Agree, all of the above. Typically, I will check the new arrivals but normally I have an idea what I want, either a color or a theme. Though I have searched by designer as I like their selection.

Me too! All of the above. Sometimes I know exactly what Im looking for, other times it may be just a color, or Im looking at whats on sale.

Me, three! It just depends on what I'm looking for & how much info I have beforehand. I like to be as specific as possible but sometimes all I know is (for example) the type (like "Civil War shirtings").

Do you search by the name of the manufacturer? Sometimes
Or the designer? Seldom
Or the name of the collection? Sometimes
Or maybe you search by a description of the fabric? Sometimes
Have you ever been so specific, that you have searched by the pattern number of a fabric? Definitely
Or do you just go to the online stores you like? Almost never
Or do you just surf the web checking out what's new? Never

I also search by image when I have a photo but no details about the fabric, and frequently use one of the several fabric search engines to find what I'm looking for. Ninety-five percent of the time I'm looking for something very specific. I don't browse online, that's done in person locally.

Living in Canada I look for actual shipping!
Gale

I usually search by the name of the collection. Sometimes I have searched by the pattern number of a fabric.

Thanks for this information! It will make my searches more productive.

I have looked for the number of the fabric when I'm desperate, but usually I like to look at what's new. I also like to look at Civil war fabrics and if I watch Jenny Doan videos and she says the name of the fabric she's using and I like it, I search the web looking for it. I do search the web looking for fabric designs a lot. Even here, if someone shows a pic of one of their quilts and I love the fabric, I'll ask them the name of the fabric and then google the fabric and go to a reputable online store to buy it. That's one thing I'm very careful about. Knowing about where I'm buying from. I'm not very trusting of online stores. Anyone can own one and I don't like to give my card out. I like using stores that use Paypal...I feel safe that way.

It really depends on if I'm shopping for a specific project or if I'm stash building.

Sometimes I'm searching by manufacturer or fabric line, if I happen to know ahead of time exactly what I'm looking for or if I'm doing price comparisons to try to find the best deal for a large amount of a specific fabric.

USUALLY, I browse visually and prefer sites that allow me to sort by theme and/or by color. Oh, and fabric content, of course - I hate it when I can't sort out blends from 100% cotton on a site!

I love it when sites have it set up so that if I hover over a thumbnail the photo will automatically enlarge without me having to click and possibly lose my place in my search.

I am also a link-follower...if I click on something I like, I will often also click on similar or coordinating fabrics that show up.

The way I shop online is that I plunk everything I like into my shopping cart, then from there I whittle it down to what I can afford. So it's really important to me that the shopping cart have thumbnails of the fabric; otherwise I have a heck of a time doing my whittling and will sometimes give up and go elsewhere. (I am really an impulsive buyer sometimes and the impluse will often just vanish if it starts to feel like work! Maybe that's a good thing.)

I also like a "what's new" link, so I can see what's come in since last time I visited that particular store.

I like to see how many yards are in stock and whether or not it's going to be reordered - sometimes I can't get everything I want right NOW so this helps me figure out what can wait until next time and what I should snap up while I can get it.

I will almost always check out a sale or clearance link, but I get frustrated when the clearance area is one or two lonely fabrics.

Oh, and sort by price!! Sometimes I'm bargain hunting and stash building, or else just trying to fill out an order for free shipping. I always want to see if there are any treasures going for cheap!

Hope that helps. :)

D. All of the above