This post was hard for me to write because I supported the original Silkweaver Fabrics so strongly, but here it is.
I noticed when you post photos of projects you mention that some of your fabric was “original Silkweavers” and I’ve seen so many ladies in Facebook groups complaining about not receiving orders and having issues with things. I was wondering do you still recommend Silkweaver as a fabric resource?
Original Silkweavers I never had a single problem with an order, they were fast, the fabric was amazing, and I even joined two fabric of the month clubs for long periods of time. They were once upon a time hands down my favorite fabric supplier, my stash was (and still is) made up of much of their beautifully created fabric, and I frequently recommended them here at Stitching the Night Away, on our old forums, and in the weekly newsletters.
Unfortunately it feels like since Zweigart bought them and took over, everything has gone down the drain and the customer service hasn’t been exactly nice. I think that maybe Zweigart was so used to selling prepackaged standard fabrics that they weren’t as prepared for the individual care and attention a hand-dyed product would need in the long term, so the Silkweaver brand has suffered.
I stopped ordering from them a few years ago after some poorly handled customer service and ordering issues that myself and some other stitching friends experienced with little to no response to service inquiries. While it’s my understanding that these issues are slowly improving, they’re certainly still not up to the amazing service level that the original brand had and I frequently see people wondering out loud in stitching groups if their orders will ever arrive or if they’ll get a response to their inquiry.
So, at the end of the day, while Zweigart still manufacturers excellent quality base fabric in mass production, I don’t necessarily recommend Silkweaver, especially if you’re looking to start a project right away. These days I have much better customer experiences buying my hand-dyed fabrics from small independent dyers, Etsy sellers, and small brands like Picture This Plus or Stephanie’s, and 123stitch.com has some hand-dyed selections in their inventory as well. And for our UK friends, many of the stitchers I talk with highly recommend Polstitches.
I’m always on the lookout for new independent sellers as well, so if you happen to get your hands on some great fabric, let me know about it! Leave a comment below, email me, or share the info on Facebook.
Happy Stitching
I’ve not used Silkweaver. However, I have used Picture this Plus several times and loved it. Don’t forget Lakeside Linens as well for hand dyed fabric.
Catherine at http://www.countrystitch.com is awesome for customer service.
I had the same experience with bad service after they were sold. I am hording all my ‘original’ silkweaver’s fabric and will never order from the new folks again.Thanks
Audrey
Hi,
I’m an online retailer. Zweigart did not buy Silkweaver. The Kornecki family owns what used to be called Zweigart. They are now Needleworkers Delight. They had to stop calling themselves Zweigart because that is a company in Germany that still makes all the Zweigart fabrics.
Kevin Kornecki used to own Silkweaver fabrics. It is now owned by Jim Kornecki who could care less about their customers. I have cancelled several wholesale orders because I waited months and never got them. I am still waiting for a replacement that I sent back 3 or 4 months ago.
All I get from them are excuses as to why they haven’t sent the fabrics. I now stock fabric from all the other dyers.
Thank you for the clarification about the owner situation, that makes sense. It’s been quite a while since the company transfer happened and from what I’ve heard around stitching groups (and confirmed by your comment) things at Silkweaver have not improved đ
I’m not sure how old this post is, but just wanted to clarify that Kevin Kornecki was not the original owner of Silkweaver. I know this to be 100% factual, because I was the original owner of Silkweaver. I started it in 1999 and sold it about 10 years later.
PS to Loretta – Very nice website!
I am still, 11 months later, waiting to receive an order I paid for last JANUARY 2nd. No follow up though I’m on a first-name basis with the employee there. No offer of a refund, and no replacement. I have to reorder since my stash is now all stitched up. But it wont be from Silkweaver unfortunately. And I loved them, too…