Finding the place

The flyer says at the corner of Commercial and Powell. Once you get to the corner, continue heading west on Powell. It’s on the north side of the street (the right side if you’re driving) and you’ll see a sign out front.

Parking

Lots of free, one-hour parking! Parking was no problem, I parked a block away but could have parked much closer.

Fabric

Fabric was either in boxes on the floor or on rolls. You could fill your bag with the box fabric, fabric on the rolls was $2/metre. (Excellent pricing!) The bags you get are nice and big. Bigger than a paper grocery bag I’d say!

A wide variety of everything from scraps to technical knits. I recognize some of the knits as really high-end technical fabrics, ones that would cost close to $30-$50 per metre if you were to buy them regularly. From what you guys said in the comments, I’d guess that the fabric selection changes at every sale. When I was there, the fabric on rolls was more interesting than the fabric in the bins, but that may be just because the best stuff was snagged by then!

I’d probably say by the speed that fabric was flying out the door, you want to be there right at opening. (I rolled in around 12:30, well after the sale had started.) Especially if you’re making the trip in from somewhere far. Go with free hands (no handbags that require your hands) so you can rummage through the bins easily. This is the kind of sale where you go with no particular project in mind, just an open mind to the possibilities of what you might find.

Did you go this weekend? What kind of fabrics did you find?

This happens because of several reasons: buying minimums (a company needs to order a minimum of1000 metres but only needs 850 metres to produce the line), shipping overages (fabric companies are allowed to send up to 10% extra, so if you only wanted 200 yards they might send you 220!) and changes in production (as sales come in, some colours are less popular than predicted so you’ll end up with more orange fabric leftover and not enough navy blue.) Do you find this interesting? It’s all part of the many factors that a clothing company has to consider when producing a line!

Anyways, enough about that. The point is, there is waste, a lot of it. And there’s a new, wonderful non-profit organization based in Vancouver, BC that is collecting all of this unwanted fabric and helping it find a new and happy home with someone who can make use of it.

Here’s the official ‘About’ from the website:

About Our Social Fabric

Our Social Fabric is a non-profit Vancouver group that helps recycle excess fabric from manufacturers, the movie industry, and more. Through monthly sales, we put the fabric into the hands of creators in our community.

Our storage unit at 1631 Powell Street is full of fabulous fabrics rescued from the landfill and ready to be repurposed! Most are high quality sample fabrics donated directly to us from the film industry, factories, and production facilities. The fabric is still on the bolt and unused. We have a wide variety of wools, cottons, linens, polyester blends, and technical fabrics from places such as Lululemon and Mountain Equipment Co-op.

We recycle fabric by holding monthly fill-a-bag fabric sales out of our storage unit in East Vancouver. Fabric sales are staffed by volunteers, and proceeds go to maintaining the storage unit and keeping it available for donations while we grow our organization and develop related programs.

And in the future, we hope to get involved in textile shredding and remanufacturing, while providing employment and social reintegration opportunities for Downtown Eastside residents.

What a great concept! I love the idea of connecting this unused fabric with the right people, who’d be so excited to score a good deal and help reduce textile waste. Fabric that’s no longer ‘current’ or useful to the fashion industry is perfectly useful to us, right? And who doesn’t love the thrill of the hunt, especially when it’s a good deal?

This is especially interesting for local readers, as you’ll be able to visit the sale and pick up great-quality unused fabric at fantastic prices. In fact, there’s a sale coming up this weekend! (Click the image to go to the website and find out more.)

One bag is $25 and you can get two for $40—all funds go to paying their storage unit rent and other administration fees.

Know what’s even better? A giveaway! Jhenifer from Our Social Fabric contacted me and wanted to offer a FREE bag of fabric to one lucky reader!

We are happy to give away a free bag of fabric good at any upcoming sale, which would both help us gain a bit more exposure and reward your readers with something fun. And we’d all be keeping more textiles out of the landfill!

So if you’re here in the Vancouver area and want to win a FREE bag of fabric at the sale on Saturday (or a future sale), leave a comment below to enter to win. To enter, how about you tell us the best deal you ever got on fabric? Jhenifer’s going to pick the winner at random before Friday at 6pm Pacific Time. Be sure to leave your comment before then to be eligible to win! (I wish there was a way to include everyone, not just local readers, but for this one it’s pretty hard as you kind of have to be here to pick up the prize. If you’re able to come to the Vancouver sale, you’re eligible to win!)

Want to know more about this organization? Visit Our Social Fabric’s website. They’ve also mentioned that the best way to stay updated on what we’re up to is through their Facebook and Twitter accounts, and the mailing list.

The more we support initiatives like this, the more good they can do in the community!

The site also has a Marketplace, so if you like a project you see, you can buy the materials for it through the site.

The site is still new and growing but I like the idea of that – see it, like it, make it yourself! Kind of like online shopping, but with the satisfaction of making something to fit you.

To celebrate the new site and spread the word, Kollabora is having a contest. We all like prizes especially patterns and fabrics, so I thought I’d let you guys know about it!

From the Kollabora blog:

  We believe that we are what we make. So this week we are asking our friends, family, and Kollabora members to upload a photo holding, wearing, or using a handmade project (either made by you, or made for you) to Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #kollabora.

Each day from now until Monday, June 11th we’ll choose our 3 favorites who will score great prizes from some of our awesome friends like Wool and the Gang, Colette Patterns, Mood Fabrics, and more!

So start snapping, start uploading, and make sure to share this email with your friends – we’re looking to spread the DIY love around the globe!

Contest details are here if you wanted to join in!

