Rewind- Toronto Shopping Trip

When I head to Toronto to shop, I shop and usually buy a lot and this trip was no exception! The upside to this trip however was that we went for the whole weekend which meant I could hit all the stores I wanted instead of missing most of them on a Sunday like we normally do!

My fiance made the mistake of telling me to pick out all the stores I wanted to visit and make a list. I know, he’s crazy 🙂 So over to Google I head and type in “Fashion District Toronto”. I highly recommend any crafter/seamstress/designer do this, it shows hundreds of stores to choose from! Sure enough I had a nice list  of all the places I wanted to check out!

If you have never been to the Fashion District you really must go! There are some really cool landmarks to check out. My favourite is always this giant thimble that’s surrounded by giant buttons and a tape measure sidewalk!

Thanks to my amazing fiance for taking this photo and managing to get me, the thimble and somehow the CN Tower all in the same picture!

The first store we went into by accident really. We were walking down Queen St., looking in all the windows when I spotted some Amy Butler fabric on top of all of the fabric in this store! I’m a huge lover of Amy Butlers designs so I knew right away what I was seeing and knew I wanted some. So thank you to Trendy Fabrics I finally got my hands onto more of my favourite fabric!

Isn’t that the prettiest fabric you have ever seen! There was so much there I had a hard time deciding what I wanted to take home with me!

The next place we went was Bling Bling bead store. This place was stocked floor to ceiling with beads and all kinds of buttons and things! The family running the store was super nice as well as really helpful! I immediately went to the sale/clearance section, it meant I could spend a minimal amount of money but get a lot and sure enough I did!

Those circle wooden beads were my favourite find! They are the perfect size for the Julianna Clutches I will be making for the upcoming Spring Made by Hand Show! I also purchased a few loose beads as well but those ones are being used to make something special for someone who follows me. Once that item is made, then I will share those other beads!

The next place we went was to this cool little store. I can’t think of the name but when I do I will share it! The store is on the corner of Queen St and Augusta Ave. It carries all kinds of fun and random things! This is where we saw the coolest cat “scratcher” ever!

If thats not the coolest and strangest cat toy,  I don’t know what is!

So that was day one of our trip! Pretty successful I’d say! Day two was just as great as well!

Our first stop (after Quiznos for lunch) was to King Textiles! This is a pretty awesome store, literally filled with fabric or any possible type that you would need! Unfortunately on the day we went their lower level was closed. It had all their upholstery fabric and vintage sewing machines. It was a pretty cool store, this is what I left with:

Fabric to coordinate with  the Amy Butler fabric from the day before and a free tape measure! I probably would have gotten much more had I had the chance to get my hands on the upholstery fabric as that is my favourite kind!

After finishing there, we headed to one of my favourite yarn shops Americo. The ladies in this shop are the sweetest, friendliest and more welcoming of all the stores we visited! I always swoon over their yarn when we go! This time I bought this gorgeous purple yarn:

This yarn is the softest and fluffiest I have ever gotten! The last time I was there I bought a beautiful bright green of the same kind. I have been hoarding it up until now! I’m going to combine these two togther to make a beautiful airy spring scarf!

After there we stopped in a few other stores but came out empty handed as most of them were so jam packed with fabric and things it was too overwhelming to deicde!

As you can see I love shopping for fabric and especially in Toronto! I have already decided all the places I want to visit next time we head there. There’s just so much to look at, you need 2 full days at minimum to take it all in!

Now what do I have to do? Try to find some things to make with my new fabric, beads and yarn instead of just hoarding it away 🙂

I hope you all have a wonderful week! I’m going to be busy, still sewing for the Made by Hand Show!