fabric stash | Musings of a Seamstress

I hope all my US readers had a very happy Thanksgiving this past Thursday. I know Eric and I did. We drove all over the north half of Indiana to celebrate with each of our families. I think we spent somewhere close to 8 hours of the day in the car driving. We were exhausted by the time we pulled into our driveway that evening. It was a long day full of great food and family.

One of my favorite things about Thanksgiving is that it also marks the start of the Christmas season in our house. We do not put up any Christmas decorations until after Thanksgiving. For me, it also marks the start of Christmas shopping. Of course, it is no secret that I love shopping and Black Friday. It all stems from my mom taking my sister and I out early in the morning on Black Friday to go shopping when we were younger. These days, I really only go to Jo-Ann’s to get my shopping fix and this year was no exception. While I love Black Friday, it should be noted that I am very against shopping on Thanksgiving day.

Musings of a Seamstress - apparel fabric

I picked up some great fabrics, that I have been eyeing for quite sometime, to add to my stash. One of which is that heavyweight Aztec woven at the top of this post. It will eventually be a coat of some variety with the black faux leather as binding. Right now, I have two different ideas in mind and I am so torn on which one to go with, but that is a post for another time. I also got a grey fleece lined sweater knit, that has had me curious to try for a couple of months now, and a black/grey chambray.

Ever since Jo-Ann’s released the line of Doctor Who fabrics I knew I had to have the exploding Tardis cotton, so I picked up 4 yards of it. I am thinking a cute dress with a Peter Pan collar to wear to Gen Con next year. I just could not pass up the vintage sewing machine cotton either. I think this may be a lining for a tote bag or something.

Of course, flannels made it into my shopping bags. Flannel is the main reason I go to Jo-Ann’s for Black Friday. For $1.74 a yard you just cannot lose on this one. I do already have a ton of flannel still in my stash, but none that I wanted to give up and make into Christmas jammies for other people. I did also pick up some solid color flannel to keep on hand to use as underlining in any coats I may be making in the coming months.

Somehow, I have misplaced my receipt from my Friday shopping excursion and now have no way to track what I paid for each of these pieces. The OCD in me is having a hard time with this, since I have been keeping a very detailed record of everything I have purchased, sewn up, and given-away. I will just have to estimate these purchases I guess.

In keeping track of everything, I realized I was very close to using more than I have purchased this year, but that has now been blown out of the water by my Black Friday trips. I always strive to use more than I purchase through out the year, but it looks like my stash will be growing this year and I am okay with that.

Here’s the deal, I keep readily available a stash of most sewing supplies and fabrics. It is not because I am a hoarder, I most definitely throw out a lot of stuff around my house all the time. Ask Eric, today alone I tossed a pair of his pants that he loved. In fact I delight in using something up in its entirety, like finishing off a bottle of soap or burning the last bit of a candle. My philosophy is to keep my sewing room like I keep my pantry, well stocked. After sewing for as long as I have been, I can say that my sewing room is just that. Having such a well stocked sewing space means that I can make just about anything I want whenever the inspiration strikes me. It means that I do not have to stop sewing at 9pm because I realized I didn’t buy a zipper or buttons or whatever finishing notions I need and now the stores are closed so I cannot finish my garment. While my sewing space is crowded and more often than not messy, it allows me the freedom to be more creative with my garments. For example, if I am making a dress and I start to hem it and it doesn’t look the way I had envisioned, I can immediately try something else without having to make a trip to the store. I love having all the things I need at my disposal.

I truly believe that building up your fabric stash and sewing supplies is like stocking your kitchen pantry. Plan your sewing like you plan your meals. The more you have on hand the less time and money you spend at the store. I know it is not ideal for everyone, but if you want to build up your fabric stash and sewing supplies here are some tips to try.

