As some fabric stores close their doors, you might find yourself wondering, “Where can I find fabric and notions now?” The good news is, even if you live in an area without a local fabric store, there are still plenty of creative and convenient options to explore.

First, may we humbly suggest that you start with your stash? Most of us have enough “stock on hand” to last a while. In addition, many ASG groups have fabric exchanges or frequent free-cycle events where you can score fabulous finds. If you’re an ASG member, you’ll know the inside scoop. Non-members can

Independent Stores

The obvious answer is to search for other independent stores. There are many that still exist (and will welcome you with open arms) and you’ll be doing yourself — and them — a wonderful service to start shopping there. You may find though that at least some of those focus on quilting only. If you’re a garment sewer, but have a great quilting store or local sewing machine dealer in your area, ask if they might be willing to carry some other items, like notions, interfacing, etc.

Online

Online shopping is a great alternative, and there are myriad options available. For those who like to “touch and feel” before buying, search for companies that offer a swatching service. And check the company’s return policy before purchasing.

Some online fabric resources curate collections of go-together coordinates and notions, others offer personalized shopping for a small fee. Some also offer a swatched fabric club subscription.

However…

If you’re an adventurous sewer, there are a few other options to consider:

Re-use Centers

Specializing in the reuse of art materials of all sorts, there are several shops around the country that offer large selections of donated fabrics and notions. Check this site to see if there’s a re-use center near you. Not one near you? Consider starting one with sewing friends!

Thrift Stores

Thrift stores often have fabric, patterns and notions, as well as yarns and needlework supplies. In addition, check the linens section for tablecloths, runners, bedspreads and placemats that can be creatively fashioned into sewn projects.

But look beyond the conventional and peruse the clothing racks for fun garments to “harvest” their fabrics. Need some inspiration? Many of our recent Sew Sustainable webinars (open to ASG members) offer ideas for reusing various fabrics. Look for large and extra-large sizes and full skirts to maximize fabric. Be sure to inspect the garment to ensure that all the fabric is usable and there are no stains, snags, odd seams, etc. Save any fun buttons on garments for reuse as well, and zippers too if you’re willing to pick out the stitching.

Sweaters are an ideal source of knit fabric, though admittedly limited in quantity. But, you can keep the knit cuffs, collars and neckbands, in addition to utilizing the knit itself. If there’s wool in the sweatering, consider felting it to change the look and make a denser fabric. Again, check over the item before purchasing and look for stains, moth holes, etc.

Don’t bypass the tie racks if you’re looking for some fun silk piecing fabrics. Disassemble the ties, double check for any stains, and press. Adding a fusible interfacing to the wrong side will help to stabilize the bias-cut strips and make them easier to use in a new project.

Swing by the accessory department to peruse the handbags. Think about harvesting and reusing handles, closures, zippers and flaps in new ways.

Head over to the jeans department. In addition to reusing the denim fabric, there are also seams, pockets, closures and waistbands waiting for creative detailing.

Home Décor Stores

Check out the bath department of your favorite home décor store for fun beach towels, especially in the off season. If you need terrycloth for a project, this can be an economical way to get it.

Look in the drapery and curtain department—an excellent source of fabric in large expanses and few or no seams.

Blankets provide large expanses of seamless fabric—perfect for winter coats or jackets

Home Improvement Stores

“Say what now?”

Home improvement stores sell large canvas tarps ideal for dyeing, painting and otherwise embellishing, and they are way cheaper than purchasing canvas by the yard. They’re heavyweight and perfect for totes and some home décor projects like floorcloths, bins, etc. Some come with grommets already installed along finished edges, so the hem can be repurposed into your project.

Colored plastic tarps come in huge sizes and they’re ideal for tote bags and outdoor carry-alls where water resistance is needed.

Many home improvement stores also sell draperies and curtains providing large expanses of seamless fabric for sewing.

Check out the rope section for lots of cording size and color options sold by the yard or by the foot. They’re located near the clips, buckles, slides, grommets and latches that can also be incorporated into sewn projects.

So, as sad as many of us may be about store closures, we can just be more creative in the search for sewing necessities. Will we stop sewing because of it? Heavens no! As creative types, we know all about the “thrill of the hunt!”

Share Your Sources!

Tell us what sources you use for fabric and we will compile the information and present it in an upcoming artlce.

~Linda Griepentrog is the owner of G Wiz Creative Services and she does writing, editing and designing for companies in the sewing, crafting and quilting industries. In addition, she escorts fabric shopping tours to Hong Kong. She lives at the Oregon Coast with her husband Keith, and three dogs, Yohnuh, Abby, and Lizzie. Contact her at .

You may be familiar with ABC’s hidden camera feature “What Would You Do?” where the host sets up scenarios and tests the reactions of unsuspecting onlookers to see just how they respond.

We’re posing some similar scenarios that could happen in your sewing room and asking you to think about how you might respond. We all come from different sewing training backgrounds, so your response can depend on how you learned to sew and who taught you—with all due respect to moms and home economics teachers!

#1 Mismatched Stripes

You’ve just serged the side seam in your new T-shirt and noticed that some of the stripes don’t match as the fabric seems to have shifted as you sewed the seam. The stripes are narrow, but the question is “What would you do?”. Perhaps it doesn’t bother you and you say “life will go on”, or you decide not to take claim to having actually made the garment, as the ready-to-wear industry often doesn’t care about such details. Or, maybe you carefully take out the serging, adjust the seamline, repin and try your serged seaming again.

