Custom Fabric Facebook Groups, Explained

I have recently ventured into the wild world of Custom Fabric Facebook Groups. There is a lot that is awesome about them, but it can be daunting to just jump in. Allow me to share what I’ve learned!

What are Custom Fabric Facebook Groups?
Facebook Groups that are run by small fabric design companies. These groups are closed to the public and you need to request access in order to see any of the group content (this is primarily for keeping out spammers). The companies generally comprise of one or two people, total: a designer and possibly a partner. The group acts as a community based around buying and sewing with the custom fabric produced by the designer. The groups are often — but not exclusively — focused on unique knit fabric for children’s wear.

How do they work?
The groups operate around a cycle of design -> preorder -> manufacturing -> retail for each fabric collection. Here’s how it goes:

• The designer designs their fabric collection around a specific theme or idea. The top image is an example of a fabric collection, Silver Fox Fabric’s Halloween 2017 collection. Designers sometimes post art to the Facebook Group to get feedback from the community.
• Once the design is complete, the designer orders samples (“strikes”) from their manufacturer.
• When the samples are received and the designer is happy with the final result, she will list the different designs on her shop for preorder.
• The fabric collection is available for preorder for a limited time — usually 2 weeks, sometimes more. During this period, customers can order as much of each design as they like. Each design is usually available in knit (stretch) and woven (non-stretch) varieties. Some groups have even more types of fabric available.
• Some designers offer discounts for very large orders, or installment payments after a certain minimum. Check your group’s pinned post or FAQ page for details.
• Once the preorder window closes, if there have been enough orders, the designer will place a full production order with their manufacturer. The manufacturing process takes a while, and it can take 2-3 months for the designer to receive the finished fabric. In the meantime, the cycle starts anew for the next collection.
• When the designer receives the fabric from the manufacturer, she cuts and ships it to the preorder customers!
• After the preorders are fulfilled, any remaining fabric can be put up for sale on the designer’s shop as “retail,” ready to ship right away but only available in limited quantities.

Preorder vs Retail
Preordering fabric is advantageous to both the customer and the designer. During the preorder window, the customer can order as much fabric as they want. Since the fabric hasn’t been produced yet, there are no quantity limits. Preorders are sometimes offered at a small discount compared to the final retail price as well. For the designer, preorders allow her to have the right amount of fabric produced in order to meet the demand, without risking ending up with tons of leftover inventory.

The downside of preordering is that it can take quite a long time for the fabric to finally get to you. But since the designs offered in these groups cannot be found anywhere else, it is often worth the wait. Retail quantities are often very limited and go quickly once listed, especially if the design is in high demand.

Why Join the Facebook Group?
Technically, you don’t need to be part of a company’s Facebook Group in order to order fabric. You can just check the company’s website and see what is available for preorder or retail. So why join the group?

Being in the Facebook Group lets you see previews of upcoming collections and announcements relating to when preorders open and close for any given round. But aside from that, I’ve found these groups to be nice communities full of kind and enthusiastic sewists! Any member can post their work to the group, and it’s very cool to see what other people are making with the beautiful custom fabric.

Terminology
B/S/T: Buy/Sell/Trade. Some custom fabric groups have offshoot groups just for selling or trading fabric between customers, after the preorders have been fulfilled.

C/L: Cotton/Lycra fabric. Available fabric types are varied between groups, and they are usually abbreviated. Information is generally available in the group’s pinned post or Files page.

C/W: Cotton Woven fabric.

Lay-Buy: Some groups offer an option to pay for preordered fabric in installments. Check the group’s pinned post or FAQ page for details.

Panel: In addition to fabric yardage, designers also sometimes offer panels, which are pieces of fabric with one large design feature in the center, usually used for t-shirts, and that coordinate with other designs in the collection. They can come in three sizes: adult-size t-shirt, kid-size t-shirt, and panty.

Preorder: Designers offer fabric designs for preorder before the actual fabric is printed. A design collection is put up for preorder for a limited time (generally 1-3 weeks), and if enough orders have come in by the time preorders close, the designs are produced. It can take 1-3 months from the time you preorder a fabric to when it arrives at your home.

Retail: “Retail” refers to fabric that the designer has available on-hand to ship out immediately.

Round: Refers to a “round” of preorders — the preorder window for a particular collection. Generally there is only one collection available for preorder at a time. It can also sometimes be used interchangeably with “collection.”

Strikes: Fabric samples that are delivered to the designer for final approval. Often in these groups, the designer uses these samples to make projects to help advertise the fabric designs (or enlists volunteers to do so). Receiving the strikes is one of the last steps in the custom fabric design process, and the preorder window generally opens soon after the strikes are approved by the designer.

Groups
KNITorious Fabric: Not just knits! Specializes in all things geek culture.
It’s Sew Creative: Known for their book cover collage prints!
Silver Fox Fabric: Beautiful original designs you can’t find anywhere else.
Zenith and Quasar Fabric: Unique prints inspired by science and nature.
BackStitch Fabrics: Bright and colorful prints perfect for kids.

Have any questions? Is there anything I missed? Any favorite fabric groups you’d like to add to the list? Let me know in the comments!