Niagara region quilters out there?
 

Hello,
I live in the Niagara region of Ontario. I'm wondering, for anyone else who lives in this area or surrounding areas, where do you go to buy your fabric? I know about FabricLand, Lens Mill, Bee in NOTL is wonderful for designer prints and cute stuff, but am I missing out on a hidden jewel out there? A shop that carries designer prints (Kate Spain, Tula Pink, Michael Miller, etc), at prices that aren't ridiculous?

I usually order thru Etsy, because once I've factored in my travel time, gas expense and parking fees, the shipping costs are equal. But there is just something magical about walking into a store and being surrounded by the gorgeous fabric... ahhhhh.

I too miss the joy and excitement of walking into a LQS as well as the possibility of learning new techniques. I am a few hours northeast of you. Sadly, I find that I end up buying quite a bit of my fabric from the US. Even with shipping, it is often cheaper than our own stores and the selection is so much bigger.

You might want to check out www.sew-sisters.com They are in Toronto and have a nice online store plus a fat quarter club. Ten fat quarters per month for $20 and the shipping is free in Canada.

I'll be watching this thread too.

Hello, I'm northwest of you and all I can say is "Thank You" for this question! LOL So I'm in the mennonite country so what few quilt shops we have really lean towards their colours and prints. We just lost our Fabricland, we have a Len's Mills ( but I find their material is a really hit and miss) I love the local quilt store except for the prices and still quite 'conservative' in the material selection. Would love to visit The Bee in NOTL some time soon.
Thanks again for asking this question and I will be following this very closely!

'Conservative'... I like that term. Not that there is anything wrong with kittens and flowers, etc. I just wanted to make things that were different. I'm a stay-at-home Mom, and I like to make things as gifts, but I also make things for people to buy... puts some extra cash in my pocket. Different = makes people gasp in a good way at a baby shower.

I brought some of my fabric stash (ordered thru Etsy) into a local quilt shop so I could look for some coordinating colours. The woman who runs the store is wonderful and so helpful. I didn't feel that I was shopping in a store so much as being welcomed into an extension of her home. But when I took out the Las Vegas themed quilting fabric, she was a bit taken aback. She gave me some advice that I will never forget - "You need to remember your market".

Well, I recently sold that Las Vegas themed BABY blanket to be given as a gift to a couple who never thought they could have children (she has Lupus). They've lived a very free-spirited lifestyle. Lots of travel, etc. They're also well into their 40's. One of their favourite places to go is Vegas. Their baby was born 3 months premature. They put the blanket on her right in the NICU and told the gift giver that the blanket represents the feistiness their daughter will need to show over the next few months.

It's not just grandmas buying blankets and quilts. And my grandma loved Cyndi Lauper... just sayin'.

Anyhoo...

Anyone in the Niagara area should definitely visit Bee in NOTL. www.beefabrics.ca . They carry modern, fresh designs. Their prices are 'meh', but you need to watch for sales.

Fishskin fabrics - www.fishskinfabric.com is in BC and puts a $10 cap on Canadian shipping! I've ordered Kate Spain fabric from them (sigh!) and have called them on the phone with questions. Their customer service is wonderful.

Sew Sisters sends me email newsletters, but I thought their fat quarter club was prints of their choosing? GingerK, do you get fat quarters as part of the club and, if so, what kinds of prints do they include?

BrendaM, I agree... Lens Mill is totally hit and miss. For the most part, I like ours, and find the prices and quilting cotton selection to be better than FabricLand (better prices and selection for fleece, too!), but not always worth the drive.

Hamilton is nearby to me (about a 30 min drive). Ottawa Street has long been known as a fabric mecca in Southern Ontario. For quilters looking for the kinds of prints I would want, European Textiles is your best bet. Joel Dewberry, Amy Butler, Sandi Hendersen, etc. But not all prints or colours in a collection, the prices are no better than Etsy and there are parking fees and gas expenses to get there. So I just go to Etsy. There's a big FabricLand there, too (but no better than any other) and the other fabric stores are for home decor fabric or wedding gowns, costumes, etc.

