Anyone in Italy?? Even Europe will probably help.

[lucertola]

Ciao, mi chiamo Francesca,
anche io sono di Roma Sud (Palocco & dintorni).
Ho appena cominciato a cucire e a realizzare piccoli gioielli.
Allora non sono l'unica a pensare che non ci siano negozi in città. O meglio, quelli che ci sono, sono piccoli e carissimi. Qualcuna di voi conosce ingrossi dove acquistare stoffe e perline di vetro?
Piacere di avervi incontrate,
f.

[shiva]

will repply in english, then italian, cos it wouldn't be fair to cut out anyone else who might find the following info interesting
if you're in the south of rome, you may want to go to the open market in via di mezzo camino in mostacciano, every saturday. there are various stands selling material, but i advise you to go for the one run by these two brothers, they have really nice designer material at cheap price (valentino, versace, D&G etc).
sequins and such, i have no idea. i generally stack up on these kind of things when i go over to dublin to see my family.

- francesca (non voglio essere arrogante, ma non so se hai problemi o meno con l'inglese. per cui a scanso di equivoci ti rispondo pure in italiano!!! ). se ti piace cucire ti consiglio di fare un salto al mercato di mostacciano a via di mezzo camino il sabato. ci sono parecchi banchi che vendono stoffe e scampoli, cerca uno gestito da due fratelli, hanno spesso stoffe di marca (vedi sopra) a prezzi veramente buoni. si tratta di pezzi della stagione passata e quindi costano meno, ma comunque di ottima qualità.
per quanto riguarda perline, non ho idea di dove potresti andrare, una volta c'era un negozio favoloso a corso vittorio emanuele, venendo da piazzale arenula lo trovavi sulla destra a circa metà strada, ma ora non c'è più - o almeno credo. quando ero andata in fissa per perle e perline le compravo direttamente a dublino - li si che sono ben forniti!
se scovi qualche piccolo paradiso delle perline o fai da te fammi sapere!!!!!
a presto
 

[sushimifune]

Ok, I will answer in english 
I already suggested some shops to Francesca in my blog -look here http://www.livejournal.com/users/sushimifune/1649.html
But I'll add some address here, too:
Hobby and Color -Piazza Minucciano (corretto) : it's not so far from Montesacro (I live close to Montesacro) and it has e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g and I really mean everything. Except the fabric. But anything else. It's an amazing place and it organize many courses, too. -never attemded, but just to let you know.... If you can't find what you want they will get it for you. They're really well organized, and it is a pleasure because sometimes the bellearti shops are so intimidating and they never help customers...
For fabrics, assuming that you know that the ghetto is full of (expensive) fabric shops, i often go to Diffusione Tessile (close to the raccordo anulare) which has cheaper fabric, sometimes ugli but you have to search well and use your imagination
Then I know two places where they sell fabric that is out of stock or just comes from failed stores. I will look for the address if you're interested.
Beads, swaroski and findings: La pallina, Via Margutta (1) and Via Mecenate I think (it's the road that crosses via merulana close to Brancaccio theatre.
And then just go looking around chinatown (I call Piazza Vittorio this way)
Hope it helped

[cimba]

I live in Rome, also (it seems that this forum is full of roman girls!), quartiere San Paolo/Marconi.

Sushimifune, I'd love to know the addresses of those places that sell out of stock fabrics and such!
Usually I use recycled material for my sewing projects, cause new fabric are quite expensive and I'm too wannabe and beginner, so I fear to ruin them with my experiments   But before the end of summer sales I was in Ikea and bought some beautiful fabrics at half the price, so I was enthusiast about it and started looking around more. I am especially interested in low budget fabric, whatever type, and vintage fabric, but anything concerned with sewing is useful to me (also good mercerie shops).

I can't give you much hints, sorry, cause I started sewing recently and I used old clothes and reached for threads and other things in my mom's cellar (?! cantina), a paradise for me. But I found some interesting clothes (plain skirts are especially useful cause they have less seams and more fabric) in Porta Portese (awsome finds at 1 euro each), no big new, but always useful. I remember that long time ago I also bought some fabric from MAS (Magazzini Allo Statuto), in piazza Vittorio. Quite cheap, but I can't guarantee on the quality and choice.

