Vancouver Fabric Stores

[suereal]

Dressew, Text.Cle.Ho, and a few mores stops make for a perfect shopping day for me.  The red Salvation army just off of Main around....12th?  The basement is just boxes and boxes recently brought in.  You get to dig thru them all, fill up a plastic shopping basket, and then it costs 5$.  It's dirty work tho, bring WetNaps....Then stop at the UrbanSource on Main and ...20th-ish. Lots of cast offs and ephemera from factories and such.  You can buy one little bit, or buy paperbags and fill to your heart's content.  Then it's either to Frasier for Sari shoppes and dollar stores, or out to Richmond to Aberdeen Center and Diaso....OOo Diaso...how do I love the? etc.  It's like a Japanese Wallmart.  Most stuff costs 2$.  Two floors of it.  They have a not big but well stocked craft section.  Awesome place to get felt.  Tons of colors in tons of sizes, normal and sticky back.  And sheets of plastic that it seems they use instead of construction paper.  Let's just say that if the store was just the craft section, I would still go by there once a year or so.  But it is sooo much more.  Bento heaven for one.  The kitchen section is just overwhelming in variety.  I need to go back out there soon.  I used all the aluminum tape I bought in the cleaning section on a project.  And if you like Japanese office equipment, you'll be so happy at Diaso.  So far it has taken me 2 hours to get Thur the whole shop each trip.

There is a really huge dollar store with in a few blocks of Aberdeen center, that i ran into last time I went out there.  I didn't catch the name or street tho.  It's worth it if you see a dollar store to stop any time anyway isn't it? hehehe

[tellevator]

I hope this thread isn't too dead?

I've only been to Dressew in the few years I've been here and have no idea where to but patterns from!  I rarely use them and it's just not the same to buy them online and print them out.   I know there's a newer boutique style store at Fraser & 15th that has rad/harder to find patterns that are pricier but I want the good ol' Simplicity and Burda kind.  Or if you know of any thrift stores that have used and vintage ones that would be even better!

xoxo

[suereal]

It's a sad state of affairs for fabric stores in our area.  There are some Fabriclands still around (they have been closing them down over the last few years).  I think the one on South West Marine Drive is still open though.  There is a Fabricana in Couquitlam just off of United  and one in Richmond that I'm not sure where it is.  My favo thrift places is The Salvation Army on 12th off of Main, but it is a pit and you have to dig around for things...not sure if they have patterns though.  The Big Red Barn (it's a Flea Market) near the Science Center (On First I think  it is...The Sky Train Tracks run along it what ever it is) might be a good place to look.  You can never tell what you might find there.  If I find a thrift that does have patterns I'll post it here.  Good Luck;D

[tellevator]

I loooove the Sally Ann at 12th, was gonna go there today actually!
Yesterday I was at the VV on Victoria and it had an obscene amount of patterns from what seemed like every decade 60s and up.  I got one for "maternity" tops but are just babydoll dresses by today's standards.
Also went to Dressew after my last post and they had current Burda patterns!  Nothing really caught my eye enough to pick one up though.  Since they're known for their horrible service I advise going before noon, might have been a fluke but the few employees that helped me were beyond sweet. 

[suereal]

So glad you have found a bunch of patterns!  It's a hit and miss when looking for something at thrift...but I find the recycling faerie pulls through most times.

Burda is nice..but tends to be a no fit fit.  Rather boxy...and I like loose, but there is a point when you start to feel like your wearing a circus tent.

I have never had much trouble with the staff at Dressew, but I also don't go in looking for a certain thing.  I also find the basement check out more pleasant then the up stairs...they all ways seem rather stressed up there.  And I try and go early as well, so perhaps that is the key

[craftydame]

fabricland is really the only place in the city for the basic patterns. (they carry simplicity, mccalls, newlook, vogue and butterick.) unfortunately, i think the only one left in the city is on marine dr in south vancouver. (apparently they just renovated it and it's way better but, i haven't been in since before) i used to always buy mine at the textile clearance house, but it closed last year.

fabricana carries patterns as well, they're out in richmond and in coquitlam. they also have kwik sew, which always look dated, but are great basic patterns to work from. their patterns always seem pricey to me, but that's just because i'm so used to buying them on sale at fabricland!

dressew does have burda, i thought they had at least one other line as well, but i never buy patterns there. as for their attitude, i've had a few friends work there, and apparently it's not the most pleasant place to work... but yeah, the people downstairs do always seem happier!

henry and lili at spool of thread carry independent designers with funkier patterns. again, they feel pricey, but really, they're pretty comparable to the regular prices for mccalls, etcs. i love the patterns they carry, but i mostly sew clothing with knits, and their patterns are mostly wovens, since that's what they carry for fabric.

and walmart used to carry some patterns... i haven't been to the vancouver walmart, so i don't know if that one does or not.


thriftwise, VV is probably your best bet because they have the largest selection. the smaller thrifts tend to be hit and miss for patterns. the MCC on fraser at 42nd used to have a lot of patterns, and they weren't as expensive as VV, but i haven't been there in a few years.


has anyone picked up the latest issue of Threads magazine? it has a whole article on Vancouver and our (garment) fabric stores. (they don't mention quilting stores, since that's not what Threads does) i knew about all of them except the specialty outdoor stores, but i was really excited to find out about those ones!

[kmyk]

There's a fabric store on Fraser and Kingsway. It's relatively new (about a year or so) and they carry fabric from Japan too. It's about $16/metre. I can't remember the name though. Notions are expensive but fabrics are beautiful. They carry pretty much all the colours of the rainbow from the Moda line. It's also a workshop type store, the front is fabrics and notions, and the back of the store are sewing machines and workbenches. They have lessons there too.

[tangy]

has anyone picked up the latest issue of Threads magazine? it has a whole article on Vancouver and our (garment) fabric stores. (they don't mention quilting stores, since that's not what Threads does) i knew about all of them except the specialty outdoor stores, but i was really excited to find out about those ones!

who's the specialty outdoor retailer? my threads collection is patchy and i don't have that issue.