The first step of any sewing project is to find material. To find something fun and suitable for my graduation dress, I decided to take the train and head down to Philly’s version of the garment district, Fabric Row.

Fabric row is a couple of blocks of 4th street where (around) seven fabric stores reside. Most of them are family owned and operated. I found that where ever I went, the employees of the store were incredibly helpful and friendly. At Fleishman’s Fabric and Supplies, Nick pulled out ten different fabrics to choose from and was able to give awesome recommendations. I found beautiful linen at Fleishman’s. That being said, we were a yard short of what I needed. I also went to Jack B’s and found really pretty eyelet cotton, but again, there was not enough fabric. Despite all the help I was given, I could not find fabric suitable for this project.

After four more stores, I had given up on finding material on Fabric Row. I got a pretty good sandwich at Reading Terminal Market and had a nice cup of tea, but my trip to Philly had been rather unsuccessful. This did not end of my fabric finding journey!

I took the train back to Wayne and made my way to my friendly neighborhood JoAnn’s. When I first walked into the store, I was immediately able to find some embroidered cotton.

For my project, I needed four and a half yards of fabric, two to three yards of lining fabric, one yard of interfacing (to keep things in place), a zipper, and a pair of rings and sliders. All of this I found at JoAnn’s, thus concluding my fabric finding adventure.

The next step is to start cutting out the pattern and sew it together.