Shiva, thanks for the hint, I'll try to check the open market in Mostacciano, it seems interesing. (I remember also that beads shop in corso Vittorio, it was a regular stop for me in my highschool years! )

P.S. Ho scritto in inglese per i motivi di cui sopra, per consigli in italiano c'è sempre il mio indirizzo di posta o i messaggi privati.  ciao!

[shiva]

Sushi,
thank you so much for the really useful info.
keep in touch, and who knows we might for a reunion of crafters in rome to meet and exchange ideas!
ciao

[fiberfairy]

I am also stationed at NAS Sigonella!  I have been here about 2 years and absolutely love it.  I am a knitter and have a small group that mostly meets in Catania.  You didn't say what sort of crafts you were looking for but we can at least get you to the right part of the market and to the yarn/sewing shops around here.

Our group's blog is www.shriekofnature. com/knit
We try to meet once or twice a month.

Deb

[zibibboisgood]

*waves to her neighbor fiberfairy*

Hiya  Spitbubbleluv!  I live here in the centro of Catania, hubby is a local who works at SIG. I've been living here "happily ever after" for seven years now. There are fab resources to be found while we are lacking some of the basic crafty stuff thankfully since you'll have an APO ordering/shipping will be a breeze (yes, I have APO envy teehee).

From the center of Catania where you'd park most of the spots that have supplies are in walking distance. The market - yarn, fabrics galore!, used clothes if you're into recycling (not to mention the rest of the usual market fair). Via Manzoni which is a couple blocks over from the market area - more fabrics and yarn and findings and a couple art supplies shops in the general vicinity. Wether you can easily find what you're looking for locally really depends on your persistence, timing and planetary alignment. Many times I've wished to be transported to a Michaels type shop for 30 minutes and unlimited funds But again, you can always order online what you can't locate here, though looking round here is half the adventure !

Definitely look up the knitting group, if you're into hashing (running not drugs) we have an H3 here too!

[sabrinabobina]

Yowwza! I didnt realize how many of us were on this site.Thats so great! i just moved to Rome(fiano romano) a few months ago from canada and i dont know what it is about italy, but i have been so crafty since i got here. I am having problems finding some craft supplies(i dont make it into the city that often and finding things in these little towns is sometimes tough).I really had an itch to do some stenciling but unfortunatly couldnt find any printable transfer paper.Then i came across the freezer/wax paper technique on LJ and was so excited."Wax paper,thats great and cheep!"But lo and behold, no wax paper!gggghhhrrrrr! all well...i am over it..At the moment i am working on a mosaic made of egg shells and i have to say..it is looking might fine. I am also working on some knitting projects and emboidery and half way through some marble magnets that should have been completed by now.I have too much going on i now, but with all the markets and stuff here, i keep getting inspired to start new projects. what has everybody been working on lately?

[sushimifune]

Hi sabrina!! Welcome to Italy!
We live quite close to each other, since I live in Rome, and I know Fiano quite well 
If you need any advice about where to find crafty supplies, just ask.
I was quite stencil addicted for a while -and now I have to do some stencilling again, since a shop owner asked me to make some shirts to sell  , and I can tell you how I do my stencils. Sometimes I print them directly on tranparencies (you can easily find them in every computer shop, just look carefully if they are adaptable for your printer). When I get lazy or don't have transparencies and don't want to buy them... I print the stencil on normal paper, then cover it with adhesive transparent plastic. The one that you find in a long roll in every "ferramenta" or "cartoleria". I bought mine (5 metres x 1) for about 4 euros. If you want, you can cover both sides of the paper with plastic, to make it more sturdy. It works really fine and your stencil can be used more and more times.
Hope it helps.
If you need address for shops in Rome, just ask.
And if you look for a good veterinary in Fiano, I know the best  (completely off topic... )
Ciao
Giovanna

[sabrinabobina]

hi giovanna,thanks so much for the welcome and the stencil advice.I am  totally going to check out the ferramenta, we are always there for one thing or another(and i am a cheepo,so 4 euros sounds pretty good).I will let you know if we need a vet. at the moment we have a great one just outside of town. I have to tell you ,your english is awsome.Where did you learn? i am still working on my italian,(it stinks) but of course i have all the "parolacce" down pat. I would love to see some of your finished T's.Do you have a site,or some pictures?

anyways,thanks again!
sabrina