Monday, May 17, 2010
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!).
Friday, May 7, 2010
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.
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.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
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.
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.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
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.
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.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
A good button is hard to find
What: gray, purple, teal buttons
Where: Pacific, M&J, Botani, Daytona
Price: $2 - $4 per button
So today was a huge challenge for me. I was asked to find buttons to match three sweaters, all different colors: dark gray, purple, and teal. Now, I knew before I went out that teal was going to be nearly impossible. I had found a good teal button on a separate trip, but this time they wanted one that was about 52 ligne, which is pretty big.
Normally, gray is about the hardest color there is to match, but I actually found a pretty decent gray button at Pacific Trimmings on 38th street. Surprisingly, purple is not a horribly difficult color to locate. I found a good one at M&J Trimmings. I figured I would find a decent button in one of the colors at M&J because they have a pretty good selection of novelty buttons and buttons in bright colors. But still, no teal. I went all around to about 8 different stores, including LuLu Buttons on 38th between 6th and 5th, and Botani on 36th between 7th and 8th, both of which specialize in buttons. I had no luck in either store, but I did have some luck in Daytona Trimmings... and I say 'some luck' generously. I found a button that would have to do because I couldn't find a closer teal color. They were actually more blue than I would have liked but they would have to do.
Moral of the story: the chances of finding a good teal button are about the same as the chances of winning of the lottery. My advice is to go to LuLu and get the guy who owns the store to dye buttons to match whatever garment you are looking for. The price is hefty, but if it's really important that the button match as closely as possible, the only way you are going to find a good teal is get the buttons dyed.
Where: Pacific, M&J, Botani, Daytona
Price: $2 - $4 per button
So today was a huge challenge for me. I was asked to find buttons to match three sweaters, all different colors: dark gray, purple, and teal. Now, I knew before I went out that teal was going to be nearly impossible. I had found a good teal button on a separate trip, but this time they wanted one that was about 52 ligne, which is pretty big.
Normally, gray is about the hardest color there is to match, but I actually found a pretty decent gray button at Pacific Trimmings on 38th street. Surprisingly, purple is not a horribly difficult color to locate. I found a good one at M&J Trimmings. I figured I would find a decent button in one of the colors at M&J because they have a pretty good selection of novelty buttons and buttons in bright colors. But still, no teal. I went all around to about 8 different stores, including LuLu Buttons on 38th between 6th and 5th, and Botani on 36th between 7th and 8th, both of which specialize in buttons. I had no luck in either store, but I did have some luck in Daytona Trimmings... and I say 'some luck' generously. I found a button that would have to do because I couldn't find a closer teal color. They were actually more blue than I would have liked but they would have to do.
Moral of the story: the chances of finding a good teal button are about the same as the chances of winning of the lottery. My advice is to go to LuLu and get the guy who owns the store to dye buttons to match whatever garment you are looking for. The price is hefty, but if it's really important that the button match as closely as possible, the only way you are going to find a good teal is get the buttons dyed.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Shoulder Patches
Where: M&J, Pacific Trimmings, Joyce, B&Q, Trimart
Today I learned that finding shoulder patches in the kind of style in the picture at right (http://images.smh.com.au/) is not so easy. For whatever reason, the patches either come without hanging chains at all, or they come with loose hanging chains as opposed to the ones that are looped and attached to the other side. I had a feeling when I went out that it might be a hard thing to locate, but I had no idea that I would go back to the office completely unsuccessful.
I tried all over the place; I went to every trim store on 38th street between 7th and 8th, I went to M&J Trimming, Joyce Buttons and Trims, B&Q Trimming, and Pacific Trimmings just to name a few. The only place I found something even close to slightly resembling the look the company was going for was at TrimArt, which is on 38th street and almost 8th. They didn't have exactly what I was looking for by any means, but at least they had some form of patches with some form of chains hanging over the shoulder. They were only $4 a piece so I bought three different ones and headed back to the office.
If you ask me, if you have your heart set on a shoulder patch like the one above, it would probably be easier to buy the chain and the patch separately and sew together a cute patch for your shirts or dresses. Finding a cute one in the city is near impossible.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Hmmm... maybe neckline embellishments today
What: neckline embellishments
Where: M&J Trimmings, Pacific Trimmings
How Much: about $13
Today was no different than my average day at the office: do some computer work, run errands, do more computer work, run more errands, yet more computer work, and yet more errands. The bulk of my errands actually had to do with finding more crinkle chiffon, but since I already wrote about that in a previous post, I figure it would be more helpful to talk about the other thing I was asked to source: neckline embellishments. And not just any neckline embellishments: beaded ones. More specifically, ones that attach at the shoulders and hang loose over the neckline.
I had a couple of trim stores in mind right as I was heading out of the office. I went to M&J Trimmings first, as they usually have a really good selection of just about everything. While I was met with many, many, many different beaded patches of all kinds, I didn't find what I was looking for. I stopped into a few small trim stores on 38th street and, after having no luck anywhere, decided to head into Pacific Trimmings. Now, while their selection wasn't anything to brag about, they did have two neckline trims that were exactly what I was looking for. Each of them were about $13, which is pretty standard for any sort of neckline trim. I happily handed over the dough to Jules (the owner of the store) and went merrily on my way.
Where: M&J Trimmings, Pacific Trimmings
How Much: about $13
Today was no different than my average day at the office: do some computer work, run errands, do more computer work, run more errands, yet more computer work, and yet more errands. The bulk of my errands actually had to do with finding more crinkle chiffon, but since I already wrote about that in a previous post, I figure it would be more helpful to talk about the other thing I was asked to source: neckline embellishments. And not just any neckline embellishments: beaded ones. More specifically, ones that attach at the shoulders and hang loose over the neckline.
I had a couple of trim stores in mind right as I was heading out of the office. I went to M&J Trimmings first, as they usually have a really good selection of just about everything. While I was met with many, many, many different beaded patches of all kinds, I didn't find what I was looking for. I stopped into a few small trim stores on 38th street and, after having no luck anywhere, decided to head into Pacific Trimmings. Now, while their selection wasn't anything to brag about, they did have two neckline trims that were exactly what I was looking for. Each of them were about $13, which is pretty standard for any sort of neckline trim. I happily handed over the dough to Jules (the owner of the store) and went merrily on my way.
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