Ontario and/or Canada fabric sources?
 

Hi All,

I've noticed quite a few Canadian and Ontario quilters since I have been a member here and I am just wondering where everyone shops on-line for fabric - I have been around to a few LQS but not seeing a lot of fabric that I really want....and I haven't found a good on-line source either, at least compared to some of the USA on-line fabric shops.

Where does everyone shop on-line? - I love Civil war reproductions the most - my family is originally american and I have some quilts that came with them when they moved north after the war, so I am naturally drawn to those patterns and colours. I also love the modern/retro prints and they seem especially hard to find here in Ontario - or maybe they just sell out really fast!

Would love if you would share your fav on-line sources with me!

TIA

Joann

If you find some good online places to shop, please let me know. Almost all of the notions in my room were bought on trips to the US. Most of these were bought at 75% less than the price here. The exact same material can be just as cheap and there are more choices shopping south of the border. My favorite store to shop at here is in Saskatoon, great staff and quality fabrics. One fabric I used was $22 at our national fabric store in Saskatoon, $10 at my favorite store, and I saw it for $5 when I was in the States in November.

(((sigh))) I am thinking this is probably the case Joy-lynn, I have searched and searched for a good on-line store that has even a few of the nice fabrics, notions, pre-cuts etc available in the States but none of the CN on-line stores seem to carry what I like. I have bought from e-bay and Connecting Threads and both parcels came through customs without problems (DD works for customs and she says they would have to find an off-shore label before they could charge duty) so fabric is mostly duty free and shipping was probably cheaper than within Canada. Connecting threads shipping charges are amazing actually!

...glad I only live an hour from 2 different border crossings!

Joann

I have no suggestions for you ..... I'm kind of old fashioned and like to purchase things IRL, where I can touchy-feely it and know for sure what I have.

I'm just a tad east of you, and find I have an abundance of quilt stores to visit, if I'm on a mission to find something specific. And a lot of them will be just as close to you or closer, as they are to me. Unfortunately, I don't know who has what types of fabrics, as I haven't been a big follower of fabric lines in the past and am starting to be more tuned in, in that regard now.

When I was on the summer "Yours to Discover" shop hop, the shops in Mt. Brydges and Sarnia were/had done the Civil War Quilt and FWS. They had respected each other and not duplicated, but I forget which shop for which quilt. So I'm thinking one/both might have the CW fabrics you have mentioned.

You could try Sew Sisters Quilt Shop. I am close enough to visit their store........nice fabric........great staff......and good prices.
They have a website and I follow them on FB.
www.sewsisters.com

Clarification? .... I was curious about your link and checked it out, to find it is in Kansas!
I'm thinking that you are meaning one of the following .....

http://www.creativesisters.ca/index.asp ... this one is in Kitchener and where I did my OBW course. Great store, fabric and staff!! I'm not close enough to visit ir regularly, but when I get the chance, it's a favourite.

http://www.sew-sisters.com/ ... this one is in Toronto. Other than what I have seen on the website, I know nothing about them.

I am from Alberta and I shop mostly from Fabric.com...they are amazing 1 day shipping to me from Georgia through UPS. I also shop at Flare Fabrics out of Toronto, Ontario...mostly batiks but they have awesome prices and free shipping in Canada

http://www.sew-sisters.com/
Yes......this is the one I visit.

USA postage costs are so low in comparison to ours!

This is puzzling to me... why are there no fabric stores? Is there some tariff or law that makes it cost-prohibitive to open a quilt shop? If I lived in Canada, I would seriously consider opening a store, since there seems to be such a demand.

And you have me puzzled too ....... we have lots of fabric/quilt stores in Canada!

I'm sure it's much the same as the USA though, that in some areas they are fewer and further between, and sadly some of your quilter friends do not have them handy to them.

Fabric.com and Connecting Threads. Been a customer for years and have no complaints.
I watch for sales and use the online cupons for Fabric.com. That ususally covers the postage from Fabric.com.
Connecting Threads has the free shipping over $50.
Good companies and good service.
MisDixie

Thanks for the clarification... I had assumed since so many were saying there was a dearth of them that it meant they didn't exist.

I buy most of my fabric at Fabricland.....the quilter`s quality.....i only buy on sale....there is also a couple small quilt shops close to where i live but way too expensive for me....i watch sales. There is also a really nice one in New Liskeard, "The quilting Barn", but that`s too far from you.....but thy do mail out fabric if you call them...thy have an amazing selection...but again , way too expensive for me...there is one in Sudbury as well...but too far for you...i don`t buy much online...i like to see and touch the fabric i buy, unless it is a specific fabric i want.

