525 4th Street discountfabrics-sf.com
Located in San Francisco’s SOMA (South of Market) district, this Discount Fabrics location (one of three in the city) has the largest fabric variety of anywhere I’ve been. Shop like a fashion or interior designer in this industrial warehouse setting, where large rolls of fabrics are stacked on metal racks. With wholesale prices to the public, your wallet will thank you.
You’ll find everything you need in upholstery, cotton prints, Asian silks, felt, and wool. It’s a great place to stock up on fabrics and supplies for special events such as a party or wedding.
The store also features all you need for sewing, including notions, ribbons, zippers, bias tape, and threads in all colors. The selection in the store changes weekly, so stop by often for sales or surprise fabric finds.
1699 Market Street flaxart.com
Boasting 10,000 kinds of paper from around the world, art and design store Flax will reinvigorate your love of paper. Your heart may skip a beat in the paper room as you open the multitude of flat file drawers, exposing the most beautiful sheets of paper imaginable, much of it handmade.
Flax also carries an array of sketchbooks, photo albums, and stationery goods, as well as pens, pencils, and watercolor paints that will keep your creativity flowing. Shop online at flaxart.com.
1 El Paseo, Mill Valley ambataliafabrics.com
Take a 30-minute scenic drive outside of San Francisco to sunny Mill Valley and experience a green, sustainable fabric store, Ambatalia Fabrics.
Proprietress Molly de Vries spreads her craft love in all aspects of the shop, which feels like a cozy cottage with handmade pieces and antique décor adorning all nooks and crannies.
Ambatalia features a wide array of organic cotton, hemp, soy, and bamboo, as well as rare fabrics from France and Japan. In addition to special events and sewing classes, check out Ashley Helvey’s class on how to wet-felt a stylish laptop bag.
Read more about Ambatalia and green crafting at ambataliafabrics.blogspot.com.
Food Match: Head on over
to the District wine bar
(
districtsf.com), located a few
blocks down on Townsend
Street, for a glass of wine
and a small cheese plate.
Food Match: Grab lunch at Zuni Café ( zunicafe.com) for one of their famous brick-oven, flatbread pizzas.
Food Match: For a quick pick-
me-up, get a slice of dreamy
carrot cake and iced coffee at
the Depot Bookstore Café
(
depotbookstore.com).
References:
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