Quilt Shop Inventory Management: 7 Tips & Tools

As a quilt shop owner you’re part curator, part educator, and part therapist for quilters. 

They visit mid-project in a panic, needing 2 ¼ yards of fabric, only for you to realize you have just 1 ¾ left. Now you’re scrambling to find a substitute while they’ve already mentally committed to that exact fabric. You’ve lost the sale and potentially a repeat customer.

Or maybe it’s the morning you discover your holiday fabrics from last season still hogging an entire wall, while your everyday Kona solids are almost gone. Sound familiar?

Inventory is often the single-largest expense for any business, no matter the industry. Carrying too much or the wrong stock can cost you 20–30% of your annual revenue. And if you don’t have what’s in demand, you’re losing sales the moment customers walk through the door. 

For small business owners in a niche market like quilting, poor inventory management can put you out of business for good.

In this blog, we’ll share the pitfalls of ignoring your inventory plus seven practical tips to get it back on track.

Let’s dive in.

What Happens When Your Inventory Gets Away From You

We’ve all been there. Managing inventory feels overwhelming, like trying to clear out that old hoarder house that’s still in the family. You have no idea where to start, what to do, or what tools you need. But unlike that house, this is something you can’t push off for months.

Here’s what happens when inventory management spirals out of control:

• Running out at the worst moment: A customer special-ordered fabric two weeks ago, and you could have sworn you had it. But when she comes to pick it up, you realize you sold the last bit on Tuesday and forgot to note it. She’s already cut her entire quilt, and now you’re scrambling to reorder or find a substitute.
• Storage space eaten up by slow movers: Those autumn leaf prints seemed like a great idea in August. Now it’s March, and they’re taking up valuable space while you’re running low on your bestselling Essex linens. You’re literally paying rent to store fabric that’s not moving.
• The bolt mystery: How much is actually left on that bolt? You think it’s about three yards, but it’s hard to know for sure. When you don’t track individual bolt yardage, you’re guessing every time — and sometimes you guess wrong mid-cut.
• The sticky note system breakdown: Maybe you’ve got notes on bolts, or a clipboard system, or that notebook by the register. But then a customer needs help while you’re mid-count, the notes get shuffled, and suddenly you’re not sure where you left off. So you start over — again.
• Seasonal fabric chaos: Your winter flannels are still out in April, your spring florals arrive late because you didn’t reorder in time, and you’re not sure which seasonal collections actually sold well enough to reorder next year.

Let’s fix this. Here are seven practical steps to get your inventory working for you instead of against you.

7 Steps To Manage Your Quilt Shop Inventory

Some of these steps take time to perfect, while others can be implemented right away. Just remember, how you manage your quilt shop inventory may be different from the next store, but these tips are universal.

1. Know Your Bolts 

This may sound obvious, but you need to know what you have and what you can get. What collections do you carry? How much fabric is left on each bolt? What else, besides fabric, should you stock? Do you have enough notions like thread, rotary cutters, batting, and rulers? How long has this collection been sitting? Should you reorder it?

If you can’t tell a customer exactly how much you have available before you start cutting, you’re setting yourself up for those awkward “Actually, I don’t have enough” conversations. You need a system that tracks yardage by the bolt, not just whether you stock a particular SKU.

Here are some ways to get started:

• Review your sales history: Figure out which fabric types fly off the bolts. For most shops, it’s neutrals, basic blenders, and reliable cottons. Those are your bread and butter — never let them run out.

• Evaluate special collections and seasonal fabrics: Do those autumn panels really earn the space they’re taking up in March?

• Stay on top of supplier availability: If you want to order a trending fabric, you need to know whether you can get it quickly or if you’ll have to scramble to find new suppliers. Know what your vendors stock and their typical lead times.

• Consider your location: If you run a shop in Florida and stock heavy flannels year-round, you might want to rethink that. Look at what’s actually selling in your store, not just what’s trending nationally.

2. Organize Your Shop Like You Mean It

Some people find creativity amid chaos, but shoppers can’t find what they’re looking for in clutter. You need to organize your space for the way people actually browse and buy, not how you’d organize your home. We’re talking about creating a layout that makes it easy for customers to find what they need and easy for you to manage inventory.

