In between all the exciting new fabrics are some real oldies that got a revisit from their manufacturers. You would almost not see this, yet, I know from experience that these are absolutely amazing fabrics that have a huge market. 

Not everyone is interested in the latest of the latest. Not everyone cares and is following the hottest trends. Many people are making a pretty pattern and are looking for the right values and styles without being interested in how "new"  it is.  For instance making a college quilt or a  Baltimore Album. There are many, many  projects where the colors and designs of modern collections are not working. Since so many shops are focussing either on modern or reproduction fabrics, I don't think you will see the following fabrics in many places. They fall right in between.  Yet, there are so few new blenders available in this style that have slightly more going on than a textured solid and at the same time are not outspoken modern or traditional (In the sense of reproduction prints).  And when such a design can be combined with a color that is also not outspoken modern or traditional, you will get a "classic" fabric. There are not so many of these.....

The Fusions by Robert Kaufman are now over 20 years old.  The name stands for a blender, that is  always a tone on tone, meaning the design is in about the same color as the background. In the Fusions there have been many different designs and over the years most have come and left again. Two stood out: the first one with number 4070 (flower bud) and a  little bit later the fern print with the number 5573, which has been the biggest hit. When Fusions 5573 came out for the first time, in 2003, there were 29 colors. My mother, not a quilter at that time yet, asked me why I was buying so many of the same fabrics. "Wouldn't it be much better to have more variety instead of all the same fabrics?" She had no idea how quilters were using blenders and thought novelty prints were much better to have. Instead of 29 Fusions with the same design, she thought I could have a cat print, a watermelon, boat, flowers etc...Later she got it! But every time I see so many colors in one design, I hear the protective question of my mother in my mind. Sweet!   As many of you know, I love big ranges! And I love to have all these choices: it is not  necessarily about using, it is about having the luxury of having options. Big lines offer subtle changes and the more advanced quilters become, the more they appreciate these little changes.The Fusions 4070 and 5573 each  have had well over 100 colors in their prime time. Gradually Robert Kaufman decreased the numbers but demand stays steady for the most popular colors. The top 30 colors are available in each.. Without doubt, the darker colors in the Fusions 5573 are still some of the very best. 

This month  of November 2022, Robert Kaufman is coming out with 3 new Fusions, bringing the total back to 137 colors in the entire Fusions collection (there are also still some metallic Fusions, but they have not been revisited yet and they are not part of the 137 group). Their numbers are 21319, 21320 and 21321. Personally, I think 21321 is going to be the best because the design is most tone on tone (even). It looks like Sunflower seeds and the colors are straightforward and open.  It is slightly more contemporary than the other two designs that have more contrast in them.  Very useful fabrics for a lot of projects.  21319 and 21320 will be great for traditional applique as the bigger contrast -  with some exact cutting -  will give deeper depth to especially flowers. 

Yet, I think it will be hard to find all these beautiful fabrics together as a collection. 137 fabrics in just one line is for many shops a deep investment. 40 colors is often already too overwhelming and you see many new lines coming out in much smaller numbers. Coming out with 3 seperate Fusions numbers in smaller groupings is RK's way to get shops introduced to Fusions. Smart marketing on their end! Even better, Robert Kaufman has fat quarter bundles, layer cakes and jelly rolls available and when you see these you can really see the beauty of the Fusions. In those bundles you can see how careful Robert Kaufman has been in selecting the colors of the new designs, with little overlap. The flow of colors is really outstanding and incorporates the 4470 and 5573. They complement each  other. Making a bargello? The work is already done for you! All these quantities are very often too small....so that brings you back to a shop that carries the entire line.

Having collections like these is Robert Kaufman's way to cover their customer base. Robert Kaufman makes many batiks, has stellar contemporary designers with the most trendy and newest cotton blend lines. They are really frontrunners here, mainly because they also are a big supplier to the garment manufacturing industry. 

Taking care of their entire customer base is an important part of being a leading manufacturer. They continue to come out with reproduction fabrics and  - their long time favorite - metallics.

Something similar as the Fusions, but on a much smaller scale is happening with the release of 5 new colors in  Andover Dimples. Here too there was a rumor that the collection was discontinued and suddenly there are 5 new colors popping up! It is careful manoeuvring of fabric companies, testing the waters when a collection can retire indeed or has some more life in it. 5 new colors is probably not enough for a shop to start selling the Dimples, but it may be enough for shops that have Dimples already to continue to carry them. That would mean ordering the new ones, plus maybe a re-order of some other colors. That is exactly what manufacturers are shooting for. The new colors are all in the neutral family.

In the latest, national survey for the quilt industry, the biggest complaint of customers was that the fabrics are not available for a longer time. It kind of depends which fabric you are looking for.  Many collections have an extreme short life indeed, but customers  should be able to find these staple collections for a longer time. Maybe that is a consideration when you start a project that is taking a longer time? Once companies have made a name with a collection they are treasuring it. It is the easiest way to sell more yardage without spending so much money on development and marketing. Fabrics like Fusions, Dimples are the bread and butter....