About this time last year, I my first order from Cali Fabrics and did a haul video. I’ve enjoyed everything I made with that first order, including this, this, and these. When a little birdie offered to bring some fabric north for me this summer, I looked at lots of options online but settled Cali Fabrics again!
I’ve had plenty of disappointments shopping for knits online. You know, when you order something “medium-weight” and it turns out to be paper thin, or it’s describes as “soft and drapey” but it’s caked with ink and stiff as a board? Yuck. On the flip side, Cali seems to have reliable descriptions and a good selection.
Just look at these pretties!
They do sell lots of other types of fabrics: bottom-weight wovens, fake fur, sequins, crepe, lace, challis, and so on… but the one thing I find hardest to find locally is good rayon knit prints, so as you’ll see in the video, I am ALL ABOUT THOSE KNIT PRINTS!
Sometimes I feel a bit guilty posting these videos, like I buy too much fabric (You are rolling your eyes, right?) so I wanted to say off the bat that I’ve already sewn up 2 of the 3 fabrics I bought at Globetex. A really great wife would also have sewn up that hoodie for her mister, but, um, that hasn’t happened yet.
Have you ever ordered from Cali Fabrics? What are your go-to stores if you shop online? (And on a side note, would you be interested in me doing a video/post about rayon knits, what they are like to work with and wear, and why I love them so much? I feel like I’ve been mentioning them A LOT lately!)
Crafting A Rainbow 
Oh gosh you are such a lovely person! I enjoy watching your videos because it brings me closer to you! Also I really like the it’s replacement fabric you got, and may go order some!
I love Cali fabrics and only wish the fabrics were labeled sheer to opaque. I tend to order ones that are a bit sheer from them…
Thanks for a fun video and I hope you enjoy your new fabrics!
LikeLike
Ugh, sheer knits – why are they so popular with manufacturers? What are we supposed to make with them? I don’t get it. I definitely look for medium weight knits to avoid that… though sometimes I’m suckered in by a print!
That ITY is realllly pretty IRL – really beautiful colours. I can’t decide what to make with it though! 🙂
LikeLike
I’m really enjoying Denver Fabrics. I am fairly new to the knits world, but I am very happy with my orders from them. I’ve ordered both light and medium weight jerseys, French terry, sweatshirt fleece, and ponte knit. They have all been excellent and are just as described. All the cotton/lycra jerseys I bought were less than $6/yard. The ponte and French terry were less than $5/yard They take quite a while (approximately 10-20 days) to ship to Canada but there are no hidden charges or crazy expensive shipping fees.
LikeLike
Is Denver Fabrics the one that is the same as Fashion Fabrics CLub? I’ve ordered from FFC, and I loved their low prices… some of the fabric was great, some of the sweater knits I chose were too thin for me. Oh well – those ones became scarves! ;P
LikeLike
I enjoy your videos! You did a brilliant job of articulating what you look for in a print , I realise that I have very similar taste: I love floral and organic but tiny, ditsy prints tend to make me look childish and frumpy.
How do you find the different fabrics wear over time, in your experience do some knits pill more readily?
LikeLike
That’s a great question that I’m interested in, as well. We both have had questionable GC knit experiences ( although everything else from there is nice – chiffon, peach skin, miliskin, etc). Now that I’ve washed the knits a few times, they are faded and pill-y.
LikeLike
Ugh, GC. Did you see they’ve started a store in the uk? They must be doing well – but why oh why wouldn’t they make their “signature” product a better quality? I”m definitely happier with Cali.
LikeLike
Three cheers for medium-sized prints! I like how you don’t have to worry with them about placement like you do with a large scale print… and things don’t have to be as carefully placed and perfect as they do with a symmetrical print. I’m too lzy for this stuff! 😛
The fabrics I’ve had pill the most have a significant poly content. Pure poly double knit is the worst, and poly blend jersey too… I find rayon and ITY hold up will for me! What do you find?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Not much experience with knits. Although I have a big name cotton elastane knit that has pilled very badly, it put me off for a while.
