Review: Tessuti Online Shop

I used to have the pleasure of visiting the lovely ladies at Tessuti Melbourne on an almost weekly basis. Unfortunately (but fortunately for my bank account) my maternity leave finished and I returned to work. So my fabric shopping opportunities have diminished significantly. Enter Tessuti Online Shop!!

Tessuti runs an efficient and pleasurable online shopping experience. Each fabric has a few photos and clear description. Sometimes they include the weight, texture and potential uses for the fabric. I wish this info was included on all fabric as it makes it easier to "visualise" the fabric. In terms of efficiency, I ordered my fabric on Sunday night and it arrived Tuesday. All beautifully packaged in pattern tissue and a Tessuti ribbon.

In summary, I love Tessuti in all it's forms and if I can't get to the shop then the online version is a fantastic backup plan.

Store Details
Store: http://www.tessuti-shop.com/
Delivery: Express Post via Australia Post (free for orders over $150), extremely efficient, beautifully packaged
Extra Info: Fabric is ordered by the quarter meter, so be aware - for one metre enter quantity of 4, very helpful staff

Last but not least, my purchases! Two knit linens, in black and white, to make the Sewaholic Renfrew pattern. Plus a large piece of Japanese Cotton Voile Emerging Spots to make a dress for my 30th Birthday party (more on this soon!).

L x

The Fabric Store - Review

Between sewing for myself, my boys, my husband and our home, I buy a LOT of fabric. I tend to spread myself out across the fabric retailers within the city and inner norther suburbs. So I thought over the next few months I would do reviews of my main fabric and sewing supplies retailers.

Early one morning I dragged my boys down to Brunswick Street, Fitzroy to The Fabric Store. My mum had recently been to their Brisbane store and told me there was heaps of wool suiting and merino knits. I was in search of some fabric for a few Renfrew tops and a black wool crepe for a pair of work Clover pants.

The shop is full of fabric organised predominantly in colours, with some fibre content organisation as well. The service was friendly but not pushy. I did find that they weren't really eager to assist with fabric selection even though I'd asked for some help. I had two kids and a list, so a bit of assistance would have gone down a treat. I also didn't feel like they really sewed a lot.

Besides that, it is a wonderful shop full of ex-designer fabrics, lots of wool knits and linens and a good turnover of stock. You need to be careful when they cut the fabric, as there are often flaws in the fabric. Two of the pieces I bought had holes in the middle but the assistant happily gave me extra fabric to enable me to easily cut around the flaw.

Store Details

Store: The Fabric Store, Brunswick Street, Fitzroy (there are also stores in Sydney, Brisbane & NZ)

Opening Hours: Monday - Friday: 9.30am - 5.30pm & Saturday - Sunday: 10am - 4pm

Parking: Street parking right out front

Access: Street level, easy access for prams, lots of room

Extras: Friendly staff, couches for the onlookers, great coffee shop just a few shops away. 



Here are some of my purchases. You can see my plans for these in my Autumn Winter 2012 sewing list. 

After about 30 minutes I had one bored little boy...

Thankfully the museum is close and is a great bribery tool!

L x