Piping Plover Chick

quick tiger-sphinx creature drawings

RIP Joann, now what?

I wanted to make a post I could copy and paste and or link when I see folks asking where to buy fabrics when Joann is gone. I sew a lot, generally between 100-200 items a year and I don't do it on a big budget. Stores are not in a particular order.

Notions:

Wawak.com - start here, mostly stay here. Wawak is a supplier for professional sewing businesses and have the prices that show it. I will not pay for gutermann Mara 100 anywhere else. I buy buttons, tools, thread, and most elastic here.

Stitch Love Studio - this is where I buy lingerie supplies https://www.etsy.com/shop/StitchLoveStudio?ref=yr_purchases

Fabric:

Fabric Mart - this is one where you want to sign up for emails and never buy unless its on sale. They run different sales every day and they rotate. Mostly deadstock fabrics but I buy more from here than anywhere else. Fantastic customer service and if you watch you can get things like $6 wool suiting or $4 cotton jersey. https://fabricmartfabrics.com/

Fabrics-Store - again, buy the sales not the full price. Sign up for the emails but redirect them to a folder because it is TOO MANY. They stock linen or good but not amazing quality. https://www.fabrics-store.com/

Purple Seamstress - This is where I buy my solid cotton lycra jersey. They have other things, but the jersey is what I'm here for. Inexpensive and very good quality. If you ask she will mail you a swatch card for the solids. https://purpleseamstressfabric.com/

LA Finch - deadstock fabrics with a fantastic remnant selection https://lafinchfabrics.myshopify.com/

Califabrics - mix of deadstock and big brands, easy to navigate and always seem to have good denim in stock. https://califabrics.com/

Boho Fabrics - good variety, nice bundles. I have also gotten some really great trims from here. https://www.bohofabrics.com/

Firecracker Fabrics - garment and quilting fabrics, really nice selection and great sale section. I've bought $5 yard quilting cottons here several times. https://www.firecrackerfabrics.com/

Hancock's of Paducah - Quilting fabric and some limited garment fabric. AMAZING sale section. Do not sleep on the sale section. This is my first stop when buying quilting fabrics. Usually the last stop too. Not particularly speedy shipping. https://www.hancocks-paducah.com/

Itokri - This is something a little different. Itokri is an Indian business with incredible traditional fabrics. Shipping to the US is expensive, but the fabric is so inexpensive it evens out. I generally end up paying like $30 for shipping. Beautiful ikat and block prints. https://itokri.com/

Miss Matatabi - this is a little treat. This isn't where you go to save money, but there are so many beautiful things in this shop. Ships from Japan incredibly quickly. https://shop.missmatatabi.com/

Lucky Deluxe - Craft thrift store, always has an incredible selection and fantastic customer service. I need to close the tab fast because I never go to this website without finding something I need. https://www.luckydeluxefabrics.com/

Swanson's - the OG of online craft thrift stores, but I find their website harder to navigate. https://www.swansonsfabrics.com

Honorary Mentions: I haven't shopped at these places yet but I have had them recommended and likely will at some point.

A Thrifty Notion - https://athriftynotion.com/

Creative Closeouts - https://creativecloseoutsfabric.com/ being rebranded to sewsnip.com on March 1 - quilting deadstock

Hawthorne Supply Co. - I just got this rec and I think I need to not look too closely or I'm going to slip with my debit card. https://www.hawthornesupplyco.com/

This is not an exhaustive list of everywhere you can buy fabric, or even a full list of where I shop. There are SO many options out there in the world. You also need to think outside the fabric store box. I thrift men's shirt fabrics for quilts and sheets for backing fabric. I don't do a ton of in person thrifting and my local stores don't get a lot of craft materials but every thrift store is its own universe and reflects the community it is in. Go out and find something cool.

Oh and final note: Don't shop at Hobby Lobby.

I got my magnus archives dice set a few weeks ago and have been endlessly pondering some of the symbols on the big fears die. I heard that you were the one who designed the symbols, could we perhaps get a walkthrough of which symbols represent which fears? Just for some clarification :D

Oh fun! Happy to share.

So, I had to do these symbols in a way that was large and bold enough to be on a die, but distinct enough to identify. This sheet shows what’s what:

The above image has 3 columns and 5 rows with icons for the 15 fears. (Some are more thoughtful than others)

Row 1 - in the upper left is Extinction, shown as a robotic hand with a radioactive symbol on the palm. This is inspired by a combination of human and technology creating toxicity around them. To the right of Extinction is Stranger, shown as offset theater masks for the duplicity and carnival-vibe. In the upper right is the Web shown as a cobweb.

Row 2 - left is the End, shown a la a skull with a triangle cleaved in the center. I originally wanted to do something with tendrils out of it but it wasn’t clear enough to render right. The triangle is an artistic render of the death hazard. To the right of the End is the Vast shown as a triangle with a lighting bolt. This one was a little difficult as I wasn’t sure how to express Vast in a small space. So the lighting is supposed to evoke a dangerous sky, in a V made to form a triangle. Right on row 2 is the Spiral, shown as.. well, a spiral.

Row 3 - left is Desolation, a small flame engulfed in a larger flame, spreading. To its right is the Hunt which I originally had as a crosshairs target but Alex suggested going more primal, so we settled on teeth (I’m pretty happy with them) right on row 3 is the lonely, shown as a lighthouse.

Row 4 - left is the Dark with the classic closed eye in a filled circle. To the right of the Dark is the Corruption which is weirdly my favorite. It’s a bee but with a head with several growths. It’s a bit more abstract I guess but I was thinking of The Last of Us and the fungal zombification . The growths on the head are meant to be reaching out continuously in the hive mind. The right on row 4 is the buried, the shape inside is supposed to evoke closing in and down, collapsing

Row 5 - right is the slaughter, with a knife on a drum. I don’t know if I have to explain that. I wanted to do two knife drumsticks but they wouldn’t render on dice well. Center bottom is the Flesh shown as an anatomical heart with veins around it. This was another on I didn’t know what to do with at first and just drew a steak lol then Alex suggested a heart and it just made more sense. I think of it as the duality of Flesh as a visceral fear, but also an emotional one. The bottom right is an eye! Because… eyes.

There is also a rendered version of the web cassette on the set (not pictured)

I hope that helps and is interesting! And if you want a Magnus Dice set with the 15 fears I designed, check it out here: https://thedicedungeon.co.uk/products/themagnusarchives

The Dice Dungeon

The Magnus Archives - The Entities Limited Edition Dice Set

The Magnus Institute, London. An organisation dedicated to studying the esoteric and the weird. The Institute and its employees take care of

Natalie and Crew Plying the Tyrrhenian Sea

the d20 dome: a summary

A little sketch of Jon which I made while listening to MAG 52

there's actually a secret eighth deadly sin and it's exactly like gluttony except for textile projects

one (1) gerard

today's warm up: you'd think, the ocean loving you, would make you feel small, a minnow in her wake, but no. Out of the world, she loves you? That makes you big.

my beloved hobie