Today’s question is from Tamara:
I love to sew dresses and many different items, because I can make them the way I want them and it can be less expensive than buying it in the store. Lately, though, I’ve been noticing the prices of fabrics have gone up.
Without a coupon, after the cost of the fabric, pattern, thread and whatever other notions are needed, it can cost as much if not more to make things at home. Are any places online to find high-quality fabric and sewing supplies at a good price? -Tamara
I don’t sew, but I do know you can save a lot of money by recycling tablecloths, bedsheets, and curtains into fabric for sewing projects. We also had a great guest post awhile back on 5 Ways to Save Money on Sewing Supplies.
Do you purchase fabric online? If so, what sites have you found to have the best deals?
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Ooops-almost forgot craftersvision.com.
Hancocksofpaducah.com is my favorite, then fabric.com. If you ever drive through Paducah, KY, then be sure to stop by their (hancocksofpaducah.com) warehouse store–I could have spent hours there.
sorry its fabricshack.com the saleabration section prices are awesome.
For cotton fabrics I love the fabrickshack.com for notions atlantathread.com has great prices too.
You can always check to see if your area has something like this: http://www.creativereuse.org/mainstore.html or http://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/reuse/Links/Art.htm
It can be very hit or miss, but it can sometimes be a goldmine of all sorts of nifty crafting supplies.
The True Up blog (www.trueup.com) posts a list of fabric sales every week.
Where I buy my fabric depends on what I think I’ll do with it. When I’m looking for crafty project fabric, or for kids clothes I frequent the JoAnns Red Tag section and try to buy when its 50% off. Otherwise I buy with a 40 or 50% off coupon. If I see something I like, I’ll buy for my stash and wait for inspiration, if needed. As a rule I won’t pay over $2 for a pattern… there is ALWAYS a $0.99 or $1.99 sale around the corner at JoAnns. If I’m looking for fabric for a something for ME, the rules change. I look for GOOD fabric becuase I want to make a peice that lasts. Last spring I went to the garment district in Manhatten (I”m in upstate NY) and bought several things for specific projects for me. It wasn’t cheap by any stretch of the imagination, but when its for me, I would rather have a high quality peice that I will love for years that cost more that something that was just the best cheap fabric I could find. Now, granted, I haven’t even looked at the fabrics I bought last spring, but thats becuase I found out I was pregnant 2 weeks later and wasn’t about to sew anything for me until I’m closer to my normal shape again. 🙂 Sewing certainly isn’t always cheaper anymore… it CAN be, but if you love to sew, part of the joy of sewing is in the sewing, not necessarily in the saving money. If you’re in it to save money, red-tag fabrics and thrift store upcycles will be your bread and butter.
Another idea that I didn’t see mentioned…free cycle.
A friend of mine got three yard-sized garbage bags full of fabric from free cycle, including yards and yards of fleece that someone purchased to make those tie blankets, but never did the project. The bags definitely contained some duds, and she had to wash it all, but her kids had free pajamas for several years.
If you live in an urban area, there might be a re-use store where you can get fabric at extremely low prices. Sometimes Habitat for Humanity stores have fabric but there are also places that are more specifically for creative re-use. That type of re-use store typically sells stuff by the pound or for a membership fee. If you are on a driving vacation and can bring stuff back in your car, stopping by one of these places can be worth it. I was in Ft. Lauderdale and got 65 pounds of fabric at Trash to Treasure. These are also great places to get cheap supplies for art, DIY projects and materials for kid activities.
So many good ideas have been mentioned here. For me it depends on what I am sewing and for whom. Most of the time I sew with fabric that has been given to me or that we bought second hand. But sometimes I want the “pop” that comes with a newer fabric. One place that sells great modern fabric and often has sales is Fresh Squeezed Fabric http://www.etsy.com/shop/freshsqueezedfabrics .
Ok, I think this was not mentioned yet, Craigslist is a fantastic place for fabric. I have purchased several huge yardages from Craigslist sellers. The key is to check daily or weekly in your area. You may have to drive for it. But, sometimes you can get very good deals there.
Also, make sure you are on the Joanns email list. If you are a frequent sewer you will want to be on this list so you can receive the emails when various fabric cuts are on sale.
