Back to the point of this post - I'm looking at a variety of online fabric shops scoping out what I want to use my discount(s) and birthday money on. I was looking at a new to me online site and realized they were selling one of my favorite fabric brands ~ Telio. While the price they're charging per yard isn't exorbitant, I thought I wonder what sewandsew is selling it for. So I moseyed on over and found it's a few dollars cheaper on their website.
I'm deliberately leaving names off because this post isn't to shame or disparage any online fabric stores. The point of this post is to ask if you shop around online and compare prices? I do this constantly...but then I love to shop for fabric online and I know a bunch of sewists don't. I'm always amazed at sewists who only have "the fleece craft store" near them that don't shop online. Yes, I've heard all the arguments about the need to touch it. I just think you're limiting yourself by not being willing to see what the interwebs hold for you.
Aside from that, the Question of the Day is, "Do you shop around for fabrics" and one more "Do you comparison shop for sewing tools and sewing machines online, too?" I'm really curious so leave a comment below whether you do or don't.
BTW, I am buying fabric from both places...just one is getting a larger order because their price per yard is quite a bit cheaper!
...and here is my latest Dover Jacket so far...
...as always more later!
This is an interesting question. If I go to the fashion district, for example, I never comparison shop. But when I buy online, I am more inclined to price check.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, "the fleece craft store" is the perfect description for the fabric desert that I live in! lol. I believe that I won a gift certificate from EmmaOneSock via your blog. Thank you! Honestly, I can't thank you enough. It was an amazing shopping experience and now I'm a loyal customer. The quality of fabric that I've been able to access from EmmaOneSock exceeds anything I've found here. I'm currently waiting for my first order from Mood fabric. It's late (I was hoping it would have arrived today) and shipping and the exchange rate was enough to make me cringe until I figured that it works out to being the similar price range that we pay here. But for fabric that I the fabric that I ordered I would never be able to find here. And I've also purchased zippers online since that is another item that is sometimes difficult to find when you need something out of the range offered at "the fleece craft stores." So yes, I do shop online even though I was reluctant to start it's been a positive experience so far. And I absolutely comparison shop.
ReplyDeleteHi Carolyn....(I've been following you so long I feel you are a friend in my head.)
ReplyDeleteSince the birth of my third grandchild late last year, I have been shopping selectively for fabric for his layette and pre-toddler wardrobe (notably, organic cotton jersey or interlock knits). When the things I make take less than a yard, comparative shopping becomes a requirement. I am finding a few shops that price identical fabric for $1-3 less per yard (and don't mention the shipping charges which vary in the same range.) I do feel blessed that I worked in a fabric store when my son was transitioning from high school to college, and can tell the difference between a crepe, twill or polished cotton; so I am not in the group that has to 'feel and touch' to finalize a purchase. Yet, I am still delighted by the positive sensation of joy when a shipment of fabric is even better than I thought. I don't warehouse notions, and will go the local fabric stores for them, but I shop only a short time and are often disappointed at the selection offered to the clientele in my area. The fabric purchased over my sewing lifetime is now crammed in my retirement-size space, and I am sorting out the polyesters and out-of-date patterns from my stash to make room to create only those things I plan to make between now and the day I can no longer sew. This short post is only to begin to encourage others to step out there and embrace our retail options on all levels, and further encourage everyone to visit stores that offer the fabric you sew with. Become familiar with the companies that create consistently nice fabrics (Telio is my current fave!) and use your conclusions to purchase samples) even create/label your own on cards or in binders...you will become more comfortable as time passes.
Thank you for your blog, and know if I never post again, I remain in the background lurking and rooting you on. Who knows? Perhaps I will get to the place where we will meet at one of your retreats!
Love it! So classy looking. I also really like your dress form. Do you know where I can get one like it?
ReplyDeleteMine is from Amazon. It's by RoxyDesign.
