Yep, same in Belgium, around Antwerp. As far as I know only one shop who sells fabric, and not many shops who well materials to use for crafts (like sissors, special mat, cutters,...) Even no craft show :-( it is sad...

Same, apart from Spotlight & Lyncraft 20mins away, there is only one little fabric store (25mins in the other direction) with a pitiful range - very sad.

We have very little here in Tassie apart from 3 Spotlight stores only a very few quilt shops. Shirley

Very sad.... In the city we have Spotlight, Lyncraft and Clegs (high class store), and in some suburbs Spotlight or Lyncraft. I consider myself lucky that they are near where I live. Over the years Lyncraft has closed two large stores not too far from where I live and the one close to me was about to close a few years ago but fortunately has survived. Still I don't find what I need easily and recently I started buying online. Sad :(
Hugs, Lidia

Here in South Africa, I really think that sewing is dying. I think it is such a shame. I have 2 grown daughters and neither of them can even sew on a button!!!!! So very sad. Sarah.

Ruth if you can send me a sample, (a decent size piece, say 30cm2, that I will send back to you) there are still some fabulous fabric shops down at Penrith where I go visit Polly and my sister, perhaps I will be able to get you exactly what you need.
I think I have your emad so I will write and send you my street address, if not you can email me.
melide_menschen@yahoo.com.au
Hugs n roses, Meganne

I find most stuff around me is for quilting, which I don't do. Sigh~~

I think the whole problem lies in the fact that Spotlight and Lincraft forced most of the smaller fabric shops out of business.
Now, because they need to make such huge profits to maintain such large stores and staff, they are forced to close down leaving us with nothing.
Thankfully, Penrith and St Marys here in NSW still have several great fabric stores, besides SL & LC, so I regularly go back to Penrith when I want inexpensive but EXCELLENT quality fabrics.
There is also the Craft Depot at Pennant Hills, which currently has a 20% off sale, so Chris, Polly and I are meeting there this Friday to have a spend-up and get together.

I would not mind making purchases for any Aussie Cutie who is having problems getting supplies, because I understand the difficulty trying to buy fabrics online where there is the added difficulty of colour distortion due to monitor and camera variations.
Of course anyone availing themselves of my offer would need to pay for the postage, but you can fit a fair amount in a 3kg pre-paid satchel for $11.40 or 500g satchel for $7.20

You could even mail your own PP Satchel if you need to send a sample of fabric you want.

So, anyone interested, keep this in mind or send your request by Thursday night for this weeks shopping spree.
Hugs and roses, Meg

EMAD: melide_menschen@yahoo.com.au

I live in a small community, and the only fabric store closed down 2 moths ago, now i have to go to the capital or buy it on line :( And yes I think we are going to be in the extinction list.

We used to have 3 places here: a small Singer store (owner retired - didn't sell out), WalMart (they haven't brought much of anything back - just a few fat quarters and a few mini bolts and a few notions, and last but not least - Fabricland. Now I have to go into the city when I want something. Hubby took me to fabricland a couple weeks ago and they are always running a sale, it just switched what is on - I looked around and found several fabrics to add to my stash.

We are finding fewer and fewer fabric shops these days here, too.

It's many years since I shopped in Adelaide, but don't the big department stores in Adelaide have their fabric sections any more? Where could you buy bridal fabrics these days? Wouldn't taffeta be one of the favourite fabrics for brides to wear? Wouldn't a dress fabric store be the place instead of a craft store?
Also have you sounded out any of the dance costume stores, if they still exist?
Just wondering.... not much use me planning fabric trips to Adelaide if the stores don't exist!!! I should go and check out my local Spotlight and Lincraft for dress/dance/bridal fabrics. I haven't needed any of these for years.
AlmaG.

Me again!! I'm still thinking..... do any of those little fabric/dressmaking shops owned by the Asian ladies still exist around the Central Market area? I remember them being stocked full of gorgeous 'specialty' fabrics.
I'd ring around some of the specialty shops, e.g. wedding dress shops, and see if anyone can help you with what you need.
Can't help thinking that maybe you'd find what you want in Victoria Market in Melbourne!!!
AlmaG.

