How do YOU search for fabric online?
 

Do you search by the name of the manufacturer?

Or the designer?

Or the name of the collection?

Or maybe you search by a description of the fabric?

Have you ever been so specific, that you have searched by the pattern number of a fabric?

Or do you just go to the online stores you like?

Or do you just surf the web checking out what's new?

I was just kind of curious...

All of the above!

Same here all of the above!

I typically search for a specfic project(s) by type first . But if I know a specific designer is coming out with something .. like Peggy Toole for Robert Kaufman , I will search by designer name for results then the manufacture , as sometimes they may not be listed by the designer, just the manufacture.
I have been so specific in searching that I use the manufacture number.. that always seems to yield the least results, but on occasion have lucked out .
Many times .....more frequently than I should , I use the "Stumble Upon", "impulse method". In other words I just happened to be looking for one thing and found another. This "method" is most commonly used when a sale or another specific reason has bought me to a site... but almost always to sites I am familiar ,or have made purchases in the past.

I have to agree. All of the above. I had trouble finding Magical Yule fabric last year & in desperation went to the manufacturer where I was given a list of places who sold it & still worked down to #6 on the list find the piece I wanted. It depends on how I learned of the fabric & how much info I have on it. A lot of my shopping is from what I see on the internet in the Fab Shop Hops. I get myself in a lot of trouble with all that gorgeous fabric I see out there! LOL!

I generally search by designer and name on selvage or collection. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't :rolleyes:

Quilt Shops.com type in fabric name or designer and it will pop up shops that carry it. Then you can check to see who has the best price too.

If I am looking for a specific fabric I start with the most exact info I have, such a pattern number or collection name, etc. If I get no hits, I broaden the result by using less specific info, such as just the designer, or manufacturer. If I still don't find it, then I can get very braod, like ' Asian or Floral'. Sometimes this gives me too many results, but the side benifit is I find other lovely fabrics I like & end up buying them. In turn, I then search for coordinates of the 'new' fabrics I have just found... As such is the genesis of a fabric lover - collecter - hoarder :) I've been know to check 50+ pages of Google resuts.... thereby skipping sleeping some nights.

Sometimes, I just surf through a category such as holiday or floral or border, depending on what I'm in the mood for. Just love fabric!

If I only have a picture of the fabric and no info I type in Google Image Search: Green fabric with purple leaves and white dots. I have great luck searching for the image and that takes me to a link.

i often have an idea of what i'm looking for- a color family- or perhaps a 'theme' - then i visit my favorite on-line shops & browse to see what they have that catches my eye- if nothing is what i am invisioning i visit other shops to see what they may have- once in a while i need something particular (like a certain blue fairy frost) then i visit the shops i know have the best selection and price on fairy frosts-
but most of the time i just browse till i find that one (right) fabric

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

How? Constantly, Compulsively, Happily... LOL

If I have a specific project, I google based on adjectives that describe the fabric.
When I get emails from companies, I look through their ads/sites, especially the sales portion.

I look for something that just catches my eye immediately. I search online. Once in a while I have a specific quilt in mind and then I check out the Mfg. of the theme I have in mind. I almost have never met a fabric I didn't like, hence, my cup runneth over with fabrics...lol

I like to make controlled scrappy quilts in specific color families. I just finished making a Bonnie Hunter "Pineapple Blossoms" quilt in blues. I love using the color matcher feature at Thousands of Bolts. It was easy to choose a good range of shades of blues. I also like shopping carts with thumbnails, it's like being able to step away from your design wall and see the effect from a distance. Some websites have thumbnail pictures that are too large for doing that.

Since the minimum order there is one yard unless you are lucky enough to find a FQ, I end up with lots of scraps. Now I have enough scraps to make another queen size quilt. I'm going to chop them up for leaders/enders next weekend.

I made a couple of modern quilts this summer for the first time. I found a website, Marmalade Fabrics, that has fabrics just in that genre that will sell single FQs. I like that I don't have to sort through lots of other fabrics, and can easily build a collection of fabrics. I avoid buying fabrics only from one collection, I like to make my own collection!

Now I am usually looking for something specific: search by color, by collection, by designer and manufacturer and by the pattern number on the selvage. Also been known to search for "frog" "fern"--words like that. I have a collection of online shops I like--including FF. The last thing I try is surfing the web.

I use a couple of web sites
- findmyfabric.com
-quiltshops.com
-missingfabric.com

If I know the designer and manufacturer I Google it.
Sometimes I just go to an online shop I like and ask them.

I do all of them depending on the project at the time.

All of the above for me too. Sometimes if I am looking for a specific fabric, for example, yardage to go with a jelly roll or layer cake, I will google the name of the line, the manufacturer, etc. till I can find it. I have found some new wonderful fabric stores this way. It is faster than checking out all my favorite sites.

I'm with a few of the others....e, all of the above.

I usually just browse around.

my favorite site to buy fabric is http://www.thousandsofbolts.com/index.cfm great fabric dependable names such as Robert Kaufman, Henery Glass, Northcutt, the majority of their fabric is under $6.00 a yard

I usually search for the name of the collection. Sometimes the pattern number, but often I don't know the number.

I usually order my fabrics from Ericas. A great quilt shop in Indiana. Wonderful quality, name brand fabrics. Great service.
I signed up for their neewsletter so I'm notified when they have sales, which is about the only time I purchase fabric.
If I'm looking for something specific and can't find it at Ericas I check out the 2nd quilt shop I order from fatquartershop.
I know these 2 quilt shops have great quality fabrics and great service, and buying sale fabrics allows me to stay within a budget for my quilting.

"Or do you just go to the online stores you like?"

This one

I shop all of those ways you describe. Recently, I have have been shopping for Jinny Beyer for RJR fabric in hopes of finding other pieces in her Sophia pattern. If any one knows where I could buy, please respond.

All of the above

I'll tell you what I just did to give you an idea. I clicked on your link. then, fabrics. then scrolled until I saw something I liked, which happened to be "batiks". I could tell by the cover picture which ones to skip. I see several beautiful batiks that I like. Then, I will see if I can find it somewhere less expensive. Sorry, but that's what I do. If I can't, I'll go back to the original link and buy it.

And you have some fabulous batiks~

I always start with eQuilters.com for several reasons: 1) there is all sorts of fabric, designers, themes, 2) you can go to the "search" and ask for 'music' or 'horses' or 'roses' or whatever you want and those fabrics come up, 3) they are incredibly helpful (it is basically a husband/wife team with plenty of other helpers)... I've never been told I didn't do something right, but I have been asked if I meant ......, 4) the colors they have in their pictures are astoundingly true to life (when they arrive), and 5) if you find a fabric you like they provide you with a direct link to colors in it so you can get some ideas of other colors you may want to use in your quilt. I also like the fact that they have their own quilts for victims of all sorts of tragedies (water, tornados, etc.).

Also, our local quilt store closed a year or so ago in our nearest town and we live in a rural area.

I have my favourite online stores but when browsing I much prefer fabric sorted by colour and design.

This is what I do too.

Soooo sorry. Here is the right address for the place I like/use so much....

The names of the owners are Paul and Luana Rubin and the email address is

[email protected]

They really do run an outstanding service.