Something New with a Giveaway - The Jolly Jabber Quilting Blog

Fat Quarter Shop, Fat Quarter Shop News

Something New with a Giveaway

248 Comments

Looks like a few people have caught on to the Something New mentioned in our last post! It wasn’t a puppy or a kitten as some guessed (that was a bit out of the blue??), and any other day it probably would have been a new BOM.

We are very excited to show you Fat Quarter Shop’s new look! As much as we enjoyed our old website, it was getting up there in web years. We hope that this fresh look will make your experience even better than before. Read on for a little tour, and comment to enter our giveaway!

Besides being prettier, we’ve added a ton of new features to make shopping even easier. The pages now load faster, and we’ve got these nifty dropdown menus at the top that automatically get you to the collection you’re looking for.
We’ve also added a Shop by Theme section. Wanting something Americana, or is your friend having a new Baby? Or maybe you’re just Hungry.

On the bottom of the home page, you can easily see our newest patterns, updated daily.

Click on a fabric swatch, and the details now include a Collection Description and other helpful information, like the scale of the fabric. It also shows Related Departments for the product so you can see where else it is found on the site.

And you’ll love this new page! It’s our brand new Fat Quarter Shop Guide & Glossary. The Guide to Specialty Cuts showcases the pre-cut fabrics we carry and describes the size, number of pieces, common uses, and even other similar cuts! No more confusion about whether this is a fabric shop or a bakery 😉 There’s also a Glossary of Quilting & Quilting Fabric for when you come across an unfamiliar term while shopping.

The Free Quilt Pattern Page is still there and constantly updated with free patterns from all our manufacturers.

Finally, take a moment to get to know the staff.

We are not nearly done, folks… keep coming back to see what else we’re adding!

And now, the giveaway… we’ve got a mystery prize! Just give us some feedback (questions? comments? criticism? lavish love? :P) and comment on this post and you’re automatically entered! We’ll announce the winner on Friday, 1/16/09!

248 comments

  10. Love it! Quicker to load and more user friendly. I hope it has also made your side of things work easier as well. Bec xxx

  11. I think it looks fantastic, and is truly easy to navigate. On the pattern menu, I’d like to see a category for Honey Buns and Turnovers – possibly could put those together. I spent my lunch hour today getting acquainted with the new layout. I love it!!

  12. I like the look and the additional functions of the new site, I like the ‘search by theme’ option, which I found was lacking in the old site in compare to other similar sites.

  13. I was on the new site earlier today, new immediately something was different. But it is still you! Navigation was a breeze! Great job so far. I’ll keep a close watch to see what’s next.
    Barb

  16. I really like the new page. I stumbled on it before I read the post, and I really like the new drop down links up top. And i love the related link on the right side. Now when I look at layer cakes I can go look at related yardage, or whatever. Neat! Good job:)-

  17. Great site update – loads much faster! One suggestion – could you make sure the “coming soon” designers are also listed in the “Shop by Designer” drop-down menu?

  24. I think the new website is fantastic. What a big improvement! I love how the larger window pops up when you hover over the Shop By Collection, Shop By Designer and Shop By Theme. And that glossary is very cool, especially the pictures. Great job!

  25. I also saw the new site before reading the post and I love it! It looks so fresh. I wouldn’t have thought it possible to improve on the site, but you’ve done it! Good job!

  30. I REALLY love the new site…especially the list of fabrics by line…it makes it sooo easy to find a particular fabric. Everything about the new site is clear and easy to navigate…I just love it! Of course, I’ll probably be spending more money on the new, improved site!

  32. OK, I love the new website. And, I’m not just saying that to win the giveaway. (But I would love to win!) The drop down menus are perfect for finding what you’re looking for in a hurry. I like seeing what’s new on the homepage too. It is easy to navigate and tons of info on one page. Who could ask for more?

  35. I love the pop-up windows to search by designer and collection. I did get a weird link though. I clicked on Christmas Cloth store on the left hand column and it took me to the Christmas Cloth store. (So far so good, right!) Then I clicked on the ON SALE link in the text and it took me to a weird text page with no graphics.

