Textiles, whether the simple and plain, or the expensive luxury fabric, are all regarded as the most resourceful, multipurpose, and effective methods for defining themes, and introducing texture, colour and patterning into any kind of interior space, and fortunately, today’s textile industry offers hundreds of forms of weave construction, style and variety of fabrics; vintage inspired, classic, transitional or contemporary.
The basic foundation of any luxury fabric is the spinning of its yarn and its textile construction. These two elements which give every type of fabric its aesthetic personality, coupled with the technical aspect of each textile is the primary consideration for its selection, so understanding how to specify and choose the right fabric for any interior décor element is therefore very essential.
Many fabric buyers, interior decorators, interior designers, arts and craft enthusiasts etc., patronise on-line fabric stores because that’s the only way to have the opportunity of finding tens of thousands of fabric types, styles, colours, textures and weaves for any fabric related project, from dress making fabrics, to quilting and upholstery fabrics, with a vast array of available colours and textures that will ‘blow any fabric lover away’
Pros and Cons of Buying Luxury Fabrics On-line
Pros: Anyone can buy fabrics on-line, sitting comfortably at home, in the park, or at work. It is as simple as that. It’s also a cheaper way to shop, and a fun experience browsing fabrics from an on-line fabric store. Buying from fabric stores on-line cuts out the endless search for the right textiles from local stores, which at the best of times is time consuming, and at the worst of times can become a futile chore, choosing whatever is available. Not so, with on-line fabric shopping.
There are fantastic deals and bargains found when buying fabrics on-line. You’ll find yardage, fat quarter bundles, and half yard cut bundles, books and lots of patterns from today’s top designers of luxury fabrics.
Because the fabric retailers operate with much smaller margins and overheads, you get their savings passed on to you the buyer. And even though some fabric stores will sell a minimum of a full yard (or metre) measurement, there is usually no minimum order when you purchase fabrics from on-line stores. You’ll find yardage, fat quarter bundles, and half yard cut bundles, books and lots of patterns from today’s top designers of luxury fabrics.
Cons: Many people may feel unsure about buying fabrics on-line and may prefer to have a feel of fabrics they particularly like, even if they don’t intend to purchase. Many of us are like that. There is also the sewing enthusiast or craft makers that just love to spend hours ‘window shopping’ just to view and admire fabrics.
The same can be achieved on-line at web based fabric stores. Samples are available and will be sent on request. Its purpose is to help buyers determine if they like or want some particular design, weave construction, pattern and/or colour. It’s like getting to window shop on-line.
There are also cutting that can be sent to prospective buyers for the purpose of matching colours. Cuttings are much smaller than samples and come from the actual dye lot that is sent when an order is place
Choose From Thousands of Fabrics at Luxury Fabric Stores On-line
The main reason why buying fabrics on-line is best is because many people don’t have local fabric stores close enough to where they live, or stores close to them do don’t stock near enough varieties as can be found on-line. Plus when the deals and bargains are available it’s really easy to miss them at local stores but not so with on-line fabric stores.
To buy on-line enables one have a wide range of choice of designs and colours and the opportunity to ‘hunt’ for the best fabric prices in the comfort of the home any time day or night
Buying Tested Fabric Brands
Many people will buy their fabrics on-line feeling more comfortable with sticking to tested and well known brands of designer textiles, and these feelings are shared by most people all over the world that shop on the net. Many have attested to the fact that they purchase the majority of their fabrics on line without encountering any problems. They claim that the quality of fabrics they get, more often than not, exceeds their expectations.
How Best to Buy Luxury Fabrics On-line
If there isn’t a fabric store close by or if you wish to buy larger quantities of fabrics then an on-line store may be what you require. Many on-line fabric stores offer an awesome selection and have better prices than local fabric stores. They will ship to your door, or if you live close to their fabric docks, they will allow you to pick up your fabrics there.
Six important things you need to note:
- Selecting an on-line store that has a secure payment method, so if the fabric store only accepts personal checks or money orders then you should check elsewhere.
- Request for samples. If the store doesn’t want you to see and feel the fabric before purchase, it’s good to look for another source.
- Check the shipping costs because if it tends to be too high on-line luxury fabric stores will allow their customers to pick up large quantities of fabric by themselves. It may work out to be less expensive to drive a little distance than to have the company ship the fabrics to you.
- Before making a final decision, you can look for auctions of fabrics on-line. EBay and Amazon have great selections of small yardages of fabrics, but you won’t be able to see or touch them before purchasing. However, you can read the people’s comments and feedback to determine if other customers that bought their fabrics are happy.
- If you need textile scraps or remnants for pillows, quilts or sewing crafts, Fabric.com, eBay and Amazon are great sources.
- As with anything purchased on-line, it’s good to ask questions of the retailer or read their customer feedback before deciding to buy fabrics on-line.
See Also: Lace Fabrics, Damask Fabrics, Velvet Fabrics, Silk Fabrics, Cotton Fabrics, Eco-Fabrics, Bamboo Textiles
