Brexi bonus - fabric cost

Welcome and thanks for all the comments. Susie - I live in Sheffield so Walthamstow is a bit of a trek ?. I miss markets too. I used to work on a market stall in my youth selling fabric. I spent most of my earnings on the stall ??. I gave up on dressmaking long ago due to lack of fabric and went onto curtains. DD has started making clothes for the GC this year though and it’s revived my interest. Thanks again all.

Can I add to that Sew me Something. sewmesomething.co.uk/ A good place for linens too. There is an FB Sew me Something group and she does two Facebook Live's a week. These can be picked up on Youtube (I'm fairly sure) if you don't do Facebook.

One thing I find about the independant pattern designers are they seem, in general, very tech savy so some will run online courses or classes. Lots of different people coming from lots of different standpoints so it should always be possible to find someone to suit your needs if you want tuition.

For anyone looking for patterns there is an FB group called The Pattern Exchange Group (P.E.G). Some patterns are "vintage" shall we say, but they have new ones too and they all have to be in good order. You can sell any excess patterns on there too or ask if anyone has a particular one.

(I know I have gone off topic too but thank you to Polarbear2 for starting this. It's been really interesting)

I buy very few patterns now as I have learned how to draft from a basic. However, I have bought knit and stretch patterns as they are so different. Those are the ones I got printed up from a PDF.
I roll them up and store them in an empty wine case (Xmas gift) that makes me feel virtuous from recycling and stylish. The speed with which I drank the wine is best glossed over!
I have not heard of using projectors, and indeed that may be a step too far, but as you say, technology is on our side!

I am told by friends who live there, that in the US, home dressmaking has remained a common hobby. In Australia, clothe are very expensive so home sewing is done more.
Although not the point of this thread, I thought I would share some favourite patterns:
All of these can usually be found in the UK, but it is easy to buy with a credit card from the main site if you are getting the PDF. I would add that I only get the print shop to print the main pattern - I print the instructions myself on A4.
www.cashmerette.com/
www.stylearc.com
This is great UK shop that will print for you:
thefoldline.com/

When I first decided to stop flitting from hobby to hobby and sit with sewing (still a broad brush ) I was stunned at the price of patterns from the independant designers Nannarose. However, when you see the paper quality and the styles, sometimes with a video tutorial available, you can understand why. Then I realised you could by from all over the world, particularly Australia and the USA as they seem to have very progressive markets. You can get them as a PDF, as you did, and could either print and piece or send them to be printed.

Now I see people are using projectors and there are projector friendly pattern designers. I doubt this is a step I would take but once set up it would take out some to the back ache! Technology is certainly on the side of the sewist.

I use Pound Fabrics, Minerva, Cheap Fabrics uk, eFabrics, Vend fabrics, Poundametre.com As you can tell, I don't usually buy expensive fabrics as I am still learning but you can get some decent cotton/polycotton for a reasonable price from all of these. At the moment, I am concentrating on dresses/shirts and pyjamas/leggings for my grandchildren, but I may venture into making something for myself eventually!

Yes, I miss the markets, where you can get a good feel for the fabric, and they are usually generous with the measurements. I used to love the Goldhawk Road, but am a bit fr from it now. Birmingham and Leicester are both good (when up and running)

I like Clothspot, Dragonfly Fabrics, Calico Laine, and Croft Mill. I don't know where you're based but the shops in Goldhawk Road or Walthamstow market are good.

The only pieces of clothing I buy regularly are bras, socks & tights. I used to buy the occasional Tshirt or leggings, but have worked hard to master sewing with knit fabrics, and now make my own.

Just before Brexit I bought a huge bundle of organic knits from activefabrics in Germany for £42. I'm about half way through it, and have 2 camisoles, and a pair each of jogging bottoms, shorts (for my knee replacement) and leggings. About 4 left-over pieces have been gifted to a sewer in our village who makes leggings for her daughter.

Out of interest, the original patterns for the camisole and leggings those would probably have cost about £30 in total - for those who are astonished - that is because I buy PDFs and get the main pattern printed up by my local print shop at about £6 per A0 sheet. This means they keep very well and I draft from them. The basic trousers pattern I have had for years (haven't a clue what it cost) and I drafted the joggers by blending it with the leggings.

For those who are interested, Michell Pye at English Couture Company does bra-making courses. I've never done one because I spend enough time in my sewing room already! I buy very good bras when they are in the sales - usually slightly odd colours - but I make knickers to match / mix.
She also does courses on drafting patterns.

I recommend thesewingplace.org as a forum

"I think that piece from the NS is interesting, but doesn't look at dress making as most of us usually do it."

I agree Nannarose. It will be interesting to see how many people decide to take it up dressmaking if the shop prices start being affected. The writer of the article said she hadn't bought anything off the peg for the last year.