    My only complaint is that the new site is so pretty, it’s going to make it even easier to find things to buy. Wait, maybe that was the idea… 😉

  38. The new web site looks great. Still have to check out all the new bits and find my way around but so far it seems as if it will be easy to find what you are looking for. Only one problem,am I ever going to get any quilting done?. Noela

  42. I noticed it right away…because I check your site atleast twice a day for updates, new fabrics etc. It’s addicting to see what you will have next. I can’t think of another website that has such a compressive list of the latest and greatest fabrics. I appreciate the level of accuracy with which your site calculates how much yardage is available or how many charm packs or jelly rolls. That helps me feel more confident that I will get what I ordered. Yes on occasion a sale item has been out of stock, but it can not compare to a few other sites (who shall remain nameless) in which EVERY time I order ANYTHING…something is cancelled, that often includes non sale items. I gravitate toward your site for everything first, if you don’t have it, I go elsewhere. About the new design of the site, the only thing I noticed is that the drop down menus at the top of the page are very close to other links and are shall we say ‘very’ sensitive….it will just take some getting used to. The ease of navigation is far superior to any other online fabric seller. I can’t say enough good things about you…and I’m not just saying that….

  44. I love the new website especially the “shop by collection’ so much better than in one long drop down box. I also like the free patterns as I didn’t know that was there. Great blog!!
    Laura T

  45. I played around a bit and no complaints so far! It looks great. I especially Love the big drop down menus!! You were great before, but even better now. Who knew it was possible?? 🙂

  48. Love the new web page and the blog you are the go to online quilt store for the latest trents in quilting. Lots of temptations.

  49. Hi!
    I already wrote an e-mail to say how I love the new site {and with that said I have to add that it was my favourite shop site to visit!}! Great thing is the new start page with the summary of news it provides…and the new features are simply perfect – it is even more easy & comfortable to navigate {already said that the 'shop by theme' section is most appreciated!}. The collection descriptions are great – only thing is that now apostrophes, "é"s etc. don't show up anymore and are replaced with an "?" symbol {I have a mac & use firefox}.

    Cheers, Julia

  51. I like the new layout. It took me a minute to realize whoa they’ve been busy!! I really how you have things separated. I ESPECIALLY like the Specials section! Good work.

  52. Love the look of the sight and the ease of searching. The only two things I’d like are a “back to the top” button when you are viewing a page with many items on it and something indicating the scale of the prints.

    Thanks!
    Anne

  53. the new site looks very good , but don’t like the character font on the left where you’ve listed all the designer, projects etc. however it’s purley a matter of taste.
    New Year and “New Look” great!

  56. I love the new website! The only problem I noticed was that special characters (as in the “e” in applique) are showing up as errors. I am using a regular PC with Internet Explorer. Keep up the good work!

  61. I love your site! It is so easy to navigate and so pretty that it makes it easier to shop at your site.
    One tiny suggestion… I wish you would offer every fabric available as a fat quarter. There are some sites that do, but not many, and I bet more people would order from you if they could order fat quarter cuts. That is how I found your site in the first place… by looking for online shops that sold fat quarters. Your shop name pops up.

  62. I love the fresh new look. The drop down menus are great.

    Love your selection, love your service. If you can’t find it at FQS, you don’t need it!

  63. On the left rail it appears as though there’s a Christmas Tree next to “Christmas Cloth Store” and a present next to “Gift Certificates.” Both of these icons are cut off in my window (using internet explorer). I’d recommend either allowing more space or removing them all together as I don’t see any other icons so the look somewhat out of place.

  64. I LOVE the new look! I was “thumbing through” the pages the other day and kept saying “this is great!” (mainly to myself…) FQShop 2.0 looks wonderful!

  65. Wow! The new site layout is wonderful! The drop down menu makes it so much easier to find what I’m looking for (in this case, I was checking out the new Hartfield collection). And the glossary of fabric cuts is something I really needed — I’ve been out of touch with quilting for a couple of years and these new cuts are new to me. Thanks so much! And thanks for the giveaway too!

  69. I just spent way too much time on the new site and I love the choices of “by designer, collection,theme.” Makes it so simple. I love it!

  70. Very much appreciate the new ability to shop by theme! I have often bemoaned that missing from the old site. Nice work on the redesign!

  72. I adore the new website look! I have been enjoying checking it out all morning. Very easy to navigate (though it was very nice the “old” style too!)

  73. Loved it before….love it even more NOW!!!! Fast, fun and full of the best things ever. Thanks for being such a great shopping site for those of us who can’t get enough!!!! Annelies

  82. I already had the opportunity to buy in the new site!, and I must say I really like the look-change.
    Looks more modern, funccional and the same nice place to shop for fabric 🙂

  83. I like the new look. It is easy to find what I am looking for. Please enter me in the mystery drawing. Take care and God bless, Cory

  85. I love the new site. It is so much easier to find what I’m looking for now. It’s much more usable than the old site and the old site was pretty good. Unfortunately, I easily found the Moda’s new honey buns. I didn’t know they were out yet. And I was going to try and stay strong and avoid tempation.

