Shoulder pads, zippers, and a selection of colorful blouse buttons are now available!
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Shoulder pads, blouse buttons now online
Thank you for the feedback about what you would like to order online at Exqfabrics.com!
Shoulder pads, zippers, and a selection of colorful blouse buttons are now available!
More to come...
Shoulder pads, zippers, and a selection of colorful blouse buttons are now available!
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Buttons in amber and pistachio
How do you like these buttons? They're imported from the Netherlands. We call them "amber" and "pistachio." Soon to appear on our website, but available now in person!
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
The joys and pains of websites!
We now have a website for two reasons--for information for our customers (our location, hours, contact info), and for e-commerce. Having a website of multiple layers and pages requires a big time commitment, and lots of creative energy, learning-as-one-goes, and sometimes, frustration. But all in all, the website is evolving into a good vehicle for selling for Exquisite Fabrics.
Our customers urged us to sell online ages ago--almost as soon as you-know-who "invented the internet." We have always felt that customers should be able to touch the fabric, because touch is also so important to us when we buy our fabric supply. We realize, however, that there are certain of our suppliers on whom we can rely if we see something online that we like, and by the same token, our customers are familiar with our quality and would appreciate an "online presence" from us. The availability of "good stuff" in the fabric world is becoming more and more limited at the consumer level, as more and more stores decrease inventory of dressmaking fabrics and turn to the more-profitable quilting and crafts sectors.
We still love silks, woolens, cashmeres, fine imported cottons, the seasonal variety of fashion fabrics, and extra special haute couture fabrics for eveningwear. It's lots more work for us than it would be to simply order the latest quilting fabric lines, but we love it.
Creating the website is an important way to bring enjoyment to customers who can't reach our store. As much as we enjoy the colors, textures, and tactile qualities of fabrics, we love to try to translate that to photographs for our customers to enjoy. It's a joy to see how beautiful some fabrics drape and to be able to capture that feeling in a picture! You might have noticed that the pictures on our site are quite a big larger than those on some "e-commerce" sites. That's because we are building the site ourselves instead of using a template. We think it's important to have nice large pictures--it's more like being face to face with the fabric in our store!
Progress is slow on the website, though. We wish it could be faster, but there seem to be lots of "issues" in the e-commerce hosting world, and we just have to wait for the issues to be addressed and resolved, one by one. The "skeleton" of the site is in place, though, so you can see how it will eventually guide you through a whole world of fabrics and buttons and trims to dream about....your 24-hour fabric store!
One issue seems to be with the Firefox browser. One customer reports that the website looks truncated on her browser. The website is optimized for IE and for Google Chrome browsers, so if you have a choice you might try using one of those browsers until the host gets back to us.
Another issue is "blank pages." This is part of the process of building the skeleton of the site. Not all the pages will have content until later. You can help by suggesting what you would like to see on the site...our site is very "organic"...we give high priority to customer requests!
Happy postscript: Many issues have been solved (thank you Intuit) and many pages now appear where there was "nothing" before! Dig in!
Our customers urged us to sell online ages ago--almost as soon as you-know-who "invented the internet." We have always felt that customers should be able to touch the fabric, because touch is also so important to us when we buy our fabric supply. We realize, however, that there are certain of our suppliers on whom we can rely if we see something online that we like, and by the same token, our customers are familiar with our quality and would appreciate an "online presence" from us. The availability of "good stuff" in the fabric world is becoming more and more limited at the consumer level, as more and more stores decrease inventory of dressmaking fabrics and turn to the more-profitable quilting and crafts sectors.
We still love silks, woolens, cashmeres, fine imported cottons, the seasonal variety of fashion fabrics, and extra special haute couture fabrics for eveningwear. It's lots more work for us than it would be to simply order the latest quilting fabric lines, but we love it.
Creating the website is an important way to bring enjoyment to customers who can't reach our store. As much as we enjoy the colors, textures, and tactile qualities of fabrics, we love to try to translate that to photographs for our customers to enjoy. It's a joy to see how beautiful some fabrics drape and to be able to capture that feeling in a picture! You might have noticed that the pictures on our site are quite a big larger than those on some "e-commerce" sites. That's because we are building the site ourselves instead of using a template. We think it's important to have nice large pictures--it's more like being face to face with the fabric in our store!
Progress is slow on the website, though. We wish it could be faster, but there seem to be lots of "issues" in the e-commerce hosting world, and we just have to wait for the issues to be addressed and resolved, one by one. The "skeleton" of the site is in place, though, so you can see how it will eventually guide you through a whole world of fabrics and buttons and trims to dream about....your 24-hour fabric store!
One issue seems to be with the Firefox browser. One customer reports that the website looks truncated on her browser. The website is optimized for IE and for Google Chrome browsers, so if you have a choice you might try using one of those browsers until the host gets back to us.
