Where are you all buying your fabric?

[Hideout Hen]

 My mum has recently got back into dressmaking after a long hiatus, and is lamenting the absence of fabric shops near her.
 So are you buying online? If so, do you buy swatches first or go straight to  ordering with fingers crossed. (Colour matching must be a nightmare.)
 I buy leather online occasionally. But mostly my son buys me a job lot of random skins for Christmas and I then make something with them. Rather than having a pattern first, then go looking for the material to suit.
 With regard to my mum, anyone who knows a fabric shop around Eastbourne, UK. Let me know. 

[Ohsewsimple]

It’s a nightmare down south @Hideout Hen.  Fabric shops are extremely rare.  So shopping online generally. 
I use Lamazi fabrics, Stone fabrics, Minerva for a large range although can be a bit pricey. 
I tend not to buy cheap as it’s a waste of my time and results in a poor garment.  I’m not a fan of polyester but prefer natural fibres where possible.  I’ve recently had some decent fabrics from Dalston Mills although one was the wrong colour!  But I decided to keep it because it was nicer than the colour I ordered. 

[Starryfish]

Lamazi, Fabric godmother, Fabworks, Croftmill are my go to online shops. All of them and many others will send swatches which will save costly mistakes.

[Greybird]

@Hideout Hen - Ebay sellers iana-fabrics, fabfabricsbymaggie, rosebud_wine have been good for dressmaking fabric and mminall is good for furnishing fabric. I don't usually ask for a swatch because if its something nice, someone else is likely to buy it while you're waiting for it come in the post. I find you do have to take a chance and you don't always get what you thought it was going to be. I keep an eye on Ebay generally as you often find someone clearing their stash and you can pick up odd pieces quite cheaply.

[Silver Rose]

I buy online from Croft Mill and Minerva mainly, I have a big Franklins in Ipswich and pre pandemic and hip operations I would go to Norwich each month to Anglian Fashion Fabrics which is really lovely.

[Tamnymore]

I find Pound Fabrics (online) is very good. If someone else stocks the same fabric then Pound Fabrics will always be the cheapest. Recently I've bought some crinkle seersucker at £2.50 pm hereand here's the same one elsewhere here.

[Acorn]

There's a thread with lots of recommended online shops here - this is the thread that brought me to the forum in the first place!

There's one for bricks and mortar shops here - there are quite a few pages, and I don't know whether Eastbourne appears anywhere.

 

[Hideout Hen]

Thanks for the replies, I'll suggest some to my mum. She's of the older generation, so has to get my BIL to order for her.
 I agree with eBay. I miss that here. Not so much is sold on eBay France, and import from the UK can be pricey. I remember buying a whole roll of upholstry fabric and picking it up at Christmas on a UK visit.
Mum misses going to buy from a shop where you can feel the quality!

[Hideout Hen]

Thanks for that Acorn. I've just had a look. None in Eastbourne but the nearest is Jacobs in Bexhill. Maybe we can take her for a trip there at Christmas.

[Surest1tch]

@Hideout Hen. At the moment I'm not buying fabric as yet again my sewing room is full of the crap D/H has been hoarding and I can't get in there for now, I'm just waiting my chance to sneak it out before he see's what I've been doing  . Previous to that 95% of the fabric I've purchased during the last 8 or 9 years has been purchased online as my nearest shop now is around a 70 mile trip.
I've used quite a lot of on-line suppliers, too many to mention here but there are lots of names in the "favourite suppliers" section in the index here. I can't say I've ever really been disappointed with any of them, other than sometimes a colour's not been quite as I expected, a number of places will send you samples for a small fee.

[Morgan]

Lately I prefer fabrics that have a bit more interest for me whether it's the fibre content or the colours and design. 
Often it costs a little more than what's generally available and takes a bit more effort to find.

My most recent buys are from from a couple of pre-order suppliers   
One example is this design in a Bamboo Cotton with lycra for a knit Tshirt/Tunic top. 
https://patternhappyfabrics.com/products/copy-of-in-the-garden-background-in-blue-0-5-metres?variant=45730158182680

Another place I like for curated fabrics and an occasional preorder designs is Lamazi Fabrics.

The shops I go to include Immanuels and Fine Fabrics at Burnley.
As I regularly visit family in London, I like to pick an area and explore fabric outlets in that area. I like Dalston Mill shop on Ridley Road but because it's rammed with fabric I only go when I'm  looking for something for a specific project. 

My personal general rule is to be very choosey about what I buy and it must be for a project on my immediate To Do list or if it's particularly interesting, unusual and inspiring and will become a specific outfit like a coat, jacket, dress ir an outfit in itself.   I no longer buy fabric just because I like it.  It must have a specific project that will be made within 6 months because I also have to sew up the stash fabrics I have chosen to keep.

I like to go to to shows like the Knitting and Stitching shows to buy fabrics from the stalls for my project list.  Rosenbergs, Nicole's Dots and Stripes and a couple of others are places where I usually manage to find some fabrics I like. 

[Acorn]

Oh @Morgan I do like the fabrics at Pattern Happy!!!   There's one with birds on it that really needs to make it into my stash...

[Sara-S]

I can get some precut fabric at Michael’s (craft store chain) or Joann (another chain store). The nearest Joann store (which has yard goods) is in New Jersey.  It isn’t a long drive, but the bridge tolls have gotten rather expensive.

Consequently, I tend to order a lot of yard goods.  Of course, my favorite source is my quilt guild, when other folks are de-stashing. Folks with bigger homes than mine give away a surprising quantity of multi-yard pieces.

[Kwaaked]

Fabric wholesale direct does international shipping, and I use them frequently for my business when I am not using jobbers.  I buy some stuff for myself, but a lot of it is good for some plain fabrics and satin.

[ukros]

Your mum might want to try dottodot studios in East Hoathly. As well as running classes, they have a big stock of fabrics and haberdashery. It's about 15 miles from Eastbourne and she could get there by bus or train. I've visited once, after finding a trim that I needed in their online shop.

I buy a lot of my fabrics in charity shops, but I have used Croft Mill in the past. Most charity shops display their fabrics on hangers along with the duvet covers and sheets, unless they have a special craft area.