Fabric Shopping in Chicago with Liz!

  

My friends - words and pictures cannot convey the scale of the Textile Discount Outlet in Chicago. Half a city block long, three floors high, 12 ginormous rooms jam-packed full of fabrics, over-spilling with zippers, piled high with trimmings, bursting full of buckles... I spent a good couple of hours there and I still can't quite get my head round the amount of stuff they had in there, all at ridiculously low prices. This great video I found on the internets just skims the surface, but the cutter's comment that "It's like a fabric store on crack" really hits the nail on the head.

I'm in Chicago visiting my brother who lives here, but what's a city visit without a spot of fabric shopping? The lovely Liz from Zilredloh was my guide for the day. I'm so glad she was there as I wouldn't be surprised if skeletons of customers who lost their way were lurking amongst the basement aisles. Liz was super lovely and great fun - we had a hilarious time giggling at the random piles of off-cuts and rummaging for gems amongst the boxes.

And here's what I came away with - two silky soft polyesters which I want to use for Cynthia Rowley 1801, a denim-look thick cotton for a skirt, trimmings, nautical piping, and a really unusual belt buckle. Erm... yes, a couple of these pieces might look familiar to you, but I'm glad that I focused and found some things that are to my taste, rather than getting overwhelmed by the amount of stock, panicking and leaving empty handed. Now I can't wait to get cutting!

[Soundtrack: 'Come On! Feel the Illinoise!' by Sufjan Stevens]