I ordered from Along Came Quilting out of Calgary,Alberta when I was looking for Canadian themed fabrics.

A Canuck-wannabe? :)

Maybe!-my kids wanted to know if we were Canadian because I always want to go to Canada for vacation--been to Ottawa,London,Toronto and Niagara Falls.

Yea for you!!!!
We can help you plan even more trips ..... so many great places to explore.

Now you have us curious as to what you made with your Canadian fabrics! ..... and what fabrics you found, as I usually have a hard time finding them, when I want them. Please show us a picture or what you made.

Other than Flare Fabrics which was already mentioned, I have no Canadian on line fabric shops to recommend. I buy almost all of my fabric at one of the Len's Mills stores or in the smaller Mennonite farm shops or a couple of Mennonite general stores which are all at least a hour drive from me as I live right in the middle of good old rural Ontario. I usually try to combine these fabric runs with a parts run for DH and rarely make just a fabric shopping trip unless I have my quilt buddies with me and we are making a day of it.

Thanks Ladies, I have seen the 2 links that you provided but just didn't see anything that appealed to me ;-( I am a fine artist by profession and think that I probably have a very selective taste in fabrics. :-(
Ceparker - I have not looked at either of those sites, I will have a look later today if I get a chance.

...Peckish, I didn't say there weren't fabric and quilt stores, there are quite a lot of them actually, but they don't carry the colours, patterns and styles of fabric that I would like to work with so...I was looking for some help to maybe find a source on my side of the border that does carry what I am looking for...maybe they do get in some of what I like at the LQS, I don't get much of a chance to shop around much and the goodies must be sold out before I get there. Thus my request for some help finding on-line sources.

Thanks everyone for your help, I will let you know if I stumble across any others.

Understood. No worries - you weren't the only person I got my impression from, and the recommendations to US stores didn't help, lol. I hope you find what you are looking for. :)

I keep hoping the US stores and publishers will wake up to what a lot of Japanese quilters are doing - I ADORE Yoko Saito's style!

There is a great store in BC that has on-line shopping. www.hamelsfabric.com. Great selection and variety.

Sorry QuiltE-haven't found the right pattern yet for my"collection"!
It's mostly maple leafs on different backgrounds-ordered them when the Olympics where in Vancouver. I also have a small piece of fabric with a Canadian flag print.

Len's mills has one of the more atrocious websites I've ever had the displeasure of visiting, but their quality and price is about as close as you're going to get to Jo-Ann's in Canada (In fact if you check out the selvedge on the fabric, you'll see quite often that it's actually the Jo-Ann's internal brand.) They also carry Moda and higher end brands, granted, you're back at the $17/yd price we're oh so very used to.

I second the opinion recommending Creative Sister's sewing in KW. Their Full Moon Frenzy is a fantastic sale, and well worth a trip into town for it. While you're in the area, also check out greenwood quiltery over in guelph, and there are a number of small, amish run stores right in st jacob's (The name escapes me, but there's one not far from Reichard's that looks like a regular house except a small sign - it's on the main drag.)

If you're more towards Niagara, the Quilting Bee in Fonthill just underwent a major expansion, and words cannot describe how helpful the women are there. If you're in Toronto, there's a lot fewer shops than you'd expect, but there's a good workshop downtown called, interestingly enough, "the workshop" - lots of modern fabrics and a cool atmosphere.

If you're in Toronto and you're into texture arts, check out G&S Dye.

What blogs do you like? That'll provide a big hint to me/us as far as where to recommend.

If all else fails, look into the Lewiston UPS store. I use them, and they're awesome. They offer one-time package acceptance of US packages for $10 a pop, and you can rent a box there for about $140 a year. Then you can walk it back across the border yourself.

Ok I have to chime in about duty...Whenever I shop Connecting threads, they charge you duty and taxes...they claim it makes it easier to go through customs...Also Allbrands charges duty/taxes also. There are a couple of other ones, but can't think of them off hand. So are these outlets suppose to charge duty/taxes....?????

Only the customs and revenue dept. of the country the parcel is entering can charge duty and that is assessed by them at entry....companies use a broker to get the proper paperwork through customs and of course there will be tax charged on any "goods and services". It is probably a brokerage fee+ taxes that you are paying not duty+taxes.
...if duty was charged, it would be tacked on on top of the brokerage fee at port of entry. DD ordered me a couple of kits for my birthday from Connecting Threads and she thought their fee was very reasonable, and that they probably do their own brokering in house.