I know we’ve talked about sewing sites before like MySewingCircle, and we’ve talked about wishing for a Ravelry for sewing, a site that allowed us to find out more about the materials used in a project, and a site that was popular with plenty of projects posted. Community is important too, it’s much more valuable to browse a busy site with a variety of projects and notes. I’ve browsed the photos on Kollabora and already seen a few familiar faces and projects!

At first glance, the clean, fresh layout and large print is easy to read and navigate. I think there’s a lot of potential here as more people discover and start using the site!

What do you think? Have you tried the site yet, and what do you like or dislike? Do you see yourself using it now that you’ve found out about it?

There are so many additions to the list, I fear I’ll leave someone out by mistake, so I’ll list them all:

CANADA

Spool of Thread – Vancouver, BC

USA

A Fashionable Stitch (online)

Bernina Sewing Centers of Kansas City – Overland Park, KS

Bolt Neighborhood Fabric Boutique – Portland, OR

Bon Bon Atelier – Kansas City, MO

Cool Cottons – Portland, OR

Fabricworm – (online)

Fanciful Fabrics (online)

Fancy Tiger – Denver, CO

Grey’s Fabric and Notions – Boston, MA

Hart’s Fabric – Santa Cruz, CA

Made Sewing Studio - Seattle, WA

Mama Said Sew – Fort Collins, CO

Modern Domestic – Portland, OR

Pink Chalk Fabrics (online)

Pink Hollybush Designs (online)

Selvedge Studio – Missoula, MT

Sew, Mama, Sew! (online)

Sew L.A. – Los Angeles, CA

Sew Main Street – Woodstock, GA

Sew to Speak – Columbus, OH

Sewtropolis – Minneapolis, MN

Stitchology - Albuquerque, NM

Stonemountain & Daughter Fabrics – Berkeley, CA

Sweet Little Chickadee  (online)

The French Seam – Indianapolis, IN

Urban Craft Center – Santa Monica, CA

INTERNATIONAL

AUSTRALIA

Sew Squirrel (online)

BELGIUM

Workshop

SWEDEN

Karinotillia

UNITED KINGDOM

Backstitch (online)

Fabric Godmother (online)

Fabrics and Fancies (online)

M is for Make (online)

Sewbox (online)

The Village Haberdashery Shop (online)

That’s 36 retailers now! It’s so exciting to have new stores stocking my patterns. It’s even more exciting when the emails start with ‘I’m opening a new store…’ Great news for all of us, when more fabric stores and sewing lounges are opening around the world. It’s a good sign that sewing is making a comeback, and small businesses are here to help!

I’ve been updating the Retailers page on both the Sewaholic blog and the Sewaholic Patterns store so keep an eye out for your favourite local store!

Anyways, I remember I signed up for it way back when it started up. A couple of you must have recently signed up as well, as I’ve seen a couple of you ‘friending’ me, yay! And I don’t know how we did it but Sewaholic Patterns is the first pattern designer to appear when you search ‘all patterns’ – pretty awesome! I’m sure that will change as more projects are added but that was cool to see.

There is my designer page and links to all of the current patterns. Just like Ravelry, you can click on the pattern, and look at all the projects people have made using that pattern. You can rate patterns with stars, and read notes and comments on the patterns.

I like the concept, I like that you can see a pattern and browse finished garments that were made using the pattern. I like that it’s pretty easy to use, based on the couple hours I’ve spent on the site. I like that you can quickly read someone’s notes on the pattern (fits small, cut a size 10, add 2″ to length) and know what type of adjustments you might need to make too. The clean white layout is easy to look at.

I haven’t spent any time in the forums but I bet they’ll be helpful, the more people use the site. I love that you can ‘favourite’ other people’s projects and keep a page full of inspiring sewn garments! And there’s great potential to keep your Pattern Library up-to-date so you remember all of the patterns you own! (Although, I do wish that ‘patterns’ was the first tab – I use patterns more than magazines or books!)

On the other hand, fabric isn’t the same as yarn, in that you can buy the same yarn as someone else bought across the world. Fabric is a little more elusive than that and if you find the perfect navy polka-dot fabric, you may never find it again! In that regard, I’m not sure it’s going to be just like Ravelry. I can see someone’s perfect red dress, but I can’t locate that exact fabric and replicate it. (Whereas with yarn, if I see the perfect knit scarf in Quince and Co’s Lark, I can go buy myself that exact yarn and make myself one!)

What do you all think? Have you tried out mysewingcircle.com yet? What do you like or dislike? Do you see yourself using it now that you’ve found out about it?

I thought I’d compile a selection of your comments into one big list, and if more come in I’ll update it if needed.* I’ve added links to the actual shops so if you like what you read, you can go shopping! (Hey, why not make it easy for you, right? You can blame me for enabling your fabric addiction.)

Here we go – the big list of Online Fabric Stores, recommended and reviewed by you! In alphabetical order, with the country noted if the store is located outside of North America.

Alfatex (Germany)

…they sell the fabrics used in the german edition of burda magazine… Alfatex has nicer photos, but it can be a bit more expensive. Still worth it I think. It’s been a while since I bought from them, but I had good experiences with both. -Corinna

Connecting Threads

For quilting cottons, I love Connecting Threads. Their prices are awesome, and between my Aunt-in-law and I, we can amass quite the order with only $7 shipping to Canada. Sure, it has to go from the western US to Toronto to Alberta, but anyone who buys quilting fabrics knows that we probably have enough stashed away to last us until it gets here in two weeks. -Jennifer S.

