Bet you didn’t know that I worked as a personal shopper to the rich and famous in Beverly Hills, to put myself through design school in Los Angeles. Yes, I was a specialty sales person at Joseph Magnin, first in downtown LA, then at the Century City JM. I helped TV wardrobe shoppers choose outfits for famous actresses, and occasionally worked with a celebrity in a private dressing room by bringing in racks of clothes for them to try on. I guess these days that would be called a stylist. But…I don’t kiss and tell.
I still have a keen appreciation for picking out beautiful, useful and clever things for creative people…but for the last 25 years it has been in our sewing industry instead of the fashion industry. And guess what? I love working with (and for) you quilters SO much better!
This week I am doing something a little bit different. I’d like to pull back the curtain and give you an inside look at how we choose the specialty notions, trims, tools, patterns, and other unusual products that are stocked for our very creative customers. From the very first day we opened, our focus has been to provide products for the adventurous and curious quilter…who is not afraid of color, not afraid to try a new technique, not afraid to audition various options to find the outcome that is clearly imagined in your mind’s eye. We get that!
We look at about 150,000 new products every year, and purchase about 1000 new products per month. Many of those products are beautiful fabrics, but there’s a lot more that goes into making a quilt, or sewing a garment. From high quality technical tools (like titanium non-stick needles, and high-end shears) to fun embellishments that crack open a creative treasure chest (like bags of beads, buttons, and ribbons) everything we carry in our notions department has been carefully thought through.
Sometimes it takes months to source a special item that I’ve seen at a show. One example is this amazing pieced portrait of Joan of Arc, designed by Veruschka Zarate. I saw this quilt at QuiltCon a year ago, and I’ve been nudging her for the pattern every since. Finally we have her line of patterns in stock. I literally jumped for joy when they arrived!
The more you sew and quilt, the more you learn about the importance of quality fabrics and quality notions. As time goes by you learn why it is a good idea to have multiple packs of needles on hand. You will try different battings to see what matches your style of quilting. And you will probably upgrade your sewing machine, but keep your old machine! (Why is it the machine always dies when you are on a deadline?)
I invite you to explore our various notions, threads, battings, and patterns. We also very carefully select the booksand magazines that we think you creative quilters will enjoy as inspiration. We are here to share our passion for quilting with YOU, and every product has been chosen to inspire and support your quilting and sewing journey. We are on that journey with you, and it is a glorious adventure, don’t you agree?
Sharing your love of fabric…
Luana and Paul
Visit eQuilter’s Instagram, Pinterest or TikTok pages for Color and Design ideas.
See Luana’s Flickr Photo Pages for travel images, review our blog, or follow us on Facebook.
Check out our Video pages for interviews and show reviews.
Subscribe to Luana’s Artist Website blog for more creative inspiration.
Travel/Quilt Dates:
Feb 21-24, 2024 – QuiltCon in Raleigh, NC – eQuilter is a GOLD Sponsor.
March 6 – Canadian Quilters Association – Zoom Lecture “Intl Quilt Trends”
April 7-12 – Allegre Retreat
