Off the Chain

I am a bit of a self-admitted minimalist when it comes to clothing.  I tend more towards solids, not a lot of embellishments... simple, if you will.  But I always seem to find myself marveling at the selection of chain-by-the-yard whenever I go to a trim store.  They just amaze me: tiny chains, chunky chains, multi-colored chains... I seem to just love the idea of them more than I actually love the idea of wearing them.  But I just know that one of these days I will go crazy and buy tons of yards of chain and make something amazing with it.  In the meantime, I will just continue to dream about it.

The most to-the-point advice I can give is to take the train to Bryant Park and walk along 6th Avenue between 40th Street and 36th Street.  There are probably six or seven bead stores in this four block area.  Now, bead stores in New York aren't anything like bead stores anywhere else.  They actually contain much more than just beads.  There are all sorts of awesome goodies that can be found at these stores, including yardage of chain.  I snapped the picture on the right at a store called Toho Shoji (6th Avenue between 37th and 36th).  This is maybe a sixth of the selection that the store actually has.  I took this one because I'm a fan of the gunmetal colored chains on the bottom.  They also have silver, gold, black, and all sorts of delightful bright colors.  If you are looking for something a little fancier than the normal chain link type chain, check out the website.  It has some really pretty things like chains that look like vines or hearts, ball chains, box chains, rope chains.  The chain racks are very easy to find, which I am a big fan of, as I don't like to search for things in a store.  Just walk on in, turn to the left, and there you are.  The price range is pretty big, about $1-$18 per foot depending on the width of the chain itself.

Another place you could go for a pretty good selection of chain is the ever popular Pacific Trimmings (38th street between 7th and 8th Avenues), a place I tend to mention quite a lot.  A perk of this store as opposed to Toho Shoji, is the fact that they have a selection of acrylic chain as well as metal chain.  However, the overall selection of chains in general is smaller.  The organization of the spools is also a little bit messy, and you sometimes have to search for what you want.  The chain spools are kept in the back of the store to the left of the cash wrap counter, and some are kept right in front of it.  A great perk of this store is that they have chain metal by the yard as well.  I couldn't find a picture of chain metal, but it's basically flat metal pieces attached together by metal rings.  It is very flexible, and it is used a lot in jewelry.  It can make a great embellishment to garments, and I have seen it used for shoulder patches or on patch pocket flaps.  The prices are cheaper as well, as they price by the yard instead of by the foot.  A yard of chain goes for anywhere from $4-$9 per yard.

Maybe I'm a secret junkie for shiny things and my simple nature tends to lead me away from the chains that I seem to gravitate towards.  Either way, whenever I pluck up the courage to make something sassy with chain, I'll know exactly where to go.

All about Spandex

And no... I'm not (necessarily) talking about the jazzercise, 90's aerobics outfits type of spandex.  But sometimes there is an occasion when you want to make a t-shirt, or a bathing suit, or a sweet pair of leggings and you need to find a place to go in order to get the best spandex or spandex blend.  Before I moved to New York, I shopped pretty much exclusively at Jo-ann Fabrics for any fabric I needed.  They had a modest selection of knits and stretch fabrics.  When I did move to New York, I discovered that there are actually stores that ONLY sell spandex blends, and 100% spandex fabrics.  At first, it was slightly comical to me to hear about people talking about stores called 'Spandex House' or 'Spandex World'.  All I could think about was a 'Saved by the Bell' era scene, with people walking around with teased hair, blue eyeshadow and those atrocious thong leotard things with the bike shorts underneath.  However, when I actually went to these stores, there were no people wearing spandex and no teased hair.  I was met with a seemingly endless variety of knit fabrics.  Being a huge fan of anything made out of knit, I was blown away.

image: www.shopthegarmentdistrict.com

First and foremost, I would recommend going to Spandex House (on 38th street, between 7th and 8th Avenues).  A two-story spandex heaven.  They have pleather, metallic, sequin, velvet, printed, chiffon, mesh... name it, they have it in a stretchy version.  It can be a little overwhelming if you don't really know where anything is, but it is easy to get your bearings, as everything is organized pretty well.  Downstairs is all novelty: bathing suit material, sequin and sparkles, knit denim, and wacky prints.  Upstairs is the more basic stuff like cotton, polyester, rayon, lace and velvet.  One of the best things about the store is that they give you nice sized swatches, which makes it easier to visualize the garment you want to make.  The price range in the store is huge.  Anything from $6 per yard for basic cotton or polyester stretch, to $40 and more per yard for something heavily embellished.  I'm not going to sugar coat it: if you need stretch fabric, GO HERE!

