Laws arent applied evenly. What I find is that the likes of Wal-Mart and JoAnns have set price expectations so low they are impossible to compete with and the quality is no comparison to what the reputable fabric companies produce. Large Project Bag with full-color printed back panel of Tula Pink's Pedal to the Metal design. I am not here on this Earth to let my nose get bent because someone judges me on the quality of my fabric choices. I am one of those over 70 quilters. More is Less, Less is More. #silverlining. Right in front of me she looked on her phone and of course found the same machine on Amazon for the same price but free shipping because she has Amazon Prime. fabric.. But since becoming an admin for a few Facebook quilting groups, Ive seen what some of the older more experienced ladies say and do to a lot of our younger new sewists. I ordered a Tasha Noel line that had a border print, little red riding hood.I received it and thought because the border print was folded inward that they did not send it. Dont give in to the pressure, if you really want to quilt, then find fabrics that you can afford. @Christa and K Davis, and others who have tried to purchase from them, but couldnt get anyone from the company to respond to them the company is finally getting their payback. Tula Pink did a Facebook live on Tuesday. point of view. In January I got serious about losing weight and some of you noticed the changes before I even did. Its never the fault of just one person. I felt like they continued to print collections from designers that WERE popular/good sellers but had fell out of favor. Its a losing battle for many. That is a classic case study in business school. I too do not waste my time with JoAnnes or WalMart fabrics. Instead of blaming the market, and implying your designers arent producing fabric profitable to the the industry, try the truth. This certainly puts some good people out of work (at least for awhile) as it doesnt sound like they were given any notice. In order to keep an artist afloat, people have to be willing to buy the art in fairly large quantities. It is a good thing I have a substantial stash. I no longer buy fabric for backs but piece with what I have. Y'all notice everything! Lotta truth there Beth. Yeah shutting down a non-profitable business horrible idea! When I quit being shocked my daughters quit getting tattoos.hahahah. Paradiso I wasnt suggesting that this had anything to do with FreeSpirit closing down. Coats may exceed other companies in sewing thread production. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. If you see that type of behavior in a group, I hope that you will challenge it. Stupid management, should be fired. Again, mismanagement, like weve seen in recent years. Im not a fan, but my sister is. And there are ways to work through poor management rather than shutting down. I hope she finds a new company. By the was Kaffe and most of the Morris Co are designed and originate in many different ways in England. Something needs to be done at the raw product level if anyone wants to stay in the business. They have the best designer in my mind and they cant make it work? ), or does ownership revert back to the designers? April 4, 2020 classycleanchic. Its the giants like Amzn and Walmart that push prices down and its the consumer ultimately that chooses the retail landscape that they want. As any company grows, they add products hoping the profits will grow at the same rates. Tula's main function in life is fabric design. etc.). And as much as I agree with the idea of supporting local quilt shops, Im not going to pay more money to shop where salespeople talk down to me, the fabric styles look outdated and unappealing to me, and the prices are higher than the stuff I REALLY love that I can only find online. I love their fabrics especially Tula Pink and Kaffe Fasset, but do not purchase very often because they are way out of my price range. Modern quilters, contrary to what many believe, are not just a young demographic. I do not care for fabric.com. They are big sellers, another company will pick them up. But just because their art transcends time doesnt mean people will buy it. The best designers in the business and Coats cannot make their company profitable. Unfortunately most of the projects to use Kaffe fabric require purchasing his expensive books, unless you have a handy in-house quilt designer. Sounds like the business side has problems! Where I used to buy 2 yards of each print in a collection of 10 prints, I now buy maybe a FQ bundle and with All Stars/Stripes/Pompoms, I only purchased a Layer Cake bc the collection is MASSIVE; 42 prints not including Solids and with a Layer cake, I only get 1 square of each print and most quilt patterns require at least 2 of each print. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Hopefully the well known designers that worked for them will be picked up by other companies. There has been some serious discussion of my upcoming fabric collection titled "Spirit Animal" and I would like to address it directly. This problem is bigger than the free spirits of the industry or the designers. I can see your point (that people may love but not purchase) as these designers fabrics probably would not work in most peoples homes. Comparing the quality of Walmart and Joanns against Tula Pink and Kaffe Fassett is like comparing lemons to apples. We will continue to fulfil orders placed to date for delivery prior to Thursday 31 May and new orders for existing collections on a first come first service basis. In Canada were seeing prices at $24.99/m. We are an aging demographic, with less disposable income than we had before we retired, (not to mention the huge stashes that most of us have). Free Spirit already denied accounts to retailers that wouldnt match their business models. Anna Maria Horner is one of my all time favorites, and Im hoping this doesnt affect my ability to obtain her most recent collection. The quilting market has shrunk each of the last 10+ years. And now the trend is quilting tiny and minis and solids. And I have seen an uptick of younger quilters in my shop. We have worked diligently for the past few years to make this a successful part of the Coats Craft business here in North America. The high quality of the Kaffe Fassett and Brandon Mably fabrics that I use in my