JoAnn announced their second (and final) bankruptcy in 8 months. It’s probably the end for them.
What do we as garment sewists do now? Well, I’m sure most of you will agree, the clothing / garment fabric selection at JoAnn was dwindling to poor before – they focused on fleece, on quilting cotton and some home decor fabrics – but it’s really gotten bad. The patterns are hardly ever in stock – people buy them in big lots and resell them on Ebay when they’d have sales. It was a mess of trying to find people to help amidst a store filled with junk.
What do you do now? Many of us have indie sewing stores in our communities – but if we don’t, adopt an indie store – who all have websites, and friendly staff that will talk with you via phone or email.
WHY the indie fabric store? They CARE about you and your sewing. Case in point, my LFS is hosting a year long sewing challenge – the Make Nine Sewing Challenge – if you sew fabric you’ve purchased (even in stash!) from them. Make 8, get fabric for free to make the 9th!! They care that you sew with their stuff. I also chose almost all patterns I bought from my LFS too (even though my stash is LARGE) save for one vintage pattern.
They offer classes – I took a workshop class (as well as other classes) in fabric print blocking, and plan on one for sashiko sewing this year.
I did a workshop/drop in sewing session to make the jacket I’m wearing in the video below, a scrap-sewn Tremont Jacket and while I was there, the owner suggested I fuse the fabric to interfacing, and they had wonderful garment-suitable woven interfacing in black by the yard. I bought a few yards and got right to assembling my jacket at that session. I wear this jacket all the time.
Invariably I go into the store and say “I’m thinking of making this” and the owner or her staff will say “have you considered THIS?” And whatever that is, is so much better than what I was thinking. That’s why you sew – and nobody at JoAnn fabrics is ever going to do that for you.
Here’s my list of independent fabric stores
I have personally purchased from or know people who purchase from these stores regularly:
Seams Fabric – East Lansing, MI
Haberman Fabrics – Clawson, MI
The Confident Stitch – Missoula, MT
LA Finch Fabrics – Los Angeles, CA
Firecracker Fabrics – Pittsburgh, PA
Oak Fabrics – Chicago
Vogue Fabrics, Evanston (Chicago metro), IL
There are a ton more! Google “local fabric store” and the name of the big town nearby where you live.
Online Fabric Stores:
Fabrics-store.com – fabulous linen and free patterns
Mood Fabrics – everything you need!
Wawak – notions and sewing supplies online
Other fabric sources:
Estate sales, yard sales, thrift stores
Talk with your local quilt store and ask them to bring in some things for garment sewing and see if they will do so.