I am about to begin inventory purchases for my new store and I need to know what is your favorite color for quilting, least favorite color, and what is the hardest thing for you to find other than a long arm machine.

Thanks for you help !!! :D

I like blues, and purples. You will get so many different answers on this one. My least favorite is green.

My favorites are greens and purples!!!
Love florals, Orientals and Batiks.
San Dimas Huh? I may have to someday come and check it out!!!

Lots of cream on cream neutrals for backgrounds.

I love clear spring tones. Least favourite is muddy orange.

Hardest thing to find- a good ideas book! (but now I have you guys ;-))

i always have a problem finding a variety of purples, but i think a good variety of basic colors like blue and green are a sure bet for any fabric store :D

If you want to be successful, you will probably want representations of all colors.

Cream on cream is hard to find, as well as lighter colored batiks. I am always looking for these :D:D:D

purples, greens, blues...reds, yellows, rust, just to name a few!! :-) When we go to Pomona to a car show maybe I'll stop by. Send me a PM with address.

I have LOTS of medium and dark fabrics, but I always need to go purchase lights to make a quilt. I suggest you carry light fabrics in many lines, including batiks. A good quality light is getting more difficult to find, I looked yesterday and left Joann's without.

Hi are you going to sell online too. So we can see what you offer. I live to far to stop in.

I like clear crisp colors--Moda Marbles, Paint Box crystals,
Fairy Frost, and Fusions by Kauffman

Other than colors (I like/love 'em all) am on a roll for quilting stencils. A variety of sizes is really nice. Need more easier ones. There is a GREAT difference in prices of those plastic things. I'm all for the cheaper ones!

Good Luck with the New Store!!! Enjoy!!

I like all colors really , depending on what I am making :wink: Just what you wanted to hear huh ? LOL

I have a hard time finding the blenders .

Good Luck to you :thumbup:

Actually, I need help! LOL
When you are setting up your bolt labels, if you can possibly put the color on them, you would be like a gift from heaven for those of us who have "color deficiencies"!

I'm having the HARDEST time finding aqua. I can find light blue, and I can find teal, but AQUA is elusive. LOL

I like to see a good selection of current designer stuff in the LQS. Heather Baily especially. :) It's disappointing to see new stuff online and then not being able to get it at the LQS. I'd rather support local than an online store.

My mom is always disappointed in the lack of precuts available in-store. I'd like to see precuts of solids (Moda Bella).

A lot of the LQS owners I've talked to at the big Houston Quilt Show say they can't stock enough of anything Texas related. Bluebonnets, western, etc. They say it sells very quickly (and these are people that own shops in other states).

My favorite LQSs carry brights in oranges, yellows, etc. But, as pojo says, you'll get a wide range of likes & dislikes about colors. Other shops I've really liked are ones that have "sections" that accomodate Reproduction buffs, country, etc., in order to have something for everyone.

What is really hard to find, in fabric, even on line, is veggie-themed fabric; I've been looking lately for some and can only find 4 patterns or so. Also, Alex Anderson (Simply Quilts fame) stated once that polka dots can be hard to find.

last but not least, TOOLS and gadgets! For example, there's a pointer type tool called a Purple Thangy that I find invaluable when trying to catch the bobbin thread when I pull it to the top. I've only found two shops, one in Maine, the other in NH, that carry it -- very hard to find!

Best of luck with your shop! Good to hear new ones are coming along!

I like to find many different fabric lines, not just one manufacturer's fabric lines. My color choices change too much to have one favorite. The most frustrating thing for me is to ask about a new notion or tool and get looked at like I'm the stupid one. If I as a customer knows about the new item then there is no excuse for the quilt shop owner/employee not to know about it. I'll shop elsewhere.

Yikes, that is a tough question. I love all the colors so that isn't any help.

For me, my favorites and least favorites are more about the type of fabric. I love batiks, bright and jewel tone prints, florals, border prints, and the neutrals.

I'm not a big fan of 30's, civil war repo's, thimbleberries, and homespuns. But my likes are just mine. There are many, many quilters that love these types of fabric.

It's the same thing with patterns. I gravitate to the more modern contemporary patterns, but there are quilters devoted to the traditional ones.

Perhaps you could go to the other LQS's in your area to see what they are stocking, or maybe contact some of the local long arm quilters and ask them about what types/colors of quilts they are seeing.

I wish you every success in your new business. :wink:

Actually, this will be an on-line store.

Roberta sold out of her light colored batiks and blues first, if that helps.

