I was reminded again yesterday of how much differently I shop for fabric than I used to. Before when I needed fabric I would automatically go to the fabric store, and there are many times when I still do. But I also keep an eye out for fabric in other places. I find myself looking at anything that's made from fabric and, rather thinking about what the item is, I focus more on type of fabric, color, pattern, and dimensions/yardage to see if there's enough for my project just as if it were fabric off the bolt. I'm especially interested when it's on sale or clearance or at a store like HomeGoods, TJ Maxx, etc. where I'm also likely to get it at a lower price.
When you shift your focus and view everything as fabric, it really expands your options. We've seen a flurry of drop cloth drapes throughout blogland (the ones shown below are Traci's from Beneath My Heart - click here to see her tutorial) and in this post we saw a pillow made from a beautiful rug. In this post, a lampshade made from silk drapes and a bathrobe!
When you shift your focus and view everything as fabric, it really expands your options. We've seen a flurry of drop cloth drapes throughout blogland (the ones shown below are Traci's from Beneath My Heart - click here to see her tutorial) and in this post we saw a pillow made from a beautiful rug. In this post, a lampshade made from silk drapes and a bathrobe!
Clothes are something to consider. Shirts can make cute pillows, cutting the pillow out with the shirt buttoned for maximum use and also so that the buttons become a decorative item on the front of the pillow. Since the sweater pillow craze, clearance sweaters are also constantly catching my eye. Skirts? What could I make from this skirt that I no longer wear? A pillow? Recover a lampshade?Fabric strips to embellish something else?
Sheets, duvet covers, tablecloths, fabric shower curtains, placemats, scarves, throws, towels, clothes/sweaters, drop cloths, rugs... you get the idea. Depending on your project, nothing is really off limits.
Furniture manufacturers routinely send furniture stores who carry their line a list of discontinued fabrics, which the furniture store then pulls from their display. Many, not all, furniture stores will give these away rather than throwing them. Definitely varies by store but it doesn't hurt to check. The fabric photos in this post are a hodge podge from my stash of furniture store discontinued samples that I've collected over the years. You don't get to choose, you get what you get, but some of these fabric samples can be great for smaller projects (pillows, art, etc.) and can be used for projects of a slightly larger scale if you collage a few fabrics together.
Furniture manufacturers routinely send furniture stores who carry their line a list of discontinued fabrics, which the furniture store then pulls from their display. Many, not all, furniture stores will give these away rather than throwing them. Definitely varies by store but it doesn't hurt to check. The fabric photos in this post are a hodge podge from my stash of furniture store discontinued samples that I've collected over the years. You don't get to choose, you get what you get, but some of these fabric samples can be great for smaller projects (pillows, art, etc.) and can be used for projects of a slightly larger scale if you collage a few fabrics together.
So how about you? Are you strictly a fabric store shopper or have you been known to use an unexpected source?
