a reader asked me where i found the printed knits for the projects in my book (above are the marguerite T and the gertie dress), which touched on a subject i am thinking about a lot lately as i try to find the fabrics i want for making fall/winter clothes for my shop. namely, what is up with the lack of selection available in the market for real apparel fabrics? knits, in particular, are extremely hard to find (with the exception of childrenswear colors and prints). there are plenty of hip, new prints in the woven quilting cotton category, but i defy you to show me some modern, beautiful grown-up prints on a nice, drapey jersey in a natural fiber. i can barely even find solid wool jersey anymore, which used to be a fabric store staple. the last time i asked for it at JoAnn they looked at me like i was an alien! and cotton sweatshirt fleece has been all but replaced with synthetic polar fleece. don’t even get me started on pointelles or novelty stitches!
both of the above fabrics (printed rayon jerseys) were purchased at Mood, after a thorough traversing of the garment district in manhattan. by far the best selection of printed knits i’ve found online is at crybaby’s boutique, though they are mostly of the juvenile variety (and, often, so am i). i have also found some cute printed knits at repro depot, superbuzzy, and fabric.com.
anyone out there know of any great sources for printed and other hard-to-find knits? i’d love to hear about them! please leave suggestions in the comments, thanks!
7 Comments