Personally, I think it's a good idea to have as many colors as you can get. My stash is like this: most to least) blues, purples, blaick&white, multicolor & novelty fabrics, greens, reds, pinks, yellow, brown, beige, white. I have "oriental" prints in a separate category, but I have a LOT of them. Solids also in a separate category.

The plan is that if you select a particular swatch to look at, there will be 5 to 12 matching fabrics that display at the bottom of the page that I have matched together, so that should help "color deficiencies" of a person or a computer.

I have two quilts stores near me. The one here in town has a lot of fabrics, but whenever I go there I have trouble finding what I want. Tons of fabrics but they just don't mesh. The other store is about 10 minutes in the neighboring town. I love it. The difference is although they have a lot of different fabrics they also have what I call fabric families. She buys fabrics that will compliment each other. And because of that, it is my store of choice. So no matter what colors you choose, maybe think about buying "families".

I like to buy fabric in collections, not individuals, its makes sewing much easier. Also I love kits, any kind of Kits as long as they are affordable.

I would guess that you have a limited amount of money to spend on your inventory?

You might consider "specializing" when you start out -

Have a LOT of one "type" of fabric - say 30's reproductions, or batiks, or civil war reproductions, or novelties, or . . .

and then not so much or none of other types.

The plan is that if you select a particular swatch to look at, there will be 5 to 12 matching fabrics that display at the bottom of the page that I have matched together, so that should help "color deficiencies" of a person or a computer.[/quote]

Oh good, that's one of my favorite parts about shopping online. When I can click on "Blue" and know that I'm not accidentally buying black or brown.

Can't wait to come to your grand opening! Have you started an email list yet?

You have asked a very difficult question. My particular taste in colors goes with my mood and what I'm into or what strikes my fancy at the time.

I find it really hard to find a good peach color. Usually what they call peach is more pink than peach.

It would be really helpful if you had the solids to go with the 30s prints. My LQS has the prints but very few of the corresponding solids.

If you would stock the building (bricks, stones, etc), weather, and water fabrics, that would be helpful. There was a quilt store in either Oregon or Washington state that specialized in those fabrics but I think they're closed now.

Good luck with your store.

Can't wait to come to your grand opening! Have you started an email list yet?[/quote]

Not yet, but if you pm me I will put you on one.

i would suggest getting "bold" colors not the"dirty" looking ones. The lqs that is by me that I love, has their fabrics in two sections, bold fresh colors and the ones that are kinda "grandmsish" well at least to me. I like getting one or two fabrics from that area to help with blending or if i see one that i really like. These are kinda like a cream. they are not a true white but an off white. like a blue but an off blue. if you get what I am saying.

When I go into a quilt shop, I love to see a new fabric line with all the coordinating fabrics together on one shelf and a sample quilt made with that line on the wall. Ohhhh, I can hardly resist buying every fabric in the line. I am also pulled toward gorgeous florals with a few coordinating fabrics right next to it. And if it has a matching border... consider it sold!

contemporary colors are in, Lines like Amy Butler, Michael Miller, Kaufman, heather Bailey, RJR and Maywood. I find these lines to have to gorgeous styles and easy to put together!

Awesome, Congratulations!

Colors: to have a nice variety! Good Luck!

I would like to find the old 1930 reproduction fabrics to make a Grandmothers Flower Garden quilt.

I know alot of members on this board are now making the civil war quilts.

Please set up a website so we can also buy from you online.

When are you planning on opening up your store.

Karen "Craftybear"

I have a hard time finding solids in my LQS. Hancocks carries Kona Cotton but sometimes, I don't want that texture mixed with my prints.
I think a extensive range of solids would be wonderful

I'm really never at a loss for fabric choices from our LQS - except we're in S FL and I'd much rather have 'up north' colors - darker/richer. They have some but not enough to suit me... :( But I understand they can't carry it all and the do have to cater to the area. I always get my fix at the Back Door when I go to IN :). They do not carry a large variety of needles though - or that much thread...

The colors I find hard to find are browns and grey's. Not my favorites but I seem to be looking for them a lot of the time!

Quilters will need all of the colours. I especially like reds, purples, greens and yellows but you'll need the others too. I really find it difficult to find blacks (tone on tone) that read as black. Too many of them look gray, green or even bluish black. Decent lights are always harder to find than the darks or focus prints. A good selection of blenders (those mottly speckly ones) that I never knew a quilter would need until I started making quilts would also be a big plus.

Good luck to you.

In my experience nice yellows and creams are difficult to find. My fave colours are green and reds! Don't like browns but my Mum loves them!

Gal

I like deep, rich colors of any kind. I also like the bright,whimsical colors and patterns for fun stuff or kids.
Pastels are not a fave, but I do own some! The most important thing for your store is attitude!