image: itshisandhers.blogspot.com

Another decent alternative is Spandex World (also on 38th street, between 7th and 8th Avenues).  The store kind of looks like a circus, from both the inside and the outside.  It is a good deal smaller than Spandex House, but occasionally you will be able to find some awesome fabric at Spandex World.  The price range is pretty comparable to that of Spandex House, so on that basis, they are equal.  However, I do have a couple of grievances regarding Spandex World: the main one being that they do not give swatches of all fabrics.  They have some fabrics hanging in bunches around the store and those are the only fabrics you may have swatches of.  I mostly understand them not wanting to give out tons of swatches to everyone, but this still annoys me when I have to settle for a swatch of cotton in yellow when I really want to make something in blue.  I also have problems with the layout of the first floor.  Being kind of a personal space freak, I try to avoid stores that are overly crowded, and this is one of them.  There is so much merchandise, that sometimes it feels like you need a GPS to get around the store.  The real reason I go continue to subject myself to these minor annoyances, is the fact that they have great novelty knits.  If you like sparkles and shine, this is THE place to go.

But, if you are looking for an everyday knit, I would always suggest checking out any old fabric store.  They will, very rarely, have something amazing that a spandex store won't have and they are worth popping into every so often.  I will say though, that they are almost always more expensive than either one of the spandex stores.  A basic rayon spandex blend can even run you up to $18 per yard, whereas at the other stores, you will be paying more like $6 - $8 per yard.  I think if I had to name one basic fabric store to look for knits, I would say Fabrics Garden (on 39th street between 7th and 8th Avenues).  It's in the middle of the street up a few stairs.  The knit fabrics are toward the back of the store.  They have a good selection, considering they aren't a specialty knit fabric store.  When I had to source knit polka dot fabric, this was one of the only stores that I could find it in.  The absolute best thing about this store, is that if you get the right salesperson to help you, they will sometimes give you a better price than the one listed.  The prices are maybe a couple of dollars more the expensive than the spandex stores, but it's worth a look if you're in the area anyway.

Perhaps it's just my love of pretty much any garment made of knit fabrics, but I am a huge lover of spandex stores!  Definitely check them out if you're in the market.

Buttons, buttons everywhere

I have to say before I start this post, that I am not much of a user of buttons.  I do always find myself perusing the buttons section at any trim store I may go into, but I always end up going with a zipper if I need a closure.  But, in my many days working as in intern for various companies, I have been asked to source countless amounts of buttons in different colors, sizes, and materials.  In my experience, a good button can be a difficult thing to find.  Most of the time, there is a specific idea of what kind of button needs to be used for the garment that is being made and having to go out and find the button that exists in your head is a much bigger deal than anticipated.

image source: www.diaryofaquilter.com

To start, I will have to say that M&J Trimming (on 6th Avenue, between 38th and 37th streets) has, hands down, the best button selection I have seen at any trim store I have been to.  Not only do they have just about every color button known to man, but they also have just about any material that exists: leather, pleather, wood, shell, horn, plastic, metal, fabric.  The picture at right is merely a tiny portion of the amount of buttons that is available.  M&J is especially great if you need any sort of novelty button.  They have all sorts of super fun buttons (like those sparkly gold and silver star buttons in the picture).  The one and only downside to shopping at M&J is the price situation.  The fact is that they are more expensive than most other stores.  If you want a plain plastic button it will only run you a few dollars for six or seven buttons, which is comparable to most other trim stores.  But if you want a novelty button (especially anything metal, wood, or leather) it could cost up to five dollars PER BUTTON.  Now just imagine: you're making a coat and need six nice leather buttons.  That is already thirty dollars spent just for the buttons.

image source: www.lindsaytsews.com

Unfortunately, there is no other store that has nearly the selection that M&J has.  The store takes up a good percentage of a city block, which means they have a lot of merchandise.  But if you are willing to go to a few different stores for the sake of finding the perfect button, there are a few more affordable options.  Joyce Buttons and Trims (on 38th street, between 6th Avenue and Broadway) does have a pretty decent selection of novelty buttons.  The specialize in the more glamorous buttons, such as ones with crystals and jewels.  While not super cheap (a jewel button will run about two-five dollars a piece), they are still more affordable than M&J, not to mention that they have cheaper alternatives in the store.

