In my last post, I talked about getting sewing items at some of the big box stores – both craft big boxes and moe general big box stores. While it is hard to totally avoid shopping at them, I try to spend my money at smaller businesses. I love going into a new-to-me fabric store and exploring all the offerings. There is always something different in every small store, and it is exciting to find something you would never see in a big box.
Where I live in North Carolina, there are a number of independent fabric stores within an hour of my home, and a large number throughout the state and region. If you live in or are visiting central North Carolina, here are some of the stores you can visit.
Cary Quilting Company is a large, open store full of beautiful fabric in a location convienent to much of the Triangle. Their selection includes stocking every single shade of Kona Cotton, lots of beautiful Basic Grey Grunge fabrics, and a gorgeous selection of prints and blenders. You will also find a great selection of books and patterns that lean toward modern quilting, plus bag-making patterns, too. They have two longarm machines in the store, so they are a great place to bring projects that need to be quilted. I recently had my Cats in Pajamas quilt long-armed there with the cutest “meow” pattern. I also love this store because the people there are super nice and helpful, and I have gotten the opportunity to teach there. If you want to know more about my classes (and maybe even join me for a class in Cary Quilting’s big meeting center!), click on the teaching link here on my blog.
About a 15 minute drive from Cary Quilting, you can visit Bernina World of Sewing – Raleigh near Crabtree Valley. They also have a terrific fabric selection, and I usually find different fabrics here than I find in Cary. This store sells Bernina machines and accessories, and in addition to quilting fabric, you can find a small selection of apparel fabrics as well as canvas and cork for bag-making. They also have a store in Wilmington, North Carolina. I have visited that store a few times while in the area, and it is interesting to note that the Wilmington store has a different inventory than the Raleigh store.
There is a also a shop call US Fabric Shop in Fuquay-Varina in southern Wake County. Their business is primarily online and their shop reflects that. You won’t find fancy fabric displays, sewing machines, or classes, but you will find a spaced packed floor to ceiling with bolt after bolt of fabric worth digging through to find interesting treasures for your next project.
If you go north of Raleigh, there are three quilt stores in the small town of Wake Forest – each with a different selection of offerings. Quilts Like Crazy and Quilt Lizzy Wake Forest are practically back to back and both have a very nice fabric selection. Whatever’s Quilted has the biggest selection of widebacks and longarm machines you could want.
Heading east toward Johnston County, you can visit Sew Happy in Clayton, NC or continue on to The Broken Needle in Bunn, NC. (You need to take a picture outside this store -it has a really cool mural!)
If you head further south toward Fayetteville, Sew There! in the cute downtown area in Angier, NC is a worthwhile stop on the way toward Loving Stitches, located on the northern side of Fayetteville.
Overall, these stores represent a relatively small portion of the state. Every one of them is unique and worth visiting. No two stores will ever have the same stick and it can be fun to find the store whose buying tastes best align with your own. For me, Cary Quilting is the one that most aligns with my tastes, but it is the rare day I walk out of any fabric store without something catching my eye. (These were the last fabrics I adopted from this store!)
I will definitely share my reviews of other local fabric stores in other places I have traveled, but we will also explore online options for shopping. What is your favorite small fabric store (from anywhere in the country!)? Let’s share and keep these small business here for us.
Enchanted Pines Sewing 