I will take your advice and look for rayon.
Have you tried scuba/ neoprene style knits? They seem to resist everything, including water!
LikeLike
Yes, i’ve tried scuba a bit – made 2 pairs of leggings, which seem to hold up well, and made a quilted cotton top which is kinda similar to scuba. Easy to sew with, sturdy… kinda sweaty. That’s my review! 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you!
LikeLike
Yep, pilling isn’t really a fabric quality problem, it’s a fiber content thing. Synthetics pill, oddly, because they’re strong- when the fibers break with wear, they tangle up around themselves. When cotton/linen/silk fibers break, the fragments just fall off (and turn into dryer lint!). Thanks, textile science class! So even in a blend with a natural fiber, the pilling is caused by the synthetic. Wool is a different story- it pills because the wool fibers are so scaly!
Are you asleep yet? Boring stuff! 😀
LikeLiked by 2 people
No… *fascinating* stuff! More! More!
LikeLiked by 1 person
WHAAAAAT????? I am all ears. tell me more! What other secrets do you know?????? Can you explain why ITY and scuba don’t pill like poly jerseys or pontes? Something to do with the thread count or something?
LikeLiked by 1 person
ITYs are made with yarns that are twisted to make them stronger, so they have more tensile strength and it’s probably a little tougher to snap the individual fibers. I’m not sure about scuba, but my guess would be that it’s because it’s so tightly knitted!
LikeLike
You are bringing the knowledge tonight. Thank you!!
LikeLike
Putting my summer school to work! 😀 It was a great class, actually- learned a LOT!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Come on, please please do a post about some of the stuff you learned?
LikeLike
OK, OK! I’ll think about the most interesting tidbits and write something up!
LikeLiked by 1 person
How much is the shipping to Canada from Cali Fabrics? Lovely Fabrics 😄
LikeLike
Oh yes, I should have mentioned that! My 14m of knits cost $11USD to chip to New York, and would have been $35USD to ship to Canada. Better than some stores, but still $$!
LikeLike
I have recently purchased my first order with Cali Fabrics, and was pleased with the order. Their prices are good, and they have a fairly large selection of knits and rayon wovens.
LikeLike
I’m so glad you had a good experience too! Have you sewn any of it up yet??
LikeLike
Love the black and white print. Thanks for this review video–I hadn’t heard of Cali Fabrics before but I checked out their knits selection last night and saw a lot of great looking stuff at a very reasonable price. I think my next fabric order will be from them!
LikeLike
Did you see the other black and white print in the same line? I had a hard time choosing between the two! Its definitely good quality fabric, although as I say in the video, it is a rougher, crepe-y texture. If you do order, they’ve got a first time discount of 10% listed somewhere on the site! 🙂
LikeLike
Still haven’t tried Cali Fabrics! Sounds like I need to give them a shot. Love the fabrics you got, especially the black and white. Beautiful!
LikeLike
They’ve got some nice classics, as well as the slightly more out-there prints I went for!
LikeLike
You have a theme song now! Fun! The prints are especially lovely, and it looks like I’ll have to give this shop a try sometime. I did have fun window-shopping on their site today, I just can’t justify buying any more fabric right now!
LikeLike
LOL – the theme song always makes me do a little dance, and then when my poor quality, grainy, drunken-angle video kicks in, my brain is disappointed. 😛
How’s your wrap skirt going? Did you decide on the waistband??
LikeLike
I’ve ordered knits online from Loiseau Fabrics (Calgary), Fabrications (Ottawa), The Workroom (Toronto) and Blackbird Fabrics (Vancouver) with great success. I haven’t ordered from the U.S. yet. Don’t feel guilty about buying fabric!!
LikeLike
One more place I’ve ordered knits from is MacPhee Workshop in Edmonton.
LikeLike
Woah, you’ve got good taste!!!! I’ve looked at those stores online (OK, and shopped at the Ontario ones in person) but I find the Canadian shipping is expensive on top of expensive per metre costs, and it ends up being cheaper for me to order from the US. All those stores sell beautiful fabric though!
