and, if it is a part of a collection, the coordinating fabrics are shown below. There is a design wall, as well, so you can make sure the fabrics you are buying all play nicely together.
I like that each fabric has a printed label so I know exactly what it is. This is especially useful when I order Kona cottons because then I am not wondering what the specific color name is — very handy when there are 74 shades of blue! On my Konas, I always use a Pentel Gel Roller for Fabric and write the color name on the selvage edge as soon as I get it so I can buy more later if I want.
Sometimes you get a nice surprise. You might see “Jackpot! You got the end of the bolt!” It’s always nice to get a little extra for free 🙂
When you get your order, the fabrics are folded neatly, but they are not necessarily uniform in size. Usually I order a lot and they are all haphazardly thrown into a plastic bag and placed in a sturdy cardboard box. Occasionally, they may send a piece of fabric that is the wrong one. If that ever happens, don’t worry. Just shoot them a quick email explaining the error, and they will happily tell you to donate that fabric to a good cause and they will send you the correct one right away.
Be sure to watch for their Deal of the Day and their Clearance section. They often have some great sales.
Fabric.com is an Amazon.com subsidiary. If there is one thing I would request to make their website even better, I would love to have a feature that indicates if I have purchased a particular fabric in the past. Amazon.com does that. It would be especially helpful so I don’t accidentally order something I’ve already ordered, and it would also be great so I can go and buy more of a particular fabric and I would know for sure I’m getting the right thing. A girl can dream, can’t she?
Comments
2 responses to “Shopping for fabric: Fabric.com”
I’ve been ordering from them for years and have seen a steady decline in their packaging, labeling, and general neatness. My last order had some white polar fleece that was covered in some nasty grey fuzz, luckily it washed out. They used to be my favorite online fabric shop, but not any more!
I agree that the fabric isn’t always packaged beautifully, but I haven’t had any problem with the fabric being dirty. I’ve always been pleased with the condition and quality of the fabric, and I appreciate the lower prices.