TammyB

I'm wondering if anyone knows a source for buying Japanese (cotton/linen) fabric in the U.S. I've found several sellers on Etsy, but the shipping is so expensive, not to mention fabric is about $17/meter. Here are some links to the fabric I'm looking at which is shipped from China.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/72778866...e-cotton-linen

http://www.etsy.com/listing/71978059...kidston-cotton

Thanks for your help.

TonnieLoree

Japanese fabric in the U.S., but shipped from China. Hmm, interesting.

Airwick156

I was thinking the same thing. That must mean that Japan must source out their stuff just like the US does. LOL.

Sandee

And I read that China has been outsourcing to Vietnam! What a world.

ScubaK

Have you tried contacting The Shibori Dragon in Lakewood, Wa?
She is very knowledgable about anything Japanese.
Kirsten

insgal62

I have had great luck with debsews2.com. She is in Honolulu and is very nice and very helpful. She actually helped me pick out fabrics that would go well together for an Asian quilt I was making. She has a nice selection and will help you a lot. Very personable lady!! Just remember the time zone difference!!

wanda lou

Talk to Gaby4v. She currently lives in Japan.

gzuslivz

That's what I was going to suggest.
Either that or get ahold of one of the members here that lives in Japan.

fabric_fancy

fabric tales has japanese fabrics

http://www.fabrictales.com/

and equilter.com carries some japanese fabric imports

thats if you want real japanese fabrics otherwise you can buy kona bay fabrics and others make japanese inspired fabrics too.

MTS

Your links don't mention the manufacturer of the fabric. And I'm not sure if you're looking JUST for those 2 patterns, or for fabric in that style.

The reason I bring this up is because I bought a beautiful piece of fabric (around 3 meters) a few years ago that had a scene of Japanese gymnasts/circus performers/?? on it. Beautiful graphics, crisp detail, and lovely colors. Pricey, too. I bought it on ebay from a seller who was destashing.

Well, turns out it wasn't Japanese fabric. It was French fabric with a design of Japanese people in a Japanese style. One of my fabric dealers, who is Japanese, took one look at the fabric and knew immediately. It also had no selvage on it so I couldn't identify it further.

I LOVE the fabric to death, and I wasn't looking for more. I wasn't disappointed in the least, but if I had been searching in Japan for more of it, I would have been barking up the wrong tree.

If you're looking for similar kinds of specialty fabrics, you can try:

Michelle at Kallista has a great inventory on both her etsy shop and on her website:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/kallistiquilts
http://www.kallistiquilts.com/

Fabrictales (mentioned upthread) will be the cause of my bankruptcy. But those monthly shipments are worth it. ;-)
http://fabrictales.com/

Another great source:
http://www.sevenislandsfabric.com/

There are other great vendors for specialty Japanese fabrics, but they don't always have everything on their websites. It's a constantly changing inventory. They don't have retail stores, but vend at all the big (and some smaller) shows.

I've bought a ton over the years at shows from:
http://maedaimporting.com/
Rare prints and fabulous solids.

http://www.fabricpeddlers.biz
Magnificent fabrics. The most gorgeous indigo fabrics (for $25+yard)

Also:
http://fabritique.com/

Debsew2 is fabulous - here's her website. Same items as in her eBay store:
http://www.debsews2.com/
The majority of her items are KonaBay Asian prints. But every now and then she gets specialty items in.

And, sorry, but Shiboridragon is wayyyyyyy overpriced on her specialty fabrics, especially her kasuri fabrics. Like in delusional territory. Pfft. Heck, I'll gladly sell you some of mine for for less than a 1/3 of her price. Sheesh.

Try searching for Kokka and Echino fabrics. I'm not so much into the cutesy motifs, but there have been some lovely collections recently. You might find something you like.

Here's some wonderful eye candy for you:
http://www.f-echino.com/tex.html
Kallista has a great collection from them that I've had my eye on for a while - it's got cutesy motifs. Go figure! ;-)

As for the prices listed for these specialty fabrics, you're not going to find them on a clearance rack in the store, especially here in the US. This is not Kona off the bolt. It's the price for collecting them. At all the specialty places I listed, the fabrics all start at $16 plus/yard. But worth it!

I buy most of my fabrics directly from Japan, and some indigo fabrics from China, and shipping is expensive. If you were sending stuff to those locations, it would also be costly.

So the $5-6, even for that amount of fabric isn't off the wall crazy. Could be a buck or two cheaper. Maybe. And the fabric in one of your links is canvas so that's heavier.

But these fabrics are heavenly. And you can be assured your quilts, or whatever it is your making, or even your stash just sitting on a shelf, won't look like everyone else's Moda boring floral collection. ;-)

Enjoy! And don't blame me for any financial ruin that might ensue.
;) ;)