The Fabric Industry Wins With The Jaftex Facebook Live Video Challenge

August 17, 2020 /

As I hope you know, for the month of August, my company is hosting the Jaftex Facebook Live Shop Tour Video Challenge. (It would be great if you could take the time to go to my @jaftexpresident Facebook page and view as many of the amazing shop tours as possible.)

Today, I wanted to take a moment to tell you why I think this contest is so important for our industry especially during the pandemic. For the first time in my fabric career (about 15 years), fabric is getting a lot of invaluable attention due to the mask making frenzy. This is much needed attention that our industry has been clamoring to get for years as our numbers have dwindled. As I have said before, we are glad we have all the interest in fabrics, we just would have preferred that it not happen this way. That being said, we will take it however we can get it at this point because we have no other choice.

With a lot of attention on fabrics and a lot of people being at home and on their mobile devices, what better time than now to put quilt shops front and center? The iron is hot right now and it is the perfect time for quilt shop owners to capitalize on this new interest and grow their shrinking customer bases. Who doesn’t want new customers? Who doesn’t want great exposure for their shop? It is also a great time for guilds to grow and get new members and fresh perspectives. It’s also a great time to have more people join the business side of the fabric industry too. These would all be beautiful things!

These videos are helping to fuel the flame for fabric and are drawing people to quilt shops and fabric websites they probably didn’t know existed before Covid hit. Hopefully, the quilt shop owners can now do their part in converting all these mask makers to long term quilters and sewers. In there lies the potential win for the industry and a potential windfall at that. With that, if you are a shop owner, you need to be thinking about how to make these customers stick for the long term.

VMware and Citrix offer long term service releases, who is ...

Many have tried to put a number on the amount of people that quilt in the US and the last I heard, it stood at around 7-10 million. Wouldn’t it be great for our industry if that number went to 12-15 million or 15-20 million? That would be another win for our industry and a hobby that was dying a slow death before Covid hit.

We of course know about all the benefits of quilting as I have discussed them here in length on many occasions. It is great for your mind. It uses math skills. It helps reduce stress. It’s a great distraction. The list goes on.

With that, I want to urge everyone reading this to help the cause and do their part in spreading the love and quilting and fabric and fueling the revitalization of our industry. If we all chipped in a little bit, it could go a long way in drawing some much needed attention to the industry and hobby that we all love and truly make fabric mainstream and part of everyone’s daily life. Amen to that!

Have a great week!

11 Comments

  • Theresa Cooper

    August 19, 2020 at 8:54 pm

    Hi Scott,
    I’m so happy I met you at the Old Creamery quilt shop In Ellisburg NY, what an eye opener to how your end of the Fabric industry works, and so I’m hooked on All your fabric lines. Your blogs, and the Sunday trivia was awesome, I missed a lot but liked it when I did remember. ? You and your family do a great service to all Quilter’s new and old and for quilt shop owners, Wow.
    I love buying fabric ! I wish I spent more time sewing my beautiful fabric into a quilt as I do buying the fabric…that’s the easy part.
    I have helped get a friend, my sister in law and her grandkids into quilting. I’m going to give my 12 year old granddaughter my Janome Gem to use she is very artistic so I’m sure she can design a quilt. Keep up the good work, don’t change, you have what it takes to boost the quilting industry with all your high energy.

    • Scott Fortunoff

      August 26, 2020 at 9:34 am

      What a kind message Theresa. Not only is it kind, but I love everything else you are saying and doing….buying lots of fabric (check), getting people into quilting (check) and giving a machine to your grand daughter. You are paying great attention! Thanks.
      scott

  • Joseph F. Dolloff

    August 19, 2020 at 4:14 pm

    Thank you Scott, and your Family, for promoting the sewing and quilting industry. Your support of all the Mom and Pop local Quilt Shops has not gone unnoticed. My wife Cheryl has put many hours into her store, Colchester Mill Fabrics & Quilting. Mask makers are a big percentage of the business, and she works from 7:30 am until 11-11:30pm, to keep them stocked. The companies under the Jaftex umbrella are quick to replenish what is sold, so we thank you! Today, we will go live, so watch for that 4:30 pm video!

    • Scott Fortunoff

      August 26, 2020 at 9:35 am

      Thanks Joe. You are too kind. I appreciate it and I appreciate you and Cheryl very much. Hope to visit soon. Be safe and keep up the good work.

  • Judy Johnson

    August 17, 2020 at 11:28 pm

    Scott,
    Thanks for your faithfulness to communicating with your customers and fans. And thanks for great products. I am a minor industry player…but I have spent my time in the last few months making cloth masks and being the distribution point for quilter-made masks in my community (we concentrate on providing masks to vulnerable adult populations). All my quilting friends are SO HAPPY to be using up odd pieces of fabric in masks – “de-stashing” as it were. Hundreds of yards. Now we are ready for “re-stashing”!! A treat for the work we have accomplished. Lots of fabric to acquire! Quilters save the world. Judy J.

  • Elizabeth Foster

    August 17, 2020 at 4:30 pm

    I enjoy following you on Instagram and Facebook, Scott. I’m not a shop owner or a professional of any kind, but as a person who loves fabric and making quilts I enjoy the behind-the-scenes look and insights your posts offer. I’ve loved all the videos! Now I’ve found even more great shops across the country who can meet my fabric needs (yes, dear husband, fabric IS a need lol!). Best of luck to all of you in the business of satisfying my fabric habit. The more quilters we inspire and recruit the better!