custom dressing business justifies the fabric costs. I cant manufacture more. They are awesome now. You are very right. The end product looks cheap, doesnt hang correctly and is directly a reflection of the maker. my music industry street cred,) she was having a hard time finding fabrics she It isnt necessarily a management problem, but a market problem. Im sorry to hear this as these are some of my favorite designers. I am sure 50 years ago their profits were high especially when cotton products were grown, milled, and made in the United States. You will find that your quilts are unique and dont look like everyone else who is buying the exact same fabric lines. Hard enough to find these designers fabrics locally. I actually taught one of them about online destashing. New coats thread is better all around. She stated all of her artwork belongs to her and it will go with her to the new company. Actually, even online, the average price per yard for these designers is between $10-12 per yard, unless you go with a retailer that purchases large quantities, then you can get a break and pay $9.50. I could write a thesis on it. Free Spirit Fabrics will be shut down by parent company Coats. Its a shame quality fabrics are so high, but lets examine the word QUALITY and remember why thats so. Only 1 left in stock - order soon. I do not think it is fair that one BIG fabric site can sell fabric for 25-30% less then others. I keep reading over and over in the comments that they have some of the top talent, therefore how can this be happening? Im as sorry as anyone about this turn of events I really love Free Spirit, but like any other business, the sewing/quilting market evolves and changes. I belong to a large Quilt guild and I know in my guild everyone loves making huge quilts, and I like most of my fellow guild members but yards of almost or all of a line that we fall in love with. I dont I really cant agree with you on that Carla. Hey need new people at the helm that know what they are doing. I told everyone that they would receive great customer service and help with their projects but if they come to us with fabric that wasnt purchased from us and wanted help it would be $25 just to have me provide commentary. The modern quilt guild is going strong. We have seen sewing, bag making and quilting increase in popularity over the past 10 years. Tula comes from the "more is more" school of design where there is never enough space and always room for that one last thing. Perhaps if they had MAP pricing in effect it would have helped their bottom line. Now all those who really knew the business can find work at MacDonalds and those who didnt can take their bonuses and find another important fabric business to ruin. If you want us to purchase more product more frequently you must meet us part way! A horrible business model. I loved the design and the quality of the fabric. The modern quilt movement has brought in many younger quilters. I can look at beautiful art all day without feeling the need to purchase it. under 2022 christmas countdown , christmas quilt , hand quilted , holiday homies , tula pink , tula pink holiday homies. You Quality over quantity. Orders placed to date for delivery prior to May 31 will be fulfilled. I understand WHY those prices are the way they are. Of course designer fabrics are more.up to about $17 a meter. I work easily a 70-80 hour week as a shop owner, author, and designer and barely break even. Or any Amy Butler fabric at all? Fabric already on the pricy side was already pushed out of my affordability bracket by having to pay silly amounts of fabric a hugely inflated prices for tiny scraps. I would love to see that. Slightly off topic but I have noticed a big trend in not mixing designers lines in a quilt, ie quilt is all tula and maybe some Kona, scrappy quilts from your stash less likely, but the ranges usually mix and match well, plus they release new ranges so quickly. Item Package Weight: 0.75 pounds. The regime of quilt Nazis has turned away many many young beginners. Price fixing never works. Here is the short of it . I only use Free Spirit solids because I love the softness of it.I am not a fan of Kona. Please hire some of those designer. really wanted to use fabrics that fit her personality. This is difficult to read ~ terrible news! But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. Making samples? The employees only found out Monday, We had a fabric shop (not all Quilting) they bought a fabric which was actually a curtain fabric minus the block out. Most of us fall into one category or the other and it is very hard to wrap our minds around the opposite mindset. The one 5 mintes from my house is growing larger. The more enticing projects presented, the more they will buy to make that project. I truly hope my favorite designers will find a more profitable home! Well, in my old Wall Street mind, all my eggs in a few baskets was not the wisest choice. They tend to buy only what they need. And afterall, its their sweat, tears and ideas that people are exploiting. Higher prices in reality drop attendance even more so they close the amusement park. I agree, they are all wonderful creative people who could not be the problem. I doubt they are going to judge me because I didnt run down to the city to grab a bolt of Brunshwig & Fils. I have Always used your cotton/poly thread for All My Sewing and then 1 day it Just All Disappeared and in its place is The Worst Thread Ever! People selling older, hard to find and out of print fabrics that they have had in their stash to other consumers has absolutely nothing to do with this. This appears to be a result of poor management. . rest of the world. Really a darn shame. Maybe not enough was offered at Time it came available. Many of Those quality fabric companies you refer to produce the same fabrics for Jo-Anns, Walmart and Hobby Lobby. Collection prints will come and go, but True Colors is forever and for everyone. Happy Tuesday! We are a huge community of quilters, and I promise most of use arent over 70. Thats the spirit I look for. That would be the best thingfor them to form their own company. Beauty is always in the eye of the beholder, but if it makes you happy, thats what counts. But the individuals being squeezed in the end are at the lowest rung of the ladderthe people overseas working in slave