I think I've drained my brain of all the local resources I'm aware of. Looking forward to reading more posts!

Another Canuck to your north east!

Agree Len's is a hit and miss ... but remember they are more of a Jobber with end of lines than a full line LQS. They do order in specific fabrics ... and for me, I find they have the best Stonehenge selection I have seen anywhere.

You mentioned about pricing ... pretty much consistent in Ontario, because of our fabrics have to be shipped in! Of course, we can all find "deals" ... when fabric is on sale and/or being sold as an end of line.

If you want Kaffe Fasset ... Hyggeligt in London is the place to head ... unles you're heading Ottawa direction, then check out The Running Stitch.

I've never been but have heard about Fonthill (I think it's The Quilting Bee?) as being a good spot.
There's one in Niagara Falls ... Verandah or Porch something, I think?
And isn't there one in Ste. Catherines?
Red Robin (or something similar) on the edge of Brantford also has Kaffe ... I've never been, just have heard!

The Quilt Junction in Waterford ... I've been there a couple of times.
It's a delightful place in an old railway station!

Sorry, I'm not really designer familiar ... I buy what I like and don't pay a lot of attention to designer names!

Everyone ... please share ... I think we're all always on the lookout for new places to check out!

Hi QuiltE,
I know designer isn't everything... I buy my clothes from Superstore and Giant Tiger. It just seemed like when I first got the bug for this, everything I loved just happened to be considered 'designer' or was listed as a designer print ... maybe there's a better term for it?

My Mom raised us on fairytales. The designs by Tula Pink, with all of the whimsy and hidden pictures... drool!

Oh I'm not saying there's anything wrong with knowing designers ... I just don't pay attention!
I either like it or I don't ... and then that's what I go with.
That being said, I am starting to pay more attention and have more of an idea when the names get mentioned as to what I will find!

I think our Ontario dilemma re lack of choices is all about volume. Of course, there's some personal preferences by the LQS owners. HOwever, I'm sure that'd soon be overcome if they had the $ales$ to warrant carrying specific notions, products and of course, fabric. Consider how many times you have gone into an LQS to be the only customer the whole time you are there. And how often that we leave without spending any $ ?

At times it must be pretty disheartening and discouraging for them.

The more we cross-border shop, the more we are saying good bye to having LQS' there to service us IRL!
(and that is for LQS' .... other retailers, manufacturers, etc.)

(*note* I am not saying to not cross-border shop ... just making an observation of the realities we are facing)

QuiltE, I completely agree. We just don't have the population volume of the States. I do feel sorry for the LQS. Every time I order off the 'net and think I could've supported local instead. It sucks.

I think that is also the reason our postal/shipping rates within Canada are so high - I think they equalize costs cross country to make up for travelling to remote regions by plane or truck with very little parcel inside. We have huge, vast areas of Canada that are unpopulated, but still must be travelled over.

To mail something to a town just a 10 minute drive from my house will cost me almost $9. Most of that is because Canada Post has the '2 cm slot of doom'. If your package exceeds the 2cm width, they hike the shipping cost. It actually costs me less in shipping to mail to New York than it does to my neighbouring town.

What is wrong with our Country?

Now I'm starting to rant. I'm going to my happy place to calm down.

Hello Ladies,
Another south west Ontario person here, closer to Norfolk county area -
Kindred Spirits is a nice shop and it's in St. Catharines. I can't remember exactly their prices, but I think they are in line with most of the other stores in our region of Ontario.
A few other places, a little farther away but worth tucking into the file for future reference:
Quilting Corner is in Simcoe and they have great prices. She has a wide range of fabrics too and is very helpful.
Cherished Pieces is a previously online only shop that is now storefront as well. It's in Tillsonburg. Not a huge shop but nice fabrics.
Woodstock has a shop as well, out in the countryside but the name escapes me at the moment.
Shakespeare (near Stratford) as well as Stratford have nice shops and of course, St. Jacob's has Reicherds(?spelling?)
If you're really far afield, The Marsh Shop in Ilderton is a great place too!

