I've refrained from buying fabric since I haven't seen any good deals as of late. You see I don't live in a city overrun with fabric stores where I could potentially go broke all of the time. Rather, I live where there is one Joann & one Hancock fabrics, and to be quite honest, I'm not really impressed with the selection at either store. Maybe I'm hard to please or maybe I'm looking for a store that stocks printed knits from floor to ceiling.
So for me, fabric shopping usually happens in spells and I'm not too reluctant about buying good fabric when I see it (especially on sale) because I know that I might experience a "drought" and go weeks without buying fabric.
Well after not buying fabric for what seemed like forever, I was pretty excited when I found the pieces pictured above. The cast of characters are as follows (from left to right):
*Turquoise floral swimsuit fabric- I got this from Joann and with coupon it was maybe $6/yd and I only bought 1 1/4 yd which is more than enough for a swimsuit. I know I already have 4 other swimsuit fabrics but couldn't resist getting this one to add to the collection.
*Jacquard floral print---I got this at JoAnn's and I loved the bright colors. I've only got 1 1/4yd so I can only make a top or skirt. I wanted to make a dress but silly me didn't buy it when they had a lot of it. I think the $14.99/yd price tag (with no coupon on hand) made me squirm a little.
*Black, pink, burgundy floral stretch poplin- You know I love my stretch fabrics and the colors are great! I bought this one from Fashionfabricsclub.com and bought 3 yd clearance piece for $9 or so.
*Burgundy, pink, brown, tan floral stretch poplin- Got this puppy from Fashionfabricsclub.com and bought a 2 yd clearance piece for $8.
*Purple charmeuse with abstract prints- This was also purchased from Fashionfabricsclub.com and was about $8 for a 2 yd piece.
BTW, the middle piece has already been cut up and sewn into a delightful number I plan to wear to church and hope to review on tomorrow. Nothing encourages new sewing projects like new (and old) fabric!
So I have a quick question for you guys. Where do you normally get your fabric? Are there any online sites and any fabric warehouse (that are within a day's drive from Savannah, GA because I'm willing to travel) that you know of? I've heard of some fabric mills in North Carolina and some fabric stores in Atlanta. And of course I have to make another NYC Garment district shopping trip (the last one was several years ago). I'll gladly take any of your suggestions and recommendations!
Happy sewing to ya:)
I live a few hours from you but have only Hobby Lobby and Wal-Mart for fabrics in town. About 30 minutes drive and there is Jo and Hancock's. Still nothing to sing about. So mostly I shop online with Fabric.com and Fabric Mart. Emma One Sock has nice and pricey fabrics and my skills don't justify a fabric purchase there yet. Fabric.com is out of Atlanta by the way.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you in the dearth of good local options, but I love FFC and FabricMart, as well as Gorgeous Fabrics. Ann has had some great sales lately!
ReplyDeleteFabricmart, ffC and fortunately I have a few local options here in Dallas besides Joann's and Hancocks.. I also shop voguefabrics.com and gorgeous fabrics
ReplyDeleteHi Victoria...I just add my 2 cents, because it isn't worth much more than that...LOL I don't buy fabric unless I get it at a thrift store or in the 1 or 2 dollar pile at Walmart. I don't buy fabric really. See...not even worth 2 cents!
ReplyDeleteBUT, I love your fabrics and I also love to see what you sew up! You do such a wonderful job. I want to sew some tops that have the Indian style...and I want to do some hand embroidery around the neck and sleeves. I'd also like to make some long summer skirts. That's about it.
Beautiful selection of fabrics. Can't wait to see your finished garments. I live in NY so I go to the fabric district or the local fabric store within my area.
ReplyDeleteYou have some amazing pieces here...really pretty and fun! I mostly shop online at the sources previously mentioned and since I'm close to the garment district there too.
ReplyDeleteLOVE your fabric! The brown and pink floral is my fav!
ReplyDeleteI live dangerously close to a fabric clearing house, Mill End Textiles. My closet just had a fabric avalanche today because I live too close to that store!
ReplyDeleteWhen I lived in NC, the nearest place was Hobby Lobby, so I purchased from fabric.com quite often.
However, Mary Jo's cloth store, just south of Charlotte, is worth a trip. They're one of the largest fabric warehouses in the country and they have good prices.
What a nice bunch of fabrics! I wish I could find something like the second colorful piece somewhere...
ReplyDeleteOooh Victoria, what a fabulous haul of fabrics - I really love all those wonderful colours. Where do I buy fabrics? Everywhere!!! In London, in New York, a UK based fabric club and from online sites (Gorgeous Fabrics is a favourite). I just can't help myself :)!!
