Dressmaking/garment fabric sources/brick & morter, please
January 7, 2018 6:19 AM Subscribe
I did an ask mefi search, and the responses were out of date and centered around NYC. Sigh.
Anyone know of any actual walk in stores that offer a decent amount of clothing fabric? I live in North Central Ohio.
I live in North Central Ohio. There are fabric stores aplenty...if you are a quilter! A few offer a small selection of garment fabric aimed at Amish sewists. I"m not looking for high end fabric, just some good quality knits and some variety. There are Joann's nearby, but quality is meh. I am a voracious thrifter, and have scored some exceptional lengths of fabric for cheap, but as I become a better sewer, I'd like to have access to some reliable fabric sources.
Additional request; if you have recommendation for exceptional online sources, go ahead and share! Bonus points for reasonable prices, since I am cheap. I have used eBay and Amazon for fabric, with ok results. I am ready to expand my sewing universe!
(I know about Zinks, in Berlin, OH. If you are a quilter, and want more info, memail me.)
I live in North Central Ohio. There are fabric stores aplenty...if you are a quilter! A few offer a small selection of garment fabric aimed at Amish sewists. I"m not looking for high end fabric, just some good quality knits and some variety. There are Joann's nearby, but quality is meh. I am a voracious thrifter, and have scored some exceptional lengths of fabric for cheap, but as I become a better sewer, I'd like to have access to some reliable fabric sources.
Additional request; if you have recommendation for exceptional online sources, go ahead and share! Bonus points for reasonable prices, since I am cheap. I have used eBay and Amazon for fabric, with ok results. I am ready to expand my sewing universe!
(I know about Zinks, in Berlin, OH. If you are a quilter, and want more info, memail me.)
Best answer: Try Sew to Speak in Worthington. They also have an Etsy store.
posted by essexjan at 6:42 AM on January 7, 2018
posted by essexjan at 6:42 AM on January 7, 2018
Best answer: You can kind of spend what you want to spend at Mood, and the quality of fabric I've gotten from there has always been good. Swatches! I have done many swatches. I know everyone has probably said Mood in every other thread.
Fabric.com is pretty solidly a cut above JoAnn and has a good selection in the ~$12/yard range. I've had good results. Again, swatches.
posted by Medieval Maven at 7:01 AM on January 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
Fabric.com is pretty solidly a cut above JoAnn and has a good selection in the ~$12/yard range. I've had good results. Again, swatches.
posted by Medieval Maven at 7:01 AM on January 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
Vogue Fabrics - in Evanston and Chicago (and mail order) is outstanding and probably worth a trip. I have never mail-ordered from them but grew up shopping there.
posted by leslies at 7:11 AM on January 7, 2018
posted by leslies at 7:11 AM on January 7, 2018
Best answer: I get fabric online at fashionfabricsclub.com. Hard to judge sometimes without feeling a piece, but I've liked everything so far and the prices are good. I mostly go for rayon knits, which are impossible to find in fabric stores.
posted by Rube R. Nekker at 9:05 AM on January 7, 2018
posted by Rube R. Nekker at 9:05 AM on January 7, 2018
Best answer: You didn't specify the fabric had to be new, so...the best value for high quality knits in a huge variety is likely to be local thrift stores in non-hipster neighborhoods.
The catch is that the fabric is not usually in the form of yardage, but in used shirts. Look for XL shirts, sweaters, sweatshirts and butcher them to create your own garments. It's much less pressure when you're in the learning stage. I wasn't ready to drop $25/yard for cotton knits (based on a tiny swatch!) when I began making garments. Shopping at thrift stores, I can get five very large shirts from brands like Ralph Lauren, Izod, or Banana Republic (yielding about a yard each of fabric) for the same price as one yard of "ok" knit fabric from Mood. Another reason to use this method is that you can already see how the fabric has been affected by repeated washing.
posted by oxisos at 11:01 PM on January 7, 2018
The catch is that the fabric is not usually in the form of yardage, but in used shirts. Look for XL shirts, sweaters, sweatshirts and butcher them to create your own garments. It's much less pressure when you're in the learning stage. I wasn't ready to drop $25/yard for cotton knits (based on a tiny swatch!) when I began making garments. Shopping at thrift stores, I can get five very large shirts from brands like Ralph Lauren, Izod, or Banana Republic (yielding about a yard each of fabric) for the same price as one yard of "ok" knit fabric from Mood. Another reason to use this method is that you can already see how the fabric has been affected by repeated washing.
posted by oxisos at 11:01 PM on January 7, 2018
If you are coming down to central Ohio for Sew to Speak, you might also want to check out Dabble & Stitch, a few miles south.
posted by PaulaSchultz at 2:59 PM on January 8, 2018
posted by PaulaSchultz at 2:59 PM on January 8, 2018
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by JayRwv at 6:33 AM on January 7, 2018