Crafty Mamas (Australia)

I love crafty mamas its a great source of knits, the stella is a great all purpose shirt knit and then there is the devine hilco and stenzo knits. The hilco campanete knit it the best knit to use . The customer service is above excellent :). -Kylie

Croft Mill (UK)

..dressmaking focused (rather than quilting) -Miriana

Denver Fabrics

I’ve ordered apparel fabric from Denver Fabrics before: denverfabrics.com. They have amazing prices and a huge selection of fashion fabric, and I was very happy with the purple wool gabardine I ordered for my Lady Grey coat. -Katie W.

DistinctiveFabrics.com

DistinctiveFabrics.com is another great one. Fairly limited selection, but they focus on hard-to-find fabrics. If you become a member (free and non-spammy) they’ll send you swatches for free, too. I’ve ordered from them four or five times in the last few years and only had awesome experiences. -GlassCannon

Ditto Fabrics (UK)

..dressmaking focused (rather than quilting) -Miriana

Ebay sellers

How about ebay sellers bestonlinefabrics, zanzadesigns, highendfabrics, and lycra4sale. -Mary in FL

Elliot Berman Textiles

Elliot Bermann–lots of designer fabrics. Occasional coupons and sales. Shipping, not as fast as Emma One Sock. -Maria

Emma One Sock

Emmaonesock.com is my absolute favorite. Yes, the fabrics are expensive but they are always better quality than my other fabrics and true to description–and the owner Linda gives incredible, personal service. -Amy

Their selection and sales are awesome. -Linda

Emma One Sock–one of my favorites. Her online swatches are so helpful I’ve often bought without requesting real swatches. Although she tends to sell expensive fabrics, the quality are topnotch and consistent, she ships so fast, fee is reasonable and she answers e-mails so quickly! -Maria

her stuff is amazing and sells quickly. I especially like how she photographs a long length of the fabric; it gives you a better sense of how it really looks. -Jean S.

Fabric.com

…I have to say I am loyal to one company – Fabric.com. I live in the US, so free shipping is an option here and the reason I love Fabric.com is because there is always free shipping on any purchase over $35. How cool is that? Well anyway, I am loyal to Fabric.com because I always get what I thought I was getting. Their fabric is beautiful and there are always lots of great deals going on. I get a daily deal email that offers a different selection of fabrics, notions or patterns on sale each day. -Stacy

Fabric.com was more reasonable and very prompt but selection can be a little thin. -Ainslie

Favorite: Fabric.com. I’ve gotten some lovely things from them, shipping isn’t exorbitant (I’m in the US), and the swatches are usually generously sized. My orders arrive quickly and their site is easy to use. -Katie

I’ve bought from fabric.com for availability and lower pricing, and was incredibly pleased. -Laura

I am addicted to Fabric.com. Shipping can be a little pricey, but they have great deals, and when you consider that I live a tank of gas away from anything other than overpriced (except for my small local one) quilt shops, $30 or $40 for shipping can be quite a deal. Because of them, I am obsessed with knits, because I can get them for at least a dollar or two less a meter than at Fabricland’s sales. I just bought a large box of fabric through them on Monday, and the Black Friday/Cyber Monday discount more than covered the cost of shipping. You just have to watch the exchange rate a bit – don’t want to buy when we’re, say, only $0.90 on the Dollar -Jennifer S.

Fabric.com is also good for basics like semi-affordable doubleknit, which I have a hard time finding in NYC. -Blythe

I’ve used http://www.fabric.com – the nice thing is that you get points for each sale and these points eventually get you something, so says the friend who recommended it to me – I don’t use it all that often – I generally can’t find what I am looking for there: limited stock and I tend to get a particular vision/color in mind as I plan a new project. Another plus for them is that they let you know how many yards they have remaining for each fabric. -Katitarian

I’ve order from FashionFabricsclub.com and Fabric.com and have been happy with my purchases from both. -Lashell

I do almost all of my fabric shopping online. I love fabric.com. Their prices are reasonable, great customer service, variety of fabrics, shipping is reliable, great customer service (I know I said it twice).  -Laura

Fabric.com–so far I’ve had good luck with items I’ve bought. I’ve compared prices and similar fabrics sold at Jo-Ann’s are cheaper at this site and there are always coupons that can be used and free shipping offers. Shipping is also fast and they provide tracking.  -Maria

Fabricworm

my favorite online fabric stores are hawthorne threads and fabricworm. i’ve also had really great experiences with fabricworm customer service and their selection and prices for japanese fabrics in particular is fabulous. -rachael

I just cannot emphasize how much I love them- they have a great selection of designer quilting cottons (and even some apparel fabrics as some quilting designers start to branch out into voiles and things), including many things that I have a hard time finding anywhere else (not to mention the prices are quite reasonable). -Jessica

Fabric Mart

Fabricmart. Their inventory is somewhat random (it includes some designer and high-end fabric, but not everything is of equal quality), but they have AMAZING sales. Their photos and descriptions are also very helpful–they usually describe the weave, pattern repeat, weight, drape, recommended uses, etc. I think you can tell whether a fabric is a risk if you read the description carefully. Occasionally it seems like they aren’t certain of the fiber content of their fabrics (it might just say “blend” or “stretch” instead of giving percentages), but when fabric is on sale for $1.99/yd, I don’t always care! -Alex

I’ve been thoroughly pleased with everything I’ve ordered from them. And they have good sales, relatively reasonable prices, and when your fabric arrives it has a label on each piece telling you what it is, the yardage, AND the care instructions. It’s incredibly helpful when you pull it out of your stash a year later. -Clio

