Notion of the Month: Swatch Buddies


The Fat Quarter Shop team has selected Swatch Buddies as our Notion of the Month. Missy Azen is on the Jolly Jabber today to tell us about Swatch Buddies. Remember, they are 20% off all month, so you'd better snatch one up quick!


Hi Everyone, I’m Missy Azen from Swatch Buddies and like a lot of you, I’m a quilter. Dave (the other half of Swatch Buddies) and I are thrilled to be Fat Quarter Shop’s August Notion of the Month!


Dave and I created the Swatch Buddies product out of a real need I had (and still have!). Over the years I started getting frustrated by the amount of times I bought the wrong fabric. You know what I mean, the kind that looks great in the store but doesn’t work at all when you bring it home. And occasionally I would buy duplicates of fabric I’ve already had. (I’d feel a little worse about that if I didn’t know that others have done the same thing!)

It didn’t take long for me to realize that the only way I avoided making these purchasing goofs when shopping is to take swatches of the fabrics I’m trying to match. Once I started comparing fabric against my swatches, it worked like a charm! But I still didn’t like all the work it took for me to make and carry my swatches with me.

I tried all kinds of things to try to make this process easier. I tried a lot of the same things you all have done out there (including putting swatches in photo albums with plastic sleeves). But I still felt like it took too much time and energy for me to make and carry. After lots of trial and error and some collaboration with Dave, we actually came up with a method of making and carrying swatches that worked really well for me.

So here is how Swatch Buddies come packaged, and here’s what Swatch Buddies look like with fabric on them:



Basically our Swatch Buddies kits include everything you need to make your swatches - except scissors and fabric of course. You get a key-chain size ring that contains plastic cards to hold your swatches. It also includes double-sided adhesive to attach to the plastic. The adhesive is pre-cut so you make the perfect sized swatch every time. And you can even use our peel and stick labels to put on the back side of your swatch to note your yardage and key details about the swatch so you know where to buy it again when you run out.


Swatch Buddies are reusable, easy to arrange, transportable and easily attach to many different things.  Hook your swatch buddy onto your purse while shopping using a D-ring for easy access! Or, as a customer pointed out, hang a ring on the outside of plastic fabric storage totes to show which fabrics are inside. No more rummaging through fabric bins in search of non-existent fabric! 


Be sure and head over to Fat Quarter Shop to grab a Swatch Buddy for yourself!  Happy swatching, everyone!

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