A Sewist’s Guide to NYC Shopping
If you follow me on Instagram you'd know that I'll be heading to New York June 7th to 11th for one of the biggest and most talked about meetups for the Instagram sewing community on June 8th. I'm soooo excited to see most of my college friends, meet some of the incredible people I've met through Instagram, FINALLY hit up amazing pop-ups I haven't been able to get to (since I only seem to go in the winter), and one of my favorite parts of NYC: Shopping!!
I looooove fabric shopping - it's probably my favorite thing to do, especially when I come from an area that doesn't have anywhere near as many options for types, colors, and quality as New York. Last year when I visited my friends I was able to really explore the Garment District and find my favorites (using my friends' suggestions) so I wanted to compose my list of go-to's for anyone else headed to NYC and interested in fabric/notion/trim shopping!
Fabric
A K Fabrics
257 W 39th St, New York, NY 10018 (Garment District)
I always love going in to AK! The guys who work there are always so sweet and helpful. I tend to find most of my woven fabrics here because they're such great quality at an affordable price!
Spandex House, Inc.
263 W 38th St, New York, NY 10018 (Garment District)
Oh. My. Goodness. This place is massive and specializes in knits! I literally spent 3 hours in here my first time then came back and spent another 3 the second. Knits are my favorites to work with (they're so forgiving if you mess something up plus you don't have to worry about openings/closures) so it's always extremely difficult to not buy every knit in sight. There are soooo many different options it's insane (plus they're also reasonably priced)!
New York Elegant Fabrics
242 W 36th St 2nd floor, New York, NY 10018 (Garment District)
Elegant has a huuuuuuge assortment of fabrics and I've always found tons of interesting options. I'm like a kid in a candy store whenever I go in and look through everything! I haven't been to their new location (They switched from their original W.40th location to the address above in October 2018) but I'm excited to go back!
FabScrap
Warehouse: Brooklyn Army Terminal Building B, Unit 5H-4; 140 58th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11220
I have to admit, I haven't actually been to FabScrap's warehouse but I've ordered from them online before! This company saves materials from going to the landfill (They even partner with major designers!) and sells the fabric, notions, and yarn to consumers at reasonable prices. As I mentioned, I've only bought from them during their Flash Sales on Instagram/Facebook but they also sell on their website and have their main warehouse in Brooklyn. You can even sign up to volunteer for a 3-hour session in exchange for free fabric!
Metro Textiles
265 W 37th St #908, New York, NY 10018
Such a fun place to hunt for everything from linings to silk charmeuse! Famous for Kashi’s $4 wall which spans almost the entire half of the shop! Always a great experience with the incredible staff!
Mood Fabrics
225 W 37th St 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10018 (Garment District)
Now Mood is an iconic name in fashion (partly from Project Runway). This 4-floor location is an experience to say the least - rows of different fabrics, trims, notions, and more settled with a classroom and a cute little Boston Terrier named Swatch roaming around. This place is a must-do if it's your first time in New York (or even your first time fabric shopping in New York) and you'll almost always find something you fall in love with but don't really need to take home with you. My biggest advice: 1. Go in prepared with ideas of what you want to make, the kind of fabric you want to use, and any notions you might need; 2. Go during the daytime hours if possible (mornings are typically the least busy); and 3. Don't be afraid to look elsewhere for similar options! Anything I purchase from Mood is fabric that I know I won't be able to find elsewhere so I can justify the higher price tags I spend on.
Purl Soho - Temporarily Closed (2022)
459 Broome St, New York, NY 10013 (Soho)
Do you like knitting?... 'Nuff said
Now that all being said, most fabric and notion stores are within the same few blocks of each other so I also enjoy strolling and looking in the windows to see if there's anything that piques my interest . If it looks like one of those shops has some options you might like, stop in to take a look because you never know what you'll find!
Photo Credit: Katryn Seeburger
Trims
M&J Trimming
1008 6th Ave, New York, NY 10018 (Garment District)
This place is so much fun to walk through. They have hundreds and hundreds of buttons, beads, tools, sequins, ribbons, flowers, appliques, buckles and rings, chains, fringe, feathers, and rhinestones. Definitely a must go!
B&Q Trimmings
102 W 38th St, New York, NY 10018 (Garment District)
Last time I went in I found the most beautiful woven trims that reminded me of Austria (they actually had Edelweiss on them!!) so I obviously had to buy all of the stock that they had. B&Q has rows and rows of trim spools and boards, feathers, rhinestones and gems. I usually pop in for their woven trims because I never seem to find the ones I fall in love with anywhere else.
Pacific Trimmings
220 W 38th St, New York, NY 10018 (Garment District)
TONS of options! Zippers, buttons, trims, chains, dye, thread, hardware... This place has it all! I typically go in for my buttons because of the MASSIVE selection in the back of the store and because of their huge expanse of zippers. Definitely recommend going in during daytime hours to avoid massive congestion!
Daytona Trimmings Co
251 W 39th St, New York, NY 10018 (Garment District)
Rhinestones, trims, a yarn section, crochet thread, embroidery floss, thread, appliques, buttons, beads, zippers...Like M&J they have tons of options available but unlike M&J they also offer yarn and crochet thread. Make sure you keep an eye out for the store cats, Ric & Rac!
Notions & Accessories
Sil Thread Inc.
257 W 38th St #1, New York, NY 10018 (Garment District)
I LOVE this place! They carry all of the things not many do: poly and garment bags, bonings, bra making materials, marking tools, various Clover products, needles, pads, paper, rulers, French curves, L squares, sewing accessories, machine feet, tapes, and tooooons of zippers! It has all of those sewing accessories you might need and should have to make your life easier.
Panda International Trading of NY, Inc.
247 W 38th St, New York, NY 10018 (Garment District)
Similar to Sil, Panda carries sewing notions but it's a smaller shop with some differences in product offerings.
Did I miss anywhere?! Anyone else with suggestions I'd love to hear your favorites!