Fabricmart: got some “100% wool” double knit from them that behaved like it had a significant amount of synthetic in it. It didn’t press like wool and actually seemed to melt a bit under a hot iron. Unimpressed, probably won’t order from them again. -Katie

I’ve been using fabricmart – and have been very pleased with what I’ve gotten. I got some couture linen for a project for church, and it is … amazing. They have quantity discounts if you buy in bulk which don’t show up until the shopping cart, btw. -Hearthrose

Fabric Shack

Another website I like is Fabric Shack, a US based quilting shop that has an amazing range of designs and good sales. -Donna

Fabric Tales

The only shop I REALLY recommend is fabrictales.com. It is a Japanese fabric retailer that has very, very beautiful fabrics. It is not cheap but you can be sure the materials are excellent and the service too. -Helena

I love Fabric Tales, a Japanese based shop. If you don’t mind the slower shipping options, it’s about the same shipping to the US from Japan as it would be within the US -Donna

Fabrics-Store.Com

For a really nice selection of 100% linen of various weights or linen/cotton blends in lots of gorgeous colours I go to Fabrics-store.com. Great selection and fast shipping. I didn’t have to pay duty (I’m in the Vancouver area). If you sign up for their newsletter it will alert you to what is on sale that week (usually 10% off). You can get colour cards and samples of the different weights. Nice stuff! -Lynda

Fashion Fabrics Club

It’s been said before, but http://www.fashionfabricsclub.com is great. GREAT prices, and sometimes they offer free shipping. I got my wedding dress and bridesmaid dress fabric from there! -Adventures in Dressmaking

I just bought some fabric online yesterday from http://www.fashionfabricclub.com. It was my first time buying fabric online, so hopefully all goes well! Their website isn’t very organized, but they seem to have a TON of stock. Plus, I’ve seen several other bloggers recommend that website. -Shelly

I’ve order from FashionFabricsclub.com and Fabric.com and have been happy with my purchases from both. -Lashell

..is really hit or miss but for the prices it’s worth the risk, usually. -Jenna

When I’m feeling adventurous, Fashion Fabrics Club (because it can be a crapshoot. Most of the time I’m really happy with what I get, until I’m REALLY not). -Blythe

I’ve frequently used http://www.fashionfabricclub.com I’ve never had a problem with their services. They have good sales, extensive stock, and good prices; however on http://www.patternreview.com there are a lot of negative reviews for them. -Katitarian

I have ordered several times from fashionfabricsclub.com. The prices were very honest, but I received the wrong fabric once and I never had it exchanged or refund even though I contact them many times. Also the shipping delays are long, mostly because of the Canadian Post customs, they are so slow it’s a shame. So if you need fabric for a specific date, you need to order a month before. -AnnieV

Fashionista Fabrics

I’ve also ordered from http://www.fashionistafabrics.com and they were awesome! -Jenna

Fine Fabrics

…I actually do quite a bit of online fabric ordering. A huge reason I got into sewing garments was my mother-in-law. She lives in Santa Barbara and loves Fine Fabrics. Because of her, this store was really the first fabric store that I got to know, and it’s been easy to stay loyal to them since everything I’ve gotten from them has far exceeded my expectations. Though, granted, I haven’t been sewing long enough to know that much about fabric, but I am certain that the local chain stores around me just don’t have anything that compares. If I went into San Francisco, sure, I’d be able to find what I wanted, but I honestly get intimidated in giant stores like Britex. Since the prices at Fine Fabrics are on the higher side, I’ve tried to focus on quality over quantity this past year and on making pieces that I’ll want to wear for a very long time. And, I actually only oogle at most of the pieces since I do want to be kind to my budget. When I do decide on a particular fabric, I also try to order as little yardage as possible, which you may know since I’ve bugged you several times to ask just how little fabric I really need for your patterns. Plus, the owner of Fine Fabrics answers my emailed questions about as quickly and frequently as you do – great customer service! -Amy

Girl Charlee

..i also like girl charlee (mostly for knits). -rachael

Gorgeous Fabrics

As far as online fabric stores, I’ve taken advantage of sales at gorgeousfabrics.com. I like that she gives you an idea of what the fabric could be used for, and you can always send her an email to get her opinion. -Amanda

I love Gorgeous Fabrics- there are always pattern suggestions for each fabric which really helps. -Angela

Their selection and sales are awesome. -Linda

When I’m feeling spendy, Gorgeous Fabrics. You really can’t go wrong there.  -Blythe

I branched out and bought some fabric from Gorgeous Fabrics!!! I love, love, love it. I definitely dream about buying more from her. -Laura

Gorgeous fabrics–I’ve bought a couple of times from this site but my only complaint is the online swatches. It’s hard to purchase unless you get a real swatch so most often I end up not bothering.  -Maria

Hart’s Fabric

 Harts was great but shipping was very pricey to Canada (had them ship to my brother in the US). -Ainslie

I’ve got some silk-cotton yardage from Harts fabric, who has great customer service. -Jenna

Hawthorne Threads

…for quilting cottons my go to store is Hawthorne Threads. Their selection is amazing, the prices are way cheaper (at least 40%!) than what I can get at a store in Toronto and the service is quite good. Delivery to Canada is within a week or two, shipping charges don’t break the bank and I have never had to pay duty. -Andrea

my favorite online fabric stores are hawthorne threads and fabricworm. i would also add to my comment about hawthorne threads that it is a great resource to use for matching and finding fabrics b/c they have a search by color function. also, you can sign up to receive emails when an out of stock fabric becomes available. i’ve always had incredibly positive experiences with them and shipping (i’m in the US) is always quick; not to mention the fact that the owners, charlie & lindsay, are just downright lovely. -rachael