I wait until Target is having their quarterly clearance and buy sheet sets. About a year ago I scored Twin sheet sets for $3.74. They were all from the same line so the colors coordinated. I removed the elastic from the fitted sheets and now have yards and yards of 1/2 elastic. A few months ago I found flannel sets on clearance for a similar price.
Sheets from Goodwill usually cost more than $3.74.
It also helps to let people know that you sew. I recently received a woman’s lifetime stash of notions and fabrics. I have a popcorn tin FULL of zippers. Now, when I need to sew, I look at what I have first, and supplement from Hobby Lobby with their 40% off email coupon.
I have had success buying fabric at one of our local thrift stores. I also stock up on staple items such as thread, batting, interfacing, etc. using Hobby Lobby coupons. I had a student who would buy two large size women’s skirts when they were on clearance and then use the fabric to make a new garment for herself. That way she could get stylish fabrics at a fraction of the cost.
Oh how I know the agony of trying to find cheap material. As someone else has stated In the town I live in there is only Walmart and now they have stopped selling material and have very little crafting supplies. I like to go to yard sales and thrift stores, I buy sheets, table clothes, dust ruffles, extra large sized dresses, etc. Sometimes you can get several yards of nice material for only a dollar! Before I sound like I’m hopeless for new materials, we do have a town about 40 minutes away that has a Hobby Lobby, I go there sometimes for crafting supplies when I get a good coupon and they’re having a good sale.
I love to sew, especially on a budget, so I have a few tricks. At my Wal Mart they sell just the “Wal Mart brand” twin size flat sheets for $5. It works out to be around $1.33/yd for a good quality cotton. I use those for all of my solid colors. They are thick, soft, and move great when used in garments. Then I will shop at JoAnnes during red tag sales, for accent fabrics. They also have a line called “quilters showcase” that runs for about $5/yd reg price, so when you use a coupon or find it on sale 50% off, its a really good deal for around $2.50 yd.
Also there is an Etsy shop that sells bulk lots of zippers. They end up being around $.25 each depending on the size. It called Zipit I believe.
I also save money by making my own bias tape, the good old fashioned way…. by burning my fingers, LOL. Maybe invest in a bias tape machine? I have not yet. unfortunately.
I am a mother of 2 under 2 so I am lucky to just find time to sew, shopping thrift store and hunting around isn’t an option for me so these are a few ways I have managed to save some money when limited on time.
Oh and when you by the sheets, a lot of times you can cheat and use the pre-sewn hems to save time too!!
I saw on Pintrest someone had a printable bias tape maker. Print it on card stock, slit it along the lines and save your fingers.
I got myself some bias tape makers from Joanns.com when they were 50% off since so much kids stuff uses it.
I buy my fabric at the Hobby Lobby Clearance rack, the Joann Clearance Rack, or wehn there is a coupon i stock up on Broadcloth, like 40 percent of one item, on 10 yard cut of fabric is still one item, also the clearance rack in walmart with the bed sheet, and def the sales after the Holidays with the Holiday Fabric.. i dont think anybody cares if there PJ’s are made out of last year Material
Tamara,
I use to sew a lot. Recently my arthritis has stopped me. E-mail me from my blog and I can at least get you some buttons and thread to you. glossy money.
Hands down fabric.com is the best. I always go to retailmenot.com first and find the best coupon codes, the purchase fabric. You can get high quailty fabric for a great deal. I also like hancocks-paducah.com. They keep a $2.98 a yard page and have some really nice fabric on it! A couple of times a year they will run specials. I have a sewing business, and if there is one thing that will kill your business or justt make your garments look bad in general, it is cheap fabric. Fabric.com is the best!
I do like fabric.com And just another thought if you’re sewing for children especially…awhile back I bought a large purple and white seersucker skirt at the goodwill (women’s size) It was nice fabric, but I don’t think it looked good in a woman’s skirt. I cut it apart and made a sundress for one of my daughters. Less than $3.00 (I think our Goodwill charges a lot!)