Sew Scrumptious have patterns for children’s clothing and the sell some beautiful Liberty prints. They do sell a lot of FQs for crafters but they also sell by the metre.

Goodness, I just checked with myfabrics and they have indeed currently suspended deliveries to the UK. My apologies for misleading.

I think that piece from the NS is interesting, but doesn't look at dress making as most of us usually do it.
Patterns get re-used (and used to draft others)
Remnants get used in all sorts of ways, including facings.
I don't know how much fabric was used, but it sounds as if she paid £15-20 a metre. I can and do pay that for very good fabric, but only for special pieces. And I have only twice in a lifetime of dress making, actually bought buttons!
No, I don't dressmake to save money, I do it because I like it and I like the results. But it doesn't hurt to be reminded of how much clothes really do cost.

Oh and Empress Mills for Jerseys, fleece etc.

For dressmaking I often use Minerva, based in Lancashire I think. Midland Textiles is good too. Ebay isn't a bad bet for decent fabric at reasonable prices.

It is hard to get past fat quarters sometimes when looking for fabric.

I love Abakans. I could spend days wandering around their Manchester store. It's a must visit when I go to see my daughter. Between the two of us, and my granddaughter now, we've spent quite a lot over the years. Fabric, wood, crafts... Orders over £50 are free delivery. Under that it's £3.50 royal mail lst class.
www.abakhan.co.uk/

Thanks all. Really useful info. Yes it’s for dressmaking. Am finding I have both time and inclination after many years of not bothering. I’ll have a look at those you’ve given. Thanks again.

I've had lovely stuff from myfabrics, but I think they have stopped sending to the UK. Mcculloch and Wallis are rather pricey. I bought some nice wool for a jacket from Stitch in South Woodford. If you want beautiful material for a jacket, Linton tweed in Carlisle are fantastic, British made, they are used by designers like Chanel.

efabrics have proven reliable and inexpensive. Depends what you want though. Search “fabrics uk”....

Thinking of the price of fabric, you might be interested in this from an article in the New Stateman written by someone who went back to dressmaking during this year of CV.

I certainly don’t make my own clothes because it’s cheaper than buying them. My most recently completed piece – a boxy, short-sleeved shirt of the kind you’d be likely to find in Cos – cost £17.50 for the pattern, £44.25 for the materials (a navy Japanese seersucker, buttons, thread) and eight hours of labour: at the London living wage, £86.80. All in, that’s £148.55 for a single shirt. (Only good lingerie, it turns out, is cheaper to make than to buy.) These calculations make me horrified that I ever thought £40 was a fair price for a dress.

I think we may be finding the "off the peg" fashion catching up with what we can make. My daughter is tall and the shop she used to get her PJs from has closed. She can buy some on line - at £125 a pair! Mum is now making PJs for her.

Abakan fabrics in Mostyn, North Wales sell a huge range of fabrics and other craft materials and they do sell online as well as having a large physical shop when they can open again. Not too sure where it comes from as I am a knitter not a sewer, but it might be worth a look.

It's interesting to see that some on this thread are obviously dressmakers. It's really good to see fabric not sold by the quarter metre!

I'm just getting back to dress making (it should have happened a year ago but I had a new flat to sort out, a bit against the odds ). I'd love to hear what sort of thing you make.

I realised when I searched a few of these links (thank you grans, always good to find new fabric stores!) that OP hadn't said what she mainly wanted the fabric for.
The sites I recommended are mostly for dressmaking fabric. And yes, I use McCulloch and Wallis. That reminds me that most of the Soho shops that I loved to browse in happier times have all gone to Wembley but have a good on-line store:
www.theberwickstreetclothshop.com/

I use Sew Scrumptious, they sell a lot by British designers.

www.sewscrumptious.co.uk/our-story/

I like Sewing Studio who are based in Cornwall;Fabrics Galore, London; Bright Quilting - Wales ; Lady Sew and Sew not sure where but U.K. I do try to buy from smaller businesses.

and also, MacCulloch & Wallis Limited in London.

My favourite was myfabric.uk. They ship from Germany all over Europe, and they still send to the UK, with very clear instructions about delivery & tax costs, so worth looking at.

I'm not sure what you mean by 'popular' so I'm putting my stalwarts below (and others might be interested)

For really cheap & cheerful (although their website has become a bit more sober) I recommend fabricland.
I also like montreux fabrics.
Stone has some nice fabrics, bit variable on price
For good fabrics that are reasonable value but not cheap: dragonfly
Bit more upmarket: fabric godmother
A limited but beautiful range of ethically traded fabrics: offset warehouse
English Couture company has a small but really nice range

I'd also suggest joining thesewingplaceorg if you haven't already and ask on there.