Hancock’s of Paducah

A few days ago I received an unexpected treat in the mail…a catalog.  OK, so catalogs are not typically “unexpected”, nor do I usually consider them a “treat”, but I have to say, this one surprised me.  About a year ago I ordered some fabric from Hancock’s of Paducah – some home decor fabric that was on sale at a very good price.  I have since, almost forgotten about this store until I received this catalog. 

The hefty catalog immediately caught my attention  with it’s bright and fun quilt-decorated cover.  It just begged to be opened.  To my surprise I found every page filled with wonderful collections of fabric accompanied by lovely descriptions and details. 

Here is an except from the catalog describing Moda’s Freebird collection:  “Fly freely with the birds and butterflies Momo created for Freebird.  The Flower Nest and the Freebird Garden soften the collection with gentle blooms.  Graphic ovals and dots add visual interest.  The colors are warm and earthy with a retro nostalgia.”

Don’t you just feel a desire to fly free with the birds and butterflies? 

Perhaps the best thing about the catalog is that it shows how wonderfully the collections go together.  I find it very difficult to decide which fabrics to purchase.  And while most of my fabrics don’t need to be coordinated, I do like to purchase some coordinates for my bags and such.  Coordinating fabrics is not an easy task – Ok, so designers make it somewhat easier with their collections, but still, when you can’t touch and see the fabrics next to one another in person, the making the final choice is difficult.  Often times I cross my fingers and hope for the best.  Sometimes it works out, sometimes not so much!

Quality fabric stores are hard to come by – at least in the Tri-State area they are.  While there are a few Jo-Ann’s around, I am not a huge fan of the store.  The fabrics are not the quality I prefer and their choice has a lot to be desired.  Even the few designer names they carry (i.e. Alexander Henry) are a lower quality fabric than what you would purchase from the manufacturer directly.  I won’t even go into the state and organization (or lack there of) of the store.  Sure, I’ll go there in a pinch, but I prefer not to. 

The next best option is to purchase online, but let’s face it – online shopping for fabric is not ideal.  Most websites don’t allow you to see different fabrics next to one another to see how they coordinate – especially if they are not in the same collection. While fabric.com does have a neat little tool (the “design wall”) that does allow you to do this, the challenge of monitor color vs. actual color still poses an issue.

Now you can see why viewing these fabrics  nicely arranged in a coordinated, printed layout is such a treat!

So, how do you get your hands on one of these catalogs?  You can request one right on their site…<click here>

While you are on their site, you may want to check out their Web Sale fabrics.  They offer some deals as low as $1.99 per half yd.  They carry quality fabrics from Moda, Westminster Fibers, Robert Kaufman, Marcus Brothers, Alexander Henry, Waverly and many more. 

A big “THANK YOU” to Hancock’s of Paducah for understanding a sewer’s need to view and “experience” fabric collections.  And kudos for meeting that need by stepping outside the box and offering a physical catalog in a time when web-surfing has become the norm (and expected).