Making Fatty Fashion

I’ve found some of my favorite fabrics in charity shops, called op shops in Australia, Goodwill in America…Some new and unused fabrics I got recently in the in an op shop. 

Where are the good places in your area or online for cheap / quality / beautiful / unusual fabrics? Let me know the good places you go - be as specific as you like,  and I’ll post them to help other sewing people get their hands on some great fabric.

The main places I get fabric are:

• Charity secondhand shops, I go often and if I see good fabric I get it whether I know what I’ll do with it or not. I look for fabric that has not been used because it is more likely to be in really good condition. I avoid curtains as they can have sun damage and the fabric might not last long. It’s a good idea to check the condition of everything very carefully. I also look for buttons, beads, clothes that I can repurpose for the fabric and things like unused zips and threads. I was also lucky enough to find a plus size dress maker’s dummy for AU$50 a few years ago. 
• The clearance table at Spotlight (fabric retail chain stores in Australia). I find a lot of retail fabric costs more than I want to spend, often I could end up spending more for the fabric than I could get a dress, skirt, etc for at a cheaper department store. So now I do the clearance table only, and I stock up when I see good stuff for AU$3 or AU$4 a metre.
• Wholesalers. Local and online wholesalers generally have things you won’t see in retailers, their prices are considerably cheaper, however some don’t sell to the public and they will have a minimum purchase, for some wholesalers that might be 10 metres/yards of each fabric, for others that might be a 100 or 1000 metres/yards. So it’s best to call and check before you go visit ones in your area. Online wholesalers often have a sample book they will sell you, so you can see and feel the fabrics before you buy. Wholesalers are good if you have sewing buddies and can buy a lot and split it up or if you have other people you make for.

• Fully hand sewn skirt - I have had several people ask about things you can make if you don’t have access to a sewing machine. I love hand stitching, I think it’s really beautiful, but it is a time investment to hand sew clothes, so I will try to do some projects that won’t take too long.
• T shirts.
• Bubble skirt.
• Embellishments to add to clothes you’ve made or clothes you already have, like stencilling and beaded appliques.
• Underwear -  depending on your shape and size it can be hard to get things that fit, let alone getting pretty things in nice colours. This will be really fun for those who like to add lace, frills, sequins, etc and great for people who need outfits for things like burlesque and roller derby. This will be down the track a bit, I need to work on some really good patterns and make them downloadable.

Would love to hear suggestions, comments as well as feedback on my first two projects.