DeleteI shop around not only for the price comparison, but also because I find different prints in the same category/brand on different sites. If the price is less, then I weigh what else I'm wanting from there and the shipping
ReplyDeleteYes I comparison shop online I would prefer to shop locally but my local fabric store quality of fabric has declined so much until I'm forced to shop online I Do buy sewing tools from a my local fabric store if I can find them there I buy my sewing machines locally and since there's only one dealer that sells my sewing machine brand I don't get to comparison shop
ReplyDeleteFor tools and things, I might look around, but my go-to is WAWAK, if they have it, I get it from them. Simple.
ReplyDeleteIt never occurred to me to look for Fabric X at more than one place, I always assumed that is Business 1 has it, Business 2 won't, that they would have something else.
I mean, if I were looking for say black ponte, then sure, I might like a place or 2 before committing, but I never thought to look for a specific print or pattern anywhere but where I was seeing it.
This opened up my mind to new possibilities! Thanks!!
I am just beginning to purchase fabrics online. I was looking for some gingham and checked a few sites and noticed that the prices varied by three or four dollars. But, I didn't purchase them because my top sloper is almost finished. I know that some fabric stores carry fabrics unique to them, so I would probably check a few sites and then just order for them. When I'm looking for a tool, I will check my local "fleece craft store" to see if they have it and wait for a good sale. I will wait to order thread from Wawak until they have a sale. I'm currently pondering whether I need a Reliable iron and will definitely shop for price and warranty. The department store have conditioned us to wait for (weekly!) sales that I worry that thinking has rubbed off on all of our shopping. (When I lived in Philly and had a small fabric district and when I went to NYC to fabric shop I never thought about comparing prices - if they had it, I bought it!) Great question! Mary Jackson
ReplyDeleteI have a few favored sites, and I check them all when I'm looking for something specific. I'm looking both for what do I like, and where is the best price. And then there is always the problem of seeing something you didn't know you wanted, and yet, here it is. Sometimes I do go to the fleece craft fabric store if I need something specific right now, but that's often for Christmas fabric - think napkins, decorations, whatnot. I'm with you: if you want to be able to contemplate a variety of fabrics, shop around. (And happy "shopping" day, whenever it may be!)
ReplyDeleteoohh that navy border print is so spectacular. I bet you wear that jacket to death.
ReplyDeleteI don't fabric shop online usually because the local chain store here is pretty good. They do have lots of fleece but also lots of quilting fabrics and some nice apparel fabrics. Online fabric is difficult because there is so much of it. The bigger the field of choice the more difficult it is to choose.
ReplyDeleteI don't shop around very much. I have 2 basic favorite websites that I use when I have a few $$ to spend on fabric. I don't go to the local stores for garment fabrics. Without any storage space, my shopping is limited. I have bought my machines from my local dealer and was gifted with a Singer Featherweight and a White 1911. That gives me 7 machines so I don't need anymore especially since I don't have a sewing room. LOL!!!
ReplyDeleteI do and I don't. How is that for an answer? If I'm looking for something specific, then I will absolutely shop around. If I'm falling "victim" to an email and impulse buying fabric then not so much. And I would say I know when your birthday is, but I always get it wrong :\
ReplyDeleteThat dover is gorgeous! You will be so fancy over your jeans. :) g
I'm fortunate to have lots of stores to shop at for fabric. However, I've almost stopped looking at online shops because the cost of shipping has gone up so much, and if I purchase enough to get free shipping, then the customs are too high to make it viable. So I shop around town, and when I go to the States each year, I have a field day shopping for fabric! Sadly, we live way out west, so have never been to the wonderful fabric stores you have down east. Now that we're retired, though, and we go to the States for a month or two every winter, I shop online and have it shipped for free to the rental we're in. It means I have a small window of time to shop, but there are usually some good bargains to be had. Love your dover jacket.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely shop around and include shipping costs in the final decision.
ReplyDeleteI shop around daily. I refuse to be limited by what is sold at my local shops. They do not stock every fabric released by the manufacturers. I check the internet for prices on everything including hardware, electronics, patterns and food. I like to shop locally to keep them in business but if they don't have it online I go.
ReplyDeleteYour jacket is gorgeous. That fabric is amazing. If that is what you scour from your internet shopping, you nailed it, and please continue! I do shop online some and I do compare. I am a pretty thrifty shopper over all but my philosophy is the bargains give me the permission for the ocassional exhorbitant splurge. I'm justified!
