Modern Fabric Designer Presales?
 

I've been purchasing some modern designer fabrics and have had a heck of a time finding complete lines. Usually I have to get pieces from numerous sellers and the shipping is getting way too pricey. Towards the end of the year, one of my favorites has a new line coming out and I ..all the prints---well, except 3 colorful plaids but I'm sure I could use them for coordinating different prints from the line.

I was lucky enough to get a set of FQs from the most recent release by chance but when they arrived, they were just folded in half in the box. I miss the stacks of beautiful FQs so nicely folded and tied with a bow. Is it just me?

Anyway, nearly all the presales are already sold out and few shops are showing they'll carry the full line if it's not prepaid. The entire fabric purchase must be prepaid, not a fee to hold your place in line kind of thing. I guess I could understand a month or two before it arrives so the shops can purchase enough stock but this is still 4 months away and most sold out last month.

Is this new? I've been on a long break from quilting and really haven't kept up with anything. I understand they're popular but there are tiny scraps being sold for $20-100 on some of the resell it sites and handmade sites, too. That just seems crazy to me...but my favorite quilt shops have all closed. Most of my online shops have also closed in recent years, one just a week ago.

Side note: I also purchase 30s reproductions, which I guess have fallen out of fashion and are considerably harder to come by. I have a couple leads but if you have suggestions, I'd love to hear them. What is up with this presale stuff?

I know that the pandemic has definitely changed the prices and availability of fabric. Fat quarter bundles that I could purchase at a decent price are now through the roof. Also many places are taking a long time to deliver yardages. I hope that people will get their common sense back so that we can get rid of this virus and get back to normal life.
I have a large collection of Aunt Grace 1930 reproduction fabric that I started collecting many years ago that I’ve thought about making into bundles to sell?

Try fatquartershop.com

Green Fairy Quilts offers preorders of upcoming lines with their sales prices. I have chased way too many “obsolete” lines to buy by bits and pieces with the associated multiple shipping charges to not buy a line I truly love when it is released.

When a shop orders fabric, it is usually 4 to 6 months before the fabric will arrive at the shop.

If it's a Moda line, they will only print what they have pre-orders for. Then once it's gone, it's gone. There are very few exceptions when it comes to re-printing a Moda line.

At the shop where I work, we will write the customer's name in the order book, then call her when the fabric comes in. But I don't know how other shops (or online shops) handle pre-orders.

Thanks for your thoughts, Sharon, Mdegenhart & Annette. I finally found a shop that required just a $5 preorder fee plus shipping, which seems far more reasonable. The line is due 11/30/20 so I won't actually be getting it until mid December at the earliest but I'd much rather have some time to put my pennies away and cut back on a few extras instead of paying it in full plus shipping now and hoping the shops are still open in December at this rate.

Maria, I have some 30s and Aunt Grace is my absolute favorite. Judie Rothermel's shop is one of the few places I can still find them. She and her husband are awesome. I had the pleasure of meeting them at their booth a few years at the Chicago quilt Festival (Rosemont).

I have only pre ordered on some of the Aunt Grace many moons ago when they did a second print on some of the original line. I have most of the line at this time but it does get smaller over the years i gingerly use is and save every piece that is left from cutting. I use it mostly in baby quilts of course. A number of the first line I dare say I don't cut into right now because the stock is getting way to small Can I say I am very possessive.
I check with a LQS from time to time to see what is coming up but have not found a line that I want to invest in as a pre order. And right now so much is uncertain that I find I am waiting until she has it in the store and I can call and order my cuts then. Now I haven't even done this for more than a year with everything going on.

I have not encountered this. The one thing I've noticed from checking the 'what's new' tab at Fat Quarter Shop, is that there seem to be fewer new lines coming out. That section used to be 30 pages long and now it's about eight pages long.

edit to add, I don't buy much modern fabric, mostly 1800s reproduction; maybe the policy is different for the modern designers.

This is why I stopped making matchy-matchy quilts with only fabrics from a single line, and went to making scrappy quilts. Makes for much more interesting quilts, IMO. I have a client who only makes quilts with fabrics from a single line, and they are the most boring quilts to work on.

juliasb oh I love Judy Rothermel's Aunt Grace fabrics! Ok, that probably would have made me buy presale and I wouldn't have thought twice about it lol. joe'smom, yeah, not much has caught my eye lately and I'm fairly new to FQ shop. I thought there wasn't much coming out but then I figured I was more interested in modern and that was it. Thanks for letting me know it's not just me. Peckish, I don't make quilts with lines, I tend to charm quilt though after a big project, I'm ready for some simplicity. This is for sewing projects and the stash.