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Like to feel fabric first (Moderated by Deepika, Sharon1952)
Posted on: 3/17/11 1:35 PM ET
I want to make more grown up clothes but am having a hard time spending the $$ for fabric I know won't match the style of the garment.
I have a shirt I want to make S3842 (Mint green top) that suggests using georgette. I understand I will have problems of my own sewing with this fabric (and sewing some sort of a lining)
but I'm up for the challenge. The closest JA is about an hour. Do they have this kind of stuff?
I'm kind of wary of doing online shopping since I like to feel it & don't know what all the terminology means when describing it (poly, cotton, rayon, jersey, tricot, bamboo, double knit) let along understanding the type of fabric for linings (what is batiste)? I'm looking to expand my horizons and didn't know I didn't know so much!
Any suggestions??
-- Edited on 3/17/11 1:37 PM --
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I have a shirt I want to make S3842 (Mint green top) that suggests using georgette. I understand I will have problems of my own sewing with this fabric (and sewing some sort of a lining)
but I'm up for the challenge. The closest JA is about an hour. Do they have this kind of stuff?I'm kind of wary of doing online shopping since I like to feel it & don't know what all the terminology means when describing it (poly, cotton, rayon, jersey, tricot, bamboo, double knit) let along understanding the type of fabric for linings (what is batiste)? I'm looking to expand my horizons and didn't know I didn't know so much!

Any suggestions??
-- Edited on 3/17/11 1:37 PM --
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- Maureen.
Kenmore 26231 SM
White 2900 Serger
Brother 1250D Combo
Kenmore 26231 SM
White 2900 Serger
Brother 1250D Combo
Posted on: 3/17/11 2:11 PM ET
I would order samples of fabrics you like to feel, then keep the samples to compare for onlline sales. You will probably spend less buying samples than on fabric you can't use or gas to get to JoAnne's.
Posted on: 3/17/11 4:28 PM ET
In reply to mozeyrn
I have to touch and feel my material too. Joanns has plenty to choose from. If you want to just walk the store and take your time, you can read the end of the bolts and get a better idea of what kind of material you are actually looking at. After you get comfortable with that, perhaps buying on line will be more to your liking.
Posted on: 3/17/11 4:36 PM ET
I'm sure different joann's stores have different strengths (and weaknesses), but I wouldn't recommend depending solely on them--my 2 local joann's often leave a lot to be desired, especially in terms of (often) unknowledgable staff. I have very successfully gotten over my own apprehension of buying fabric online, and if you're not quite ready for the bigger pricetags that can come along with places like fabricmart, gorgeous fabrics or emma one sock, there are definitely lower price-point retailers out there. Fabric.com is nice because they offer free returns, so if you sorta splurge on something that ends up being NOT what you wanted, you can always send it back. I've gotten things from fabric.com that were cheaper quality, too--sometimes you just have to pony up to facing that learning curve, and jump in somewhere. It can be really overwhelming to focus on all the stuff you don't know yet, which I can say from experience!
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"You have a better life if you wear impressive clothes." -Vivienne Westwood
Posted on: 3/17/11 6:02 PM ET
In reply to mozeyrn
I would invest in something like the fabricmart fabric club. They have good descriptions of the fabric and they tend to carry decent to excellent quality fabric..so for an investmet of $20 for a year you can think of it in terms of a couple of classes in fabrics.They also send you a discount cupon if you sign up for the membership.
I learned fabrics from the excellent and well labeled remnants at B+J here in new york..they no longer have the remnats ...but i learned a huge amount
Thai silks also does a swatch thing where you get a year's worth of whatever they are selling for about $20.. a good way to learn about the varieties of silk
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I learned fabrics from the excellent and well labeled remnants at B+J here in new york..they no longer have the remnats ...but i learned a huge amount
Thai silks also does a swatch thing where you get a year's worth of whatever they are selling for about $20.. a good way to learn about the varieties of silk
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sarah in nyc
https://sewnewyork.blogspot.com/
https://sewnewyork.blogspot.com/
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