(Gee, I never realized how many places I knew about, mostly within an hour - hour fifteen min from my place - no wonder my wallet is empty and my closet is full!)

AllTheLovely ... you had me smiling at our Canada Post "slot of doom"!! Oh so true!! However, I am still more than happy to be living in our fair land!

GemRM ... Woodstock's is Country Patchworks! Thanks for the extra locations to check out. I do love The Marsh Shop ... HUGE selection and very helpful people!! And while down that way, check out Sarnia's The Quilt Shoppe. There's also a really intriguing one on the northwest end of London, an easy stop after The Marsh, Cornerstone Quilts. I say intriguing as I could only look in thru the glass front, as I made it there after hours! :)

And oh can't forget ... Exeter's Quilts and Calicos is a wonderful shop!

*hint* ... I keep an address book in my truck with LQS' from all over filed by their town/city!!! Then whenever I am in the area, I just look up the town and I can check them out. There's been some really pleasant surprises!

These posts were interesting to read - I live in PA but we're moving back to the Niagara Region soon. I'll need to find some good stores for maintaining my stash! I do longarm quilting and I'll need places to advertise too. Thanks for the discussion!

The one in Niagara on the Canadian side is caled Patchwork Porch I believe. It's kind of in a residential area. I actually like it. It's small but the people are so nice. There are 2 shops on the US side, but I actually like the Canadian one better. I stop by when I trave from New Engand to MI.

Oh what a great idea.....think I will start an address book for when I go south....I search everytime ....lol I`m a slow learner....will follow this tread ....up here in Northern On there are a few small ones with very limited fabric....the closest is New liskeard for a better selection....

HuntAnnette ...
<--- checks book and under New Liskeard ... that'd be, The Quilting Barn! :)

I just keep adding to it and am "prepared"!
Plus it stays in the truck, along with my OBW mirrors and any fabric I'm on a no rush mission ... just in case that spontaneity strikes. They all even have their own special briefcase!!! :)
And now ... I'm going back to the beginning of this thread, to see which ones I can add to my book!!

CORRECTION ... I mentioned in an earlier post .... Red Robin (or something similar) on the edge of Brantford also has Kaffe ... Now that I have The Book in hand ... it's actually called Red Red Bobbin. Depending on what you see, it may be listed as Mount Pleasant or Brantford.

A few more to add to your lists:

U-Quilt-It, on the edge of Smithville (where I live) in West Lincoln Township of Niagara. Run by Sharon Okimi. Sharon is amazingly helpful and friendly. She carries lots of gorgeous colours and prints (just not always what I was looking for) and her flannel is great quality. Her prices are good too! $11.99 per metre and she has sales all the time. www.uquiltit.com

The Quilting Bee, Fonthill/Pelham in Niagara region. Right on Fonthill's main road. They recently had to move to the back of the building they were in and I haven't been since the move. But their original store was huge. I was just really turned off by the prices... I can order the same things, and more in a print collection, thru Etsy.

Stitch, Jordan, Niagara region www.stitchonline.ca
I first met Jocelyn at Stitch almost 3 years ago after my Mom died. My Mom was a knitter and had been working on a blanket for my son. I called Stitch to see if anyone there had any idea how to finish the blanket (I can't knit). Jocelyn asked me to bring it in so she could take a look. It evolved into Jocelyn and another woman volunteering to finish it for me. They wouldn't take my money for their work. She said, "Women should do things like this for each other". Jocelyn is an angel. Her website looks like she carries mostly yarns and knitting supplies, but she does have very cute quilting cottons as well. Her store is gorgeous and worth a visit.

