What kind of a fabric shopper are you? Do you plan ahead, scheduling projects well in advance? Or are you a spur of the moment, retail shopper (like me!)? Both have their advantages, but today we will look at how to submit our TSM orders with seasons in mind.
Let's first talk about turn-around time. How long does it take for us to receive that highly anticipated box of beautiful fabric??
Pre-orders at The Styled Magnolia run the 15th - 30th/31st monthly. From the date of close, pre-order and Pick-a-Print orders have a turn-around time of approximately 8-12weeks. Each customer's order is batch shipped, which means that once all of a customer's fabric arrives at TSM it will be shipped to them. It is possible that fabric could arrive as soon as 4 weeks but may take up to 12 weeks in the case that fabric arrives at TSM flawed and needs to be reprinted.
So, in knowing that we can anticipate turn-around times of up to 12 weeks, that would suggest we order about a season ahead. For instance, if we are ordering in February, we know the latest we may see our pre-order arrive is 12 weeks from the submission date of March 1, which would be June 1 (give or take a few days for where the 12th week actually falls on the calendar). Where you live will, of course, dictate which season you are in, but for myself, I would be looking at ordering for Summer during February's preorder. If I were ordering in May, I would expect to see my order arrive at the latest, in September (this being because of a June 1st Pre-order submission date). Knowing my fabrics arrive in September, I would order Fall apparel fabrics.
(TSM also has an up-to-date Order Status page found here, that you can view at any time to see the status of an active preorder and the status trends for the year.)
There are often times where Pre-Order opens and we see a print and immediately envision what it will become, so we add that print in that specific base to our carts no problem! It doesn't matter if we can't wear the swimsuit in the middle of Winter, we will wait for warmer days, but that design just had to become a swimsuit no matter what! What about the times when we fall in love with a design, but don't know quite what to make, though? How do we order then? Knowing about when the Pre-Order will arrive helps tremendously! If I had ordered swim, knowing it would arrive in October, but didn't have a specific project in mind, I may have selected a different fabric base that I could get immediate use out of.
(If you are ever unsure of what an exact fabric base is in the drop-down menu, you may find the Fabric Contents page helpful on the website! Contained here is not only the fabric content, weight, and stretch, but also what the fabric feels like and what it is often used for.)
A great way to compile ideas for each fabric base is to search our Facebook group (found here!). There are so many truly incredible and inspirational sews from both our Influencer Team and customers alike! As I write this, we are ready to open R42 which falls in June 2023. This preorder will be submitted July 1st, which has me looking at having my fabric in hand near October. Something I look forward to sewing this fall and winter are jackets for myself and my girls! I will absolutely be searching the TSM Facebook group for both fabric base and pattern inspiration! I'm not sure if I will sew up Softshell or Canvas to begin, but I do know that sewing for October and beyond I will want to choose from either of those bases! I also cannot wait to sew up each of my girls an amazingly soft and cuddly hoodie using the new Double Sided Minky base! It is an absolutely dreamy, warm base, that I know they will love SO much!
So, no matter what season you are currently experiencing, hopefully now you are able to peruse preorder with confidence knowing your projects will sew and flow once your much anticipated fabric arrives! And, as always, please be sure to share your incredible makes with us in our TSM Facebook Group! We are always so inspired by you!
Thank you for following along with me,
Tara