#2 Misaligned Quilt Blocks

Perhaps it’s your first attempt at piecing a quilt and you’ve dutifully pressed the seams in opposite directions so they nest and align, but somehow they don’t—they’re just a teensy bit off of a perfect match, despite your careful pinning and using a walking foot. What would you do? Does your decision depend on who the final recipient of the quilt is, or does that matter to you? Is it in your psyche that alignment should be perfect or do you say “aw well, I tried”?

#3 Oops…

While careful cutting can help prevent this sort of thing, sometimes we aren’t paying full attention, or thinking the project all the way through to realize the turn-back situation, or maybe you ran out of fabric for the proposed layout. If your garment is made from a directional print, and it has a collar and/or attached lapel facings, you need to think about the print direction on the finished garment as you’re wearing it, before you cut. If you cut a collar or front facing “upside down”, what will you do? The answer depends in part on if you have additional fabric to recut, or maybe even if you have long hair to cover up the snafu, or the prayer you offer up that no one will notice. The answer could also depend on how far along you are in the construction process when you notice the issue.

We’ve all faced similar issues in our sewing rooms, and had conversations with ourselves about the best resolution to a less-than-desirable dilemma, and wrestled with the question, “Is close enough good enough?”.

As American Sewing Guild members, we may even have larger conversations with multiple opinions offered.

If it’s been drilled into you from the time you learned to sew that everything has to be perfectly done, then you’ll likely strive for that in all the previous scenarios. If that wasn’t the case, then you may opt for other solutions, including doing nothing at all. Neither option is right or wrong—it simply depends on your comfort level.

I have a quote on my bulletin board that says, “Striving for excellence motivates you; striving for perfection can be demoralizing.” You may or may not subscribe to that mantra, but the one thing we all agree about is that we sew for fun, and if it ceases to be fun, then perhaps we need to rethink it.

~Linda Griepentrog is the owner of G Wiz Creative Services and she does writing, editing and designing for companies in the sewing, crafting and quilting industries. In addition, she escorts fabric shopping tours to Hong Kong. She lives at the Oregon Coast with her husband Keith, and three dogs, Yohnuh, Abby, and Lizzie. Contact her at .

You may be well versed in garment-making techniques, but maybe not so much for things like bag making. While some techniques can cross over, others are specific to bags and totes. Let’s explore a few of those.

Structure is key to bag making. You need to create a firmness not found in any garment, as the project has to support not only its own weight, but the weight of the contents as well, all without buckling or sagging.

Inner support is key. Firm interfacings, battings, fleeces and foams are ideal candidates to create the inner structure. Your bag pattern will likely make recommendations pertinent to the style, so be sure to read those before selecting the innards. All of these structural materials come in both fusible and sew-in varieties, depending on the fabric you’re using, and a bit of testing will help you determine the right option to get the feel and stability you need. Note that some bag materials like vinyls, some faux leathers and furs cannot be used with fusible products.

Whatever you use for the inner support, it’s a good idea to keep it out of the bag seams, so trim the outer edges either before fusing, or after basting in place. Trimming reduces bulk and makes smoother seams. Topstitching bag seams can help to keep them flat and crisp.

Choose the appropriate hardware for the bag design. There are hundreds of types of hardware items available for bag making, in a variety of colors and finishes. Eyelets and grommets are a popular choice. They can be used alone, or in combination with snap hooks, drawstrings, laces, etc.

Most bags have some type of closure for security—either a zipper, drawstring, buckle, slip lock or magnetic snap. A single bag can have more than one closing mechanism for added safety.

Chances are if you’re making a tailored bag, you’ll need hooks of some sort to hold a strap on. If you make detachable straps, you can get myriad looks for a single bag. Just look for snap hooks in a style and size compatible with your bag. Making detachable straps is your chance to embellish to your heart’s desire using appliqués, decorative stitching, trims or embroidery stitches.

Those straps can attach to the bag with D-rings or rectangular rings.

The company that designed your bag pattern may offer hardware kits like this kit from Amazon by Sallie Tomato (affiliate link), so you’re sure to have everything you need to complete the project, from hooks and D-rings to buckle sliders.

Super Stitching

Handbags and totes are a great place to showcase some of the decorative stitches in your machine that you might not use on a garment. A flap or strap can be embellished with a single stitch, or multiple rows of different stitches. Just be sure to stabilize the area behind your stitching lines before you sew to keep things flat.

Or use a portion of the bag to showcase a favorite embroidery motif.

So, whatever bag pattern you select for your project, be sure to read through the directions before starting it, as there may be some new techniques you’re not familiar with, and for the best results, use the products suggested by the designer.

Unless otherwise noted, all images courtesy of Bernina of America, with permission.

~Linda Griepentrog is the owner of G Wiz Creative Services and she does writing, editing and designing for companies in the sewing, crafting and quilting industries. In addition, she escorts fabric shopping tours to Hong Kong. She lives at the Oregon Coast with her husband Keith, and three dogs, Yohnuh, Abby, and Lizzie. Contact her at .