Online fabric buyer beware! I recently had a terrible experience buying fabric online. I am doing a 1930’s quilt and had purchased a sampler pack of fabrics online (they were supposto be 1930’s reproductions) Instead I received a total scrap bag of horrible prints, and nothing resembled what was shown online (actually not even close, not even same scale/color -nothing). This was from a very well known online quilting store. Although they offer money back, by the time you put shipping and effort, it just is not worth it. I’m going to just buy from local stores, where I know exactly what i’m getting and the quality too. I also go to the quilt expos, they have great stuff there and just stock up!
I do a lot of sewing, and while I still shop at JoAnns quite a bit, I have been ordering from fabric.com a lot lately. So far I have had no issues and I do think they have a nice return policy. If you order several things at once, you can usually get a $20 off your $75 purchase which really helps. One thing to keep in mind is that while you may be able to find ‘better’ deals at Joanns, their fabric quality has gone down a lot in my opinion (especially their flannels and quilting cottons). If you need the project to last then it may be worth paying a little more and not having your project fall apart prematurely. For everyday kids clothes that they will grow out of quickly, cheaper fabric would probably be fine. I have also had good luck with yard sales (although its hit or miss…when you find one, stock up!). You can also buy garments with fabric you like at the thrift store, then cut them apart at the seams and use that. If you are making a little girls dress from a women’s skirt, or a boys shirt out of a mans shirt, it works great. You can also scour Target, Walmart, etc. clearance for tableclothes, curtains, etc. to use. My sister once made a very beautiful dress from a Target curtain! 🙂
I’m always looking for sheet sets on clearance. The best are the jersey sets because they’re so soft and don’t unravel, you don’t have to hem. The pillow case are perfect for little girl dresses!
I have mostly done sewing for the home. A few years ago, I sewed 10 curtain panels with fabric from ebay. This worked out great for me.
In October, I bought a pattern and fleece fabric from Hobby Lobby to make pajamas for my tall & thin 10-year old daughter. She has trouble staying warm at night, and store pjs are thin or don’t fit well. In the long run, even with a 40% off coupon, I still spent $20, which I don’t feel is a good price, but she has a good set of pjs, which I can let out the hems a few times.
I do like to use old sheets to make “toothbrush” rag rugs. I made three of these beautiful rugs for for my master bathroom for free. The rugs were orphans from a sheet set when the bottom sheet wore out. Here’s where I learned how to do it: http://www.ragrugcafe.com/
I second the estate sale recommendation – great, high-quality fabric and notions can be had. If you shop a specific company’s sales frequently enough, the folks who run the sales get to know you and will alert you to where in the house the sewing artifacts are and also if any upcoming sales have lots of fabric/other related items or things of interest.
I get almost all of my fabric from thrift stores. You have to shop around in your area though to know which ones have a regular stock. (For instance, Goodwill around here NEVER has any fabric or craft supplies) Its best to keep a stash and buy any fabric that you like (checking for wear and stains) when you see it because thrift stores are hit or miss. I also get my patterns and I’ve gotten a lot of sewing notions from thrift stores. I’ve made a maxi skirt out of a $2 sheet from goodwill and a shirtwaist dress out of .50 pink gingham curtains from the Salvation Army (with an 80s .25 pattern!)
Also, Wal-Mart carries a fair selection of $2-4 per yard fabric. Good luck!
I haven’t bought fabric online, but the absolute best place to get notions is homesew.com I’ve been doing business with them for years and their service is fast and most of their prices can’t be beat.
Also, I have a subscription to Sew Beautiful magazine, and they have free patterns inside (mostly childrens, but sometimes for women, too). They’re different that what I would get from the big 4 pattern companies, too.
I wrote about how I do mine here: http://theprudenthomemaker.com/sewingforless.aspx
I mostly sew for my children, but I sometimes sew for myself. I do shop Joann’s when it’s 50% off, and usually use a 10% off all purchases, including sales prices, coupon when they have one. Those are usually around big holidays and good for just a short time.
Prices have gone way up because cotton prices went up 40%. It is affecting ready-made clothing as well.
I still find it worth it to sew. I love heirloom clothing for my girls, and just the sewing supplies to make the dress yourself–or a ready-made version–can cost $200 a dress. I can make a very nice church dress, with hand-smocking and embroidery, for $10 to $20 (depending on fabric choices). Most of the dresses I make take 4 yards of fabric (these are childern’s dresses, but they are very full). Plus, my girls (and myself) can wear modest dresses, which aren’t always easy to find at stores.
