how much to stock up

[Former_Member]

Hi all. I've recently missed out on two large custom orders because I didn't have enough of the right fabric on hand and no time to order it.

I realize that "supplies" means different things for different sellers, but in a general sense, I'm wondering . . .

Do you get supplies locally or order them? How much do you keep on hand? What are your thoughts and experiences around the financial risk of stocking up for big orders that may not come?

[Former_Member]

How big would these custom orders have been?
I saw you sell table runners etc. I'd say you should probably consider 20 placemats and 5 runners. That should be enough for someone throwing a garden party etc.

[Former_Member]

I source all my yarn supplies at wholesale so it sometimes takes up to a couple of weeks for a supply order to arrive.

Depending on the custom request I may or may not have enough of the colour in stock to complete the order, even though I do have enough stock on hand to open my own B&M yarn shop.

If I'm only needing one ball of something though I'll call around to the local shops to see if by chance they have it in stock.

[PrairiePrimitives]

I buy fabric when I see something I like, and usually only get 1 yard of it. Most cotton fabric is around $12/yard now in the quilt shops. OUCH! It's a little cheaper at JoAnns, but the quality is often lower too. There's an annual "fabric yard sale" near here and I buy lots of fabric there, often for $1 or $2 per yard; these are often fairly large pieces! I also buy fabric at estate sales (I've found lots of wool that way!) I have no interest in buying bolts of fabric. My goal is for all of my fabric to fit in an antique cupboard in my studio, which is why I've been destashing lately!

[Former_Member]

Tana, $12/yard in local shops would be a dream for me. Things cost more in Canada and I can expect to pay $18-24/meter, plus 12% sales tax for nice quilting cotton in a local store. Other fabrics are similarly expensive. That's why I mail order. And that's why I can't react quickly to custom orders unless I have the fabric on hand.

Barbara, I might increase my stash to the levels you recommend. I currently buy enough of each fabric to make 10 placemats and 1 table runner. It seems that's not enough.

Thanks for the feedback.