PSA: My design got ruined at a big fabric market in LA last year

I was at the fabric district in Los Angeles about eight months ago, picking out a specific silk blend for a dress. I had the whole design sketched out, a deep green with a structured bodice. I found the perfect roll, paid for it, and had it cut. When I got home and unrolled it under my good light, I saw a huge, faded water stain running right through the middle of the yardage. It was completely unusable for my pattern pieces. I had been in a rush and didn't check the full length under the market's dim fluorescent lights. That one mistake cost me over $120 and set the project back weeks. Now I never, ever buy fabric without unrolling and checking every single inch, even if the vendor seems annoyed. Has anyone else had a fabric buy go bad because you didn't inspect it properly at the source?

2 comments

2 Comments

kai6571mo ago

Was it one of those places where the fabric is rolled super tight on the tube? I've found the worst flaws are always hidden in the middle folds, like they're trying to bury the evidence.

derek_brown281mo ago

Spot on, that's exactly the kind of place. Bought some linen there once and the center was a mess of weak threads. It's a cheap trick to move bad stock. You have to unroll the whole bolt in the store to check it now. Makes you feel a bit crazy doing it, but it's necessary.