Fabric.com has a great mailing list; they have daily specials with huge discounts. If you know you want something (say, silk, linen, or velvet, for instance) you can wait until they have it on their daily special. I have done that before. I’ve also bought those fabrics on 50% off sale at Joann’s (with the extra 10% sale coupon).
Atlanta Thread company is awesome for thread and other supplies. They have Gutermann thread for more than 11 times cheaper than Joann’s (their spools are 1100 yards and they have sales on top of their low prices, plus bulk discounts, and a plethora of colors).
I also make clothing over (thrift store and garage sale finds, as well as hand-me downs), and use sheets, curtains, etc. that have been given to me by others as well (if people know you sew, and they aren’t sewing anymore–especially older women–you may end up with quite a fabric stash for free!)
I love French handsewing and smocking as well:) Farmhousefabrics.com has pretty good prices and sales….my favorite place for french and cotton laces!
patterns I wait for 99 cent sales, Thread and zippers are a great price at Atlanticthread.com, they often run free shipping and some promo codes and you can get on their email list. They don’t email too often so it isn’t annoying. This has been the best place for zippers for sure! Also the thread is a very good price and the good stuff.
Fabric definitely shop the sales and clearance of the local stores like JoAnn’s and Hobby Lobby and use the 40-50% off one item coupons. If I know I need more than one piece I will buy one at a time to be able to use coupons. Also get in a sewing group and trade. Have fun it is always satisfying you beat the store prices or made something so cute and personal.
I belong to a couple of fabric destash groups on facebook. They are mostly groups of women who either sew small scale personal projects or (like myself) have children’s boutiques on Etsy. We sell and trade fabrics that we are not longer needing or purchased too much of usually for deeply discounted prices. There are even a few fabric retailers who frequent the pages so you can occasionally get some great designer fabric at wholesale prices. Feel free to email me at [email protected] if you’d like me to send you a request to join.
In case you didn’t know, you can use a JoAnns, Michael’s, Hobby Lobby and A.C. Moore coupon all in the same transaction on four different items. You can use more then one JoAnn’s coupon in the same transaction if they are different, ie, you got one from the internet and one from the paper.
Thanks! I’m going to try that.
I love fabric.com. Excellent customer service, frequent sales (get on their email list) and delicious fabrics. They also cut a 39″ yard, package well and ship fast.
Not always. The Joann stores here will not accept AC Moore/Michaels coupons for fabric yardage, because those stores do not sell fabric by the yard.
I get my patterns at Jo Ann’s and Hancock’s…but only when they have their $1 sale. I now have more patterns than I will ever possibly get to…but I have options when it comes to making presents now. 🙂 I also raid the remant areas of these stores and Walmart…but I make a lot of doll clothes, so this works for me. I have also gotten old t-shirts at Goodwill and made scarves from them. Good luck!
a good little project for a dress for young girls (or older if they would like it). take a t-shirt from anywhere, fabric from anywhere don’t need much, cut 2 rectangle pieces the desired length you would want sew them together on the sides hem the bottom edge, gather the top edge & sew on the bottom of the t-shirt. this makes an awesome little dress & not very expeincive either usually. I also used this for a couple of nitegowns. of course we only wear dresses so it worked for us. shes older now & don’t want these plus the would be more pricey because you would use more fabric. alot of times I have leftovers from my dresses & thats what I used.:)
I have quite a stash from years of sewing. When I look at new fabrics today, even at Joann’s, they are inferior. Looking in thrift shops, yard sales, etc. is good advice as well as repurposing fabrics from other things. Sewing anything takes a lot of time and effort and I HATE things not lasting well…so am especially picky about fabrics I buy. It undoubtedly is going to get more and more expensive just as is everything else in our lives due to the economy. I try to avoid anything made in China and some other countries as well. The cotton crop this year was almost nil, so we can expect the cost of anything cotton to rise even higher. I went out and bought extra underwear as I prefer cotton especially for those things and I have advised others to also do so before the current crop failure catches up with us. It would seem prudent to buy some ahead in cotton fabrics if you prefer that as well.
