Off I went, to the LA Fabric District

Hi there ~
I promise, this is not turning into sewing blog! But truth be told, I'm on a sewing kick right now and when I sink my teeth into a medium, I usually go crazy with it for a while. Confession : I'm obsessive that way, please don't judge me :)

It all started a few weeks ago when my daughter in law, Sheridan was visiting and she wanted to go the LA Fabric District and invited me along!

OHHHH! I had forgotten how fun that place is! If you like fabric, notions and bargains, of course :) Well I definitely do. I've had a love of textiles since I was a little girl but my sewing machine and serger had been sitting idle for some time while paper crafts had taken center stage. Love that paper too! Wish I had 4 hands and more hours in the day for craftin...I want to do it ALL, LOL!

Subsequently I didn't pick up much fabric for myself during that trip cause I wasn't sure what I wanted to sew. But I thoroughly enjoyed showing Sheridan around and seeing her love of fabric begin.

Then other day, I pulled out a knit stripe I did buy and whipped up a simple yoga chevron skirt that I posted last week. The obsession was on and I instantly knew I had to plan an encore trip to the district to get MORE FABRIC!

Here's how it went...but first let me mention if you're in the LA area and planning to go, checking out a shopping guide is essential before planning your trip! This place is a sea of wholesalers and retailers and you could easily get overwhelmed and worse yet, not get the best deal, if you don't know where to go. Here's a good one and I'll tell you where I went too.

FIRST STOP....The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising FIDM 919 South Grand Avenue. Not in the district,  but close to it.

Project Runway is filmed here, but for non contestants and students like myself, the place to go is their Scholarship Store. It's filled with discounted clothing, accessories, even wedding dresses. But the draw for me was the little room in the back with a wall of fabrics for $1 , $2 and $5 a yard. I picked 2 bag fulls of goodies here. Mostly knits and all $ 1 a yard ! YAY!

Once I was done at the fashion school, I just headed down 9th for a few blocks right into the district. 

NEXT STOP...Michael Levine Loft 900 block of Maple. It's across the street from the main store which is cool too, but the main store is not for bargain hunters. They do have a lot of stuff, it's like a Joann's on steroids,  including designer cottons, but I think the prices are better elsewhere.

I was on the hunt for knits and jerseys. BINGO the loft did not disappoint! Can you believe $ 2.50 a pound?!!  I filled another 2 bags here...luckily I parked directly above this store on their roof top parking lot. No frills here and the elevator is a bit scarey, but it's safe and convenient to drop off bags of heavy fabric in your trunk in between store stops. Please keep in mind thou, if you're a primadonna the district is not for the faint of heart. It can be crowded, unfamiliar and a bit grungy. But I love all that stuff,  after all I was born in New York so I'm originally a big city girl. I find the beat of a crazy downtown shopping hot stop fun, diverse and inspirational. Not the stuff you find at your everyday local suburban strip mall.

NEXT STOP...LUNCH! Have you ever had a BACON WRAPPED HOT DOG with grilled onions, peppers and guacamole salsa? Sounds crazy, I know...but trust me, it's de-lish!

NEXT STOP...probably my FAV store for knits and wovens is
ANGEL TEXTILES 850 S Maple. Yikes ! I forgot to take a picture, too busy picking out fabric. I bought ALOT here, everything is $2 a yard. I found a picture HERE from another blog I stalk frequently.

WOW! I don't think I've ever purchased this much fabric is one HAUL, but I have so many projects in mind and the prices were so good I couldn't resist. Plus the district is in LA and I live in San Diego, a bit of a drive.

Final TALLY 8 BIGS filled to the brim with knit fabrics! YAHOOIE!

OH BTW speaking of driving...very important. Use that navigator to help you get around town and monitor traffic. There are a lot of roads and ways to get around downtown but some flow faster than others. I never take Interstate 5 downtown, it's pretty much a parking lot. The 110 and 405 are much better bets and avoid traveling at peak times. Go early, get shopping and leave early or what would be an hour drive could turn into a nightmarish 3 to 4 hour drive!
 
OKAY FOLKS...time to fold and organize my stash and GET SEWING!

Stay tuned for my next project!...and If you'd like to see more pics of what the District looks like...sorry, I'm not to best at taking pictures, especially when I'm obsessing...check out this blog post. It also shares some fun hot spots to see spitting distance from the district. I'm already planning my next trip :)