Santa Barbara

I recently made a quick, unexpected trip to Santa Barbara for the latest surgery for my Accident-Prone 21 year-old son. The surgery turned out well and was almost a non-event, thank God. Since I’ve been on a garment sewing kick lately, I knew I had to make a trip to one of my favorite fabric shops for garment sewing: Fine Fabrics of Santa Barbara.

Proprietor Susanne Chess runs a delightful, welcoming, inspiring shop. She carries fashion fabrics that range from cottons at $8.99/yd, to exquisite hand-sewn French lace for over $1,200/yd., Italian wool, French knits….

Yet when you enter her store, she graciously welcomes you whether you are looking for 1/2 yd of cotton or $5,000 of couture lace.

The shop is fairly small yet there is something to be found and cherished by every garment sewer, no matter the budget.
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I was not much of a lace fan until I fondled the exquisite French Solstiss lace  she carries-each piece is a hand-sewn work of art. They defy description-check out pictures on their web site. I could see a yard of this worked into a fun cami for evening…
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I left with 3 yards of this gorgeous Japanese cotton that has the sheen of silk. I can’t wait to make it into something glorious-summer cargo pants with a fun white pique top?
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And 3 yards of this matka silk that begs to be made into a jacket or pants or summer dress? It has a lovely nubby look, almost a refined burlap look, yet has a beautiful drape, almost charmeuse-like in drape. I love the juxtaposition of the rought nubby look with the soft drape.
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Anyone who knows me will chuckle at the many times I have said, “Really, I absolutely cannot buy any more fabric-I don’t have the room to store one more yard”……..