So true! I have been collecting fabric for only a few years and I’ve really noticed a difference lately. Even the nicer quilting fabric that sells for $10/yard…the price keeps going up, but the quality is going down.
If you have a need for outdoor fabric (slip covering cushions for wooden chairs, etc.) http://www.outdoorfabricsdirect.com/prints-patterns-florals.html is an excellent source and extremely fair prices and the shipping is reasonable. I have had very good success with them and I’ve used them 3 times in the past year.
I’ve had great success buying larger sized clothing (good quality/brand name) at our local thrift store and cutting them down to make other items. One pair of men’s khakis can make two pair of shorts for kids, or one pair of pants for someone smaller than the original size. You sometimes have to get creative with cutting out your pieces, but it can work. The thrift store in my area has j crew, lands end, ll bean, gap, etc so the fabrics are fairly current for ‘refashioning’. I even recovered our infant car seat with a big 50 cent denim skirt!
I find a lot of my sewing notions at estate sales. There are often baskets of thread, elastic, zippers, etc for .10 a piece. I use a lot of old sheets as fabric too, I get them at estate sales (for $1 a sheet!) or from Goodwill sales (around $1, but maybe more). This has really helped my sewing costs stay down for a lot of little projects.
One place to check online…Etsy. Search for “destash” and whatever the item is. A lot of crafters sell their surplus craft supplies there for less.
I run an alterations business from my home so I use a lot of zippers. I purchase almost all my supplies from Wawak.com(1-800-654-2235 to order a catalog) Shipping is $4.95. Pants zippers (9 in.) start a $.24. Sure beats Jo-Anns any day even with a coupon. I won’t shop anywhere else! Customer service is excellent and my orders never take more than 3 days! They carry all sorts of tailoring supplies!
I also find fabric at thrift stores and garage sales.
Thanks! I’m going to check them out.
For all of you who go to Joann Fabrics, they will accept coupons from AC Moore and Michaels. Plus you can use as many coupons as items, provided there are no “like” coupons. I always take one from each and use 3 coupons for my purchases.
It depends on the store. Our Joann stores will not accept AC Moore/Michaels coupons for fabric yardage, because those stores do not sell fabric by the yard.
same with my stores around here, but they will take Hobby Lobby coupons on fabric items.
I use fabric.com too for fabrics and notions. Retailmenot.com seems to always have some sort of a coupon code I can use to save money. Also, shipping is free after you spend $35. I try to wait to buy anything from fabric.com until I have enough to meet the free shipping limit.
I also shop at Joann fabrics and Hancock fabrics (not online, I go to the actual store.). If you have one near you, watch their weekly ads. Both stores have sales (up to 50%) on notions and specific fabrics from time to time as well as coupons (up to 40%). I’ve also been able to find patterns (McCall, Simplicity, Butterick) on sale for $1 per pattern (SO much cheaper than the normal price!).
fabric is expencive, but the best places is either joanns, hancocks, or if your walmart still has it. I will say that usually if you pay alittle more the fabric will last longer. our church fellowship has a set pattern we go by(each persons is made for them but by the same basic pattern. of course we are not all built the same) i am taller so i use senifically more fabric than others. I love the tropical breeze fabrics they wear well & are very comfy. I would not get online unless you know what you are getting.
I buy most of my fabrics from Goodwill and thrift stores. I have found excellent qualty and expensive fabrics there. Also check ebay, they have tons and tons of fabric.
Home Sew is also one of my favorites for sewing supplies as well as GVS mentioned above. For fabric, I shop at Joann’s or Hobby Lobby and use their 25% off coupons. Several fabric stores, such as fabric.com or my site this week have special offers for free shipping which help with price. Hope you can find something that work for you!
In my opinion, sewing most types of clothing for larger kids and adults hasn’t been economical for many years. My mother gave up in the late 80s, as fabric just got too expensive. In my experience, if the project takes much more than a yard of fabric, a ready-made item can often be found cheaper on the clearance rack or at a thrift store.
