Are you thinking about making your own cloth pads, or even other items like baby nappies or clothes but unsure of where to buy the fabric from? Ever seen a print I stock and think "oooh I love that, I wonder where it comes from?" Then look no further I am here to help.
Please note I am going to be providing tips on how to find your own suppliers, I won't actually be giving away a list of the ones I use. This is because myself like other work at home parents who sew or are crafty have worked hard to find the right suppliers and often it takes a little trial and error before you find the ones right for you. Anyway here are my tips:
Shop Local:
Get out of the house and go browsing in all your local shops. Buy small bits of fabric and take them home to test them out. Find as much of your supplies locally as you can, that way you can get to know the shop owners and hopefully get some good deals, but it also saves on postage. I also find that by buying from a physical store you get to look and touch the fabric in person. Here are some of the things that I have found out about my local stores:
Shop online but local:
Type fabric shop followed by your country into google and start browsing. For me I type "Fabric shop nz" and by doing that google kindly supplies me with approximately 8 options on the first page of results. Shop around and look at as many options as you can before deciding who to buy from. Also check out facebook destash pages as people are always trying to sell fabrics, I have gotten some great fabrics this way. Ask on local sewing groups too, people who make for themselves and not to sell will often be more willing than others to give out who they buy from.
If all else fails look overseas:
If you have tried to find something locally but cannot find anything in either a physical store or online then look at overseas sites. Some will ship overseas or if not postal systems like Youshop can come in handy. Just be aware that you will often need a credit card and could be stung with duty costs when you order arrives in the country. I haven't purchased anything from overseas so cannot actually tell you whether this is worth it, but unless it is something I cannot get in New Zealand then I personally won't be buying from overseas.
Please note I am going to be providing tips on how to find your own suppliers, I won't actually be giving away a list of the ones I use. This is because myself like other work at home parents who sew or are crafty have worked hard to find the right suppliers and often it takes a little trial and error before you find the ones right for you. Anyway here are my tips:
Shop Local:
Get out of the house and go browsing in all your local shops. Buy small bits of fabric and take them home to test them out. Find as much of your supplies locally as you can, that way you can get to know the shop owners and hopefully get some good deals, but it also saves on postage. I also find that by buying from a physical store you get to look and touch the fabric in person. Here are some of the things that I have found out about my local stores:
- Spotlight is good for quilting cotton and generic apparel fabric when making for yourself and your family, Their TPU is actually really hardy and washes well but is expensive per meter so if I want any I wait until it is at least 40% off and try to team it with a coupon. Their micro fleece, or as they call it micro printed fleece only comes in patterns but works well for liners in nappies, or as a backing to cloth pads to stop slipping. If you use cotton lycra then look elsewhere as their selection is very poor and I find they seem to prefer synthetic dress fabrics over all cotton options. This however could just be my store.
- If you are looking for quilters cotton then go for the local quilting shops. I have a couple within short driving distance that have an excellent selection and often have the more boutique options like the Tula Pink range. Some fabrics may be a bit more pricey by going to a more specialist shop but the variety is amazing.
- Don't buy elastics from spotlight unless you are doing encased elastics. I find their elastics have great stretch if used in a waistband or encased, but as soon as you stitch along the length of the elastic they don't seem to stretch back fully so are useless for rolled elastics as found in some nappies.
- Always check out the remanats or clearance section. I have found some great fabric pieces at excellent prices by digging in the remnants bin at spotlight.
Shop online but local:
Type fabric shop followed by your country into google and start browsing. For me I type "Fabric shop nz" and by doing that google kindly supplies me with approximately 8 options on the first page of results. Shop around and look at as many options as you can before deciding who to buy from. Also check out facebook destash pages as people are always trying to sell fabrics, I have gotten some great fabrics this way. Ask on local sewing groups too, people who make for themselves and not to sell will often be more willing than others to give out who they buy from.
If all else fails look overseas:
If you have tried to find something locally but cannot find anything in either a physical store or online then look at overseas sites. Some will ship overseas or if not postal systems like Youshop can come in handy. Just be aware that you will often need a credit card and could be stung with duty costs when you order arrives in the country. I haven't purchased anything from overseas so cannot actually tell you whether this is worth it, but unless it is something I cannot get in New Zealand then I personally won't be buying from overseas.