Always shop the sales. Much like grocery shopping, this will help you to save money in the long run. You don’t have to go crazy and buy all the things all at once, but make sure you only buy things that are on sale or you can use a coupon for. Never pay full retail price for anything. Once you start really paying attention to their sales you will see a pattern to be able to better plan your shopping.
Always have coupons. There are so many ways to get good coupons. Jo-Ann’s has a mailing list you can sign up for, which is a must, they have coupons on their mobile app, they will email and text you coupons. You should always have at least one coupon available to you at any given point. You can search for Hobby Lobby coupon and one will always come up to use. I do not shop Hancock’s as there isn’t one close to me but I believe they do a lot of the same things Jo-Ann’s does.
Take stock and make a list. Look at the projects you have made and ask yourself what items you constantly find yourself using. Those are the things you should start buying in bulk. For me one of my must buy notions is 1″ wide non roll elastic. I use it in pj pants and go through it so quickly that it makes more sense for me to buy the 30 yard roll from Jo-Ann’s website than it does to buy a 1 yard package. Right now the 30 yard roll is on sale for $20 while the 1 yard package is $5. That is a savings of over $4 a yard, for a total savings of $120 for 30 yards. To me, there is no question of which I should buy. I also keep an on going list of patterns that I want to pick up saved to my phone, so that when they go on sale I can snatch them up. I never ever pay full retail price for a pattern from the big 4. You can be guaranteed that they will be on sale every 3-4 weeks between Jo-Ann’s, Hancock’s and Hobby Lobby. This also applies to purchasing fabrics. If you do not use or wear linen, do not buy it just because it is on sale. Start out by only purchasing those fabrics that you know you will eventually use. Take it slow.
Buy 3 yards. If I find a fabric that I just have to have but I don’t know what I would use it for, I purchase 3 yards. I have found that I can make just about anything out of 3 yards or less. Most coat patterns that I want to make can come out of 3 yards. I tend to be suspicious of patterns that take more than 4 yards. Those make me nervous for how heavy the garment is going to be and how much fullness is in the pattern. The only exception I have for this one is period costumes, they are what they are in terms of fabric needed. In my experience, even the patterns that say they take a bit more than 3 yards can actually fit into less fabric if you are willing to play around with your piece layout. Don’t think that you have to abide by what the layout guides show you.
Shop online. One of my go to online shops is Fabric Mart. They offer a wide variety of quality fabrics at deeply discounted prices. They even have designer fabrics for cheap. I also love Mood Fabrics and Girl Charlee Fabrics for their selection. Wawak Sewing is a great source for purchasing thread and notions. I use Corset Making Supplies to purchase all my spiral steel hoop boning. There are so many options online the possibilities are endless! Always check to for a first timers discount when you shop on a new to you site. Typically it is a small percentage off, but every little bit helps.

Now that you are building your stash, make sure you are using it too. Don’t build a stash unless you are positive you have a real passion for sewing. Also, don’t feel guilty for having a stash! Enjoy your carefully curated collection of fabrics by sewing up something great!

At the end of September I finally got a chance to go to a fabric store that I have been dying to go to for over a year now. Zinck’s Fabric Outlet is in Ligonier on my way back to my hometown. It is about 2 hours away from me now. Every time Eric and I have gone back home over the last year I have wanted to stop there, but never have. We have either been coming through on a Sunday, when they are not open, or Eric is driving and he refuses to stop and aid in my fabric hoarding. I don’t blame him for that either. I mean, have you seen the size of my stash? Septembers purchases officially put me 5.5 yards in hole for the year, with a grand total of 103.75 yards purchased and only 98.25 yards used. Time to really get sewing in these last three months of the year.

Let’s get back to the fabric goodness and ignore my hoarding addiction. Zinick’s is huge! The store is located in close proximity to a large Amish and Mennonite population, so they do have a large selection of basic solid color wovens. However, that color organized wall above is all knits! Every color and shade in a variety of different knits. I may have went over this wall three or four times to make sure I saw everything.

Then, when you turn around there are more printed knits, which is what the chevrons are, and a wide selection of printed chiffons. There was a glen plaid chiffon that I am now regretting not getting. I couldn’t picture what I would make with it, so I didn’t get it. Maybe I was too overwhelmed by all the awesomeness, because now I can think of several things that could be great with that print.