For anyone out there who also likes to do felting -
The Fibre Garden, Jordan, Niagara Region www.fibregarden.ca
Just across the road and a few doors down from Stitch. John and Allen are wonderful. Very helpful with lots of wool and other fibres and supplies.

You may be wondering why I posted the question in the first place, if it seems I already have lots to choose from.... I'm always on the hunt!

Oh, and U-Quit-It carries Stonehenge, for anyone interested!

The book in car sounds like a great idea, you never know when I travel outside of my normal area, go to the same places and there is more than enough. Actually am from Windsor area.

Yes The Quilting Barn.....thy have an amazing selection of fabric....some on the pricey side but thy do have a wall of specials.....lots to choose from....thy do have many patterns....and thy sell Husqvarna/White sewing machines and other brands as well...so wish thy were closer..........

I just went and checked it out ....... totally intriguing ... and for you ... worth the drive!! :)
Of course, you probably already knew that I'd love the barn setting!

LOL You know what you convinced me to go for a ride.....tomorrow it is.....haven`t been in a while.....I`m overdue lol

Will look forward to your reporting in! :)
BTW ... I never found the focus fabric for the placemats/runner for the Christmas gift exchange.
Instead Fr♥sty evolved.
Still want to do them ... just need the right fabric!

Golly Ginger, thanks for starting this post. I live in Toronto- otherwise known as a quilter's wasteland. I do travel across the border to a few shops but can't go that often. I head to Len's in Cambridge sometimes, they just opened one in Toronto before Christmas, but I find the prices higher. Most of my shopping is in Oshawa or Newmarket, both a hike from home. We are thinking of moving to the Niagara region in the next couple of years, it is good to know that there are nice shops nearby. I will be following this post.

Have you checked out any of the other LQS' that I gave you?

BTW ... have you checked out this one in TO?
http://www.theworkroom.ca/
I heard about it at Christmas time and thought it looked intriguing.

Sorry ... I forget which part of the City you are in, as to whether this is somewhat on the beaten path or not.

Let's see. I grew up in Niagara, and went to school in KW.

I concur that Sharon Okimi at U Quilt it is amazing. So unbelievably awesome.

Greenwood Quiltery in Guelph has an amazing sale on right now, until Jan 10th - $2 fat quarters and fabric as low as $5/metre. Don't know how much they have left (I live in Texas now, and the commute's a bit far) but they only do this kind of sale 2x a year. More modern fabric, but a good selection of kids' stuff, and they have Oliver & S patterns, Kaffe, Amy Butler.

Creative Sisters Sewing in KW is worth a trip as well, especially for their Full Moon Frenzy. The next one is Jan 26, but they do 20% off fabric, 15% on other stuff, and the closeout fabric is usually something along the lines of 40% off. They also do amazing longarming.

Finally, Quilter's Nine Patch in Elmira has a lot of modern stuff, and also a lot of super-traditional stuff (like civil war repro.) They also have Amy Butler and Heather Bailey patterns, among others.

Closer to home, there's Quilter's Dream on Guelph Line in Burlington. They do a lot of classes and retreats and workshops. They do a quilter's cruise, I think, and they have a retreat coming up at the Kittling Ridge hotel in Grimsby.

The other really good, inexpensive, fabric source I had in that area was, believe it or not, IKEA in Burlington. Their as-is department is wonderful for sheets for backing and/or wholecloth, and they do actually sell fabric by the metre - it's near the curtain/pillows department downstairs. Really good prices, and weights in everything from thin and gauzy for art quilting to more heavy home-dec type. Lots of the fabric is about quilting weight.

Hi from Oakville.

Most of my fabric comes from Joann's in Niagara Falls,NY or and Wal-Mart USA that carries fabric.

There is Quilter's Garden Patch on Bronte Rd. Janet is the owner and she does have things on sale fairly regularly.

Also Oakville Sewing Center does have designer fabric, she is a bit pricey but she does have sales and a member program.

