learning to 'make do'

**Aldisimo** · 16th September 08, 12:17 AM

<rant> Where I grew up there are enormous fabric stores (Fishman's, Vogue), lots of boutique fabric stores, and tailoring supply shops. You could find whatever you needed or wanted. Now I'm in a city that has two outlets for each of two chains (JoAnn's, Hancock), one alterations shop that has about ten bolts of fabric from 1960, and a host of upholstery fabric stores. Even the Wal-Mart stores here are discontinuing their fabric departments.

You can't find hair canvas, men's pocketing, curtained waistbands, or more than three bolts of wool or wool blend here--it's all synthetic dressmaker fabric, quilting and children's design cottons, and Pellon® interfacing to glue your clothes together.

Before gas was so expensive I'd drive to Houston to shop, but I can't afford the money or the time these days.

Thank goodness for XMtS! I've learned how to make do with what I can find here in town, frustrating though it be.

Just sayin' . . .
</rant>

**Barb T** · 16th September 08, 04:09 AM

On the other hand, we now have the Internet. You can get canvas, tartan, tailor's chalk, you name it, easily and quickly.

**M. A. C. Newsome** · 16th September 08, 04:21 AM

I find it slightly ironic that you live in a town that has:

two outlets for each of two chains (JoAnn's, Hancock), one alterations shop that has about ten bolts of fabric from 1960, and a host of upholstery fabric stores

...yet you cannot find hair canvas.

I live in a town where there is exactly one (1) small, locally owned fabric store (besides the meagre selection at Wal*Mart, whic I don't count). And they have hair canvas. Several kinds, as a matter of fact.

On the other hand, my wife was visiting relatives, and there was a large chain fabric store having a major sale, so she was stocking up on supplies she knew I used. She couldn't find any hair canvas, so she asked a sales clerk, who never even heard of it. Go figure.

Now, finding ulholstery thread locally in a selection of more than three colors is what I have trouble with.

**Barb T** · 16th September 08, 04:26 AM

Originally Posted by M. A. C. Newsome

I live in a town where there is exactly one (1) small, locally owned fabric store (besides the meagre selection at Wal*Mart, whic I don't count). And they have hair canvas. Several kinds, as a matter of fact.

I went to your fabric store, Matt, when I was there in June. It's little, but it's quite a wonderful place clearly run by people who care about sewing. It's a far cry from the chain fabric stores that increasingly have craft junk crowding out the fabric and that stock hundreds of bolts of the most ghastly pile/fleece fabric and not much else worth looking at. Our Joann's carried hair canvas 10 years ago, then they stopped carrying it but you could get it special order, and now you can't even order it. I think there's only one person in our local Joann's who even knows what hair canvas is. So, most people have the experience that Aldisimo has!

**Aldisimo** · 16th September 08, 05:13 PM

... fabric stores that increasingly have craft junk crowding out the fabric and that stock hundreds of bolts of the most ghastly pile/fleece fabric ...

You said it, and not only crafts but furniture in the fabric store!

Because this is a big college town, there are also rows and rows of burnt orange UT logo fabric of all kinds. Some of the other buying decisions are beyond inane, such as 8 bolts of trigger poplin, 6 of which are black [no, they didn't sell out of other colors—that's what was originally there] and the other two are the same shade of blue. Denim in two shades of each primary and secondary color, even orange and purple—except red. No red denim at all. However, you can get calico in every color, every tint, every shade, every busy print, but no solid blue corduroy.

I have to stop now because I'm just agitating myself. Grrrr!

**ChattanCat** · 16th September 08, 07:14 PM

Hair canvas at Joann's? What a laugh! I order canvas from Vogue, and material from scotland. I've tried ebay and that is hit and miss, mostly (ok all) are misses. I did get lots of practice material though.

**funlvnman** · 17th September 08, 06:36 AM

I have to admit my ignorance, what is hair canvas?

**Tetley** · 17th September 08, 06:57 AM

Originally Posted by funlvnman

I have to admit my ignorance, what is hair canvas?

It's canvas that also has horse hair mixed in with the normal thread.

It's used as a stabiliser and as interfacing in tailoring and in kilt making.

**Squeaky McMurdo** · 17th September 08, 09:57 AM

Count your blessings guys.

I lived in Afton, Wyoming for 4 years and there's not even a Walmart so to us Walmart was a premier fancy rinky dink shopping center!

There was a fabric store...it merged with the dollar store so on one side of the store everything was $1 on the other...well their cheapest calico was $4/yard so I didn't bother looking at their denim or anything else for fear of sticker shock.

Now I live in Billings, Montana and openly admit to wandering Walmart. I haven't visited Joann's or Hancock yet, but Hobby Lobby was disappointing....I couldn't even FIND their fabric section amidst all their pre-made hobby stuff.

--Chelsea--

**Packhound** · 17th September 08, 11:07 AM

I think that the nature of many of us DIY'ers is that we are trying to find alternative ways of doing things. We tend to look for ways to save money or try a different way to do it.

Although I live near a major metro area, I find that many of the materials/supplies required for kiltmaking are difficult to find and I have been met with "blank" stares when I tell people that I am making a kilt and I ask about hair canvas. I'm willing to try something different sometimes just to see what happens and to learn from the experience.