ReplyDeleteIf it's online shopping...I comparison shop; price, selection, shipping costs etc. That being said, I don't do a lot of online shopping. I just found out another of my local fabric stores will be closing its doors this year and the options for basics; zips, thread, buttons, interfacing etc is becoming limited. So...I'm trying to please everyone, as usual, LOL.
ReplyDeleteLove your jacket!
I comparision shop for EVERYTHING, including fabric! My general 'notion' (so punny) is that shipping is the deal breaker when looking at total cost.
ReplyDeleteAnd I love those birthday sales
I do shop around for fabric most of the time. Sometimes though I just have to have the one I saw because quantities were low. By doing so, I have saved some money. I always shop around for sewing tools and machines.
ReplyDeleteI only comparison shop when I want a particular fabric. If I'm browsing and see something pretty, I get it then and there. That's the beauty/benefit/danger of living near robust, independent fabric stores (yes, plural!). I'm about to move to a place without this in-person access. My stash will tide me over while I settle in, but I suspect I'll shop online for fabrics moving forward.
ReplyDeleteI do shop around. It takes a long time to learn which places are worth the higher prices because of markedly better fabrics, brand names to trust and snap up wherever they are most reasonable, shipping, service, whatever other concerns come up. It’s kind of cool to start having all that knowledge and kind of irritating to need it. Happy upcoming birthday!
ReplyDeleteI try, but there aren't too many places here (in Australia) that sell the same fabrics, so I tend to go with what I like and just try to stick to a bit of a budget.
ReplyDeleteHaving said that, I am coming to New York for a couple of days in July and am keen to do a spot of fabric shopping. We are staying a few blocks away from the fabric district (I think) and I'm keen to pick up some athletic fabric, since that is what I have the most difficulty locating back home. I'll have my family (husband and teen daughter) with me so will have to be fairly strategic about how I spend my time. If you've got time to recommend some places, I'd be so grateful!
Kelley, Check the blog "Wanderstitch". They took a trip to NYC in November (?) and went to different shops in the garment district-one being all lycra/sports fabrics. (I'd just been there myself & missed the sports fabric store.)
ReplyDeleteHave funa
Thanks, Lodi! That's really helpful. :-)
DeleteLove the jacket.
ReplyDeleteOf course I fabric shop online and am always amazed at sewists that don't. Why limit yourself? But I haven't really done much in regards to price comparison. I will do more of this so thanks for the reminder! Oooooh do I love your latest creation!!! Karen
ReplyDeleteI usually shop online because it is easier than going to the stores. I am fortunate to have a few wareshouse type fabric stores close enough to me, and they often have good prices, but I easily get overwhelmed, and would rather be able to place some filters on what I am looking for. I am one of the (seems like) rare sewists who only buy the fabric needed for a specific project and very rarely what just jumps out at me.
ReplyDeleteWith that said though, I don't always price compare; I instead go with shops that I can trust the quality and know what I am getting. That sometimes means higher prices, but I do like to know what I am getting and be able to trust a good return policy if needed. For tools, I try to buy the best I can afford up front, before I need them. If I do need something quick, a run to walmart/joann/hobby lobby is what I will do, but it's kind of a last resort.
Emerald
Just lovely!
ReplyDeleteThere is a real dearth of good fabric stores near me (the best one is a 4-hour RT car ride) so I order online. My usual M.O. is to try to get as much as I can from one place at a time so I can avoid shipping costs -- thread/zips/fabric/muslin/patterns, as much as I can stuff into the shopping cart. I also have to order swatches of most fabrics, so it's a rather slow shopping experience. Sucks, actually.
ReplyDeleteI do price shop novelty prints online. That said, I do give some thought to turnaround time. Fabric.com takes forever; Harts gets to me within 72 hours. So that's worth a buck, also their customer service is excellent. A couple ebay and etsy stores get my business first for same reasons. I've gotten burned on content/quality online even at Mood, so I'm hesitant to purchase new to me manufacturers online except from Harts or District Fabrics, as I know they will not let me down.
ReplyDelete