Does anyone know

I agree Barbara...........seems as if you are not looking for quilting cottons, you are in a bad way!!

Because there isn't a big market for that kind of fabric. The crafty stuff is what most sew-ers are buying. Those who do sew the 'good' stuff find their own sources.

Most women don't wear suits anymore. I don't know anyone in my immediate circle of friends (80% college graduates) who wears a suit to work, or anywhere else, for that matter.

There *are* stores that carry that kind of fabric. There are a few (I think 3) within driving distance of me (where driving distance is defined as I can get to the store, shop (without too much rushing), and be back again by the time DS steps off the bus, about 6 hours).

Sewing isn't really a money saver anymore unless you're an odd size. My mom gave up sewing everyday stuff for Sis and I when we were in HS, and it was because it was cheaper to buy off the rack than it was to make it.

Good fabric is expensive. Most people aren't willing to spend more for the fabric than they would if they bought a dress at a department store or mall boutique.

jenn (the three stores are Haberman Fabrics in Royal Oak, MI; Fabric Gallery in Williamston; and Field's Fabrics (chain) in GrandRapids/Kalamazoo area)

-- Jenn Ridley snipped-for-privacy@chartermi.net

Thank you Jenn for posting those 3 stores. We travel a bit, infact we will drive to alaska next summer entering canada through michigan. Ill check those stores at that time. Getting a good fit is the reason I would sew today, not so much to save money although believe me stretching my dollars use to be paramont. Thanks again

On-line shopping? I've lived in a fabric desert for years, and fabric shopped by post for the last 10 at least. Now I can shop for fabrics on-line, the whole world has opened up! If I want a living, breathing fabric store, I go to Birmingham, Coventry, or Wembley! There's a good one not too far from here at Tunbridge Wells, but it takes an hour or more to get to because of the roads, and I don't drive. Here in Kent all roads go east/west, from London to the ports for France: TW is almost due south of here! Gahh!!

Basically, the fabric stores went when the cost of buying fabric and sewing yourself got higher than buying off the rack. My mom used to sew alot but at a point she found watching the sales she could buy ready made cheaper than making her own clothes. Mike in Wisconsin

Does anyone know

I recently moved to south carolina after 10 years in Florida. Central Florida was hopeless. The worst Joann stores must be in that state. I had hoped since so many mills had been based in this part of the country it would be better here in the Carolinas but that isnt the case. Ive been told about Maryjo in Gastonia. I will check that store. Joann and Hanover seem to dominate the scene in the southeast. My bother lives in columbia, md I will check G Street fabrics when we visit them. Thanks Barbara

I have been enjoying this post because even here in New Zealand, there has been quite a noticeable decline in fabric stores over the past

But not always. Good quality, well cut clothes are still quite expensive, especially if high fashion, because they will in all probability only last one or two seasons in fashion. However a good quality pair of slacks or basic straight skirt should last years - and these are a good investment if your figure is reasonably standard.

I sew all my own clothes because I am an odd fit (and decidedly odder as I reached middle age). And we do have some quite well-stocked fabric stores in the city where I live, and sometimes there are fashion house fabric ends of lines sales where really nice fabrics can be picked up virtually for a song.

Some of the local clothing manufacturers send fabric ends of lines to a charity outlet which opens one morning a week to sell to the public. The premises are small and the experience a bit like being in a zoo, but worthwhile goods can be bought.

We still have one department store that caters for dressmakers (home and/or professional), with high quality fabric choices.

Buying online from the USA would not really suit me due to the high shipping costs (unless of course they offer free shipping - some hope!)

Daisy.

Don't assume malice for what stupidity can explain.

Re: Does anyone know

For over 2 years, I lived almost within walking distance from Florence Fabrics, that is why my stash is so large now. The buttons are wonderful, too. I found some rare-looking buttons there for my niece's wedding gown that she had searched for over a year. Emily.

You identified something there that I never noticed, Emily - my stash has hardly grown at all since I started buying mail order. It mainly built up when I was working in Camden, north London, which is a bit miserable and run-down, and I think I comfort-shopped at the fabric shop in the high street every lunchtime. I can't make impulse buys any more, so I tend to only buy what I need - perhaps it's just as well for my bank balance.

:) Trish

In Amsterdam/NL there are 6 shops having good quality fabric. Expensive yet good stuff. I like the Indian one, not far from The Dam(Down Town) with silk and cool wool. Among these 6 stores is also one for the the costumes, extraordinary fabric, of course, but not for my purse. Well, 780 000 inhabittans, 6 stores, not too much, is it?

--Karen M. in metro Detroit and drooling over the idea of a visit to Field's

Well, thanks to all who replied. They say things run in cycles. I wonder if women in numbers will ever want to sew their clothing again. I probably will not be around if and when that happens.

I have noted the fabric stores and the cities where they are located. I will visit those stores when I pass through those cities. Barbara

I wouldn't take bets on that. Clothing patterns have gotten worse and worse, but the newer computer programs (Dress Shop, PatternMaster Boutique, Garment Styler, etc.) have renewed a lot of interest in sewing well-fitting clothing. The general population, at least here in the US, has aged, and along with that comes a need for different clothes that fit differently than what we wore in our youth. That level of fit has gotten more and more difficult to find, especially as the manufacture of clothing has almost completely left the country. It might get better, but so far I haven't seen any sign of that happening, and so I continue to pin my hopes on getting a decent fit from my sewing machine.

After all, people still need to cover their bodies, right?

Karen Maslowski in Cincinnati

Hehehehe! We do indeed!

The thing is, if I want cheap&cheerful knits and the like, buying is cheaper and easier than making: if I want posh frocks and suits, I get a better quality and fit making it than I can afford to buy!

Amsterdam IS expensive for fabric, but try the markets! I used to creep over the border (dad posted to RAF Germany many moons ago!) and shop in the markets in Nijmagen and Arnhem (forgive spelling error - it was a looooong time ago!), and they were quite good. Also, you are not far from London (not as close as me, but still closer than some bits of the UK!), and bits of London are still excellent for fabric shopping. If you like the Indian stuff, take a look at my Fabric List (hit the url below and hunt it up - I don't sell anything, my site is purely for information and showing off some of my projects!). There are a couple of places there that do mail order.