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain! I live just over the river in SC, and unless you are a quilter, the selection around here is dismal. I will keep watching the comments for any suggestions, but in the meantime I second everyone else's online choices. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone for chiming in! I appreciate all of your comments and suggestions!
ReplyDeleteCathy, thanks so much for your input and to the contrary your input is much more valuable then 2 cents!!! LOL! to be quite honest I used to buy alot of my fabric at Walmart--and loved it--until they closed 2 of the fabric sections. I used to get the best fabric for $1-$2/yd! I'm super frugal and I miss their fabric so much!
I have to say, some of you who live near fabric mills and NYC have a pretty good situation going for yourself (wink)!
I only have JoAnn's and they are truly hit and miss. I order most of my fabrics from Fabric.mart; Fabric.com; and Gorgeous Fabrics. If you ever get to Gastonia, NC go to Mary Jo's Cloth store, it has everything!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful batch of fabric and agree such fun prints. As for me I purchase from a variety of places. Having to travel 2hr to/from work through various boroughs, I wonder through the different boroughs and buy fabric from the local fabric shops.
ReplyDeleteYour new haul is amazingly beautiful. I purchase most of my fabric from Vogues and Fishman's. Chicago has some great fabric stores. I also shop at JoAnn's, Hancock's, Fabric.com, Gorgeous Fabrics and a few other online places.
ReplyDeleteLove your fabric choices too. If you're willing to drive to Atlanta, you must go to Gail K's on Cheshire Bridge Road. It's the best garment store in Georgia, and maybe beyond the state borders. No patterns, no home dec stuff, no distracting quilt stuff. Just great fabrics - linen, wool, silk, great cotton shirting, swim suit fabric, you name it - they've got it. Call or check their web site for hours. They are a bit weird.
ReplyDeleteI'm lucky to have a really awesome fabric shop only half an hour away, so I have no problem building my stash! I also have bought vintage fabrics on Etsy, for unique and one-of-a-kind pieces. You don't get the benefit of hand feel but so far, I've been pleased with my purchases to date. Good luck with your search!
ReplyDeleteI love your fabric choices! I too love a good sale and found one recently on Fabrics.com. They had Stretch Rayon blend knits starting at $2.39 a yard! Don't know if the sale is still going at that price (it was a one day sale), but you may want to take a look!
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to see what you make with the charmeuse - I have some in the drawer that I don't know what to do with. When are you starting the swimsuits? I'm knee-deep and working on my elastic skills. If you ever come to Mobile, AL, check out Ely's Fabric Warehouse - tons of upscale stuff (think Mardi Gras sequins, etc.).
ReplyDeleteHere's another vote for Mary Jo's Cloth Store in Gastonia NC right off of I-85. I go for the vast selection of quilting fabrics, but that is only about 1/3 of the store. they also have an amazing selection of notions and tools. Love your blog!
ReplyDeleteAnd yet another vote for Mary Jo's. I planned a trip home from Athens back to DC around a long stop at Mary Jo's, and for less than $200, I had enough fabric for an entire year's worth of clothing construction. The only question/problem I had with them is that I'm not sure whether my purchases were smart - for example, they have a huge selection of polyester charmeuse at much lower prices than I've seen anywhere else, but really no silk charmeuse outside of wedding gown colors, and I'm now reading everywhere that I shouldn't be using polyester charmeuse. Also, they aren't good about having fiber content or care instructions on the ends of the bolts, and my whole plan for my wardrobe is trying to make work clothes (business attire) from machine washable fabrics. That said, I found some great help, and I love all the fabrics I bought. I went ahead and washed them all, and they all looked fine, so I guess I'm good to go!
ReplyDeleteI'm also an avid quilter, so I buy a lot of cotton fabrics, and I've recently become a fan of the Hancock's of Paducah website, which frequently has beautiful fabric on sale. I think a lot of those fabrics would be good if you are looking for good quality 100% cotton prints - especially the batiks!
Lastly, I'm looking forward to seeing how you handle the swimsuits - that seems insurmountable to me, but then again, I've been stuck for awhile now and need to just get back to it. Do you ever have that period where you've gained a little weight, so all of the sudden the muslins you've labored over no longer fit perfectly? It's hard to want to start over on the fitting when I feel certain with a little attention I can take back off the 10-15 pounds that have suddenly crept up on me since the holidays! Ah well - I guess that's also why clothes can be taken back in easier than they are let out!
Thanks as always for the inspiration!