Garment district
Fabric stores
B&J Fabrics was a great store to start at—while there’s a very wide range of fabrics, it’s less stressful to be in than others. The employees were also the nicest/calmest of any of the stores. I walked in expecting the store to be organized by fabric type, which it was, but that each specific fabric would then be in a range of colors; I’m not sure if they have those just not on display, or each fabric really is a specific combination of color/weight/material/brand/texture that is not offered in much of a spectrum. I discovered so many fabric types I’ve never heard of, like triacetate; so many more synthetics and synthetic blends in more textures than I think of synthetics offering. The swatching process was easy and friendly, but I left already a little overwhelmed, though it was my first of eight stops.
The other fabric stores were more industrial, less friendly, and harder to navigate. Spandex House, whose latest interior renovation might’ve been to put up a “Like us on Facebook” poster when I was in elementary school, had little organization I could discern other than patterns on the ground floor and solids up above (if you can find the stairs). Mood’s multi-floor structure and intricacies make it especially tiring. The range of options is stunning, but if you’re buying materials for a specific project, you definitely need a game plan going in, because a day of browsing in the Garment District will not take you to any specific destination.
Sadly, Mood’s dog Swatch died in 2022, and I never got to meet him:
Swatches
| Store | Fabric type | Fiber content | Color | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mood | Synthetic | 100% ripstop nylon | Orange | $9 |
| Mood | Synthetic | Unknown synthetic | Blue shiny | $16 |
| B&J | Natural | 100% linen | Lilac | $32.50 |
| B&J | Natural | 100% cotton twill | Grellow | $20 |
| B&J | Natural | 100% merino wool | Green apple | $180 |
| B&J | Synthetic | Lame | Hologram | $35 |
| B&J | Synthetic | 100% polyester | Dark teal | $25 |
| Spandex | Synthetic | Lycra | Yellow | |
| Spandex | Synthetic | Nylon-spandex? | Irridescent | |
| Spandex | Synthetic | 80% nylon, 20% spandex | Pattern | |
| Spandex | Synthetic | Nylon-spandex? | Violet |
Notion stores
The trimmings/notion stores, while also dizzyingly diverse, I found easier to navigate, because there are sections for the major types of hardware and tools, and you can find specific types, colors, or specifications fairly rapidly. Pacific Trimming was my favorite for feeling so bountiful and well-lit; Steinlauf & Stoller was the emptiest; Hai Feathers had some big camp/drag energy; Sil Thread was the most industrial supply but super thorough in their zipper selection.
Thread at Steinlauf & Stoller was in the range of $10 for 1200 yards.
YKK separating invisible zippers were $8.95 for 28” in any color at Sil Thread:
Tools
I discovered the Bodkin, which is a tool for pulling elastics and drawstrings through a textile project:
The chalk wheel kit lets you cut a circle of any radius without a template object to cut around, by drawing a chalk circle onto your textile first.