Another issue is "blank pages." This is part of the process of building the skeleton of the site. Not all the pages will have content until later. You can help by suggesting what you would like to see on the site...our site is very "organic"...we give high priority to customer requests!
Happy postscript: Many issues have been solved (thank you Intuit) and many pages now appear where there was "nothing" before! Dig in!
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Secret stash...guilt free
Happy Autumn! Hope you are having a good weekend and that you have a chance to get out and enjoy the nice cool weather (after that summer we had~!).
This has been a happy week at Exquisite Fabrics. A number of the neighboring businesses here on Davis Street are expanding into new niches, completing long-planned projects, celebrating anniversaries (hello Cameleer on your 20th!) As if there were not already enough temptation in the gastronomy department, the Frenchman's Corner has added goodies (and they keep baiting us about it on Facebook)...fudge, brownies, pastries, and of course those Neuhaus chocolates. The Culpeper Cheese Company has a ribbon cutting next week. There's a new candy niche called "My Secret Stash" in one of the stores too. Uh, secret stash? Who, me??
Of course we fabric lovers might have a sweet tooth but our real stash consists of fabric. And more fabric. And all the stuff we need to keep that creative flame alive, even (especially) when we don't have time to do anything about it.
I'm thinking about our DC customers who are up against the end of the fiscal year (always a crisis at work) and thinking about how many 60, 70, and 80 hour work weeks we have all had to cope with, somehow. Our "secret stash" of sewing goodies might just be sustenance for us. I know mine has been for me.
So, when the new Burda book finally caught up with us (it had been shipped to Georgetown grrrrrrrrr) I took a few minutes and relaxed with the book, and picked a favorite pattern for this fall, Burda 7422. Unfortunately, I was so enthusiastic about it that we sold out today. But more are on the way~! Look at this style!
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This has been a happy week at Exquisite Fabrics. A number of the neighboring businesses here on Davis Street are expanding into new niches, completing long-planned projects, celebrating anniversaries (hello Cameleer on your 20th!) As if there were not already enough temptation in the gastronomy department, the Frenchman's Corner has added goodies (and they keep baiting us about it on Facebook)...fudge, brownies, pastries, and of course those Neuhaus chocolates. The Culpeper Cheese Company has a ribbon cutting next week. There's a new candy niche called "My Secret Stash" in one of the stores too. Uh, secret stash? Who, me??
Of course we fabric lovers might have a sweet tooth but our real stash consists of fabric. And more fabric. And all the stuff we need to keep that creative flame alive, even (especially) when we don't have time to do anything about it.
I'm thinking about our DC customers who are up against the end of the fiscal year (always a crisis at work) and thinking about how many 60, 70, and 80 hour work weeks we have all had to cope with, somehow. Our "secret stash" of sewing goodies might just be sustenance for us. I know mine has been for me.
So, when the new Burda book finally caught up with us (it had been shipped to Georgetown grrrrrrrrr) I took a few minutes and relaxed with the book, and picked a favorite pattern for this fall, Burda 7422. Unfortunately, I was so enthusiastic about it that we sold out today. But more are on the way~! Look at this style!
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We have some coating weights and even some double face (reversible) coating weights
that would be perfect for this!
Can't make it to our store?
Tell me what you would like, and I'll try to post some choices online for you to buy.
The week ended with a few surprises for us...several customers from our former locations popped in...to our great delight! Some live in or around Culpeper, some in Fredericksburg, some in Stafford, and one couple was just driving through from Alexandria to North Carolina....well, it's great to see all the familiar faces and of course the new acquaintances too!
Saturday, September 15, 2012
New Culpeper store!
After a season of pondering whether or not, if, or where to open a new retail store, we came upon what we consider the perfect solution. Beautiful, historic Davis Street in Culpeper. Our new shop is ready!
Davis Street is consistently named as one of America's top ten "Main Streets" and Culpeper itself is known as one of America's top ten small towns. If you've not visited at all, or if you haven't been there for years (as we hadn't), you will be amazed at the quality of life enjoyed here, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains and only 80 minutes from Georgetown/Arlington!
We were bowled over, first by the pretty "Main Street" look maintained in the compact business district. From 100 year old Clarke Hardware, to the authorized Bernina dealer, to the Cameleer... there's even a working Amtrak stop right in the business district! There's plenty of municipal parking, and the streets are pedestrian friendly, with numerous crosswalks (and the vehicular traffic is generally observant and courteous). It's almost like the town stepped straight from the 19th century into very socially aware 21st, while maintaining a genteel character. And, it's a survivor, having been hit hard by the August 2011 Mineral earthquake.
Secondly, the dining choices are delightful...some are sophisticated, all homey and in a good range of prices. From the Frost Cafe for your morning coffee, to the Hazel River Inn or Thyme for your dinner, you cannot go wrong along Davis Street! There's a much-loved hometown bakery called Knakal's...and if you want a chewy baguette, go to any of three places and you will feel like you are in a Parisian neighborhood. Ditto cheeses, local wines, and Belgian chocolates. So that's enough to keep us busy between customers!