LikeLike
You’re too kind. : -) I think that if I’m taking some of my precious free time to sew, then it had better be with quality fabric. I have very limited luck with Fabricland’s “unknown” fibres, etc.
LikeLike
I really like it when online stores list the weights of knits particularly, as I have made a note of this on my ‘inventory’ so I can look back and see if that was a good weight or not. I haven’t tried Cali Fabrics, I don’t really have a ‘go to’ place – I did just try an art gallery knit and love it, though. Thanks for all the tips! I LOVE the dress you have on – which pattern is it?
LikeLike
That’s a great point – listing weight can really help. Frankly, the more they say about the fabric the better!!! I wish more places listed a reliable stretch percentage.
The dress is actually a Renfrew bodice, made into a faux wrap! I blogged about it here: https://craftingarainbow.wordpress.com/2014/09/06/wrap-dress-hack-part-2/
LikeLike
Loved your video – thanks for sharing your shopping experience and fabric haul! Thought gingermakes comments were really interesting, hope she writes up a post and tells all! 😀
LikeLike
I think she is going to do a post! I harrassed/begged Ginger on Twitter too. I want to know more!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You need a tv show, Gillian. You’re a natural in front of the camera!
LikeLike
If someone would send me free fabric, I’d be the happiest “look at my fabric!” TV host! 😉
LikeLike
It’s never too much fabric, we adore those videos! 😀
LikeLike
Thank you, Lily!!!!
LikeLike
I love, love, love your video! I tend to order mainly from Fabric Mart Fabrics as I can usually catch a good sale and get some really great fabric from them. I’ve learned to watch what they say about sheer, though. I didn’t early on and have a couple of pieces in my stash that I swear could double as tissue paper it is so sheer! I was super thrilled with my last haul from them, which I’ve sewn lots, including that lovely difficult pink scuba. I still have 4 yards of fun black and white floral rayon challis that is begging to be a dress. I suppose I should crack into that next.
LikeLike
I’ve ordered from Fabric Mart before too – I wonder why I didn’t do a haul video? Some of it definitely bordered on too lightweight though, like you said. What are your plans for the rayon challis? It’s such a fabulous fabric to wear (even though I don’t love sewing it!)
LikeLike
Love the video and seeing your fabric. i am mostly buying online at the moment as there is not much here. I love you ITY. I ought some of that for a top but am yet to sew it. It does have great drape though. Xx
LikeLike
You should sew up your ITY! I find it really well-behaved to sew – not as slithery as I used to think it would be! 🙂
LikeLike
Iwas really impressed with your thoughtful presentation on selecting fabrics. Like you, I find many items in the stores these days too sheer and clingy. If I make my own, I sure don’t want those fabrics!
I also love your color and print selections. Having never ordered from Cali Fabrics, and having a few online fabric order fails, I was really unsure…
But i ordered, and received my order today! Super speedy! The fabrics are lush, and exactly as described.
Now, I’m not a stalker, seriously, but I bought 2 of the same fabrics you showed us, and also the splotchy turquoise, white, and black of the dress you are wearing in the video! GorgeousI I also got 3 other fabrics you did not buy. (that I know of) I can’t wait to sew some up – may even cut out a tee tonight!
Thanks so much for your great review. I love Cali Fabrics!
LikeLike
That is the nicest compliment!!!!! Thank you! I’m so glad you liked the fabric you got – I would feel awful if you didn’t! 😉 Isn’t the splotchy turquoise/green/black one nice? Surprisingly cottony feeling for something with poly, and my favourite medium weight. Which other fabrics did you buy???
LikeLike
Love these videos! You’re so brave ordering knits online. I’ve only done it a couple times and had great success with buying ponte, but not so much with other types.
LikeLike
I love these fabric haul videos and I would totally love one about your love for rayon knits – working with them and wearing them!
LikeLike
Alright, I think I’ll do a post – especially since I”m currently sewing a project where rayon knit was the wrong choice! 😛 I guess my beloved fabric can’t do it all… sob.
LikeLike