I guess I'm spoiled. Here in West Texas I can run out 24 hours to 2 Super Walmarts,Hobby Lobby,Michaels or Hancock Fabric. And if I still can't find it there is always the internet and ebay. The only thing we don't have is a JoAnns. They closed up and left town when Michael's came in.
Bev

It seems easier to get hold of good fabrics for patchwork, but dress-making fabrics are usually not good quality and only in the city [I am in the rural area and am finding it increasingly more difficult and frustrating!!!!]

I had a craft/fabric store (in the USA) about 20 years ago and the industry was changing then and going downhill fast. Walmart certainly was a huge factor and now that they've killed off the competition they quit selling fabric. And the fact that much of the younger generation have no sewing skills and don't care. Also many of my wholesale dealers disappeared as the huge chains buy direct so the little stores have no source. A great number of craft/sewing magazines are gone. You can't even find good buttons or nice trims any more. So sad.

Check out The Treasure House on Unley Road

ttt

This is a UK problem too but where I live a fabric shop opened almost 2 years ago and is doing so well that they moved to a larger shop 3 months ago. The main fabric supplier that I have used is half an hour away. Within a 2 hour drive (any excuse for a day out) I have a choice of a few shops. I live in a very rural bit of the UK so cities will fare better

I have the same problem in Central Queensland (Australia), I find both Spotlight and Lincraft pretty hopeless and they will not source it for you.

If this problem is being experienced in so many places there must be a solution somewhere. I just dont know what it is.

Ruth your answer to Meg got cut off - was the colour Jade? I see you want either sea green, dark blue or black as well. We'll keep an eye open for it. Love Chris

I was trying to reply before but my Internet drops out without warning and I have trouble getting it back up, so annoying!!!
I see Chris has not left you hanging.
So that's 1/2 metre of either sea green, dark blue or black watermark moire taffeta.
Did you want the Jade as well?
Would you like to email me a pic of the fabric/s that you already have?
One of us will get it for you. :-))

Yes Brisbane is the same . I blame Spotlight and Lyncraft the moved into Brisbane undercut all the small Fabric and crasft stores so they all closed and now all we can buy is what they decide to stock. Try buying hand embroidery threads Zippers or specialty fabrics around here. If you have some special dance fabric shops you may be able to get taffata there. hugs Joyce

I emailed you Ruth, but I might be in your junk file :( Had a look in Lilydale, Vic & they had a couple of types of taffeta & plenty of colours (Jade, Dk Blue, Black, couple of greens), but no watermark and think it may not be made any more as they used to stock it. Marianne

I have some water mark black, would love for you to have it, where do you live? Hugs Diamond

I agree with you. Im in Adelaide as well. I hate that we are so limited in choice. Have you tried any of the Sewing machine dealers? The trouble with that though is that they are so expensive.

We have had a lot of fabric stores close down.

Ruth we lucked out on the watermark Taffeta today at the Craft Depot but I will go to Penrith next week and check the big fabric store there for you.
Hugs n roses, Meganne

Several yrs ago after ALOT of the material places close around Atlanta our main supply was WalMart unless you wanted to ride a great distance and pay for overpriced material! Well..a few places opened new stores with outragious prices. It took several yrs for WalMart to decide to put back in there sewing dept. Trouble is, I have seen nothing like the nicer materials that they once carried and that still leaves the most of us having to ride long distances to buy more expensively priced material. Same quality as always but cost tons more. Patterns are 4 or 5 times more than they were just a few yrs ago. If WalMart had brought back the same types and quality as before they could be racking in the money for material. Before I moved to this area in 2007, alot of our nice Dept stores carried very nice material with alot of variety at a decent price...Most of them have been bought out by the huge chains and changed the merchandise that is sold in the stores. I used to wait on the GREAT material sales from B.C. Moore's Dept. Store back home and I would go in and buy enough to last forever. Those days are gone. It has gone to more expensive material and supplies with alot less quality almost everywhere.

I'm in a heavily populated area of USA and all most of my quiting stores have gone out of business. There is only one store that carries dress quality fabrics anywhere in driving distance. Very sad.