Hi everyone,
We are living in Japan right now and I have found a few shops with great fabric.
But I would like to know of any web sites that will send to a FPO-AP address?
Thanks Cheryl :)

most of the online shops i visit say they can't ship to APO and those that do say it costs more

CA ... i have no idea whether or not it would do any good but talk to your local AAFES manager. if there are others in your area who would buy it, too, they might be able to arrange something. if there's money to be made, AAFES will usually jump on it.

I sent a gift certificate to my friend from the www.laptopquilts.com and they shipped to their military address in europe. They send her material global priority flat rate I think and she bought about 8 yards in the envelope. I think this is right. maybe it was just regular flat rate priority?

I have dreams about buying fabrics in Japan. The komono fabrics intrugue me. I know they are expensive as well as everything else in Japan. They have such wonderfully inspired quilters over there. Have you researched their patterns? You may have to resort to scrappy quilts from used clothes like the pioneers did. That is a fun challenge, as well.

hancock fabric charges a lot for shipping but they are one of the few places that ship to APO/FPO. they usually have a pretty good selection at excellent Clearance prices. you should save enough to get a decent price per yard even at their shipping rates. their fabrics feel thinner and softer than i'm used to but is suspect that just means they aren't as loaded with stiffeners, etc, at the factory. the overall feel is one of good quality. the thinner, softer texture also means it'll be easy to either hand quilt or to do by machine, so it's a tradeoff i can live with. this link goes to their shipping page so you'll get an idea.

http://www.hancockfabrics.com/custserv/customerservicemain.jsp?cid=5

this site has some decent prices compared to most others. they can ship through the post office so will probably ship to you. email them first.

http://thousandsofbolts.com/index.cfm

i found this site recently. their per yard selection is a bit limited and averages about $6 per yard. But they have outstanding prices on fat quarters and cheater panels. the lowest i've seen anywhere. i got my first order from them the other day. i haven't washed any of it, but it seems to be very good quality especially considering the price. today, for example, they have a King Size piece with a pre-printed double-wedding ring for only $21.99! something like that would make an awesome backing. you'd have a reversible quilt for the effort of piecing only one! since they don't state that they don't ship to APO/FPO, i assume they will.

http://www.calicospiceshop.com/index.cfm

check under the Forum Index "Links and Resources" to see if there's anything else of interest to you.

We've heard from others stationed overseas who have the same problems finding decent fabric they can afford. Talk to your local AAFES manager. Maybe they'll consider setting something up for the fabric buyers over there. (If there's a penny to be pried from your pocket, they'll usually find a way to sell what you need. LOL)

By coincidence, I work at Army Community Service on Fort Stewart, in Georgia. Please let me know if there's any other way I can help you out.

My favorite online fabric site is www.thousandsofbolts.com I just checked there and this is what they say about International Orders:

"We ship most international orders in USPS flat rate Global Priority envelopes. ($8.95 / envelope for Canada and $10.95 / envelope for most other International locations). Each envelope will hold 6 yards unless you are ordering flannels. We cannot ship bolts this way. You now get to view the flat rate and the other shipping options during the checkout process (before completion of the order). Global Priority takes 4-6 days, Airmail Parcel Post takes 6-10 days and Economy Parcel Post takes 4-6 weeks. "


Barb C.