twin cities fabric shopping

It's always fun to get away from home for a while and recently I got to travel up North for a week of meetings in the Twin Cities of St Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Before I left I had asked a couple fellow fabric-loving friends who live there which fabric stores I should be sure to visit. The same three stores were on both of their lists...so I checked them out.

First up was SR Harris Fabric Outlet. The warehouse is overwhelming in size. There are bolts and rolls of fabric stacked floor to ceiling everywhere you look. And the best part? Every bit of fabric is at least 50% off retail! (the photo below shows just ONE aisle of cotton and quilting fabric...there are probably 5 more aisles like this of just this one type of fabric!)

 

The place operates on the honor system so you select and cut your own fabric. The selection is incredible and I only wish I had been able to spend more than 2 hours there. Here is a taste of what I purchased...most of it is for some Fall designs.
What really blew me away was the variety of trims available there. Whole plackets and lace pieces were there and ready to be made into something new. They have tons of interesting trims, and even leather remnants by the pound. I also found some fun specialty fabric like a gorgeous piece of faux fur and some beautiful wool.

The next stop I made was to Crafty Planet in Minneapolis. The prices are a sharp contrast to SR Harris since it's a specialty and high-end fabric shop. I couldn't resist snapping a picture of the adorable sign outside the front door:

I was thrilled to find an adorable echino print since I have never come across it in any of the fabric stores in my area. I also fell in love with their beautiful selection of bias tape. I'm so used to shopping at JoAnns and Hancock Fabrics that I haven't been exposed to many other stores and printed bias tape was a treat to see! I have big plans for the fabrics I got at Crafty Planet!

The last store I visited is called Treadle Yard Goods in St. Paul. Luckily, they were having a big sale and every fabric in the store was at least 20% off! I found these fantastic paper doll prints and have already made some fun things with them that I'll share in the near future.

Minnesota fabric shopping may be different than LA or New York, but it was certainly a big step up from what I'm used to and I can't wait to get started on all the projects I have planned for my Minnesota souvenirs.