image source: www.lindsaytsews.com

If you are looking for a more basic button (think solid color, plastic, two or four hole) I would absolutely recommend Pacific Trimming (also known as "YKK", on 38th street, between 7th and 8th Avenues).  The store is a little cramped, so I generally try to avoid going there, but they are still the best for a basic button.  The picture at right, shows one of the button aisles in the back of the store.  There are hundreds of button drawers to choose from, it can be a little overwhelming.  But it is almost impossible to go into this store with the intention of buying buttons, and leaving without buying any.  I have found that they are the absolute best for basic black and white, as well plain old flat metal shank buttons (great if you are going for the military look).  The best thing about the buttons in the store is that on average, they are less than two dollars per button.  Some even go for as little as fifty cents per button.  They do have some very fancy buttons as well, but I would suggest avoiding these, as they are quite pricey.

Now, if after going to all three stores, you are still unable to find the button you want, I would suggest trying Lulu Buttons (on 38th street, between 6th and 5th Avenues).  This is store is a tiny, narrow, one-room store.  They don't have much of a selection but you can occasionally find a cool novelty button or two.  The one advantage this store has is that they will dye buttons to match the garment.  The button is dyed using the closest pantone match to the color of the garment.  It can get pretty expensive, but if you really want a button to match, this is probably the best way to do it.

In the end, finding a button can be an overwhelming task.  It is all about knowing what you want and where to go to find it.

Unzipped

For some reason, whenever I start sewing again, I inevitably end up with somewhere between 6 and 10 garments that would be finished but for one thing: a zipper.  This is something I have been struggling with since I learned how to sew when I was thirteen years old.  I have zipper commitment issues.  Maybe the reason this started was because I only had access to Jo-Ann Fabrics, whose selection, while good enough, is hardly what I would call a mecca for sewing supplies and fabrics.  There was no choice except for what was available there; the color selection was limited, as was the selection of types and lengths.  So I took whatever was closest to what I needed and made it work.  But in New York, you could walk into pretty much any supply or fabric store and find zippers.  Generally speaking, most stores will have some kind of zipper that matches what you are making.

Let's start with the basics:  Mood (37th street, between 7th and 8th Avenues, 3rd Fl), with its seemingly never-ending fabric options, is not the place I would necessarily recommend for buying a zipper.  While they do have zippers available, the truth is that they have a relatively limited selection.  Invisible zippers must be the biggest seller, because this is the kind of zipper they have the most of.  Usually, I try to avoid invisible zippers at all costs since they are such a hassle to sew into a garment.  If you are at Mood anyway, and realize you need an invisible zipper, this would be the place to get it; but I wouldn't suggest making an extra trip there if all you need is a zipper.

Pacific Trimming (38th street, between 7th and 8th Avenues) is a smart option if you need a zipper.  They have a pretty large variety of zippers and they will shorten any zipper at the store to the exact length you need.  It usually only takes about five to ten minutes to do so and they don't charge you to do it.  I can say that a large percentage of the zippers that are offered are metal zippers.  Now, being a big fan of the exposed metal zipper, this works in my favor.  The one thing that I will say, though, is that shopping at Pacific Trimming can be a bit stressful.  The store is very tightly packed, which makes it difficult to maneuver around the store.  And, as if this weren't annoying enough, the store is almost always slightly crowded, which makes moving around even more difficult.  However, if you don't mind the way the store is laid out, you may want to try Pacific Trimming for a zipper.

Sil Thread (38th street, between 7th and 8th Avenues), is the first place I would recommend for anyone looking to buy a zipper.  From the street, it looks kind of like a hole-in-the-wall, but it is pretty much zipper heaven when you walk inside.  The store is officially a sewing supply store, but the inventory is mostly zippers.  They have metal, plastic, separating and invisible zippers in several different lengths.  They also carry some novelty zippers, like ones with pleather or sparkly tape.  If you don't find the length you need, they will shorten it for you at no extra cost.

The biggest complaint I have about zipper shopping is the fact that I have a hard time finding zippers to match exactly the fabric I have already purchased for my garment.  However until I can afford to pay to have my zippers dyed, or figure out how to dye them myself, I suppose this is just another thing I will have to deal with in the saga of making clothing.

I'm back!

Well, it's been over a year since my last post.  Things in my life have changed; and that is an understatement.  As of my last post, I was working as a Design Assistant for a wholesale company; not really doing much sourcing as that was mostly what the interns would do.  However, I did source enough to keep posting for a little while.  As of June, I lost my job.  So now, I only source for my personal projects; which is actually more than I was doing when I was working.  I wasn't making any clothes when I was working, but now that I'm not working, I have started sewing again.  And, as anyone who sews knows, muslin is the thing that is most important to me.  I use it to experiment on the dress form and to sew a 'first draft' of any garment I plan on making.

