Happy Easter and Happy Passover!
This week I’ve been musing over the changes in the quilting world over the 24 years eQuilter has been open. Fabrics have changed, customers have changed, and oh boy the internet sure has changed as well! When we started our online business, the suppliers were suspicious of our new little company. (We started in the basement of our home.) I had to explain my background in the fashion industry and textile production, and slowly they began to come and show us their collections.
At the time the quilt shops were full of beige and brown prints, ditsy florals, reproductions and lower quality fabrics. Many new quilters bought lower quality fabrics from the chain stores, then the quilts fell apart after a few washings. I visited over 40 quilt shops over several years, and finally figured out that the large scale colorful prints I wanted did exist, but quilt shops were not carrying these products. That is how the idea for our online shop was born in 1998, and we opened in early 1999.
In the early days quilters were suspicious of ordering fabrics online. They thought they had to touch the fabric to confirm it was good quality. I think this is because they had such bad experiences with the lower quality from the chain stores. But slowly quilters began to recognize that high quality manufacturers and brand names with excellent reputations, could be ordered over the internet with confidence.
The last 10 years we have gone through a similar education process with quilters, as digital prints were introduced. There were some early cheap digital prints that were lower quality, so some quilters were suspicious about this new technology. However digital printing has improved exponentially and we don’t have to worry about problems like running colors or shrinkage these days. As you know, we have had our own exclusive line of high quality digital-printed fabrics for many years now. These are not the lower quality pigment digital prints. We only produce the exquisite dye sublimation printing process that creates such a fine finish.
Now as more makers and quilters worry about sustainability, it is good to know that digital printed fabrics are not only high quality, but also some of the most sustainable products available. Factories have converted from screen printing to digital printing, saving on water usage, and eliminating the toxic pollution that previously could have affected workers and surrounding communities.
It is a GREAT time to be a fashion sewer, maker, and quilter. Digital printing means there is no limitation on the number of colors, unlike the limitations of screen printing. There is also no rigid structure dictating the size of the design’s repeat, like screen printing.
I’ve heard predictions that in 3-5 years ALL fabric printing will be digital. The last kink to be worked out is how to print metallics on digital machines. Right now the only way to get a metallic layer is to use screen printing. However when the digital metallic inks are perfected, we’ll have another wave of innovation to inspire and excite us. I can’t wait!
sharing your love for fabric,
Luana and Paul
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Travel/Quilt Calendar:
April 18-26 – Pour l’Amour du Fil – Nantes, France (Apr 20 – Art & Activism Lecture)
April 27-30 – Amsterdam, Netherlands
May 27 – Dairy Barn, Athens OH – Quilt National – Art & Activism Lecture
June 8-10 – Quilt Canada – Halifax, Nova Scotia
August 18-24 – Bear Camp in Alaska
