Fabric shopping

And it’s not mine for once! I got a plea for help in the comments:

Now, I’ve come here in the hope of being directed to some seriously cool fabric places… you have a lot of different kinds of fabric in your pics so I’m thinking coming to you for sage fabric advice is a step in the right direction. I recently bought the pattern for this little lovely…  and I adore that fabric. It seems a little Amy Butler-ish to me…. do you know anyone in Welly that might stock that style of fabric? Or any online places that can be recommended?

How fabulous is that bag? Can’t wait to see the finished item.

For craft fabric I mostly just cruise the front half of Arthur Toye in Willis Street, or the quilting fabric section of Spotlight. Spotlight has a larger selection, Arthur Toye has better prices. Plus, my decision-making time gets out of hand when faced with too many choices, so it’s best to keep focussed. I know the shop assistants must see hundreds of people vacillate their way around the store, but it doesn’t stop me feeling shady if I’m there ‘too long’.

There’s also Global Fabrics on Garrett Street, but they don’t usually have a lot of craft-esque material. That said, it’s where I got the fabric for the less-than-50-cm-of fabric tote so it can be worth checking out. (The tote fabric isn’t plain cotton, but since it’s lined in cotton it makes almost no difference.)

I haven’t ventured far into buying fabric online, but in New Zealand Blooming Quilts and Scrapbooking By Design both carry Amy Butler fabrics and patterns. SBD also has Joel Dewberry-designed fabrics, which I love but never know what I’d do with. Probably use it as very expensive wallpaper. Further afield, I’ve heard good thing about Fabric Tales and Repro Depot.

Does anyone else have any suggestions? Fire away in the comments if you do!

In case anyone was wondering, I’m the worst decision-maker in the world when it comes to fabric – sometimes I just make a leap of faith that the fabric in my hands will still look respectable/appropriate/wearable when I’ve finished with it. I um and ah and dither and pick up and put down and half the time leave with nothing — only to go back later and repeat the process. And this is leaving aside the question of how much I should get, once I’ve made up my mind… Some little part of me thinks haberdashery should just have bolts labelled ’skirt fabric’, or ‘warm winter top fabric’, or ‘the fabric that pattern X is made out of’.