Just got sewing machine and keen to get going. Shocked at the price of fabrics!!

[montymoo]

I'd love to have a go at a little dress or bag for DD, or perhaps some xmas decs. I have looked around and cannot believe the price of fabics. Can anyone recommend somewhere to buy cheap fabric that won't matter if I muck it up? I'd be too scared to use the good stuff at the moment!

Where have you been looking? There is a posh fabric shop in my town that costs a bomb, but there is also Boyes that has a (very limited) range of cheap stuff.

I started a thread recently about good cheap online fabric shops and got some great suggestions, will link for you.

for making up bits and pieces look in charity shops for clean sheets, large skirts etc. you can cut these up to make smaller items. same with trims, buttons etc

here you go.

Some of these are quite pricey but there is lots of bargain stuff too.

oh yes, agree with Molly. There is a lot of fabric in a mens' long sleeved shirt, too.

You should also remember that the rice of cotton has been shooting up on the world wide market.

It really does depend what you want to sew and if you need to feel the fabric first?

Where have you been looking?

There is plenty of cheap fabric to be had, you jut have to look in the right places! Markets are always good, fabric land is ridiculously cheap if you have one near you (don't go to their website though unless you are very hardy), chairty shops are good places for fabric if you think outside the box (sheets, curtains, men's shirts, plus size womens' clothing etc.).

I regularly go to John Lewis for fabric, to me it's not expensive, they sell as little as 10cm so I just buy what I need, and half a metre of fabric can make a lot of things that I make. You don;t need much for little dresses and bags.

my favourite cheap online fabric shop, I regularly stock up with them if I can't get down to Fabric Land in Bournemouth.

The thing is, you have to fork out for fabric if you are going to sew at home, it is not cheap cheap, but worth buying, imo.

Buy yourself a seam ripper, if you muck up you can just unpick your stitches and start again. Remember to measure twice and cut once. If you cut something too wrong you can use the fabric for something else.

Go to a charity shop and buy some cheap sheets to experiment on, make a dress out of this first before attempting one with the nice fabric. That's what I do when I make myself clothes, make a 'muslin' one first using an old sheet.

IKEA is great for fabric, funky and cheap IMO!!

Ikea has really cheap cotton fabric, 2 or 3 weights - some of the patterns are fantastic.

Damn! 3 secs too late!

But you said it so much better than me

Thanks guys, lots of good ideas to be going on with. I have discovered a new fabric shop opened a couple of miles away from me and I paid a visit there today. I bought some lovely cobwebby fabric just right for my Halloween outfit next year :-)

It's a shock isn't it. I envisioned making lots of my own clothes with my machine, but it's more expensive than getting things in the shops!
I stick to sewing presents for people and things to sell. fabric rehab is my favourite store.

don't know where you are, but Fabrics Galore in SW London is fantastic, so too are the fabric shops in Shepherds Bush. There are some great places on line, www.doughtysonline.co.uk, www.watsonandthornton.co.uk, www.etsy.com and Ebay too.

Ikea's really good if you can get to one. When I started out I was buying cotton there at 1.99 a metre, cheap enough that I could afford to make mistakes and start over.

If you're planning to do more crafty projects rather than dressmaking they often have various bits of fabric in their bargain basement section. I've often picked up 100% cotton pillowcases for 25p which are great for crafty projects.

I remember struggling to buy brushed cotton for a lining and ended up buying size 22 pyjama pants from Tesco in the sale instead, I think it worked out cheaper that way as well

I pick up pieces at jumble sales and carboots mainly, I also browse the charity shops. Lucky lady that I am, MiL lets me store my fabric in DH's wardrobe that is still in his room at her house. I also look in the sales. I hardly buy fabric in from a haberdashers unless it is for a specific present and then I keep the offcuts as well.

I am a bit like Maria and made DD a lovely dress out of a pair of curtains :)