For you Fabric-a-holics, my niece has recently started sewing, and they’ve found the best fabric store. It has rich, rich fabrics for very little money. Real silks for $8-10/yard. Apparently there are several locations. Here’s a list of locations, in the western US. The notions, tassles and upholstery fabrics are also dirt cheap and beautiful, according to my sister.
StG
I know DMC no longer makes wool thread…
Looking online at Stitchville.com they do have Medici wool thread and a few other brands. If there’re some specific colors or weights you want I suppose I could force myself to go there and look for you. 
Something for both fabric and needlework junkies:
Cut old torn or stained needlework and patchwork pieces to quilt batt covered on both sides (this was fusible quilt batt that cost a ridiculous amount but saves a lot of stress if you are working with a large piece – I have a friend who sells vintage linen on eBay and sent me enough to do this writ large) with cloth of your choice – I chose a polished cotton instead of muslin because that’s where my head is at and the pieces are quite colourful-- once all pieces are quilted on, the larger piece becomes the “fabric” for making small simple bags, almost like envelopes.
I don’t buy as much fabric as I used to when I worked at JoAnn’s, but I still have a considerable stash. I sold off tons at a yard sale a few years ago…let the kids in the neighborhood buy bags stuffed with fabric for a dollar…future fabric junkies in the making! And I tend to concentratre on quilting fabric, though I’ve had some surprising luck at the WalMart dollar table when I’ve looked there for cheap fabric to make up a sample garment for fitting. I found a wonderful stretch woven black fabric to make dress pants, and a sheer white stretch gauze to make a white shirt before I cut into the gogeous blue I bought for way too much at JoAnn’s… and some really great jersey knit fabric in solid colors…the same lightweight knit a lot of ready to wear dresses are made of…but a dollar a yard. I bought about 6 yards for a lovely black, and a beige, and found a soft, drapey grey that will make lovely jammies.
When my son complains about my yarn-buying, I remind him that it keeps me from buying fabric.
Hmm… I may take you up on that. I’m stalled on the current project because I’m running out of the yarn I’d bought for it (I planned to do six crayon colors plus black, then skipped the black, so I’m short). I’d been thinking I’d go through my stash and find “good enough,” but if I could find actual matches, that would be better. I could send you a strand of each of what I’m looking for.
I live in the fifth biggest city in the country, fer crying out loud … you’d think I’d be able to find needlepoint yarn.
(Hmm, I’m going to be up in NYC sometime next month … maybe I should do a little research on that.)
At the time of her death, my grandmother no longer had any DMC floss. This is because more than five thousand skeins of DMC floss had been sold or given away the previous October. She told me once that I could have her floss when she was done with it–I’m just as glad that she changed her mind. She did embroidery, and I do counted cross stitch. I need a wider range of more specific colors than she used–and I don’t go through it nearly as fast as she did.
I fear that fabric whores do not EVER reform! I haven’t been active in the SCA for ten years but that doesn’t mean my fabric stocks get smaller, aw hell’s naw! As a matter of fact, I try VERY HARD to forget that I live only a few short miles from the Pendleton wool mill and its attached factory outlet store–where I can regularly score 100% wool fabric for five bucks a yard. I have wool curtains in the living room, as a matter of fact–the window is gigantic and the wool keeps the room insulated in winter.
Funniest fabric score I ever saw was one year when someone came back to a Ducal Prize Tourney telling everyone a local fabric store was going out of business. Three quarters of the camp bailed out that afternoon, and my encampment ended up getting cotton muslin for FIVE CENTS A YARD! We bought something like two hundred yards all told of JUST muslin!
I have pieces of brocade I’ve been holding on to for twenty years waiting for just the right project–recently one small piece became a waistcoat for my grandson’s Revolutionary War history project.
As for possessed sewing machines, I actually own the Devil’s Own Sewing Machine, but it would be a total hijack to explain how I know it really is what I say it is… 
My name is IrreverentTone and I am a reformed whore. I currently have one (1) piece of fabric in my home that is in a flat, unhemmed state. And it only has house room since it damn near matches the pricey draperies in the living room and I’ll be damned if I’ll let go of it since I’ll never match it again cold, dead hands.
However, if I lived anywhere near Pendleton, I’d be standing on street corners every night of the year.
