I’m in the L.A. area, working, for 10 days. I only have 1 day off during this time and what did I do with it? I went fabric shopping.
Now, I grew up in California, but in CENTRAL California, which for people down south is thought of as NORTHERN California and north of San Francisco doesn’t even exist. Sigh. Never mind. I can’t complaint about their ignorance about their own state because I’m just as ignorant about SoCal. I had no idea there was a garment or fashion district in L.A. I had been missing a lot!
I heard about these amazing fabric shops from my mom, who learned about them from my aunts. Block after block of fabric shops. I saw them for myself today.
I actually only shopped at one place. I read online that they had the widest selection of fabric types so I thought I’d start there. I went to “Michael Levine” on Maple Ave. It’s a super busy street with markets on both sides but there’s plenty of parking in the multistory garages.
And no kidding, they have everything!
I first walked around and looked at everything before I pulled out any bolt. And then I went back to the beginning and pulled out the things that caught my eye not once, but twice. I got fabric for 3 dresses and 2 tops.
The above are 2 of the dress fabrics. The bottom one, the black, grey and white paisley, was the most expensive purchase. It’s printed knit rayon – basically man made silk. It was $40 for a dress amount. The fabric above it is some amazing heavy-ish cotton with 3% spandex. Perfect for a semi-fitted dress. That was the bargain of the day at 5$ a yard! Yes, $5 a yard. I was even happier.
This colorful fabric is also cotton with some stretch for another dress…
I love the colors! I guess I’ve been feeling in need of the colorful. Because look at what else I bought, for 2 tops….
Yay! After I found these fabrics I decided I’d better stop. Knowing my available sewing time, which competes with knitting time and the fact that I have to work for a living, there was no point buying more that would just sit around my house for months.
Now I need to get home and start sewing. I’ll show you what I make….
