Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Florida - Not a Sewing Friendly State Among its other Problems

I  was born and raised in Florida, Orlando to be exact.  At 17 I left Orlando to join the U.S. Army and to serve my country and after 8 years of service I decided to get out of the military and move back home.  I was recently divorced and a single parent so I wanted to be close to my Mom and sisters. 



I often see my sewing sisters and friends with such beautiful fabric, from New York and California and even across the water.  Florida doesn't have these options, that I know of anyway.  We have Joanns, Hobby Lobby and a couple of Hancocks, and there is one specialty shop that I often visit and they do have a nice selection, but that is about it.  I just wish Florida had more places to purchase fabric, especially in Central Florida where I live. 
 
I do order fabric from:
 
  • Fabricmartfabrics.com
  • Fabric.com
  • Lowpricefabric.com (Michael Levine's Fabric)
  • Moodfabric.com
  • Denverfabrics.com
  • Fashionfabricsclub.com
 
I know there are many more places to buy fabric, so what online stores do you buy your fabric from? 
 
Happy sewing!

21 comments :

  1. i just found a great store online...havent ordered anything just yet...www.linniedarling.com

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  2. I live in Kentucky and truly understand your problem. Many of the "walk -in" fabric shops I have visited are focused on fabric for quilting and not apparel. Two great online stores are GorgeousFabrics.com and EmmaOneSock.com.

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  3. Melanie Daaaarrrling! Thanks for this post. I was just considering asking folks where they purchase fabrics. I manage to do okay with the "big box" fabric stores, but I would love to get more different pieces. Your list is a great place to start. Have fun searching! Vita

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    1. Thanks Vita, I too do the "big box" stores but often come out not happy at all. I can't wait to share my findings.

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  4. I'm in Michigan and face the same problem. There aren't many options in the Detroit area. We have Haberman Fabrics outside the city, but that's it. In western Michigan, there's Field's Fabrics but at two hours away, it's not worth the drive. As for buying online, I frequent the stores you already mentioned - mostly Fabric Mart, Fabric.com, and Mood. I've yet to buy anything form Michael Levine and I've heard mixed comments about FFC.

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    1. I have been lucky with Michael Levine, but I have not ordered from FFC as of yet, Thanks for the input "L".

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  5. the closests JOAnn's is an hour away so when I get to go it's a treat, I get a few ladies together & we make a day of it, there's also a Hancocks & Hobby Lobby close by so we hit all three , do some shopping in our favorite stores, Dress Barn, Koles, Bed Bath & Beyond etc. lunch & have been know to be out late enough for dinner lol! as far as ordering fabric on line I'd not ventured out into that field but have been thnking about it as I'm getting into a few vintage challenges, thanks for the links, I'll be sure to check them out!
    Helen

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    1. Thanks for the input Helen, I too drive a little out of the way to buy fabric.

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  6. Melanie I get mines from some of the same places you mentioned. I was raised in Brooklyn, New York and my family is from the south in which I live now. However; I bought a lot of fabric and was given a lot when I lived there.

    I so enjoy your posts ;)

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    1. Wow, I would love to be given a lot of fabric. I can't wait to go on a shopping excursion to NY. I am saving right now.

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  7. I don't buy fabric online - except once from Ebay. The fabric was from China and a very thin silk fabric. It was really beautiful but much more sheer than I expected. I'm eager to read where everyone else buys their fabric though...

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    1. Me too. I have not bought any fabric on Ebay as of yet.

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    2. Yes, but one good thing about Florida (besides the weather) is that you don't have to pay Cdn shipping prices!

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  8. Same here in Houston Mel! We have a really nice fabric store downtown...but they can tend to be a bit pricey. I plan going home (So. Cali)and making a fabric shopping trip to LA next year. And my book club is having our National convention in NY in 2015, so I will go a couple of days early to do some fabric shopping. Thanks to you and a couple of other ladies in the FB group, I have ventured out and started to shop online for fabric, so far on Fabric Mart. I am going to have to check out some of the others on your list.

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    1. Zeva, NY and LA are both on my list of places to visit. I am working hard to try and save up my shopping money.

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  9. If the Sewing Studio in Maitland doesn't have it, I try gorgeousfabrics.com, emmaonesock.com and fabricmartfabrics.com . I've ordered from Mood, but since I'm able to get to the Garment District once or twice a year, I usually make purchases there in person. Interfacing: Once I tried the interfacing from fashionsewingsupply.com , I was spoiled, and I rarely buy anything locally now. Interesting notions: pacifictrimmings.com There are all kinds of ways to spend money without even getting dressed. ;-)

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  10. We have JoAnn and Hancock and there's a WalMart about 20 minutes away with a fabric department (great for cheap muslin fabric!!). We also have SR Harris and Mill End Textiles (whose doors are closing soon). SR Harris is a huge fabric warehouse. It's an awesome experience going in that place. I always spend way more than I intend to.

    Otherwise, I order from FabricMart. I have had too many bad experiences in the short time (9 months) that I've been sewing to give Fabric.com another dollar of my money. I also like that you can really luck up at FM and get quality fabric for really cheap.

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Thanks so much for your comment. Have a great day!

IT'S MELANIE DARLING // BLOG DESIGN BY CHIC PIXELS