What’s the not so nice word for frugal? Cheap-that’s me! When you go through as many bag making supplies as I do-you quickly figure out where to get the most value for your dollar. Years ago I would buy handbag hardware at JoAnn’s e.g. $2.99 for a pack of two to four O-Rings. Umm yeah those days are over. Below is a list of my favorite places to maintain my stash of handbag making supplies.
Vinyl Fabric
As you might have noticed from my shop I am a huge fan of making bags in vinyl. Love it! With a good quality vinyl you can get that “leather look” without having to shell out $100+ dollars for a decent leather hide. Also, I like my vinyl/vegan leather/pleather without the fuzzy backing. This is because more recently my designs require gluing pieces of vinyl together on tabs or for embellishment. Plus many of the fuzzy backed ones feel like 80’s picnic table cloths!
- Fabrics.com – They have a huge selection of all sorts of fabric including a wide selection of vinyl. They begin to give discounts once you order over three yards. Buy in bulk!
- Walmart.com – Sometimes Walmart has good vinyl in store but they have a much better selection online. I like their faux crocodile and Shason line used in the bags below.
- Hobby Lobby – Online or in store they usually have some reasonably priced home décor vinyl. They’re especially fantastic when having a sale! That’s where I got this gorgeous blue vinyl for my Isabel bag below.
Traditional Fabric
For those who have made my patterns-you know I often use quilter’s cotton for my linings. It comes in a million colorful prints and solids and is very economical. Walmart, JoAnn’s Fabrics, and Hobby are my usual haunts for quilter’s cotton. JoAnn’s also has a wide range of duck cloth and canvas. If you’re looking for a better quality or fashion fabrics for your lining Fabrics.com is the place to go or JoAnn’s (JoAnn’s on sale or with a good coupon!).
Hardware
Hardware stores like Lowes or Home Depot are good for one off purchases of O-Rings or Claw Clasps but Amazon.com is my go to for buying purse hardware in bulk. You can get 50 O-Rings for $10 or less on Amazon-a steal and good quality. You can also get some specialty hardware like the double D-Rings I used on the Collette bag below-so cute and reasonably priced! If you are shopping for Rivets, Chicago Screws, O-Rings, D-Rings, or Claw Clasps you can’t beat the selection or prices on Amazon.
Interfacing
For Interfacing I usually shop Walmart, Amazon, or JoAnn’s (again JoAnn’s with a 50% off coupon).