JAQS Fabric

I have bought quilting fabric online at JAQS Fabric and Etsy sellers. So far, my experiences have been great. -Michelle @ If Toys Could Talk

Keepsake Quilting

Keepsake Quilting (here in little ‘ol New Hampshire, USA) is great for quilting cottons, patterns, notions, etc. I have the luxury of going to the shop in person (and going through the scrap bins!) but the website is great too. -Katie M

Linton Tweeds

…Linton Tweeds, which is where Chanel gets their fabrics from is certainly somewhere I will be ordering from for a big project in the future. -Bri

Their selection and sales are awesome. -Linda

MacCulloch & Wallis (UK)

..this UK store seems like heaven on earth. Haven’t shopped there, but very much hope to! -Erika

..gorgeous but pricey.. -Miriana

Marcy Tilton

But for equal quality, service and very good descriptions of fabrics and their possible uses, you’ve got to check out Marcy Tilton. She and sister Katherine design patterns for Vogue. -Jill H

..my favorite, although it won’t be everyone’s, as Marcy is extremely selective with regard to fabric color and type. -Jean S

Mill Direct

Mills Direct–seller of Malden Mills fleece. My only experience is with purchasing their swatches and based on the swatches, I am going to order any fleece fabrics from this site in the future. -Maria

Mood

I am very near their brick-and-mortar store, so don’t shop on line often. But when I made a special occasion dress it was pretty much the only on-line fabric store where I knew I was getting crepe back sating, organza and georgette that were exact color matches. So, incredibly helpful when you are making a dress of one fabric and doing trim in other fabrics but wanting it to match. They’re not cheap, but they are high quality. -Clio

Mood: Ordered 2 yards of wool knit and recieved 1 yard. Customer service was unhelpful and hostile-sounding from the outset of my call. Other fabrics in my order were pretty, though. Prices are a bit high. -Katie

Mood fabrics–hit or miss. But more choices and more assortment. -Maria

I am going to order fabric later today from https://www.moodfabrics.com/ I ordered swatches from there a few weeks ago – they had the exact color I desired. Not happy about the price, but my folks are paying for it as a gift for the holidays so I feel less bad about splurging. -Katitarian

Peach Berserk

Peach Berserk just has really interesting and different stuff. They are both pretty spendy so I haven’t tried either yet but they are really fun to browse through. -Amelia

Pink Chalk Fabrics

I’ve been ordering fabric online since about 2006. At first I ordered all my fabrics on ebay and then I switched to Pink Chalk Fabrics because I like their selection and service. In all my years of ordering fabrics online I have never been dinged for duty. -jodi

Purl Soho

Purl Soho also has a great online store. Obviously I would never order online from them, but I really recommend checking out the website if you aren’t in NYC. They have absolutely beautiful fabrics. I especially love their selection of Liberty lawn and Japanese cottons like Nani Iro. -Blythe

The Remnant House (UK)

As buying fabric online can be hard due to high shipping prices, for us around Ireland and UK i found this place great.
It has a great selection of fabric, good prices and good shipping charges. -Shel Baker

Reproduction Fabrics

I’ve used http://www.reproductionfabrics.com/ as well – they only have cottons – but they’re good for old-fashioned quilting and sewing projects. -Katitarian

Sawyer Brook

Sawyer Brooks–pretty fabrics but limited selection. -Maria

Seattle Fabrics

I am looking into getting some goretex from Seattlefabrics for the Minoru! -Ainslie

Sew, Mama, Sew!

I love SewMamaSew! They have a good selection, fast shipping, they always have special where if you spend $25, you get a free fat quarter, They choose the fat quarter, but it is always fun to get a surprise fabric! Plus, it’s always something I love! -tara

Sew Sassy

I have ordered from http://www.sewsassy.com a few times now. Twice having my order shipped to my parents during their February pilgramage to Florida and once to my home in Ontario. I was hit with duty on that order, plus shipping… it wasn’t cheap. That said, I do love their underwire and their stretch satin is far better than what Fabricland stocks so I will suck it up now and again and hopefully buy enough to last me another year. -Seraphinalina

Shaukat Fabrics (UK)

I’d like to mention Shaukat fabrics (based in London) for the best range of Liberty print fabrics. They have a better selection than Liberty do themselves, and even though I’m on the other side of the world in Australia, it works out far cheaper at around $20 per metre compared with $50 per metre in stores for their cotton lawn. -Ali

Silk Baron

For silk, Silk Baron is wonderful. http://www.silkbaron.com/silk/ They have the most incredible selection of colors, and for silk, the price is very reasonable. The dupioni is to die for. -Laurie Brown

Sonjas-textilatelje.se

Might be only for Swedes, but email her and ask for shipping to other countries! This is a site with only organic fabrics and threads, and most of the fabrics are for apparel sewing. -Erika

Spandex World

I do shop on-line for swimsuit and dancewear fabric at Spandex World. I’ve ordered there several times and I’ve always been happy with my purchase – they’ve shipped promptly – that day or the next – and the fabrics were a good quality. Also, Spandex World has a huge selection and carries fabrics I just can’t get here like swimsuit lining. Even with the shipping (I don’t expedit it) and customs, the fabric comes to less than the shops here, especially once you factor in my fuel to get there. -Michelle

Spandex World–good for specialty fabrics. I’ve purchased moisture wicking spandex for workout clothes. Shipping was fast. Although for swatches, shipping is super slow and they don’t mark the swatches so if you request similar looking fabrics, it can end up a guessing game.  -Maria