They did have a small selection of sparkly fabrics, which included the matte black solid sequin above. With the population I mentioned earlier, this is just not the market for this kind of fabric. That being said, that 3.99 is the cost per yard! Umm…hello, that is a steal for solid sequins. I didn’t get any of this since I already have so much sequin fabric. It was hard to pass it up at that price though. It almost felt like I had to buy it, because you know, sequins.

There was an entire wall of plaid flannels. Also, very very tempting, but I wasn’t sure of any upcoming projects that I could use it for. I passed on it for now.

Most importantly, the 100% wool section. Do you see that red price sticker? You sure are reading that right, $2.99 per yard. Let me repeat that, 100% woo for less than $3 a yard! Sequins I can pass up at that price, but this…this must come home with me. This is all pretty lightweight wool’s with a crisp hand. Definitely not heavyweight coating fabric, but it will work great for a skirt or dress.

They also stock a very large selection of cotton quilting fabrics, including Homespun cotton prints, and a large selection of fleeces. I even saw some great stretch denim, but they only had black and bright pink, neither of which I could see myself wearing. At the front of the store are bins full of remnants that are all marked for under $2 a yard and bulk button purchases. Just over a quarter of the store was filled with drapery and home decor fabrics, including all the trims you could want to choose from too. Unfortunately, I didn’t get pictures of any of this, because I was too busy touching all the fabrics. Maybe next time.

Are you wondering what I did buy?

Well, I picked up two floral print chiffons at 3 yards each. The one on the left is a crinkle chiffon with gold thread and a fuchsia and black watercolor floral that was $3.99 per yard ($11.97 total). The one on the right is a tighter weave chiffon with a bright floral print that feels a little Asian inspired to me, for $2.99 per yard ($8.97 total). Great prices for great prints that will make great pieces in my wardrobe.

Then there are all those knits that I spent so much time looking at. I picked up three different knits at three yards each. The first one on the left is a teal jersey for $1.96 a yard ($5.88 total) that is so incredibly soft I want to be wrapped up in it all the time. When they were cutting this one there was a small hole in it, so they did give me the option of an extra quarter of a yard or she could re cut it at the hole. I took the extra quarter of a yard because the hole is small enough I think I can work around it. I thought that was pretty awesome customer service of them to let me make the decision. The dusty lilac in the center is also a jersey knit for a whooping $1.99 a yard ($5.97 total). The blue on the right is a ponte knit for $1.96 a yard ($5.88 total), that has some tiny dye specks that are barely noticeable. I almost squealed when I found this one, though. Ponte is one of my new favorite knits and the color on this one is perfect. It is more of a steely blue, which did not translate well in this picture. In fact, none of the knits photographed well in terms of color. I foresee some new fall dresses in the next month or so.

Lastly, I could not pass up the $2.99 a yard wool. I picked up three yards of this army green wool for a total of $8.97. That price is insane to me! Again this is not the true color in this photo. Silly camera phone. I also grabbed a couple of silver separating zippers to go with the wool. I think I either want to make some sort of moto jacket incorporating the zippers or a version of the Sewaholic Minoru Jacket. Which would you make?

Final thoughts

All in all they have some amazing prices. I am going to try to wash the knits here in the next couple of days and try them out, so I will let you know how the quality is once I make them up. Maybe pick up some of those plaid flannels and some more knits. The store didn’t have the best lighting. I had to take some bolts to other parts of the store to get a good idea of the true color. I am guessing the building was was built in the 50’s or 60’s based on the massive light orbs hanging from the ceiling, so I expected it to have pretty poor lighting. I wish I would have gotten some pictures of the orbs though. There were only two women working and they were very polite. I am definitely going to try to stop here again sometime.

Musings of a Seamstress

Telling my story one stitch at a time.

Tag Archives: fabric stash

Black Friday Shopping & Building a Stash

Zinck’s Fabric Haul