  86. I love the new look! I tend to search for things by its specific collection, and the new drop-down box will help me with that tremendously. Best of luck and continued success! Thanks for hosting such generous giveaways.

  88. I hate change, and kind of bristled when I first visited your website. But on the third, fourth, fifth visits, it’s becoming more likeable to me. It’s very fresh and well organized. Good work!

  99. I am very much an “if it is not broke, don’t fix it” kind of person. I found your old site easy to use and comfortably familiar.

    however … I love am lavishly loving your new site, too …

    easy to load and navigate … very bright and pretty! …

    speaking of bright and pretty … how is the cute little Emma ?

    … 🙂 Pat

  102. I like the improvements. It would be nice if when you did a search if you typed in a word like “valentine” then on the result page you would pull up things that not only have valentine in the title or description but also the category if there is one to go along with it.

  104. I like how it is organized. Especially on the left columns. FYI – When you click on the home link at the bottom of some of the pages, it says “home page not found”.

  106. I will have to say the thing I LOVE LOVE LOVE about the new page is the “Newest Patterns” section at the bottom…I have to admit that I am a pattern/book junkie and am always going to the pattern page to see what’s new…this will make it so easy to encourage my pattern habit!

  107. It is still a fantastic site..the old site was great this new site is easier to navigate so I can buy faster, hubby will not even know I was on it hehehehe…your site is still my fav!!!

  108. Everything looks,bright fresh and new. Having my own webiste I can appreciate how much time you have put in to this and how much time it is to upkeep it. I have to say I love the drop down menus of collections/designers that you can view all the names at one time, that is awesome. I also enjoyed looking and reading about who is behind the scenes of this amazing place. One thing that I would still like is with the gift certificates. Sometimes some of us may do things at the last minute and I wish there was an option to be able to print out your gift certificate instead of mail it, just a suggestion for those of us that do a ton on the internet. Can not wait to see everything else that the new site has in store. Thanks again!!!!

  109. I will have to say the thing I LOVE LOVE LOVE about the new page is the “Newest Patterns” section at the bottom…I have to admit that I am a pattern/book junkie and am always going to the pattern page to see what’s new…this will make it so easy to encourage my pattern habit!

  111. I love the newest patterns part at the bottom the best. I am always looking to see what the latest is, so that is a great addition. Yipee for a new, fun website!!

  112. The new website loads SO much faster!! Love it, but I hope you will be adding a few more themes to the drop down menu. Other than that, it’s Fab!

  114. L-O-V-E the NEW look of the website and nifty new features! The new font is very easy on the eye too…Fatquartershop.com IS #1 in my book!
    Cindy Novick

  117. Love the new look, but then I love everything about FQShop…Not having a quilt shop here in my corner of Ireland can be discouraging but since I found you all, my quilting life is soaring once again!!!

  118. Wow, I LOVE the new look. I turned on all my friends to the shop and the jolly jabber and they LOVE it. What great fun shopping and reading all the wonderful blogs. Thany you

  123. I love drop down menus! I get bored clicking through things looking for what I want. YAY I love it. The flow is very nice. Everything looks wondermus. Keep up the great work. 🙂
    laura S

  126. Hi…
    My name is Stefanie. I’m from a small town in Idaho, and I love your material designs. I’m a stay at home mom of 2 kids, and don’t have much of a life. I am trying to find new things to do for my “me time.” I am just learning how to sew, and love your material. I also l love your new website. LOVE IT!

  128. I am going to lavish you with LOve. I love your shop and have been so pleased with all my purchases. I like the whats new and comming soon too! I didn’t even realize you had a free pattern page and a lot of employees too. I don’t think I could ever work there though I would be way too distracted!!! Thanks for having a great shop, it’s my favorite.

  129. I’m very excited by the new topics! As someone who doesn’t keep up with the names of collections as much as she should, it’s great to see things simplified! Thanks!

  131. I really like the drop down “shop by collection” It seems that I’m usually searching for something that way and this is a huge help!

  132. Thanks for all your comments. We truly appreciate them all and consider every one. Several of them we already have in process. Always feel free to share your feedback with us, good or bad.

    Thanks again,
    Kevin

  133. I think your shop has the most current fabric lines. Your new website is very exciting to explore. Thanks for being on top of the industry.
    Sue

  135. You did a wonderful job on the new site. It is very easy to move around in, pages load very quickly.
    Shopping made simple I like that

  136. I love the “remodel” especially since it still keeps within your old look.

    Hand down, this is my favorite online quilt shop. (But I’m not sure my husband likes you!).

