Buy Fabric Online

by | Mar 19, 2015 | Blog, Reviews

Starting right now, buy fabric online!

Business owners have it all, you know?  They have the goods we want.  But, so does everyone else online.  Gone are the days of exclusive online purchasing, thank you world-wide (shopping mall) web! I recently tried to purchase some black knit fabric for the warmer months.  I cannot believe I live in a city with four major fabric stores, well, two of each, and no one had what I needed!  I started shopping online a few months ago because the local retailers did not have the variety I wanted.  I am glad I did!  Except for the shipping charges, I love the fabric I’ve gotten online.  I’ve only shopped at  Girl Charlee so far.  Their product is far superior to what I have purchased locally.  The prices are even better!  I love them.  The problem is, they sell mostly knit.  You know, a girl likes to experiment with other textiles, right? I began the search today for the best quality at the lowest prices, including shipping, online.

  1. Amazon– an all-inclusive list is at the link 🙂  If you shop at certain vendors and spend     35 dollars, shipping is free.  Or you can become a premium member and shipping is free.
  2. Girl Charlee– Amazing product, mostly in the $6-$8 range. But, they sell bargain bins of flawed fabric for around $2 a yard.  The shipping is free with $100 purchase, or $10 for anything less than that.
  3. Fabric.com– is a great site with prices comparable to Girl Charlee. The shipping is free on this website if you spend $35!!  Ding Ding, that’s easy enough right?
  4. Michael Levine, Inc.– Is endorsed by the amazing Mimi G., for those fanatics of her work.  This site is really pretty good, I spent a fair amount of time here filling up my basket.  Their fabrics begin around the $6 range and you can spend as much as you want on fabric from there.  I’m on the stingy side though, I stay at the bottom end. More fabric for my buck right? Their shipping is not a flat rate, it’s based on the true shipping cost.  At $75 your shipping is free though.  We love free shipping!!
  5. Mood Fabrics– Has ah-maz-ing fashion fabrics!  I love that site!  Their prices start at around $2 and go up from  there. Remember, it is fashion fabric, so the prices go way up there! But, I believe there is something for everyone.  They also have a rewards program.  Points earned for pinning the fabric, sharing it on social networks, and various other things.
  6. Fashion Fabrics Club– The prices are comparable to everywhere else I’ve looked online.  They have the largest selection of Denim I’ve ever seen, two hundred and nine varietieswithlycra! Shipping seems the best I’ve found so far.
    • up to $25.00 – $6.95
    • $25.01 to $50 – $8.95
    • $50.01 to $100 – $11.95
  7. Seriously, look for  part two to this blog.  I’ve looked at so much fabric today I believe they are all looking the same to me.  I’ve enjoyed this!  Part Two coming soon. Besides, I have shopping carts to take care of 🙂

The Cynthia Rowley Experience

by | Mar 16, 2015 | Blog, Reviews

Look at those! I just want to spend the rest of the month sewing these.  Her patterns are amazing and they look so much like off the rack. Each pattern has so many options. The skirt patterns have tops, the top patterns have pants, it’s amazing!

My last purchase was the yellow skirt, Simplicity 1366 is unexpectedly trendy.  The skirt alone was the selling point.  But, I opened it to realize the envelope also contains a pattern for a cami and a boatneck top.  I believe there is nothing classier and more comfortable than a boatneck. This can be a really cute and casual tee for jeans or a silk blouse to accompany the skirt. Anyway, that’s how I plan to spend my afternoon.  Any plans for yours?

******UPDATE******

I’ve sewn the boatneck top twice now.  I love it!  It’s a quick sew and the neckline is very easy to install.  The only problem I had is I forgot to add length.  So, that’s not really a problem, right?  I just added a band at the bottom.  I sewed it out of interlock knit  so it is really comfy.  You’ll be seeing a lot of this top on my blog this season.  I made a peplum version as well.  I promise to post those pictures!

Simplicity 1716 … The Complexity of Sewing a Cowl

Simplicity 1716 … The Complexity of Sewing a Cowl

by | Mar 11, 2015 | Blog, Lucy's Sewing Lab, Reviews

I’m not exactly a newbie to the sewing world.  But, today I attempted Simplicity 1716.  Wow!  I cannot wrap my head around it.  Sew, this one will be in the “to be completed” file.  I love the way it looks.  I probably just need to dive in and see what happens.  I really didn’t get very far because the instructions were not making sense to me for the outcome expected.  That’s where I get messed up every time.  I think I know what’s coming next or the method to use.  In all actuality if I act like I’ve never sewn before I would probably breeze through it.

     The plain cowl neck options are probably really quite simple.  But, I’m down for the challenge.  I’m shooting for view B.  I’ll let you know when it’s completed.