I HEART the Fabric Depot

The next time you are in the Portland area (and you are a crafter), you must check out the Fabric Depot. It's 1 1/2 acres of fabric, sewing supplies, all kinds of notions and crafting supplies. It's huge. It's overwhelming. It's fabulous. While the place itself isn't that impressive (it's in an old Fred Meyer store or something like that and has terrible signage), the fabric collection is very impressive. Oh, and did I mention that everything is basically 30% off? And that it's in Portland, Oregon - no sales tax! And when you're coming from a state like Washington with high sales tax, it's essentially like another 10% off!

Here what pretty things that made it home with me:

Some pretty fabric for a variety of projects.

This soft and cuddly flannel for a baby that will grace us with his/her presence later this year.

And these Moda fabric squares. I'll admit, I'm not sure what I'm going to do with these, but I'm very into the retro fabrics as they remind me of my Grandma Doris - the original crafter/artist in my life. I feel like collecting the fabrics that remind of me of her will somehow bring her closer to me even though she's no longer here. I'm thinking these may end up in a lap quilt. I'm also thinking if that's the case, I'll need another pack or two of them.

So, when you go to the Fabric Depot - be prepared. Go with a list. Go with a plan. Do spend time wandering the fabrics and feeling the pretty softness of it all, but don't let it overtake you. Thanks to Jessica for this tip and the idea of checking it out in the first place! This will be a permanent stop on all my trips down south! Maybe I'll see you all there sometime!

*Editor's note: I'd like to apologize to my dad for this post. He did ask me not to mention this place to my mom, as her fabric collection spans two rooms in their house (including what was formerly known as Meg's Room, now the Fabric Room Annex). But, dad, we crafters must stick together. And come on, how many sporting good/hardware stores have we girls wandered through as you checked out all the gadgets and gizmos? Yeah, thought so.