Here’s how to set up your shop for success:

• Group fabrics logically: Put all your batiks together, reproductions in another section, and modern prints somewhere else. Your regulars should be able to walk in and know exactly where to find what they need. Clear signage helps, but consistency is what really matters.
• Make room to move: Can you actually move around with a bolt of fabric? Is there enough space to unroll fabric for customers without knocking over a display? When new shipments arrive, is there a clear receiving area — or are you just stacking boxes wherever they fit?
• Allow for easy inventory checks: Make sure you can realistically do a spot inventory check without moving furniture. A well-organized space makes it easier to see when you’re running low on something and when merchandise needs refreshing.
• Prioritize the customer experience: Can customers see the full selection, or is fabric stuffed so tightly that they have to dig through bolts like it’s a clearance bin? If they’re digging, they’re frustrated — and frustrated customers don’t come back.

Pro tip: You’re not running an old knickknack shop or an antique store. Think about how you like to shop. People want to see new products, but they also want to find their favorites quickly. Don’t keep the same displays for years, but don’t confuse customers by constantly rearranging the staples they look for all the time. 

Experiment with different window displays or showcase new fabric collections. This keeps things fresh and stimulates new project ideas for customers, while keeping your bestsellers organized and easy to find.

Related Read: Retail Store Layout: 5 Tips for Your Quilt Shop

3. Get a POS System That Understands Fabric

All point of sale (POS) systems are not created equal. When you were opening your quilt shop, you may have thought, “I’m just starting out, I don’t need a POS system now,” or “Let me just get the cheapest one for now — cash flow is tight.” You’re not doing your shop any favors with this mindset.

A generic POS platform built for clothing stores or gift shops won’t cut it. These systems typically have simple functionality and can’t handle fractional yardage or create automatic purchase orders. You need software that gets the unique challenges of selling fabric by the yard.

Here’s what to look for in a POS system designed specifically for quilt shops:

• Serialized inventory management: Track individual bolts separately with unique identifiers. When bolt #7654 arrives, your system knows it’s a specific bolt, not just another SKU in your catalog.
• Fractional yardage tracking: Find a system that tracks fabric down to 1/8 of a yard. When you receive a new bolt of Kona cotton in coal with 15 yards on it, the system should update that specific bolt’s yardage in real time as you cut and sell.
• Automatic purchase orders: Set up automated reorder alerts that trigger when a specific bolt gets low, rather than waiting until your entire SKU runs out. This keeps your bestsellers in stock without constant manual checking.
• Barcode scanning: Print labels for bolts and shelves to speed up checkout and make inventory counts faster and more accurate.
• Detailed reporting: See which fabrics are slow movers so you can plan clearance sales or adjust future orders. Track what’s actually selling, not just what you think is popular.
• Vendor catalog management: Handle the complexity of multiple vendor catalogs, substitutions when your primary vendor is out of stock, and integrated freight costs so you know your true expenses.

If you’re running the shop solo, a POS system is a lifesaver. If you have a team, it ensures you have set processes in place so no matter who is performing what task, it’s done accurately every time.

Pro tip: Look for a system that gives you the features you need and can grow with you as your business scales. Paying for features you don’t need, or switching systems entirely as you grow, is a major money pit. Plus, make sure their customer service and support team is readily available and helpful. Nothing’s worse than a FAQs section when you want to speak to a real person.

4. Train Your Staff

Your inventory management system is only as good as the people using it. Everyone who touches your POS — from your full-time manager to your weekend help — needs to understand how it works.

Here’s what your team needs to know:

• The complete process: Your team needs to learn how to ring up fabric sales, receive new inventory, handle returns, and track when a bolt is getting low.
• How to check before promising: Employees should know how to verify available yardage before telling a customer you have enough and how to look up whether you have something in the back.
• Why accuracy matters: If a sale isn’t scanned, your system thinks you have more fabric than you do. Enter the wrong yardage during receiving, and every calculation from that point forward is off.
• How to flag issues: Your staff often spots problems before you do. They see what customers ask for, notice when bolts are running low, and hear complaints about out-of-stock items. Teach them to flag those observations so you can adjust your buying strategy.

