Lani Padilla of The Quilt Shoppe ships the stuff dreams are made of as she prepares and sends out fabric and supplies to her creative customers around the world. Known as the premier online sewing site, The Quilt Shoppe offers quality fabric, patterns, kits, supplies, block of the month programs, and much more. They provide top quality cotton fabric from leading manufacturers such as Moda, Free Spirit, Clothworks, Michael Miller, Westminster, Andover, and Henry Glass. From quilt kits and bundles of precut fabric to a wide selection of designer fabric cut, she cuts to order. Lani supplies what you need for your next sewing project.

Lani, how did you discover your love of fabric?

As a young child, my mother made sure that every Saturday I went to sewing lessons at the Singer Sewing Center in San Francisco. At a very young age, I began sewing all my own clothes. When I got married, I began to use those skills to decorate our new home—pillows, window coverings, etc. When our first child was born, I thought it would be neat to make him a crib quilt. I figured it couldn't be any more difficult that making an entire 3-piece suit out of satin! (Yes, I really did make one... in rust.) It was then that my love for quilting was born. Each child had to have a quilt of their own, and of course, we needed quilts for the couches to snuggle in.

How did you come up with the idea of selling fabric and notions online?

As my kids began to grow up, I knew I wanted to do a home business, but didn't know exactly what. One day I needed a backing fabric for a quilt that I had made. I found it online and personally contacted the store owner to confirm the stock was available. I was quite surprised at the customer service I received and was even more surprised that it took almost two weeks to receive the fabric. When I opened the package, the fabric was folded (not very neatly) and stuffed into a plastic Walmart bag which was then put in a flat rate envelope. I remember opening it and thinking, "Wow! Such gorgeous fabric sent so haphazardly." I almost didn't want to finish my quilt. It's hard to explain, but the feeling that came over me when I opened that package was that the sender just didn't care. I had put so much time into making the top and spent hours looking through the Internet trying to find this fabric. When I finally did find it, I was so excited. I waited eagerly for it to arrive, and when it did, it was such a let-down. I remember telling my husband that I could do better than that. He then challenged me by asking, "Why don't you?"

What are some of the challenges you've faced selling fabric online, and how have you handled those?

The biggest challenge is trying to explain to a customer what something looks like and feels like. Unfortunately, as wonderful as our technology is, everybody has a different monitor, and this will almost always change the way the fabrics appear. Most of our customers are quite familiar with different designers and know what to expect, but every once in a while, someone will order something thinking it matched something else, just to find that it was completely different. We work really hard to help our customers when these situations arise.

What do you enjoy most about selling fabric?

Working with our customers! It really isn't about selling fabric. It's about creating treasures that will last for a lifetime. Whether it's for a new life, the joining of two in marriage, a new home, sending comfort to someone in the military or to someone who's been touched by a natural disaster; quilts bring hope, love, and security to all. We love seeing pictures of our customers' creations and hearing the stories of how their craft brings joy to others.

How do you choose which fabrics to offer in your store?

It's the most difficult part of the job. We try and choose something for everyone. I generally use the rule: 1/3 of what I love, 1/3 of what I like, and 1/3 of what I don't prefer (which I usually end up liking after I've seen it and worked with it.)

What are some of the most interesting things your customers have created from materials they ordered from you?

Of course, quilts—some very plain, and some very intricate. We have one customer that purchases large floral fabric, specifically to take the flowers compeltely apart and then applique them back together in a three-dimensional block. Breathtaking! We've also seen table runners, bags, purses, curtains, clothes, you name it!

What are some of the ways you promote your business? What has worked well for you, and what hasn't worked?

We do advertise in magazines, and, of course, we Twitter, Facebook, blog, etc., but I've found that our best advertising actually comes [from] word of mouth. We do our best to pour lots of love and care into cutting and packaging our orders, and when our customers receive them, they are usually amazed at how beautiful it all looks and how quickly they received it. We love it when we have new customers tell us they found us through a friend or a recommendation from another customer.

Who has inspired you most in your business?

First and foremost, my husband. He has always been right beside me encouraging me to follow my heart and my passion. Secondly, Joyce and the ladies at Make Mine Pink. I never realized when I joined MMP what wonderful friendships I would make with women that were growing their businesses online. The comradarie and support has been wonderful. It's been such a joy not only to share business and marketing ideas, but to share our personal joys and sorrows as well and to know that there's always a group of ladies that are there whenever I need them. In the quilting world itself, my biggest inspiration has been Joanna & Eric Figueroa from Fig Tree Quilts. Joanna's passion and creativity for doing everything with excellence is uncompromised. How she does it all—be a wife, a mother, a daughter, a designer of both patterns and fabric, a teacher, a world traveler, and the list goes on—amazes me. Eric comes alongside her and supports her in every way possible; he reminds me so much of my husband. It truly is a team effort for them.

If you had to name one thing as the key to your success, what would it be?

Never giving up... no matter what obstacles come my way, I push on.

For others who want to sell fabric or sewing supplies online, what advice would you give them?

First, be friendly and be available to your customers. Secondly, find your niche, what "style" you want your store to have.

What upcoming trends do you expect to see in fabric and sewing supplies?

Fabric is a wonderful art medium. It begins as a blank canvas with which an artist can do just about anything. There will always be a home for what we would call "traditional" prints, but I really see more contemporary styles coming up. With the rising interest in "Etsy" and "independent crafting," the younger crafter is looking for inspiration to making clothing, and home decor items from bright and colorful prints. Unique children's attire is also growing into a huge market.

Where do you see your business going? What will we see from you next?

We will continue to expand our fabric offerengs and increase our block-of-the-month programs as well as to grow our Etsy shop. We've also begun offering kits for several of the designers at the Moda Bake Shop. In the, hopefully, not too distant future, we're looking to offer video tutorials for popular patterns as well.

Thank you for your time today Lani.

Please visit The Quilt Shoppe at http://www.thequiltshoppe.net/ to find fabric, patterns, and ideas for your next sewing project or just to find some inspiration. While you're there, check out Magazine Projects to find out what you need to duplicate some of the beautiful sewing projects you see in your favorite magazines. Visit the Photo Gallery to see some works of art created by Lani's customers. Visit Lani's blog at http://the-quilt-shoppe.blogspot.com/ to be among the first to know what's new at The Quilt Shoppe. You can also find Lani and The Quilt Shoppe on Make Mine Pink http://www.makeminepink.com/boutiques/details/?store=175