several weeks ago, i dreamt about fabric shopping. the first time you have this dream, you think whoah! i actually dreamt about fabric shopping! i'm like a supersewasaurusrex! then it becomes a nightly thing. sewists from across the world populate the dim hours and you drink and rollerskate and pet giraffes with them, and you wake up needing to go find the sleepy yardage.
so you hightail it to dallas' fabric district, comprised of a haphazard handful of warehouses on harry hines boulevard, peppered with rug and jewelry and shoe outlets. you hope to not be kidnapped in some sunny but wildly deserted corner between buildings, and you are rewarded for your bravery.
one very helpful proprietor informed me that most of the fabrics in these goliaths are closeouts. so it's hit or miss, and important that you leave pleeeeennnty of time to dig. my favorites were wherehouse spandex (an offshoot of wherehouse, also good). acquired at these sister stores: silky chiffons of a saturn sized peacock, and a dive-in-with-rose-colored-glasses print...
and this digalicious jersey panel combo border print. the lovely lady in front of me at the cutting table was buying $600 worth of fabric. as usual, i was delusional-- i'm helping the little guy out with my purchase! akin to oh look saturday night live is giving this unknown geeky ke$ha chick a chance! yeah. popular music knowledge, i haz it. everywhere i went, there was someone in front of me buying bolts upon bolts while i clutched my three yards please.
i saved the ginormous golden d'or for last...
to be specific, their back clearance room. the joint is so big it took five minutes to find the back end. aaaaaand they stow the cutting shears at 5pm on the dot, so it got a little hairy when i realized all the clearance yardage wrapped on square cardboard bolts was NOT quilting cotton. frantic at 4:53, i snagged cottons of all apparel weight persuasion, and this fantastic bee colored rayon print.
and i even found the dream yardage too. yep. black polka dots. apparently my waking life is so technicolor, my dreamstate mind thinks black is REALLY out there.
Heavens to Betsy, it must be all that texan sun brings out the colour me amazing in their shops!
ReplyDeleteI had no idea Dallas had a fabric district! Those are gorgeous Miss Oona. You're just chalk full o' knowledge! :) Can't wait to see what you make.
ReplyDeleteMandy
Wow! Fun prints! Glad you found somewhere to get your fix out west!
ReplyDeletewhen you get home we are going drinking, roller skating, and to pet giraffes. promise. :-)
ReplyDeleteI WILL HOLD YOU TO THAT.
DeleteWow! Well done. I would just stress and panic and spend 8 hours in there, but would still come out with nothing, out of fear and indecision! Great haul!
ReplyDeleteway less stress when it's 2 bucks a yard!
DeleteMy husband dreamed I was amazing at golf this week. Personally, I'd prefer the discount fabric shops!
ReplyDeleteNow every time you see a nondescript warehouse building, you'll wonder what treasures it holds.
ReplyDeleteAwesome fabrics and colorful - no surprise there!
ReplyDeleteI totally want the orange/black rose print and the peacock print. Like seriously. WANT. Anyway, looks like you found some gems, I'll have to file this away as a place to visit someday for fabric purchasing purposes.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you had fun and found some great fabrics.
ReplyDeleteI actually moaned with pleasure on seeing these, especially that floral print third from last. Heaven.
ReplyDeleteooh, that one's cool, a medium weight cotton...
DeleteThat sounds so cool, you are so lucky. I would love to find a fabric store the size of a warehouse.
ReplyDeleteHow did I not know there was a fabric district in Dallas? Every since your last post about it, I have been scheming and planning when I can make it up there! I'm not all that far away in San Antonio! ;)
ReplyDeleteyou won't regret it!
DeleteI'm from the DFW area... didn't know about this place. Granted I only recently got into sewing, but am happy to have a new place to check out once Im back in dallas! thank you
ReplyDeletei feel like booking a ticket to your temp 'hood just to sniff out the peacock!
ReplyDeleteLove the polka dots and love the third and fourth ones from the bottom. The fourth one from the bottom looks like summer :)
ReplyDeleteDallas fabric warehouses -- there are a bunch of them tucked in there. Some don't even have AC, so in the summer . . . it's interesting. I live in the DFW area, so I make my fabric run several times a year. You are correct -- it's a seedy neighborhood. In our fabric eurphoria, my daughter and I looked around and noticed several "gentlemen clubs." No matter, we thought, they don't open until dark, we have 7 hours. Rushing on, we noticed broken liquor bottles, an array of empty bullet cartridges and several used --- ahem -- well, several used "you know whats". But we decided all that activity took place after dark as well. The fabric haul is ALWAYS exciting. The only drawback? You want to get ALL OF IT.
ReplyDeleteha! i didn't even notice the clubs, just the deserted-ness!! must be the NYer in me (times square is full of those clubs, you can't throw a stone).
Deleteomg. i love love love the first five!
ReplyDeleteMust go to Dallas!! Who knew such a thing as a "fabric district" existed there?? Amazing finds too!
ReplyDeleteWow. Just...wow. :)
ReplyDelete*sigh* Any places like this in Toronto, Ontario, Canada?? Actually, no, don't tell me...need to save money, not spend right now!! *lol*
Amazing choices, Oona - wouldn't expect anything less from you!
love,
Your minion, Mugsy ;)
WOAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm totally drooling all over my screen, get the windex. I can't wait to see what you sew with these.
ReplyDeleteI swear, you are a textile bloodhound! I love that you only use your powers for gaudy good!
ReplyDeleteAwesome! And lucky me, my little brother just a got job in Dallas, so I have now have TWO reasons to visit!
ReplyDeleteI'm from Dallas, so I know about this treasure.
ReplyDeleteBut did you also know that Golden D'or is running there semi annual clearance sale from July 1st to July 13? All of the bolts in the clearance room are SUPER cheap. All bolts marked $7 and under are 99 cents a yard, bolts marked from 7-10 are 1.99, 10-15 are 2.99, 15-18 are 3.99, and 18+ are 4.99 a yard. There's always some hidden gems in there.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAh
DeleteNO.
dare i drive over on my one day off during tech hell???
Oooh, this makes me so happy, just planned a day trip for the 9th and it sounds like there will be a sale on :)
DeleteOK, finding the fabric you dreamt about? That's Sewasaurus Rex success of the highest caliber!
ReplyDeleteI totally want to pet giraffes with fellow sewists!
ReplyDeleteI wondered if there'd be a peacock in there!
ReplyDelete