Sewing Options

It seems the only sewing/craft store within walking distance is closing (the one on Bridge Street) - does anyone have other options that are within stopping distance on the train ride home or websites that are good to use for all the notions?

Are you talking about Save-a-Thon? They're closing? Crap! Bridge street used to be all fabric and notions stores, tons of them. This blows. :x

Subject: 2 options in park slope...

on 7th avenue at 12th street, next to NYC Pet, the vacuum and appliance store sells notions and thread (nice thread).

also, 5th ave between 3rd and 4th streets, brooklyn mercantile opened and she has notions AND fabric! it's a very nice store.

Thanks for the info, Cat!

you're welcome! I'm sorry to hear about the Bridge Street stores - I'd been hearing little by little about the closings but have never visited them. (Going to Bridge Street feels like I may as well go to Manhattan! But that might just be my own mental 'thing' about that neck of the woods.) I think both of these other local stores that I mentioned have potential.

If you ever get a chance to take a trip out to Boro Park (D line - Ft. Hamilton Pkway, 50th St., 55th Street). There are so many fabric stores and notion stores there along 13th Avenue (and the surrounding areas like 14th Ave and New Utricht Ave.) Since this is an Orthodox neighborhood the stores are only open on Sunday during the weekends.

I think you might find more of these type stores in the heart of any Orthodox Jewish neighborhood.

Yep. Save-a-Thon is going out of business. Now's the time to go & stock up. I got a million packs of bias tape for a few bucks.
There's still a store across the street from Save-a-Thon, but it seems to have a smaller selection.

stacey wrote: If you ever get a chance to take a trip out to Boro Park (D line - Ft. Hamilton Pkway, 50th St., 55th Street). There are so many fabric stores and notion stores there along 13th Avenue (and the surrounding areas like 14th Ave and New Utricht Ave.) Since this is an Orthodox neighborhood the stores are only open on Sunday during the weekends.

I think you might find more of these type stores in the heart of any Orthodox Jewish neighborhood.

there's also a "rag shop" in boro park for more general craft needs/cheap supplies. it's in the same building as the big pathmark, so you can do a grocery trip at the same time!

i think it's around 60th st and 13th ave(?).

i used to live in boro park and the only thing i miss about it is the cheap craft supplies.

abs276 wrote: i used to live in boro park and the only thing i miss about it is the cheap craft supplies.

I agree - I used to live on 46th and New Utricht. I used to loooove that store G & Sons which was on New Utricht and 47-48th Street (it later became a National Wholesale Liquidators).

You are right the Rag Shop is 60th and 13th. I was there recently and they redid the place and its much larger and better organized now.

I am learning to knit - do any of these stores sell yarn? Or does anybody know of a place to get good, relatively cheap yarn? Stitch Therapy is waaaay too pricey for me especially since I still ruin most of my projects anyway :oops:

magic1 wrote: I am learning to knit - do any of these stores sell yarn? Or does anybody know of a place to get good, relatively cheap yarn? Stitch Therapy is waaaay too pricey for me especially since I still ruin most of my projects anyway :oops:

the rag shop sells yarn (in boro park) for cheap, but it's probably out of your way. i like p&s fabrics in chinatown if i need some cheap acrylic stuff for a project.

it's on broadway a few blocks below canal.

edit: here's the website, even though it's not so useful:
http://www.psfabrics.com

Grayshell.. corner of 5th ave and 10th street is subdivided.. Phone store on corner but right next door is a shlack Shop... and they carry closeout on Lion Brand Yarns. Lion makes inexpensive but beautiful yarns. I am a major knitter and every ten days or do I go in and check on what they have. Bought Lion Wool-ease (a beautiful moderate price yarn, worsted weight) at a great price.

If anyone wants to buy yarn on e bay I can give you some excellent sellers I have purchased from many times.. if you pm Me.

abs276 wrote: i like p&s fabrics in chinatown if i need some cheap acrylic stuff for a project.

it's on broadway a few blocks below canal.

edit: here's the website, even though it's not so useful:
http://www.psfabrics.com

i though p&s closed last year? i really think i was at their closing sale.

P&S moved across the street, to my immense relief. I LOVE that place.

yeah, i was just there a couple weeks ago...i got scared when i first went to their old location and the gate was down, but it moved to a place across the street.

Subject: Brooklyn Mercantile

I stopped into Brooklyn Mercantile today to check it out and was a little disappointed. Its a tiny store and the sewing options are very tiny. I think in total there was 12 rolls of thread. BUT the Brooklyn General Store on Union near Columbia is expanding its sewing selection. I bought the perfect colored thread and some beautiful fabrics for pillows! They also seem to have some good patterns also.

thanks for the news about p&s -- i picked up some cheap yarn there yesterday. it's funny -- the layout is so similar that once inside, i had a hard time convincing myself they had even moved.

i haven't been to the general store yet, but i did look at them online when i was looking for a particular kind of german thread for an ongoing project. (the kind of thing that is available, if top-of-the-line, even at ordinary yardage stores.) i was really shocked by the listed price -- i paid less than half that amount at the schmancy soho store i ended up going to instead. (i seem to recall $5-something at general store, $1.79 ish at purl patchwork.)

anybody know if there prices are just high online or in person, too?