It’s true that there isn’t as much sewing to do for boys, but you could have some fun with making a daygown or bubble for a baby boy. Baby sewing isn’t exactly practical, since they grow so fast and spit up on everything, but it might be nice to have a special outfit or two. Here’s an example (there’s more interesting stuff out there, but this is what I found).
let’s see…
first, my mum’s machine, (interesting it was a white), i would swear loved to fling its bobbin at me. i could only use the thing if mum was in the room with me. i figured it was her “child sneaking in the room” alarm.
she would walk in, look at the machine, and say,“what were you doing in my room?” i hadn’t gone near the machine, but it would tell on me.
i got revenge though… i put it out on the side walk and danced away.
second, i love buying material. don’t like sewing. just love to look at them, touch them, imagine things made with them.
third, for a major city philly is a tough place to buy craft goods. i do go crazy and buy like a nut when they go out of business. staplers was the most recent. oooooh, the fabrics there, so wonderful.
i find bainbridge stores a bit too crowded for fabric buying.
I got it, I got it! I got the wool! It’s so nice and pretty. Those of you who live in the north or next to Pendleton outlets can have little idea of how very scarce decent wool is in rural California. Granted, we don’t need wool! But it is really rare for me to see anything that isn’t cheap or ugly–JoAnn’s always has about 5 bolts, one of which is guaranteed to be fuschia boucle of a particularly horrid color.
I got the wool and I’m gonna make the coat! (After I finish the two dresses for the wedding in 10 days and the Halloween costume–Robin Hood–and the winter dress.)
I just had a super squee moment, as there’s a location within driving distance of my house! Of course, the first thing I thought of when you mentioned “real silks” was “I can have a dress made for when I get married and it won’t cost me a bajillion dollars!” I’m going to check it out tomorrow, as the only fabrics I have to play with are old sheets. Of course, I won’t be buying anything, but I love to touch pretty fabrics.
nashiitashii - I hope the store near you is as good as the store in Phoenix my sister goes to. Report back! And buy!
StG
My sister made that coat and hat for her daughter. I don’t have a pic, but I’ll ask her to send one. She made it in red and black, red is Anne-Sophie (niece)'s favourite colour.
I’ve taken a lengthy break from sewing, but this thread has got my heart pumping. An addict I still am, I guess.
Ooh ooh I wanna see it! That would be great, MoodIndigo.
Nashiitashii, my mom sewed my wedding dress of silk and it didn’t cost much at all. We ordered the silk from Dharma Trading Co. and it worked beautifully.
ohmygod. I’d never heard of Dharma Trading Co.
You evil, evil, evil dopers–feeding my addiction, introducing me to new sources to scrounge new drugs of choice! The Dharma Trading Co is worse than crack. So much worse.
This can’t end well…
I love those coupons from Joann’s. That’s how I got 5 yards of burgundy cotton velvet for something like $18. (Which is now destined to be this bustle outfit. Oh, please let the corset fit right and not jab me in the armpit all the time.)
dangermom, if you’re comfortable ordering online, try Farmhouse Fabrics for heirloom quality cotton batiste. They have scary expensive Swiss batiste ($25/yd), but most of it is under $10/yd.
phall0106, Dharma Trading is but the beginning of online fabric shopping. Try Istok Enterprises. Ohmygod expensive, but the brocades are so gorgeous. Also, Fashion Fabrics Club, which has discount fabrics – sometimes they have sales where you can get heavyweight silk taffeta for $5/yd. (Usually this happens two days after I’ve ordered the same fabric for $12/yd.)
Ooh. That will be pretty in burgundy. Nice shoulder line.
Anyone got any ideas for four yards of beige/ecru silk crepey fabric? I’ve had it for ages, and I can’t decide what to make.
Denial, it’s an ugly sight… tsk, tsk… 
It’s like those reformed smokers who keep the emergency pack around!
Lissla Lisslar, if you can’t decide and you want to spoil the crap out of yourself, make it into a lovely lounging robe. I’ve done robes in silk and it’s just the most lux, decadent feeling ever to slink around in silk, especially right down to the floor and a little low cut.
I am Elbows and I am a textile collector and sewer. I say ‘collector’ as I have soo much fabric just laying about waiting for projects.
I have reached the point where sewing for others is bordering on being a source of income for me. I just slip covered a friend’s chair, upholstered a rocker then switched those two out for a couch which I will slipcover over the next 10 days, or so.
I have also now developed power which actually draws cloth to me. Several of my friends when they cleaned out their Mom’s houses sent me boxes of notions and yards of wonderous fabrics. Of course it was all wonderful fabrics so I could not say no.
I attempted to cure myself by only shopping second hand outlets but it only changed my collecting habits. Beautiful linen tablecothes with a small stain (easily worked around) is enough fabric to make very comfy and beautiful summer dresses, shirts, skirts etc. Then I discovered cast off saris, Lord help me!
I had to stop going to the second hand outlets when I began collecting old wool blankets. They are cheap for single beds. All different dark green plaids, which I patchworked together into a giant blanket for our big bed, complete with that tiny ball trim, very lovely and very warm on a cold night.
No denial here, I know I have a problem.
Should any of you stumble upon the cure for this I’d be very interested in subscribing to your newletter!