Finally, when we feel adventurous, we can try a winery tour, or a farm tour, or one of the numerous hikes that are convenient to Culpeper. Culpeper and the piedmont area are also hosts to many horse shows, polo and other equestrian events, and well organized guided trail rides. Or raft down the Rappahannock River.
Tickle your tastebuds with a stop at a local orchard (observe orchard rules), like Roy's in Sperryville (Roy's Orchard & Fruit Market 540.987.8636 64 Old Hollow Rd / Sperryville, VA near "Little Washington" in Rappahannock County). Culpeper County and environs is known as the market basket of the Washington DC area, since it provides much of the "local, farm-to-table" produce, dairy, meat, and other foodstuffs for so many of the newer restaurants . There are also two seasonal farmers' markets in Culpeper, one on Saturday and one on Wednesday. You can find all this and a boatload of history in beautiful Culpeper County.
Please make it a day (or weekend) trip--combined with your first visit to our new shop--soon!
Seasonal store hours: Wed-Thu 12Noon to 6PM and Fri-Sat 12Noon to 7PM.
Phone: 540 727 0396.
APA Great Places in America-Streets
Travel & Leisure 5 Easy Road Trips
2012 Great American Main Street Award
Davis Street is consistently named as one of America's top ten "Main Streets" and Culpeper itself is known as one of America's top ten small towns. If you've not visited at all, or if you haven't been there for years (as we hadn't), you will be amazed at the quality of life enjoyed here, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains and only 80 minutes from Georgetown/Arlington!
We were bowled over, first by the pretty "Main Street" look maintained in the compact business district. From 100 year old Clarke Hardware, to the authorized Bernina dealer, to the Cameleer... there's even a working Amtrak stop right in the business district! There's plenty of municipal parking, and the streets are pedestrian friendly, with numerous crosswalks (and the vehicular traffic is generally observant and courteous). It's almost like the town stepped straight from the 19th century into very socially aware 21st, while maintaining a genteel character. And, it's a survivor, having been hit hard by the August 2011 Mineral earthquake.
Secondly, the dining choices are delightful...some are sophisticated, all homey and in a good range of prices. From the Frost Cafe for your morning coffee, to the Hazel River Inn or Thyme for your dinner, you cannot go wrong along Davis Street! There's a much-loved hometown bakery called Knakal's...and if you want a chewy baguette, go to any of three places and you will feel like you are in a Parisian neighborhood. Ditto cheeses, local wines, and Belgian chocolates. So that's enough to keep us busy between customers!
Finally, when we feel adventurous, we can try a winery tour, or a farm tour, or one of the numerous hikes that are convenient to Culpeper. Culpeper and the piedmont area are also hosts to many horse shows, polo and other equestrian events, and well organized guided trail rides. Or raft down the Rappahannock River.
Tickle your tastebuds with a stop at a local orchard (observe orchard rules), like Roy's in Sperryville (Roy's Orchard & Fruit Market 540.987.8636 64 Old Hollow Rd / Sperryville, VA near "Little Washington" in Rappahannock County). Culpeper County and environs is known as the market basket of the Washington DC area, since it provides much of the "local, farm-to-table" produce, dairy, meat, and other foodstuffs for so many of the newer restaurants . There are also two seasonal farmers' markets in Culpeper, one on Saturday and one on Wednesday. You can find all this and a boatload of history in beautiful Culpeper County.
Please make it a day (or weekend) trip--combined with your first visit to our new shop--soon!
Seasonal store hours: Wed-Thu 12Noon to 6PM and Fri-Sat 12Noon to 7PM.
Phone: 540 727 0396.
APA Great Places in America-Streets
Travel & Leisure 5 Easy Road Trips
2012 Great American Main Street Award
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Buttons for your shopping pleasure!
It's such fun to be able to pick buttons to put online for you, I'm smiling even as I write this! I'm going to have time to do lots of buttons in the very near future, but for now this should get us started. Please get in touch by commenting at the bottom of this page if you want something specific, or if you want something you remember seeing in our store! I won't publish these comments, so your information will remain private.
For today, I concentrated on buttons that you might like to use on your new fall sweaters (or to use for updating your old fall sweaters!). You can order these here, or look on our web page. You can also contact us privately through our contact form if you would like to arrange payment by phone.
Click on each picture for a big image!
Click on each picture for a big image!
Monday, August 6, 2012
Ready for Fall sewing...
...but it's still summer....
Yes, it IS hot, but some of the very best fall fabrics arrive early. It's best to plan ahead and remember that although the weather is brutally hot now, it is just as likely we will have an extreme winter as well! That's the mid-Atlantic for you!
Heavy woolens were our best sellers last winter!
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