Spoonflower

I think spoonflower is really cool, you can design your own design and have it printed for you on fabric and see other people’s designs and buy them as fabric. It is a really interesting idea. They offer different fabric types to do this on. -Amelia

Stoffe-hemmers.de (Germany)

While I find it harder to find what I’m looking for… you can have up to 5(?) sample pieces of fabric sent to you for free so you can actually feel the fabric before you buy. Alfatex has nicer photos, but it can be a bit more expensive. Still worth it I think. It’s been a while since I bought from them, but I had good experiences with both. -Corinna

Stoffochstil.se (Sweden)

Excellent prices, shipping is very reasonable if one orders larger amounts (to Sweden it’s 60SEK no matter how large the order is). Great selection of haberhashy and sewing equipment as well (in comparison to most sewing shops in Sweden). -Erika

Superbuzzy.com

Superbuzzy.com is another good source for Japanese fabric! They have tons and tons of great stuff. -Ann

Vogue Fabrics

I have purchased several times from Vogue Fabrics in Illinois. I subscribe to their yearly swatch service so that gives me a chance to touch the fabric – a must for me!
Vogue’s prices are reasonable and quality is good. I paid a flat $6 for shipping to California. No complaints about service. -Lisa

Waechter’s Fine Fabrics

I’m so lucky to have Waechter’s Fine Fabrics in my town…they have lovely fabrics, and their online shop is excellent. -Olive

That’s a pretty impressive list! Did I miss any? Anything to add to this list? Leave a comment and I’ll be back to update this post* with more recommendations and stores.

Thanks for all of the feedback! This will be super helpful to anyone who wants to buy fabric online but doesn’t know where to start.

Another tip is to check out True Up http://www.trueup.net. Every friday they have a “fabric sale alert” where they list sales from online fabric stores around the world… thanks Petite Josette for the link!

*Last Updated December 8th, 2011

Caroline is smart, adventurous and practical, so I knew she’d have great suggestions and tips to share with us on sewing for the rain. The waterproof jacket she’s making is actually a surprise for her guy – how lucky is he to receive a customized, waterproof cycling jacket as a present? Very lucky! I’m dying to hear his reaction when she gives him the finished jacket. Here’s Caroline, looking very cool on her bike, with her tips on sewing waterproof outerwear! — Tasia

Hello Sewaholic readers! I’m so pleased Tasia has given me the opportunity to share my experience sewing waterproof outerwear. This came about when I mentioned in Tasia’s comments how I am making a waterproof cycling jacket for my boyfriend. Sometimes I wonder why I get myself into such ambitious sewing projects, but at the time it seemed obvious: he loves the color green, he likes a rain jacket a friend loaned him, and I love to sew. We’re both car-free in rainy Portland, Oregon, so we know exactly what we like and need in bike gear. It’s just a matter of translating it into materials and skill. I’m an experienced seamstress but fairly new at waterproofing. I’ll share with you what I’ve learned while making his rain jacket.

First off, be honest with yourself: why take on the (advanced) project of making your own rain gear? It is exciting to choose and edit an outerwear garment’s color, cut, and features, and when it is complete and wearable you earn major bragging rights… but that may be about it. There are a few reasons why you might consider just buying rain gear from your local outdoor store instead:

• Price. Without discounts, you are likely to pay just as much for custom rain gear as store-bought. Most quality waterproof fabrics top $20/yard, seam-sealing tape costs $1.50-$4/yard, and water resistant zippers are dear. That said, some GoreTex rain jackets top $500. Most handmade goods are priceless.
• Time. Count your time investment, especially if you are seam-sealing every single seam.
• Access. Can you find the fabrics you desire, notions like fobs and water resistant zippers, and seam-sealing supplies?
• Frustration. Once a seam is sewn, and especially once it is seam-taped, it’s pretty much final. Mistakes are sometimes very tragic.
• Result. Are you happy with a less-than-”perfect” result? No warrantee, no return, no guarantee of performance?

Cool, brave soul, let’s go!

Materials:

1. Waterproof/Windproof/Breathable (W/P/B or WP/BR) 2, 2.5, or 3-layer; water-resistant breathable fabric like uncoated fabric with a DWR (durable water repellant) finish; or non-breathable fabric like nylon coated to be waterproof. REI provides an excellent overview of these fabrics and how to choose them, so to avoid redundancy, here is a link to their site: (http://www.rei.com/expertadvice/articles/rainwear.html). Did you know any synthetic machine-washable/-dryable garment can be waterproofed or re-waterproofed with DWR coating? You might just consider applying a waterproofing spray or wash-in product like McNett’s ReviveX® after you’ve sewn up your rain gear. But – what about the seams?
2. Seam sealing:
   • Glue-style, like McNett’s Seam Grip®, can be squeezed from a tube onto the seam line then allowed to dry (about 12 hours unless a curing agent is used). This can be done on a completed synthetic garment, and is the most economical and simple approach. Seam Grip® in particular is a time-tried bestseller because it dries clear, flexible, and is durable. (I am not affiliated with McNett’s. I am just recommending the most widely available and popular waterproofing product.) Clear and simple instructions for glue-style seam-sealing products are available online and on the product packaging, so I won’t repeat that here.
   • 3-layer Melco or Gore-Seam cloth-type tape comes in different weights to allow for seam movement and minimize show-through of tape on the garment’s right side. These days taping is ubiquitous in garments and outdoor gear. Manufacturing houses have the means to find the correct weights, technical properties, and even matching colors; and have machines to apply it, but home sewists might struggle a little more to locate and apply it. I’ll talk more about my experience here later.
   • 2-layer film type tape is also applied with heat, but even more frustrating to apply as it also sticks to Teflon when hot. You may see the clear kind in shops – it is invisible, flexible, but I have found that it is easily damaged by friction – seam threads eat through it. I’m not impressed anymore.
3. A Teflon sheet to protect your fabric and iron during seam-sealing tape bonding. eBay usually has biggest sheets for the lowest price (search for “Teflon sheet heat”).
4. Sharp needles. Try smaller gauge sharp needles (8,10). They will leave smaller holes in laminated and coated fabrics and may gum up less. If you experience gumming (I haven’t yet), it is recommended to swab the needle with cotton soaked in rubbing alcohol. Keep the alcohol away from your fabric. Change your needle frequently as synthetic fabrics dull needles quickly.
5. Polyester thread (any other thread type may rot)
6. Notions like zippers, zipper pulls, cord, and fobs. Water resistant zippers like YKK’s Uretek or Riri’s Aquazip are hard to find and expensive. I recommend getting lengths of #3 and #5 and adding your own pulls. Find a long, separating #5 and shorten as necessary if you are making a jacket. In a pinch you can install a regular coil zipper outside-in and cover it with a storm flap for water-resistant results. Before I started my project I looked at closures and cinchers and other features on fancy rain gear to get ideas and build a shopping list. Just because I’m making the rain jacket at home doesn’t mean it can’t have bells and whistles!

Skills & Tips:

• If you want the pro look and are going to be using seam-sealing glue, go for felled seams. However, if you plan on taping your seams, keep it simple for your sanity: a seam with a 1/4″ seam allowance and about 10 stitches/inch saves fabric, cuts down bulk, minimizes needle holes in the fabric, and is seam-sealing-ready. Taped rain gear is sewn in a logical sequence, with each seam sewn, top-stitched, and seam-taped before moving to the next seam. I recommend folding the 1/4” allowance to one side (strategically so that water doesn’t fall by gravity into the seam) and then topstitching about 1/8″ from seam.

• Another pro method is to 3-thread serge your seams and simply use the seam sealing tape to tack the seams strategically to one side or the other – skipping the topstitching.

• Pieces can be pinned prior to sewing, but only in the seam allowances! You don’t want needle holes anywhere else but in the seams, especially not in laminate fabrics. I didn’t use pins. A Teflon presser foot and sacrificial tissue paper are good ways to get around uneven feeding and puckering. At times I needed to place a strip of tissue paper between a particularly rubbery fabric and the needle plate to keep it from sticking to the metal. The tissue tears away once you’ve sewn the seam. Some synthetic fabrics are stickier than others, so it may not be an issue for you. Test, test, test!

• When cutting your length of seam-sealing for a seam, cut it so the ends don’t extend past future seam allowances. For example, if you have a 12″ straight seam and are using 1/4″ seam allowances, cut a piece 11-1/4″ to 11-1/2″ long. This allows you to turn and top-stitch that future seam without the extra bulk of seam-sealing tape in the mix.

• Seam-sealing should be centered on the seam, on the wrong side of the fabric. Most people don’t have access to a seam-sealing machine or extra hands and a hot air gun, both of which heat the tape to melt the glue before applying it to the fabric. An iron works fine. I have my eyes on a Clover mini iron, but I made do without. Here’s what I eventually figured out with my full-sized iron. Melco tape glue melts at 350’ so I had it set on medium-high. I held short (3-4” at a time) pieces of tape in place over the seam, which would be draped over a small tailor’s ham. Using an edge at the nose of the hot iron, I would tack down the tape first along the middle, then along each side, coming as close to the edge as possible without making glue leak out onto the iron. I would then place my clean Teflon sheet over that section and heat until I could see a little glue coming out the sides of the tape. (I can see through my Teflon sheet.) I then make sure my Teflon sheet is clean (rub off any glue) and move on to the next 3-4” section. It takes a while. All this and I’m aware my local technical fabric shop rents use of their seam-sealing machine…

• Seam-sealing tape can be torsioned and notched to follow curves.  Once I realized I could really twist it around the curves of my ham before tacking it down with the iron, I was able to get it on without incorporating wrinkles, and without having to notch it. Wrinkles are ugly but not the end of the world – unless they create tunnels to the seam. Sometimes the sealing can be re-heated, pulled up, and torsioned or notched to ease the wrinkle. Sometimes entire lengths of seam-sealing can be removed by re-heating it – but be warned this is a potential messy disaster.

• Seam sealing tape or glue can be used to repair tears in technical fabrics. This is great to keep in your “toolbox” for torn technical goods. Just iron or squeeze it on!

• For pockets and armpit zips, the best way to put in a zipper so that it can be seam-taped is to inset the zipper exposed (or even make a placket!), top-stitch around it, then seam-seal the inside raw edges. A separating zipper down the front of your garment can be put in with simple 1/4” allowances, topstitched, and seam-taped down the inside raw edges – so easy and clean!

The first few seams I taped didn’t come out perfectly, but as I went along I got better and better at it (after 15 yards one would hope so). Remember all the reasons I suggested you might not want to make your own waterproof gear? None of them matter to me now. I’m excited the jacket has special features like a great big hood that fits over his helmet (yeah, for some reason he likes this), reflective tape along the sleeves and back, articulated elbows so the sleeves don’t ride up, and a dropped hem in the back to keep mud off his backside. And I have major bragging rights!