When I started sewing again, I figured that muslin would be pretty much a no-brainer to find, as it is the most basic fabric you can possibly buy.  And, for the most part, I was right.  Almost every fabric store has muslin available.  The tricky part, is finding muslin for a reasonable price.  Previous to moving to New York, I would just head on over to Jo-Ann fabrics and pick up some 36" wide muslin for a buck a yard.  I'm not delusional enough to think that I would be able to find the same price in New York, however.

The first place I looked was Mood (on 37th street, between 7th and 8th Avenues, 3rd Floor), because they have a huge selection of pretty much everything.  Turns out, the muslin is only $2.75 per yard, which is quite reasonable as far as I'm concerned.  They also offered to get another roll from the back if I wanted more than was on the bolt.  I decided though, that before buying, I would check around in my usual fabric haunts to see if I could spot a better price.  I ventured over to B&J (on the corner of 7th Avenue and 38th Street, 2nd Floor).  While there, I learned that the store is best used for cotton prints, heavily embellished fabrics and laces, and denim.  I was directed to the area of the store where muslin was supposed to be, but there were no bolts of muslin.  Disappointed after triple-checking the area, I left and went to my no-fail spot: Elegant Fabrics (on 40th street, between 7th and 8th Avenues).  Nine times out of ten, I can find some fabric that I would like to use.  They have a good selection of most fabrics and I figured that they would have cheaper fabric than Mood (considering that Mood is generally a little pricey).  I was absolutely shocked to find out that the muslin was $3.75 per yard; a full dollar more than the muslin at Mood.  Now, normally a dollar per yard difference wouldn't bother me so much, but when you're buying 10-15 yards at a time, that makes a difference.

I would also suggest trying out some of the smaller fabric stores along 38th and 39th streets in midtown.  You can occasionally find a good deal on fabric, but they also have the tendency of trying to rip you off. However, Metro Fabrics (on 37th street, between 7th and 8th Avenues, 9th Floor), is another good alternative for a place to get muslin.  The store has very good prices, but not a big selection of fabrics.

Moral of the story:  Mood is a great place to get muslin.  The price is right and they always have the yardage that you need.  An added bonus is that they have plenty of other fabrics to choose from for other projects.

I'm Back!

Hey all, after that somewhat brief hiatus, I've decided to come back and continue the blog.  I probably won't be posting every day, but I'm aiming for two or three times a week at least.

What: crochet trim
Price: $8-$15
Place: Top Trimmings (39th street b/w 7th and 8th) B&Q (38th street b/w 7th and 8th)

I thought that considering how 'in' crochet embellishments are these days, I would go ahead and post about them.  Most recently (maybe within the last month or so), all of our interns have been asked to go sourcing for crochet trimming, more specifically: crochet neck and back pieces.  I will say this: they aren't really so hard to find.  The one hard thing about having to buy them for a company is the fact that any given store only carries a small quantity of each piece.  But for everyday, personal use, finding one is no trouble at all.  In my experience, the best place to go for crochet anything is Top Trimmings (www.shinetrim.com) which is on 39th street between 7th and 8th avenues.  It is a two-story shop so they have a lot of products.  The crochet things are on the second floor.  Not only do they have a pretty decent selection of the neck and back pieces, but they also have crochet trim by the yard, as well as actual yards of crochet on bolts (like fabric).  The majority of their selection of their neck and back pieces are pretty large, but they have a fair selection of smaller ones as well.  They also have a very good selection of all sorts of crochet by the yard in white and off-white (mostly). 

Now, if you're having some trouble finding what you're looking for at Top Trimmings, you should try B&Q, which is on 38th street between 7th and 8th avenues.  They are both owned by the same people so they kind of fill in the gaps of the other one.  They don't have the selection of Top Trimmings (by a long shot) but the things they do have are pretty good.

The one complaint I do have about the selection of crochet trims, is the lack of black trim available.  It isn't so hard to find, but actually finding one you like is another thing.  The stores that do offer black trim have only a very small selection compared to the white and off-white times.  Some girls I work with even had to go as far as dying a white trim that they liked to black (which ended up being more like a very dark brown sort of color).  It's just too bad that there isn't more black trim available, considering the fact that black is such a basic color.

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!).