That being said, I still love to sew for my kids. I make pajama pants for them using clearance flannel from Joann’s, purchased when it is 50 percent off the red-tag price (so less than $2 per yard). I purchase their bulk elastic when it is half-price (or use a coupon). I can make children’s size 8 flannel pants for about $2.25. I’m careful to check all fabric over very carefully…quality has declined a lot in the past couple of years as the cost of cotton has risen. I’ve put a lot of bolts back on the shelf due to flaws.
I only buy patterns when they are on sale for 99 cents or I look for them at thrift stores. There are a ton of great tutorials online and information on drafting your own patterns, too. Our library has a few sewing books, including one with some good doll clothes patterns.
While there are good deals to be had online, the cost of shipping sometimes kills the deal.
I just made a size 8 pair of flannel pajama pants on Monday from a King-sized pillowcase that someone gave me (she gave me the whole set, and the pillowcases were even longer than most king-sized ones; I could have made a size 10 pants from it!)
I got a whole roll of elastic (bulk-sized roll) for $2 at a garage sale in October, but if I hadn’t found it there, I would have bought it from Atlanta Thread Company.
Awesome! I’ll have to compare my pattern to my pillowcases 😉 And I’ll check out Atlanta Thread Company the next time I’m running low on something. It looks like they have a $10 minimum.
I don’t buy fabric online, but as far as sewing notions, I buy zippers, thread, seam rippers, etc., from GVS , out of Versailles, MO. They don’t have an online store, just catalog sales. They have annual catalogs and sale catalogs that come out quarterly? I think it is.
You can have a catalog sent to you free of charge–1-800-398-2494.
GVS is great for lots of things!!! They have the most fun catalogs….
Agreed! I think the children’s section is a wish list. =]
There are a lot of fabric co-ops on Yahoo groups and other sites. Some are specialized in certain types of fabrics or fabrics for certain purposes (ie. diaper making supplies or quilting fabrics, etc.), but a general search can find many niches. The co-ops tend to take longer to get fabrics, as they form an interested group to purchase them, but the bulk buying power tends to translate into lower costs. 🙂
I have purchased through a fabric coop for several years and have found it to be great. Of course the person purchasing the fabrics for the coop to buy does a good job of picking quality fabrics and gets some straight from the manufacturer etc. I will agree with the poster that said that today with everything from China or similar, sewing is not necesarily a less expensive route.
Recently I posted on facebook in my status that I was interested in collecting fabrics. I said that if anyone had any extra fabric that they did not want/need I would be happy to take it off their hands. And in return the person may receive a special homemade gift. Well sure enough- I received quite a few responses from people that had beautiful fabrics, didn’t have a need for them but didn’t want to get rid/trash them…it has worked out great for now. Something to consider as word of mouth is always best!
Actually, I am making a quilt with fabric that I bought on Amazon! No kidding! They had a buy 3 get 1 free deal on flannel and flannel is quite expensive otherwise.
Some Walmarts still have fabric…call around. I have heard that they are bringing it back to many stores as well. The price of cotton has gone up and the price per square foot to sell fabric doesn’t compare to electronics. 🙁
Connecting Threads and Missouri Quilt Company are a couple websites to keep an eye on. Again, as one person said: Go directly to clearance and sale items. Sign up for newsletters via e-mail so you will get notice of sales and promotions.
Good luck and happy sewing! 🙂
I find high quality fabric at garage sales and Goodwill. Just last week I found about three yards of Waverly upholstery fabric for $2 at Goodwill. These aren’t the most reliable sources, but it is worth keeping your eyes open when you visit these places.
I found a yard of the exact home decor fabric that I wanted at a thrift store earlier this year. It normally sells for $20 a yard, and it only cost me $1! It was all I needed for the projects I had planned, too!
I also got fabric from Goodwill. It was actually a curtain or something and I used it to make a tote bag for my step-mother-it turned out very well. And it only cost me about $1! Founds some pottery barn curtains (still in their $38 packaging!) that were white with aqua paisley-I am going to make my twin daughters each a skirt. So repurposing is a great way to save! You could buy sheets or draperies for greater yardage.