I also passed a new store on James St N in Hamilton www.iloveneedlework.com/ they have fabric as well as classes, and also rents out sewing machines.

I am not very advernterous when it comes to shopping for fabric anymore.... I buy a lot a member boutiques at quilt shows. Right now I'm trying to use what I have.....

I went to Len's Mill in Hamilton recently and was amazed at how much their prices had gone up.

I am in the USA on a regular basis so I usually don't make a special trip to shop for fabric.

I don't shop online, but I need beer fabric so I will have to order from fabric.com when the time comes.

I have shopped at IKEA for fabric, and they do have a great selection, I used thier solids for backing fabrics for kids quilts, just because it was a bit heavier and the quilt could go on the floor no problem.

If you every explore out this way let me know, I'd love to join you!

Coming a bit further ... being that the field has been expanded!

Hobby Horse, in Glen Williams/Georgetown

Ruti's, Streetsville/Mississauga

Brampton ... is it Brampton Sewing Centre, HuntAnnette?

Triangle Sewing Centre ... sell Janome and Bernina ... largest selection of Batiks that I know in this area

Alice's Quilt Shoppe ... Erin

Undercover Quilts ... Fergus

In Brampton I go to Sew N Serge....that is where I bought my Husqvarna....thy are very helpfull....Monique does have a very nice collection of fabric...not extensive but nice....thy do have classes as well......When I go to Brampton my favorite place to shop is at the Hobby Horse in Georgetown....just a short drive away....lots and lots of fabric and patterns.....I spend way too much when I go lol

ha! what's money? :) Have FUN on your FART tmro!

I stumbled on this site tonight ... and online company based in Toronto, with FREE shipping to Canadians!
http://www.flarefabrics.ca/
Also, this one from Ajax area with plans to open bricks and mortar ... sometime!
http://logcabinyardage.com/

Otherwise, I know nothing about them.

Patchwork Porch has closed its doors

That's too bad. I liked that shop. Thanks for letting me know.

We will all miss it & the owners , they were great people

I agree, QuiltE - Triangle Sewing in Guelph is wonderful. When I was trying to find a sewing machine, not knowing much about what was best or what I would need for my purposes (Sharon Okimi at U-Quilt-It was kind enough to take the time to give me tons of tips and make a list of must haves for me!), Triangle Sewing was the only place I called that took the time to answer my questions over the phone. I spent about an hour on the phone with Krista of Triangle Sewing and that convinced me! I made the drive out there, met up with her, and she found for me the best little second hand Janome as my starter machine. They carry a huge selection of machines and (new and used). Krista's Mom also works there (owner) and is wonderful as well. Good people.

Glad you found them! ... and think so much of them.
Dad/Nick completes the family compliment!
I'm sure when you are ready for your next machine, you'll be back to Triangle.

I really like how they have the in-shop service ... and Rizza (sp?) the "mechanic" is right there in his room off the store. No working behind closed doors. If you have a problem with your machine, he's willing to sit down with you too. I've even seen him come upstairs in the middle of a class and work on someone's machine! Now that's service!!!

No, I don't work for them ... just really appreciate the gems that they are! :)

One more to the list is Seven Sisters in Norwich.

And ... are there really Seven Sisters? :)



AllTheLovely ... I was intro Triangle today for some more bobbins and told Krista we were talking about her ... and all the good things you'd said. She was thrilled!! :)

Thy had some amazing Xmas fabric on sale at Fabricland.....buy one get three free....and it is great quality....I stocked up on it ....will be my turn to get placemats and table topper.....ready for my Xmas sewing for 2013 lol

And .................. The Barn??
Glad you got some good deals!

thy do have a great assortement of fabrics.....and thy have a specials wall upstairs.....and lots of patterns.....I bought a bunch of quarter meters and a book for paper piecing.....love it .....oh and thy have a wonderful display of quilts.....