  141. Wow, you’re changes are great! Your site still has the old familiar look, but with so many more options!

    I do think that the Shop by Theme section should have many more categories, though.

    Looks great!

  142. When logging on from afar last night my eyes were delighted with the new look, i actually like the type face you have used, it has given it a more NOW look.

  143. Nice…I really like the new look. The pages are very quick to load and I like the way the fabric lines, themes lists popup when you hover over the link. I will have to do some more shopping, I mean looking at the new site.

  145. I really like your new updated web-site, it changed right before my eyes while I was looking around. It’s awesome, good changes. I just read the profiles of all the workers, that was pretty interesting. I’m with Cheryl, Fringe is one of my favorite shows.

  146. Oh, one more thing I would like. On the site I wish you could log in to a my account page. Sometimes I have wanted to know a name of a fabric I had previously purchased that was gone, but there is no account to log in to and view history. I think it would be helful

  148. Love the shop by theme! I’m having a baby in a few months and the Children’s section is giving me all kinds of great ideas! I also like the staff interviews – nice to “know” you!

  150. Fantastic update! I’ve always loved your website and it’s even better now. You have a great selection of fabrics and pre-cut items. Keep up the good work.

  161. I love the new look. It feels roomy and it really does load quickly!

    Now if you could just sell More Time to Sew I would really appreciate it!

  163. Love your site best of all! You amd the designers give great info on new collections. Feel like I know you all.

  164. I love the new website. I’ve visited almost every day for a couple weeks now, trying to decide what to buy with my gift certificate.

  167. I think the new look and set up are fabulous! So streamlined. I like looking at the fabric swatches next to each other.

  169. Very nice. I love the free patterns from the manufacturers. I used to go out to all of their sites individually, but now I don’t have to.

  174. I love the new site! I like the drop down feature that shows all the collections and designers. I’m also glad the View All feature is still there.

    Great job!

    Melanie

  175. I look at this site almost everyday. I love the new look and hope the NEW thing is the I Love Lucy fabric. Been hunting it forever. Thanks for the new look. Barbar Angles

  176. It’s always fun to try new things. After all, that’s why we all come here every day..to see what’s new first! The thrill of the hunt for the latest fabric, kit, pattern, etc. Looks great to me!

  181. I really like your new website. Very user-friendly. Only one complaint, it doesn’t keep your shopping cart like the old site format did. However, I can overlook this and just shop all over. Also, thanks for making online shopping so easy and for the quick shipping.

  182. I love the new look. My favorite would probably be how you can click on the pre-cut section and from there it has a link to all the fabric collections and patterns that relate to that particular pre-cut selection. Great job. This makes buying much easier. Which of course is good for you guys. I love it when companies make change. Change is good. Keep up the great work….. 🙂

  184. Love the new website! Now all of your fabrics are even MORE tempting! Thanks for a great website….you’re my favorite place to order from! Best shipping turn-around time and super selection!

  185. I really like the new look, not that the old one was bad. Great job; it seems like everything is easy to find and I love all of the “new” images. Like I really need any more pictures to make me think I’ve gotta have them. LOL.

  189. Here comes the lavish love! So I’m looking at the new 2009 Designer Mystery Block of the Month and notice that it uses fabric from the Glace collection. So I just went up to the Fabric by Collections and went right to it. Cool!

  192. I LOVE the look of the new site. I particularly like the new font you used for the menu on the left side. I also love the “fat quarter bundle” section that allows you to view all the bundles you have because I get inspired by seeing the fabric collections in one place. You also have very good quality color photos. This is key for me because I am shopping by internet pictures alone since I live overseas.

  193. sue
    I like the new site because it has more information on the page. It seems like a good way to find fabrics and collections, too. I know I’ll be on here everyday “just staring at fabric” like my husband says!

    Happy quilting! Sue

  195. I love the new look! I love that the pop-down menus from the top take you directly to the area you’re wanting without having to wait for a pageload just to see a submenu. I’m also loving how the fabrics are now linked back to collections and keywords (at the bottom of each individual product listing).

  196. wow…i dont know what your old website looked like…this is my first visit…but i really like your new design, very user friendly…i especially love the glossary section. ..i am very new to quilting and fat quarters and the like and new to my vocabulary! thanks!

