Fabric stores

[tisana.livejournal.com]

What are some good local fabric stores? ("Good," in this case, meaning reasonable prices with wide selection.) I have a car, but I'm fine with taking the T and lugging a bag home.

I'll be doing some belly dance costuming, so funky fabrics might be necessary. I already hit Sew-fisticated, which can be limited in selection, but cheap, and will be heading to Sew-Low later.

Or should I look farther afield than the Somerville area and just head to Chinatown?

Comments

[csbermack.livejournal.com]

Yeah, spooks me too. Fabric stores where I grew up were mostly fabric you would make clothes out of, not fabric you'd make quilts or baby clothes out of. I think it's a craft-fad, and I hope it passes.

JoAnn's on rte 9 had some selection of shiny things, but it still had less than the sew-XXX's in Cambridge did when I frequented them.

[sasha-bee.livejournal.com]

if quilting is a fad it's one that's been going strong for 300+ years!

[csbermack.livejournal.com]

That doesn't mean it can't be a fad. There's quilters, and then there's "my god, everyone is quilting these days, aren't they."

[sasha-bee.livejournal.com]

no offense, but that kinda makes me a giggle a little :-)

[tisana.livejournal.com]

Kinda like knitting, lately.
Two recent crafty fads I'm trying to avoid. Not because they're a lesser craft--they really do produce some cool projects--but because lord knows I don't need another crafty hobby taking up my space and money and creating a fun new obsession for me.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

I was addicted to knitting as a child. I've been avoiding it too, since I'd never get any writing done. :-)

[tisana.livejournal.com]

It's tough to avoid, especially if you end up at Spark Crafts for the open studios, and find yourself fondling the Malabrigo wool, wondering what you could do with it.

[grammardog]

I think the very word "fad" suggests that it's something that's only popular for a short time. My great-grandmother would get a kick out of that. :)

[tisana.livejournal.com]

Yes, but lately, a lot of younger, trendier people are into it, too, whereas the stereotype a few years ago of someone who quilted was older, probably a spinster with no life or a grandma. Knitting is similar--people in their 20's all over the T with needles and yarn, now, and they don't get funny looks. They get other yarn geeks asking what they're working on. :)

[nchanter.livejournal.com]

But how do you think all of those older people got into it? Many of them had been doing it since they were in their 20's. Also, before the women's lib movement it was an acceptable way for women to be artsy and creative. Whereas fine art and actual construction things, like woodworking, were male domains. I think there was a backlash against it in parts of the culture because of that, and now, well, as our generation is a little more removed from that, it's kinda acceptable again.

And dude, I was just reffered to as "trendy" That's so ODD.

And, if you want to wait until Sunday (I have no time before then) I'll go up the The Fabric Place in Woburn with you. Last time I was up there I was still dating darxus.

[tisana.livejournal.com]

Sunday I have plans, but I could probably stand to take another trip there after this weekend--I'm sure this won't be my only costuming weekend between now and the performance in June, and I'll figure out all sorts of things I need after I get home the first time. ;p

[nchanter.livejournal.com]

you know, 100% cotton is useful for things other than just quilting.

[csbermack.livejournal.com]

It certainly is. But when it's surrounded with QUILT FABRIC signs, and is in patterns that would make a lovely quilt but not a terribly lovely skirt, well, it's mostly quilty fabric.

I guess you could make teddy bears out of it, a bear might be cute in a purple-paisley-with-stars-and-moons pattern.

[crazykimmy.livejournal.com]

I made a great skirt out of quilting fabric once--actually an entire show. It was simple and needed the structure of cotton to maintain the lines.

[timemachine.livejournal.com]

Most fads do last a few hundred years.