I like cherished Pieces the web site is www.cherishedpieces.com They have been getting alot of newer stuff in in the last few months almost every time i go in there (which is about once a week) there is something new. They are getting alot off very versitile blenders and some realy cool contemperary lines. They are in the middle off upgrading the web site so i dont know if the new stuff is on there yet but if you have the time it might be worth a trip to see the shop. It is in Tillsonburg ont. Oh and the prices are realy good the most expensive quilting fabric ive seen was 13.50 but most is 12 or less. and its not cheep feeling fabric eather its namer brand not the thin feeling stuff you get at fabricland.

ecmoore - yeah, we visited Lens Mills in KW ( I am west of Stratford) and I saw some lovely Marcus brothers fabric, but I am just not going to pay the price they want when I know what it goes for across the border and can order it from an American company, pay shipping and still get it cheaper than their full price...I was very disappointed as I thought they would have more reasonable prices. I don't understand why the price for yardage and pre-cuts is so much higher here - it shouldn't be, no reason for it at all. I will not pay $49 for a jelly roll that I can get for $29 from an ebay seller...I would like to "shop local" but not if the prices are ridiculously out of line.....thus my reason for starting this thread, thinking that I was somehow missing out on finding some good on-line Canadian or Ontario retailers.

...good advice about the Lewiston UPS - we tend to go Port Huron direction more often, I will ask them if they do the $10 one time deal as well. Mary Maxim has a civil war section as well as lots of current fabrics, and there is also a Joanns, a Hobby Lobby and a LQS all within a few miles of each other.

....before Christmas I found quite a few civil war FQ's including Marcus Bros at Fabricland - I still have the pile out where I can admire them! LOL....and they do have a few prints here and there that I like but I doubt I could match up enough prints for a whole quilt, unless they get in some more updated lines and consistent quality.

..what blogs I like...any of the moda designers - Bonnie and Camile, Schnibbles patterns, Kate Spain, French General, Basic Grey - love their 2012 christmas line!!
http://www.aquiltinglife.com/
http://kansastroublesquilters-lynne.blogspot.com/
http://thepaintedquilt.blogspot.com/...Kaaren is an old friend, we travelled together in the dec painting industry and bought quilting "stuff" for the day when we had the time...she has retired and turned to quilting, I am still very active as a fine artist/art teacher who is hoping to find the time to do some sewing again as I miss it so much!

Lindy - thanks for that link, I hadn't found them...we have friends down in T-burg, might have to pop down for a visit!

JMCDA .... if you can give us an idea as to what you are looking for, we might be able to give some suggestions. ECMoore gave some shops, though there are oh so many more that are within a reasonable driving distance to where you are located. Of course, they may not have what you want ... but then again, we might have been there and can say, oh yes, I bet that's where you want to go! :)





I'll agree on Len's website being no good. Though for the type of store it is, I wouldn't expect anything outlandish. Qualities vary, but many of the same fabrics as are in the LQS' are there. You just need to read the labels and touchy-feely to know for sure what you are getting. If you're purchasing regular priced fabrics, yes, right up there in $$. However, if you watch for their sales, you can get great sell-off pricing, just that you won't be able to get the coordinating fabrics etc.

I found cherishedpieces kinda expensive....I know I wouldn't pay $40 for a jelly roll, their accuquilt machine is a bit on the high side also. Even with the exchange rate and shipping, I can purchase alot more over the border...get more the dollar in most cases...I have ordered from cherishedpieces before and would probably again, if there is something I need and it is reasonably priced.

The problem is that the quilt stores have very little leeway over their prices - the price they pay wholesale is higher than the US retail price. This has more to do with the distributors in Canada than the individual shop owners, and, to be honest, it makes me a little sad, because I really want to be able to support them, but it's just not as financially feasible as I'd like. As a result, we're just not going to get fabric as cheap as can be had in the US.

Oh yes, ecmoore - I recognize where the root of the problem is - the distributors are still working on prices from when the Can dollar was way down...there obviously hasn't been enough pressure on them to adjust their prices in line with US prices now that the Can dollar is hovering at par. I want to support them also (again, my reason for this thread) but my taste in fabric plus the cost is unfortunately going to send me over the border for the majority of my purchasing.
Joann