When we were planning our move to The Netherlands, the logistical challenge was enormous. For example, which belongings to bring and how to get them there? Here’s what I never had to ask myself: should I bring my fabrics? That was obvious. YES!

packing my scrap fabrics for the big move

I brought all of my fabric and even my scraps, when I moved overseas. That was almost three years ago. Since then, I’ve gotten to know what it’s like to shop for quilt fabrics as a European.

Cost

Unfortunately, fabric is much more expensive in Europe as compared to the United States. Expect to pay about twice as much for every adorable fat quarter and delicious yard (or meter). Yikes!

Why? I think it has to do with import taxes and higher sales tax, as well as additional shipping fees. Many quilt fabric manufacturers are headquartered in the United States. Although they manufacture their products in Asia, the finished goods flow through the United States and out into the world.

It seems to me that most European quilters buy fabrics locally and are more conservative about their spending. Having a gigantic fabric stash is not so common, for example, as both space and cost discourage excess. People are more likely to shop for a specific project and scrap sewing seems popular in The Netherlands (which is known for frugality).

On the other hand, many European quilters choose to order fabrics from the United States. They are drawn to the huge variety on offer in American shops. As a European, buying from the United States can be cheaper - - - or not. You’ll have to pay hefty international shipping fees and import fees around 20% or more. Add to that about a month transit time, and shopping local doesn’t look so bad.

Local Shops

Ok, so fabric here is expensive, but are quilting fabrics accessible? To me it’s comparable to my experience in South Carolina, USA. Just as in the states, my city has a local general fabric shop that is NOT a quilt shop. Enschede’s fabric shop has been selling mainly garment and home decorating fabrics for over 50 years. I go there for cuddle or flannel quilt backings, but not for quilting cottons.

The closest quilt shop is located in a neighboring town. Although it’s just a 20 minute drive away, that’s an hour bike ride and the public transit options aren’t much better. Also, this particular shop offers a very limited selection with a mixture of traditional and modern fabrics. It probably suits the quilters in this area very well, but I’m not likely to make a second visit.

For me, it was the same in the states. There was a local quilt shop, but not one that suited my tastes. Thus, I ordered most of my fabrics online, which is still my habit!

Destination Shops

It really is magical to visit a quilt shop that stocks the fabrics you love. The colors, textures and sewn samples - it’s all incredibly inspiring. Fortunately, The Netherlands does have some great destination shops. Here are two located in small towns away from the hustle and bustle of the busy Dutch cities on the coast. They would make a charming day trip for Dutch residents or a fun stop on your travels through The Netherlands!

Margreet Otto Quiltwinkel

This quilt shop is located in Lochem, a town not so far from my very own Enschede. It’s a second generation fabric shop, specializing in fabrics from Kaffe Fasset and Anna Maria Horner. The shop hosts workshops, including ones taught by Anna Maria herself. In fact, that’s how I first came across Margreet Otto.

I visited the shop in Lochem last fall. Naturally, I was drawn like a moth to the Anna Maria Horner fabrics. The quilt backings are especially enticing!

This shop has many beautiful quilts on display. This one is made up of Kaffe Fasset fabrics.

And here is the Kaffe Fasset selection - absolutely gigantic! I have never seen so many KF fabrics. His designs are popular here in Europe, judging by the quilts that come through my quilting studio.

Nanno Creative

Three years ago, Nanno Creative burst onto the scene in The Netherlands. In my opinion, this is the fabric shop for modern quilters in our land. I came to know it through the Dutch Modern Quilt Guild and am super excited to have the store as one of my advertisers.

This weekend I had the chance to visit the shop with a quilter friend. It’s located an hour an a half drive away from Enschede, in the town of Druten. The closest big city is Nijmegen.

As you can see, it’s a beautiful place! Proprietress Rianne has SO much fabric, and most of it is actually what I call helpful fabrics. That is, they are modern fabrics with one main color that would be easy to mix and match for a quilt. I felt absolutely right at home!

Fabric is sold by the bolt, as fat quarters and even in sweet little fat eighths. You’ll also find bundle sets from favorites like Ruby Star Society, Giucy Giuce, Anna Maria Horner, Allison Glass and more. And don’t fail to notice the BIG wall of low volumes and neutral fabrics in the background of one of the images above. That’s ideal for the modern quilter.

I came home with half meters of the bolts shown here, as well as this pretty stack of fat quarters. Some of these prints were new to me; others were old favorites. For example, I purchased the Carolyn Friedlander Flora print in just about every shade possible. I got yardage of this print when it was first released back in 2014, and found it supremely useful. Looks amazing with everything! My scraps of it are almost all gone, so it feels like a gift to get it back again, and now in new colors!

Nanno also has a notions room, packed with tools and supplies. There are lots of speciality rulers, both for cutting and for quilting.

I came home with the Quick Curves Ruler mini, which I’ll be using later this year to make the Posh Snowball quilt. I have a stack of fabrics already waiting!!! But, if you needed ideas, see the bin of Anna Maria Horner lovelies pictured here. =)

As I said, Nanno Creative has a LOT of fabric, probably as much as I’ve seen in any American quilt shop for modern quilters. She also has a small teaching area where you could try out a sewing machine. Nanno sells Janome and Juki machines. In fact, I saw my very own Juki on display - - -

Ack, don’t you love this quilt? It’s made with Giucy Giuce fabrics, which I’d love to sew with someday. The palette reminds me of an Anna Maria Horner vibe, but in simpler (more flexible) color combos. This quilt is called Giant Nesting Curves, designed by Daisy Aschehoug @Warmfolk.

Nanno Creative has helped to bring Daisy to The Netherlands for a workshop this fall. It was fun to run into this display, since Daisy and I are friends who go back many years. She’s an American who moved to Norway about 2 years before I moved to The Netherlands. She kindly gave me lots of helpful advice during our transition. It will be somewhat surreal to have her as a guest soon in my Dutch home!

I hope that gives you a feel for what it’s like to shop for fabric here in The Netherlands. Besides the shocking increased cost of fabrics, I would say it’s not too different from the USA. You’ll likely travel to shop in a delightful physical boutique, or you could order online. For sure there are fewer choices for online modern quilt shops. I would like to see more Art Gallery fabrics on offer in particular. But, hopefully costs will go down and variety will improve as demand grows.

The Dutch national Quiltersguilde has 9500 members, while the Dutch Modern Quilt guild has around 500. That’s really so few quilters in a country of 17 million. Quilting as a hobby is MUCH more popular in the United States, and that’s reflected in the fabric store offerings.

Still, if your life or your travels bring you to The Netherlands, there is certainly quilt fabric fun here to be had!