Pro tip: Hold regular meetings with your staff so they can tell you what they’re noticing. Where do they feel like they’re wasting time? What do they need help with? Do they have suggestions for new processes? Your team has valuable insights from the front lines — make sure you’re actually listening to them.

5. Set Up Automatic Reorder Triggers

You don’t have time to manually check every fabric’s stock level each week. That’s why you need a system that does it for you.

Here’s how to get it running smoothly:

• Set minimum thresholds for staples: Your Kona solids? Maintain a minimum of three bolts per color, and when you hit that number, your system flags it for reorder. Your seasonal collections? Use a lower threshold since you’re not restocking those year-round.
• Track at the bolt level, not just SKU: When bolt #12345 of that popular teal batik gets down to two yards, you get an alert to reorder before you’re completely out.
• Plan ahead for seasonal demand: If your fall fabrics historically start selling in late August, program your system to remind you to order in June so they arrive in time. No more scrambling when customers start asking for flannels.

Pro tip: Review and adjust your thresholds quarterly. What works in busy seasons might leave you overstocked in slow months.

6. Audit Your Inventory Regularly

Look, nobody loves counting bolts. But regular audits are the only way to ensure your inventory records match what’s actually on your shelves. The good news is, with the right system in place, audits get a lot faster.

Here’s how to make audits manageable:

• Spot-check as often as needed: You don’t have to wait for a quarterly audit to verify inventory. Do quick checks whenever something feels off or notice discrepancies. Waiting for a quarterly count often makes tracking down issues take far too long. Frequent, quick checks are easier than infrequent, massive ones.
• Schedule full audits quarterly: A complete count every quarter helps catch what spot checks might miss and gives you a full picture of your inventory health.
• Investigate discrepancies immediately: Differences happen — maybe someone measured wrong, a bolt got misplaced, or something walked out without getting scanned. Catch them early, before small issues snowball into thousands of dollars in error.
• Look for patterns: If a particular type of fabric often shows discrepancies, you may need to adjust how you’re tracking cuts or handling that inventory.

Pro tip: Do your counts during slower hours or before opening, so you’re not interrupted every five minutes by customers needing help. There’s nothing worse than getting halfway through a count and losing your place.

Related Read: Textile Inventory Management 101: The What, Why, and How

7. Let Your Data Tell You What To Do

You’re sitting on a gold mine of information — your sales data. Use it.

Here’s what to track and why:

• Identify your top sellers and slow movers: Pay attention to which fabrics fly off the shelves and which collections are gathering dust. This tells you what to reorder and what to discount or skip next time.
• Spot seasonal patterns: Look for trends in your sales data. If it shows you sell twice as many neutrals in January, stock up in December. If those gorgeous Japanese imports barely sold last spring, scale back next year or try a different aesthetic.
• Evaluate vendor performance: Track which vendors have the best sell-through rates and which consistently deliver late or send poor-quality products. Use this to make smarter supplier decisions.
• Plan smarter promotions: Analyze slow-moving inventory taking up space. Your data can show you the perfect discount level — deep enough to move product but not so deep that you’re losing money unnecessarily.

Pro tip: Review your reports monthly, not just when something feels off. Trends are easier to spot when you’re looking regularly, and you can adjust your buying before small issues become big problems.

Make Quilt Shop Inventory Management Easy With Like Sew

Like Sew is an industry-specific POS solution that makes inventory management simple and effective with a range of practical features.

You can manage an unlimited number of SKUs, track individual items with serial numbers, and easily handle purchase orders — whether from primary vendors or with substitutions. Our all-in-one system integrates freight costs and centralizes all your inventory data, making it easy to keep everything organized and accessible.

Like Sew offers bulk import options, easy bulk editing, and support for detailed item descriptions and images. You can track item availability, movement, and exact fractional yardage, while also managing stock levels with automated reorder calculations. Plus, it handles invoicing and receiving smoothly, and integrates barcoding for quick scanning and label printing.

Ready to see how much easier inventory management can be? Build and Price your perfect quilt shop POS system with Like Sew.