I love Fabric.com because they always have a fabulous selection and they tend to run some pretty good sales. Now through Monday only you can save 15% site wide on any purchase of $50 or more when you use coupon code DOD409! Hurry in – this hot deal will end on Monday 4/12!

This is really the best time of year to be stocking up on your fabric stash!  For example, Fabric.com is offering 50% off all clearance fabrics, no coupon necessary.  They’re also having a huge President’s Day sale where you can get $10 off an order of $50 to $74.99 (use coupon code PRES1010), $15 off $75 to $99.99 (code PRES1510) and $20 off $100+ (code PRES2010).  This offer is good until midnight February 15th, and as always, shipping is free on orders over $35.  While you’re at Fabric.com, check out this free downloadable pattern for a cami and tap pants – just in time for Valentine’s day.

At JoAnn.com you can use coupon code TEF58B to get 50% off the regular price of any one item.  That’s a hot deal – plus they’ve also got a big sale going on, including 40% off paper cutting tools including trimmers, punches, scissors, cutting mats and more!

Save 60% at Fabric.com when you take 20% off the marked down price by using the coupon code CLEARJAN at checkout, plus you’ll get free shipping on orders over $35.  This sale ends 01/04/10 at midnight ET.  I just bought 27 yards of home decor fabric for $82.23, including shipping, what a deal!

Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores’ New Year’s Sale starts online today and in stores on Thursday.  Save up to 70% with this huge sale through Sunday, January 3rd.  Use promotion code EADA3 for free shipping with a minimum $35 purchase, and promotion code EGD3A to get 10% off your entire online purchase.

Many of our readers don’t have the option of even one fabric store in their town, and we’ve been told of ones who have to drive up to 2 hours to get to a fabric store.

The solution to “nothing available” is to do online shopping.  Joann’s has a great online store where shopping is a breeze.  Also you can check out Fabric.com for special sale prices (now have a selection of “under $5 prints”), take advantage of free shipping on your orders, etc.   Fabrics.net is another great place to purchase fabrics, plus they have tons of articles to read and columns, such as “Ask Andy”, where you’ll get lots of good information.   If you’re looking for single knits, spandex or fold over elastic, visit FaysFabrics – her prices are the lowest I’ve seen anywhere for great quality products.

I’ve also found great fabrics on eBay — great fabrics and great prices.  WOW!  I’ve gotten some super fabrics at “yard sale” prices — and with this economy, who couldn’t use some special prices on fabrics we’re looking for?

If your town doesn’t have a fabric store, I’m pretty sure it most likely won’t have a sewing machine store where you can go in and check out and purchase a new sewing machine or serger.  In case you didn’t know, sewing machines and sergers of all types can also be purchased online.  Visit AllBrands.com and check out all the machines they have available. 

AND, if your town doesn’t have a good sewing machine repairman, you can visit  SewMachineRepair.com to check out the best selling Sewing Machine Repair for the Home Sewer book, or consider doing sewing machine repair yourself as a business.   

You can find just about anything you’d need online, and I just wanted to mention some of the fabric places that I’ve had good luck with.  If you know of others where you’ve had good experience with ordering, we’d love to hear about it.

In addition to the wide variety of wonderful fabrics available to purchase from Fabrics.net, there is also a directory of other sources for fabrics, accessories, notions, patterns, sewing professionals, publications, trade organizations and much more.  Additionally, you can enter your company information if you’d like for your business to be listed as a source.  The first listing is free and there are minimal fees for additional listings or services.

One of the neatest things about Fabrics.net is their free posting service that allows you to put your fabric requests out on the Internet.  The site has many agents who pay a small subscription fee to see the listings, and the contact information from the fabric requests is only viewable by subscribers.  That means that if you need say 25 yards of faux fur to create a new line of stuffed animals, you can post your fabric request for free, and any stores that carry the fabric will contact you directly.  You don’t have to worry about spammers getting your contact information, and you get to compare prices and offers without having to run all over town or scour the Internet for a source.

So if you’re looking for a special fabric, large amounts of fabric, or just need some information on identifying or caring for fabric, be sure to check out the abundance of information and sources available at Fabrics.net!

Today I’m going to just put together a few tips that we’ve accumulated from our customers, and things that we’ve found to work, and pass them along as interesting tid-bits.

* If you will preshrink your fabric as soon as you purchase it, you will never have to wonder if it has been done or not.

* When storing fabric for any length of time, write out a small “care” label to place with the fabric.

*  Tricot and other fabrics that have a tendency to curl will do better if you spray a little starch along the edges and press before sewing the seams.

* Knit fabrics don’t ned to be pinked, neither do the facings need to have the turned under hemming, as knits don’t ravel.

* When cutting large prints or plaids, lay all the pattern pieces the SAME DIRECTION, and shift them along the grainline until the plaids match.

* You can judge corduroy quality by the backing’s construction and density of the pile.  The back should be tightly woven and resist shifting when stretched in various directions.

* Shiny satin type fabrics may have a nap – always check before laying out your pattern pieces.

* If in doubt of how pressing will affect the fabric you’re working with, always press it on the wrong side.

* It is much easier to finish seam edges if you do it BEFORE you begin to sew the garment.

* Before beginning any sewing project, examine the fabric for flaws – small holes, etc, so  you can position the pattern pieces correctly to avoid the flawed areas.

* Sheer fabrics can be difficult to cut because they tend to cling to a cloth-covered cutting table and slip on a smooth one.  Try using cellophane tape to tape the cloth to the table.  Or, probably best, is to purchase a heavy cardboard cutting board and place straight pins around to hold the pattern and fabric in place.

If you have any additional fabric related tips that you’d like to share, just email us or comment on this post.  I’m sure our readers would love to hear about your tips.

Besides following in my parent’s trade as a drycleaner, I also clean and preserve christening and wedding gowns in my business.  Many of the items and processes that we use professionally can also be used by you to safely store your own or your customers’ fabrics and textiles.

Of course, before storing any textile, it must be clean!  NEVER put anything away with a stain or odor.  These will only worsen over time and may develop into holes in the fabric.  Even if you are storing an item that has never been used or worn, give it a gentle cleaning first to remove any sizing from the manufacturer or dust.  

Once your item is clean, gently fold it, layering it with acid-free tissue if it is delicate.  Next, wrap it in clean, unbleached and undyed cotton.  I like to use unbleached cotton muslin, but a white cotton sheet works well, too.  This will help protect your item from dust, light, and moisture, three things which pose the greatest threat to items stored long-term.  Never hang an item that is going to be stored for more than a season.  Also, never wrap an item in plastic.  Once your item is folded and wrapped, you can store it in a plastic bin or a light-colored cardboard box, anything that closes tightly to keep little bugs out!

Textiles like to live where we live…no damp basements or hot, humid attics.  Inspect your items every 6 to 12 months for moisture, stains, deep-set wrinkles, or bugs.  If your items are properly stored as directed above, you should have minimal concerns.  Feel free to e-mail me at greatlakesgowns@charter.net  if you have questions about cleaning or storing textile items. 

This week’s guest post is from Tami Parks of September’s Bride blog and Business by the Blog.  Please visit Tami’s sites for more great fabric and business tips, or email her with any questions.