Some news...

So I got a new job at the company I am interning for, hence I won't be sourcing nearly as much for work.  I've still had to do tons of sourcing for things I haven't written about yet though, so I'll still be able to maintain the blog (yay!). 

One of those days

What: metal shank buttons
Where: Pacific Trimmings
How much: $0.25-$1.25

Again, another day without sourcing.  It's very weird for me to not have anyone ask me to source anything, as that is a big part of my days at work.  I did get to go out and buy stuff for people though; one them being something I'm asked to buy most frequently: domed metal shank buttons.  They give a good military look to things, especially in antique brass and antique silver, which is what I'm always asked to buy. 

Now, you'd think that you'd be able to find these buttons at any trim and button store there is.  And that's somewhat true.  These are easier to find than most things because they are so basic.  The problem is finding good ones.  A lot of metal buttons are way too heavy for most things, or they look really cheap.  A good majority of the buttons that look like this are actually plastic finished to look like silver or gold; they really just come off looking low-quality. 

The one place I always go when I need these buttons is Pacific Trimmings on 38th street.  They have a really good selection of both antique and shiny metal buttons and they have a big size range.  They also have these buttons in a dome shape and just a flat disc shape.  The big ones come in really handy for outerwear and I like small shiny ones for cute closures or details.  They run about $0.25-$1.25, the price increasing in relation to the button size.

Not much

So I didn't really have to do a whole lot of sourcing today.  I was asked to go to a new trim store to see if I could find some silver neck pieces.  I had passed Trims de Carnival, on 38th street between 5th and 6th, a couple of times on my way to 5th avenue, but I had never stopped there because the window display is so gaudy.  The store itself is pretty narrow and filled almost to the brim with products.  And, while I didn't find exactly what I was looking for, I would definitely go back.  They have a really good selection of fancier trims and loose sequins and beads.

I was also asked to find some matte sequin trim.  I knew that finding sequin trim would be pretty easy to find since it's a pretty basic thing in the trim world.  I walked around to a few trim places but was met with only shiny sequin trim.  I knew that TrimArt would have what I was looking for so I headed over there and was right.  They have several different widths of matte sequin trim in silver and in gold; with square sequins.  I didn't see any with regular round sequins, but luckily the square ones are what I needed.  It was only $2.50 a yard which is a pretty decent price for anything with sequins or beads on it.  I bought 15 yards and headed back.

Nothing in particular...

So I have to admit that today was a bit different for me, just because of the fact that not one person asked me to go sourcing for them.  But, around mid-afternoon, one of my coworkers asked me if I'd like to come with her to Metro Textiles on 37th between 7th and 8th.  I said yes because she had told me about how good the place was and I wanted to see for myself.

To be exact, Metro Textiles is located at 265 W 37th street on the 9th floor.  When I got there I was a little bit surprised with how small the space is.  There are bolts of fabric everywhere.  The shelves go up to the ceiling and they are absolutely filled with bolts.  There are also tons of bolts just stacked everywhere.  Despite having only a little bit of space to move around, their selection is pretty extensive.  They have just about everything you might need.  The downside to the selection is that they only have a few bolts of different fabrics.  So you go in needing polyester chiffon, for example, but they only have a small selection.  That's basically the story with all the fabrics they have.  But most of the stuff they do have is really good; I found an awesome metallic stretch lace that I absolutely must go back and buy later.  The best thing about the store is that they have amazing prices.  A yard of georgette is only $3 and a yard of muslin is only $2.25.  You really can't beat either of those prices.  Most of the plain shirting and light cottons will run about $6 per yard which is also unbeatable.  They'll cut you pretty much as many swatches as you want (within reason of course).

So all in all, if you want to find fabrics for a good price, go to Metro Textiles.  But if you want a big selection, I might suggest going elsewhere.