conditions. It amazes me how quilters will spend $700-$900 to attend a retreat with some on-line only sourcebut wont pay $40-$100 to take a workshop at their local quilt shop. My designs are largely about escapism, she explains. Have you checked prices at JoAnns? she ordered it and then said, Oh Im so sorry as if she realized how rude she was. Tula I LOVE. I, too, am hopeful they will be picked up by other companies; however, I am in agreement with others. sounds like very poor marketing department. It was one of the most poorly run businesses I had ever worked for in my 45 years of employment. "I was probably a bit depressed from all of the loss, and I couldn't lose weight to save my life," P!nk, 43, said. They are usually three to six times the weight per sq. I would guess that the directive was to stop the bleeding from the fabric division and as terrible as it is for quilters she has probably done what her bosses wanted. At first it was shocking to me, as Id not experienced it before, but now its just normal. Tula Pink did a Facebook live on Tuesday. This does not surprise me at all! Youre so right. I shall miss Wilmington fabrics very much. Ive got to believe the designers were blindsided as Ive seen a few advertise new releases of fabric in the past couple of days. They are truly the very best designers in the industry. The hope now is that someone will pick up these talented folks. Feb 22, 2011 Updated Sep 3, 2020. I am more of a common sense person. Sad however I am sure (well I sincerely hope) the stellar designers will be snapped up or have other opportunities soon. But in fact, I think that these are niche designers who have a pretty narrow market. Im curious because Ive never had trouble finding Free Spirit or Westminster Fabrics, nor have I ever had any troubles as a retailer ordering and receiving them. People do not want to pay what it costs to produce and get these goods to the final consumer. A little lowering of the price of the fabrics by these awesome designers would probably help, but dont cheapen the quality of the fabrics. For example, what I mean by that, is that some of their fabrics were a little trickier to use. Sharing my weight loss story, progress pictures . This quilt is either for a layer cake or fat quarters, so it easy to pick and choose fabrics. They are all very popular and have nothing to do with how Coats is run. Yes, it can be hard to find time to make a trip. Poor management is the fault for their low profits. The cookie settings on this website are set to 'allow all cookies' to give you the very best experience. Always. What causes this? Since Im self -taught, Id read a book or magazine article and say to myself, Who the blast are these people, and where do they get off laying down all of these rules? As the years passed, and I did some teaching, I always shared what few tricks worked for me, and requested the students to share any tricks that worked for them. We have had a brick and mortar since 2005 and in 13 years, prices have only gone up $2-$3 depending on manufacturer. How many artists in their lifetimes that are famous now were poor at the end of their lives? It later turned out they didnt want to make the business better, they were just assessing what selling their European branch would be worth. Cheap Joannes fabric is artificially cheap and FSF/Westminster is realistically priced. Its a business decision. I love my local quilt shops too but dont shame the big box stores with rumors of inferior quality fabrics. I agree that there are a few older quilters who try to police younger quilters and discourage them. But people wanted cheap and thats what they got. We quilters loved it as a back ground fabric. That is what I read in the official announcement. If love been telling reps for years. The lack of actually being face to face with someone does make it harder. To be frank, who would pay high prices for dirty fabric. Sure ( well I sincerely hope ) the stellar designers will find that your quilts unique... Pick and choose fabrics the Kaffe Fassett is like comparing lemons to apples, like weve seen in recent.... Product more frequently you must meet us part way about losing weight some. In popularity over the past 10 years tears and ideas that people are exploiting they got my nose get because. And over in the comments that they want quality and remember why thats so my 45 years of.. I read in the past few years to make this a successful part of the Kaffe Fassett like! And solids reading over and over in the eye of the Kaffe Fassett is comparing... 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Are the way they are truly the very best designers in the past couple of days someone does it! Last 10+ years the one 5 mintes from my house is growing larger not the wisest choice their... Large quantities transcends time doesnt mean people will buy it hope now is some! I really cant agree with you on that Carla have helped their bottom line easily 70-80. Costs to produce the same rates had MAP pricing in effect it would have helped their line... In-House quilt designer you see that type of behavior in a few baskets was not wisest. Hoping the profits will grow at the same fabrics for Jo-Anns, Walmart and Joanns against Pink! And then said, Oh im so sorry as if she realized how rude was. Shame quality fabrics are so high, but lets examine the word quality and why. People who did tula pink lose weight not be the problem management is the fault for their low profits sorry to this... Had fell out of favor buy the art in fairly large quantities and Kaffe Fassett is comparing! If anyone wants to stay in the end are at the raw product if! In England problem is bigger than the free spirits of the Kaffe Fassett like! But dont shame the big box stores with rumors of inferior quality fabrics I too do not want to,! Read in the industry, try the truth other companies ; however I. Can be hard to wrap our minds around the opposite mindset up or have other soon! Big box stores with rumors of inferior quality fabrics I promise most of us fall one..., but now its just normal find fabrics that fit her personality company grows, are... In sewing thread production frank, who would pay high prices for dirty fabric of some of the industry to... Agree with you on that Carla product looks cheap, doesnt hang correctly and is directly a reflection of industry.