I agree fabric online is high. Recently my sister sent me a link to http://www.fashionfabricsclub.com
They can have some really good deals. There are a few other places I have seen okay deals. Recently the fabric place I usually buy at upped their prices by like 40% it was a shock! I know cotton knits are hard to come by so when I see that for a good deal I buy. We used to have a Daisy Kingdom in our neck of the woods long before I had a little one. The fabric was so cheap I kick myself to this day for not buying.
I lucked out on notions buy buying at estate sales. For fabric I’m a bit more selective.
I’m sorry! Wrong website. The correct one is http://www.fabricmartfabrics.com
Fashion Fabrics Club sent me an email so they were on the brain. But the site I meant to mention is http://www.fabricmartfabrics.com
I get JoAnn Fabrics sale fliers in the mail about every two weeks and watch for what I want to either be on sale or I use the 40 or 50 percent coupon on the back. They rotate what’s on sale and you can usually get patterns pretty inexpensively if you wait for the specials. They used to have them as low as 99 cents each. Several times a year they also will have notions and thread half off so I stock up then. I’ve been afraid to purchase fabric online (except for quilting fabric) because of variations in colors between real life and what it looks like on my monitor. In this “buy everything from China” age, I just don’t think you can sew more economically than you can purchase ready made clothing unless you’re comparing very high end department store clothing to something tailored at home.
Good thing to note- if you sign up for JoAnn’s mailing list you can get the extra mailed coupons in addition to the weekly newspaper ones.
I agree–sewing your own clothing is not necessarily cheaper than buying, especially if you’re good at shopping thrift stores and yard sales. But if you are a hard size to fit (for example, I’m very petite), sewing can save a lot of time and headache shopping for something that fits. For example, I have a shirt pattern and a skirt pattern that I know fit me well. So when I need a new skirt, it’s a lot easier to find fabric I like than to find a skirt that fits well. And if I find the fabric for a good deal, so much the better! But pants, coats, button-down shirts, etc. are definitely worth it to buy instead of make.
Oh, and my Hancock Fabrics still has patterns for .99 every few months or so–not sure if Joann’s does or not. 🙂
I just signed up for Jo-Ann’s mobile app and got coupons on my phone.
They don’t have regular fabrics, but a lot of my needlepoint projects call for things that I can’t find in my locals stores. I’ve been pleased with 123stitch.com! They’ve always had what I’m looking for, and their shipping turnaround has been fast every time I ordered from them.
I live in an area where you have to go to a high-priced local shop or Wal-Mart to buy fabric, so I can feel your pain.
I tend to use coupons from Joann to stock up when it’s on sale. During the holiday weekend, they had flannel fabrics for $1.99 a yard. They also had coupons for free shipping. I bought from Joann’s over three separate days because of their deals and didn’t have to pay shipping on any of the orders. I blew my craft budget for the next few months, but I will be well-stocked through the winter for any projects I have.
Have you ever thought about using tablecloths, napkins, and sheets that you might find on clearance? I’ve noticed a lot of bloggers taking that approach. And there are so many uses for old t-shirts now for fabric projects too.
I also agree with the previous post about Home-Sew. I like them because you can get unusual notions, like zippers for doll clothing, and they sell trims in grab-bag like assortments. You might not know what you’re going to get, but if you’re like me, you’ll find a way to use it! Make sure you pay attention to your holiday gifts too, you can get scraps of ribbon or lace from bound sets of pajamas and the like. I keep ziploc bags to sort all my ribbon colors in, and I’ve gotten a lot that way!
Good to know about Home-Sew! I’ve been looking all over for short zippers for doll clothes!
I totally agree! I would watch for sales, check ebay. Look for items in good condition at yard sales, thrift stores. Tell your family and friends that you are looking for fabric – it might surprise you how many would happily give you what they have to ease their conscience of not ever finishing ‘that project’. Also, put it on Freecycle in your area and check Craigslist frequently. I have a friend who has a business making hair pretties, she only uses new fabric, and never fails to get it cheaply 🙂
Someone gave me the pattern, buttons, and fabric for a blouse that happened to be just what I was wanting to make! She was moving and getting rid of her sewing stuff. The fabric? White dupioni silk, and beautiful buttons that were just what I would have chosen. I LOVED the pattern, too. I ended up having a beautiful blouse JUST like I wanted, because someone didn’t finish her project. It was amazing.