And Oh! Hey, Tasia – even though the hems aren’t finished yet, I surprised him with the jacket on Saturday morning and he rode all over Portland in the drizzle. He is thrilled! He even let me take pictures to share with everybody! He likes the length, so I’ll just be adding a casing for cording in the hem and a casing for elastic in the wrists… assuming I can wrest it back from him. I’ll definitely be making one for myself.

Thankfully, Threads put together a comprehensive list of the best sewing spots in town!

Check out the June issue of Threads Magazine for all of the sewing hotspots in Vancouver and the Lower Mainland (the cities that touch Vancouver if you’re not from here, they’re basically within a half-hour drive from Vancouver.)

I won’t give away the secrets, but I’d agree with the recommended fabric destinations in the article! My usual favourites are in there: Fabricana, Dressew, Button Button, Spool of Thread – plus a few new places!

And now I have a few new places to visit myself. I’ll still put together a post with my favourites one day, but this is a wonderful guide to the city’s best sewing spots. It’s exciting to see my hometown recognized in Threads Magazine! We’re fortunate to have some of the greatest fabric stores nearby. When I see people mention they have to drive three hours to their nearest fabric store, I’m really thankful to have lovely shops just around the corner!

Check it out if you’re planning a trip to Vancouver, or if you’re a local and want to find new places to shop!

I spent an afternoon sewing at Spool of Thread last week, for a change of scenery. Thought I’d tell you what it’s like to drop-in and sew! It’s nice to know what to expect before venturing in. So here’s how the sewing lounge works, what I brought and what’s provided, and whether I’d drop in again. Feel free to ask me any questions about my drop-in experience!

What did you bring?

• Fabric for my project – I cut it out at home
• Thread
• A couple of other projects in case I changed my mind

What’s provided?

• Cutting table
• Sewing machine
• Pins
• Pincushions
• Scissors
• Grid ruler
• Rotary cutter
• Iron and ironing board
• Serger
• Dress form
• Mirrors
• Parking: 2 hours free on the street

What’s the equipment like?

• Cutting table: awesome! It’s so nice to use a higher table, instead of bending over my dining table to cut. There’s so much space to work, the table is five or six times the length of my dining table. Love it!

• Iron: better than my home iron! This all depends on what your home iron is like. Mine’s functional, it doesn’t spit rust on my projects, and it shuts off automatically. So it works. The irons are a step up from mine, with a steam button and very fast heat-up times. There are three ironing stations set up around the cutting table.

• Pins and pincushions: Lots, in little cushions and bowls all around the place. You can reach out for a pin and grab one easily. They’re the good kind with large coloured heads.

• Sewing machine: I really like my home machine, so it’s hard for me to like anything better than mine. These are good solid machines that sew nice tidy stitches, which is a good review in my books. There are cool features – like a speed dial! You can dial it down to turtle speed or up to rabbit speed. The bobbin is visible through a clear cover, so you can see when you’re about to run out.

• Scissors: Good! Clearly marked with ‘fabric’ so you know which ones not to use on paper.

Note: I didn’t use the serger, the rotary cutter or the grid ruler. I didn’t bring serger thread, and there wasn’t a lot to serge on my project so I zigzagged. I’ll test it out next time and report back! Same with the rotary cutter, once I have something to cut out.

How does it all work?

• You show up, and Henry or Lili will take note of the time you arrive. Henry was there when I went, and he was super helpful! They’ll help you thread the machine and wind your bobbin, as every machine is a little bit different.

• Work as long as you want – as long as there are no classes scheduled! (Call and check before you go, just to be sure.) If you need supplies – dress form, iron, anything – just ask! If you need thread partway through your project, there’s thread for sale. (How handy is that?)

• When you’re ready to leave, pack up your stuff and pay your tab at the front desk. Pick up any supplies you need for home, and any fabric that you can’t leave without.

Would you go back?

Absolutely! It may seem strange to go somewhere else to sew when you have the equipment at home. But when you go somewhere to sew, that’s all you’re there to do. It’s too easy to get distracted at home with chores, laundry, and television. Especially when I have to be self-directed! So it’s nice to be able to totally focus and sew. Bonus: you meet other people who like to sew, too!

I especially liked using the cutting tables – something I’d never be able to set up at home. It’s worth it to be able to cut out a ton of projects on a comfortable, back-friendly table. Also, how awesome is it to sew with tools and notions available? Run out of thread? It’s right there! Tempting though, to buy more fabric when you’re surrounded with pretty fabrics while you sew. (I was good though, all I bought was thread for my next project.)

All in all, it’s a great way to work without distractions. Plus if you wanted to sew together with a friend, there’s enough space to work without having to share a machine.

Hope you had a fun and productive weekend, it’s back to the Sew-Along tomorrow!

I’m happy to annouce that Spool of Thread is the latest store to carry the Pendrell Blouse pattern. It’s wonderful to be in a local store! Now Vancouver-based sewists have somewhere to pick up the pattern. Instant gratification! Besides, don’t you want an excuse to drop by?

If you don’t now, you definitely will in the New Year! I overheard very exciting news of silk and cotton voiles arriving, which would be lovely in the Pendrell Blouse! (You heard it here first!)

Don’t you find voile one of the hardest fabrics to track down, in stores? I was searching for some voiles and lawns yesterday, so I’m thrilled to hear Spool of Thread may have just what I’m looking for. Just in time for Spring sewing! (Yup, I said it, spring sewing. Might as well get a head start since I hardly did any winter sewing!)

Check out SpoolofThread.com for more info! I hope you are all having a lovely Saturday!