Fabric Stores – San Francisco Bay Area

• Fabrix is a great place for fabric bargains.

• Fabric Outlet  is my “go-to” fabric store in San Francisco’s Mission district. For those not in the SF Bay Area, check out their online store at Cali Fabrics.

• Discount Fabrics has stores in San Francisco and Berkeley.

• Britex Fabrics  is the king of SF fabric stores and they sell online too.  Allow me to take you on an online tour.

• Stonemountain and Daughter Fabrics in Berkeley.

Recovered, Reused, Repurposed Fabrics – San Francisco Bay Area

• FabMo  is a local collective that rescues fabric and makes it available in exchange for donations.
• SCRAP SF is a non-profit creative reuse center, materials depot, and workshop space founded in 1976 in San Francisco, California.
• East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse collects and redistributes discarded goods as low-cost supplies for art, education, and social services in their Depot Store.

Online Stores

• Nancy’s Notions – If you need a specialized sewing gadget, Nancy’s Notions stocks it.  Free sewing machine needle with every order.

• WAWAK – Best prices for thread, zippers, buttons and other sewing notions. Fast shipping and great customer service.
• Bay Tailor Supply – A Bay Area-based online store that specializes in fabric and notions for tailoring and shirtmaking.
• Ken’s Sewing Center – Sewing machines and accessories at good prices, with good service.

Studios and Meetups – San Francisco Bay Area

• Bay Area Sewists – a San Francisco Bay Area local meetup group.  Great in-person group discussions, workshops and fabric/pattern swaps.

Forums

• PatternReview.com

• BurdaStyle.com
• Sewcialists.org

Books and Magazines

• Threads Magazine
• Any of the books by David Page Coffin.
• The Complete Photo Guide to Perfect Fitting, by Sarah Veblen.
• How to Make Sewing Patterns, by Don McCunn.  Not just a guide for drafting sewing patterns, it’s also an excellent explanation of how flat sewing patterns are shaped to fit the body. Read my review.
• The Absolute Easiest Way to Sew, by Nancy Zieman.  A good beginner’s sewing book.
• Nancy Zieman’s Sewing A to Z, also a good basic sewing reference.  A recent book that is now out of print, but not difficult to find a used copy.
• The Complete Serger Handbook by Chris James.  The how-to guide that should have come with your serger.  Has the best explanation of how tension adjustments work on a serger, and illustrated advice for troubleshooting tension issues.

Classes – San Francisco Bay Area

• Apparel Arts – a fashion design school in downtown Oakland.  Offers professional-level courses in patternmaking and design, but accepts amateurs into their program.