That’s awesome!! I do that too, but with yarn – I’m lousy at sewing. Crocheting, however….;)
I like to know what I buy as far as material. I purchased it one time on line and was so unhappy with that purchased. I sent it back and never did it again. I buy alot of things on line but not sewing things.
Me, too! For my wedding I needed a large amount of fabric to make table runners. I researched and researched online and found something that I thought would be great. It arrived and it was the wrong color, wrong texture, and just the wrong fabric for what I wanted! I sent it back and haven’t bought fabric online since. The feel of the fabric is so important to me.
I’ve had a lot of success with JoAnn’s Red Tag clearance fabric – I wait until it goes on sale for 50% off and then stack that with my educator’s card (an additional 15% off) and get lots of great fabric that way. I made almost all of my maternity clothes last year when I was pregnant and spent a total of about $25. If I find something that’s a great price I’ll get it even if I don’t have a project in mind at that time. Years ago I bought three yards of 100% silk duponi for $3.50 a yard (regular price $24.99/yd) and just used it for a Christmas dress for my daughter.
As a long time sewing fanatic, I have only bought very specific cuts of fabric on-line. Like when I was outfitting a nursery for the first time, and knew the exact fabric print/style that I wanted…so I could order it at the best price. But that was only because I knew exactly what I was getting and had seen it before. For dress fabrics, the color and feel of the fabric is so variable that I would be worried about wasting my money on something that was really not suitable for the project in mind. I just try to shop around and know what I WANT to buy. Then I wait for one of those great % off coupons and buy at one of the chains. Especially for notions and thread, the % off coupons are the best deal that I have found.
I purchase most of my fabric from fabric.com. They have some good deals periodically, and you can often use a coupon code to save even more.
For notions such as zippers and thread, I’ve used homesew.com or newarkdress.com. If you’re looking for patterns, the pattern companies (such as http://www.mccall.com) have their own websites and run specials on a regular basis when you sign up for their e-mail updates.
I agree that fabric.com is great, provided you can get a deal. Just treat it like you would clothes shopping – always go to the sale and clearance section and search for coupon codes or promo codes online. I bought some very good quality, very heavy dark denim at a steal last year on clearance there. I also have family who favors fabric from Gehmans (as mentioned above), The Tropical Breeze fabric. I prefer 100% cotton instead of polycotton, but they are right that it is durable and wears well.
I agree. Make sure you check Retail-Me-Not or some other such site for coupon codes, and sign up for their mailing list. They are also a great place to find “hard to find” fabric like Laminated Canvas for Diaper Bags and Changing Pads.
Home Sew is an old company we always used and you can get great deals on notions! They always had coupons in their catalog of free shipping or deals. They had bundles of lace, buttons, ribbon etc. that was good quality.
http://www.homesew.com/
For fabric, we used to mail order some of ours before the internet from some Amish companies that had great prices on high quality fabric, but most of it was solids. Stauffer’s Dry goods was one we loved. You can get a catalog requesting it through the mail for a few dollars and it had samples of all the fabrics they offered.
STAUFFERS DRY GOODS
76 Stauffer Rd.
Mt. Pleasant Mills, PA
17853
(570) 539 – 8365
Spectors was another one….
I have mainly only shopped the Red tag sales or sales at JoAnn’s otherwise for fabric and always have an abundance! But another great place to get pretty and good quality fabric is Gehman’s Country fabrics
http://www.gehmanscountryfabrics.com/
They have excellent customer service and are wonderful to work with.
It is high quality fabric, so might cost a bit more to begin with, but holds up well.
Hmmm, I don’t live very far at all from Stauffers Dry Goods, but had never heard of it. It’s off a stretch of road that’s widened to allow for buggy and bicycle traffic, so I’m guessing it truly is an Amish shop! I’ll have to stop by next time I’m near it. Thanks, Martha! 🙂
We used their fabric for years! One time my mom made a dress from fabric from there, and wore it at least 3-4 days week, washed and dried it. After about 5 years of that, she decided she wanted to add a strip of fabric to the bottom and went to see the original fabric, thinking it would have faded with that wear…and it had not. It truly held up very well!