Fabric Envy

Any of you who have hung out with me around fabric ordering time have heard me complain about how difficult it is. When you're picking things out online from a tiny swatch it's hard to tell what color it will really be, how it will match other fabrics, etc.

I've been noticing another problem recently, too. I subscribe to True Up which is a great blog dedicated to fabric. Writer Kim Kight posts pics of fabrics on a weekly theme, as well as new fabrics of note, sales, etc. I find that when Kim posts a collection that I've already looked at on the manufacturer's site, I often notice a print that I didn't before and kick myself for not considering it. This is especially true of smaller prints. I think it says something about the design of some manufacturers' sites. I want bigger images when I browse, and I want collections to be better organized.

My other fabric-related problem today is that Moda is sold out of two (two!) of the fabrics I ordered. I had to throw in three or four bolts of stuff I didn't know what to do with to meet the minimum order. But it couldn't be those that were sold out. It had to be fabrics I had specific plans for. Sigh.
In much much better news, I've been accepted to Trunkt which is a juried collection of online portfolios for "creative entrepreneurs" (read: artists, designers, craftspeople). Buyers, wholesale and individual, can browse the portfolios, which will then direct them to the artists online shop. The shop can be the artist's personal website, Etsy shop, or wherever they do business online. Because the site is juried, it ends up being a lot more professional than Etsy, in terms of photos and products. As much as I love Etsy, there's a lot of crap on there. The front page is always beautiful, but once you start browsing, there's no telling what you'll find.