  197. Great new features, especially Image scale for all the large print fabric and the About us page (Can we have a shop staff photo?) Great with all the combination fabric/cuts/pattern on one side

    Jette
    Denmark

  200. I am fairly new to the Fat Quarter Shop and I am very happy the website has been updated!! It is wonderful and to me is much quicker when loading. It’s like it has a fresh coat of paint… the same great place with an improved image.

    Liz

  201. I love the new look — the only suggestion I would have is maybe to expand the Theme section… maybe even into collections with certain color themes? It would be time intensive for you, but helpful to customers with something in mind.

  202. Yes, it all is wonderful. I admit I struggle with several aspects on your site. This does make it much nicer and easier! Thanks for everything and for the giveaway!

  203. I didn’t even know you had a blog, so I will be looking to see what I’ve been missing out on. I just logged on today to see the new look, and I’m pretty excited with the NEW LOOK!

  206. You have the most design-friendly shop online. Your shopping cart makes it easy to see how fabrics will look together. I just planned a quilt with a friend who’s 500 miles away–your shop makes it possible and enjoyable for me to continue to create with my long-distance quilting buddies.

  208. I love the new look! The newest patterns, the search, the drop downs, everything makes this site better! Thanks for updating it!

  209. I love the new page. Since I was shopping for something to make for Valentines. I was able to just look under themes and find what I wanted.

  210. I LOVE the new layout of the website. I don’t usually like my favorite things to change, but I really like this. My favorite has got to be the drop-down menus for the “search bys”. I can see all the collections you carry all at once–no scrolling.

  213. I love the new design! You’ve done a good job of getting everything on the page without making it look junking. Good use of white space. The rectangular swatches that display each fabric collections’ name are very cute. I like the nice big images of the individual fabric swatches. I like the info about the staff. It personalizes the site and adds a nice human touch.

    My only suggestion would be to work on the style sheet for mobile users. Some of the links display on top of other things on the web page. I enjoy the convenience of being able to surf quilting web sites on my smart phone when I am on the go. You never know when you might have a few extra minutes to shop.

  214. I am really enjoying your new website! Unlike changes made on other websites, yours has been really easy to get used to and actually easier to find what I’m looking for. Keep up the great work!

  216. I think the new website is beautiful. (I’m just wishing that my checking account was a beautifully “loaded” as you have made this website.)

    The only suggestion I can give is that you have a “sort by price” option on your product pages. There are so many things I would love to have, I just don’t have the finances for it, so having that button would help make it easier for people like me to still look through the site while staying in my/our budget(s).

  217. Lovely new look.
    Question: can I pay by bank-account instead of paying by creditcard when ordering? (I do not have a creditcard).
    Hugs
    Ineke

  218. After using your web pages loads of times it was a lovely surprise to see the new format. Really quick and informative. Keep up the Great Work. Cathie

  219. Congratulations!
    I like the new functionality and the great response times of the updated site.
    It seems to run smoothly and cleanly.

    The home page look is a bit “pale” to may taste. I would love to see more color – maybe bigger fabric swatches.
    I know it’s a matter of taste but at least for me color and fabric patterns are the big drive for creativity and I love to see them all around 🙂

  222. I was surprised when I saw the new look, but it definately more modern and easy to locate what you are looking for. I think it is an improvement over the old one.

  224. Very nice site update! It seems much easier to find stuff, which I had a bit of a problem with before. Great work! I know it takes a lot of time and energy to do something like this.

  229. I love the new site! New menus are much easier to use. I absolutely loved the christmas countdown. You have the best selection anywhere!!!!

  233. I am new to your website but I love it! Also just wanted to let you know how pleased I have been everytime I’ve purchased from you. The service and the little “extras” are wonderful! Thanks!

  235. I am very new to quilting, the new site is very easy for me to navigate… The search is extremely easy for me.
    Thanks, I think I am “hooked”!

  238. I was a little taken aback to see the new look – I have to admit that I loved the old one – so this was a bit of a surprise! I do love the extra detail of each fabric and size dimensions and quick loading of pages! I find the font of the list on the left a little hard to read quickly, but that’s just me. Love the extensive lists up the top too.

  244. I love the new look. Man the site is evil ;0) ….very addicting. Every time I look at it, there is something new I want to get. I’m going to have to get another job!!! :0)

  247. Wow – great look and navigation! I am very new to the Fat Quarter Shop and quilting – I am so very excited to find you folks and start quilting!

  248. I am so excited for the new website – as someone that has done the exact same thing before, I know the transition and creation can be a challenge. I LOVE your shop and have never been less than 100% pleased with the service and quality I get. Thank you SO much! 🙂 –Laura