Pictures from Rathdowne Fabrics and Remnants

Yesterday I managed to go back to Rathdowne Fabrics and take some long overdue pictures, so I can show you all the wonderful fabrics they have! (I might have also managed to do a little shopping for myself ...)

First up is the absoulutely gorgeous vintage Swiss Guipure lace- I so badly want to buy some of this, even if it was only a little piece to embelish a nice summery top:

Next is a table full of beaded evening fabrics, unfortunately I don't have anywhere to go at the moment that require this :(

A couple of unusal Nylon lace fabrics- not sure exactly what you would use this for but they look very interesting. I wonder if they are vintage ?

A fabulous selection of wool/cashmere and wool blend coatings, great for chilly Melbourne weather :

Some devore style and patterned stretch velevets - I love the yellow leaf pattern!

Just some of  the terry towellings available, quite a few different textures and weightings. Also LOTS of colours YAY!!

Pre-quilted/padded fabrics in the upholstry section. I have my eye on that middle roll for a nursery play mat :)

Plain lycras suitable for swim and gym wear.

Plus a pretty darm good selection of printed swimsuiting, enough to inspire me to have a go at sewing my own bathers post pregnancy:

Lots of trims, love the pom-poms!

...and more trims. Beaded, feathered, sequined you name it its there! This was only maybe a third or so of what they have in the trims/ribbons section, there was also a few rows of drool worthy lingerie laces that I deliberately kept away from :)

Finally what did I end up buying? Well I was really good and just got a few essential items (more thread, wide elastic for pregnancy waistbands) plus this print fleece :

Yes it's Miffy!!!!! I'm stoked as Miffy was one of the favourite characters with the kids when I was doing library storytime, plus the fleece is a really nice quality :) Can't wait to start sewing this one up! 

You can read about my previous visit to Rathdowne Fabrics & Remnants here and my store review here on Sewing Pattern Review.

Baby fabric pics from my shop at Rathdowne Fabrics

After posting my review of Rathdowne Fabrics & Remnants I realised I had forgotten to add pictures of what I actually purchased! Maybe I can blame it on having pregnancy brain this time, I seem to be forgetting stuff more and more often...
At least though I have managed to track down my camera cable, so posting pics is now a possibility :)

Here are the lovely fabrics I scored, total cost being around $19:

From L to R :  Yellow polka dot cotton knit, yellow cotton knit with a flower like pattern woven in, blue cotton knit with teddy bear faces woven in, yellow ribbed terry towelling and 10cms of green ribbing. I brought a metre each of all the fabrics except for the ribbing.

Clos up of the blue knit showing the cute teddy bear faces! I don't know what sex babies I'm having yet but I figure even if they are both girls I can whack a girly hairband them on to make it obvious if I have to. I just couldn't pass this fabric up and it was only available in blue.

Close up of the yellow knit showing the broderie anglaise style flowers woven in.

Snuggly yellow terry towelling with a ribbed effect. So glad to find some in colours other than pink, white or blue. It has a good stretch to it and is a nice weight- not too thick and not too thin. Not sure what I'll be making this into but do know I'll be washing it a few times first - terry towelling has the reputation of shrinking like crazy!

All up not a bad selection of fabrics, hopefully I will be able to make quite a few baby clothes up in the next week or so :) Now just to work out sizing...

Rathdowne Fabrics & Remnants

Yesterday I had a chance to stop into Rathdowne Fabrics & Remnants on my hunt for baby fabrics, and I'm so glad I did! From I entered the ample fabric showroom to when I left with a nice bundle of baby-suitable fabrics the whole the whole experience was FANTASTIC! A very nice change from my last fabric store foray  :)

Location: Rathdowne Fabrics & Remnants is located at 154-158 Victoria Street, just off Lygon, in Brunswick. Street parking is free (!!!) but there are also 6 bays out the front just for customers and I was able to nab one of these on my visit :) A helpful sign on the corner of Lygon and Victoria St proclaiming "Cheap Fabrics" helps to point the way, useful if you are unfamiliar with the area ...or easily distracted like me.

Staff: Well staffed – 3 customer service staff on shop floor at time of visit. Friendly, super-helpful, very knowledgeable of fabrics and the fashion industry. Manager Sandra is particularly helpful if you have any questions regarding stock or the business' role in the industry. The business is family owned and still family run, as I had the opportunity to find out by meeting one of the owners- Dean Sunshine-while talking to Sandra. The son of Rathdowne Fabric’s original founder, Morre Sunshine, Dean was more than happy to answer my questions about the business and provide some interesting details about the business’ involvement with Project Runway Australia. Embarrassingly I had no idea that parts of both season one and two had been filmed on the shop floor and that this was where the contestants sourced their fabrics from! I definitely need to catch up on past episodes now ... :)

Floorplan: Housed in a warehouse style unit, the space is carefully thought out and well lit. Dressier/evening wear and high end fabrics are arranged at the front, with more "casual wear/ dress style fabrics and knits in middle and upholstery fabrics at the back. Fabrics are arranged by type (lycra, fleeces, woollens etc) on tables and racking, with offcut bins throughout offering the chance to snag a bargain at a further 25% off the marked price. There is ample space to move around most of the aisles and stock is kept neat and orderly, with prices clearly marked on roll ends in texta. Several cutting tables spaced throughout store mean that you do not have to carry rolls of fabrics very far and staff appeared willing to help move fabrics if you are unable to do so.

Stock: A simply wonderful selection of fabrics that changes regularly due to what job lot remnants have been brought – and from where- by the owners. Mainstay types of fabric (fleece, knits, evening wear) will always be in stock but styles, colours and textures may vary. Speciality and more unusual types of fabric also appear on the shop floor- during my brief visit I noted Swiss Guipure lace (vintage!!!!), woollen/cashmere coating and a wide range of swimsuit fabrics on display. There is also good selection of curtaining, sheeting and upholstery fabrics to be had. Rathdowne Fabrics buys remnant rolls from big name clothing manufacturers such as: Seafolly, Allanah Hill and Bettina Liano plus excess stock from smaller designers seeking to have a clear out – this leads to an unusual variety of fabrics to choose from. Quality is high and pricing good with many fabrics appearing to be about 25 to 40 % cheaper than what I've seen elsewhere. They also carry a range of patterns (Simplicity, Kwik Sew and New Look), notions and haberdashery, adding to the convenience of shopping there for the home sewer.

Conclusion: Lovely family owned store with absolutely brilliant staff and stock.
A stop here is a must for any fabric shopaholic living in or visiting Melbourne. Be warned if travelling by plane you will have to plan your packing accordingly – so much interesting stuff to choose from could easily send you over your baggage limit :)  Eftpos facilities are available instore (excluding MasterCard and Diners) and Rathdowne Fabrics will ship internet orders both Australia wide and Internationally.

Order forms and other information can be found on their website:
http://www.rathdownefabrics.com.au/
Bonus: Dean Sunshine happily agreed to let me take photos of stock and the showroom during my next visit!! Stay tuned for future pics of some truly scrumptous yummy fabrics :)