This place will have you screaming "YES YES YES" like Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally, you know…read morewhat scene I'm talking about. I looooove finding unique bespoke buttons and speaking with the fabulous and passionate staff. They are so informative, helpful and hypeful for your next project. I love these people!!

This is such a wonderful shop! The customer service was outstanding! Found what I wanted and…read morepleased with the friendliness of the staff

I initially came here to deliver boxes of random yarns. Not only did I get help bring ing the boxes…read morebut it was explained that there are many things I can bring in to recycle...including original patterns. AND then I walked into the store....not only was there well sorted recycled yarns, materials etc but new stuff as well

Nicest staff i've seen in a while. Has a very warm welcoming atmosphere with the cheapest prices on…read moresewing items. Sells vintage machine as well for a good price! A lot of vintage 70's-90's sewing patterns for only 2-5 dollars

Bolts of fabric line the walls and cover almost all available floorspace. The further you walk back…read moreinto the store, the further it seems to go on like some strange space-bending time warp. Amongst the truly hideous polyesters and sequinned monstrosities there is a wide range of beautiful shot silks and weird Korean laces that make me wish I was a better stitcher. The staff were helpful, and the prices are reasonable, although having Kyle & Jackie O playing is a definite turn-off for me. There is no excuse for being force-fed Katie Perry under any circumstances. I half expect that next time I go back, the back wall of the shop will have extended further into some weird other dimension. I suspect lime-green sequins will not be cool there either.

I was recommended by a friend who is a dance student to come here for fabrics for my year 12 major…read moreproject. The staff members are very nice and honest, and they have a huge range of bridal fabrics! Much cheaper than Spotlight and better service. I personally like Kyle & Jackie O. A shop with music is better than an awkward one with none... but that's just me.

I used Fabric Gardens to buy a Christmas present.The passion of the owner (Sue) & her attention to…read moredetail was very good. I recommend this company.

From the owner: Fabric Garden is an online business supplying modern quilting and patchwork fabric and is located…read moreon the lower north shore in Sydney, Australia.

One of Sydney's newest art spaces. Sew Make Create has been around for almost a couple of months…read morenow. The owner, top Sydney designer Melissa Tan-Lu and Sew Make Create's resident dog Pepper are just adorable. The whole shop is quite funky :) I was fortunate to have been invited (through another blog) to experience their beginners crochet course with Bronwen. I arrived on a Wednesday night at 7pm a little tired yet eager as anything to learn, and learn heaps. My manual dexterity skills deflated me for a while, yet I was amazed with the crochet stitch and getting into a granny square so soon with confidence. The class sizes are rather small which is great. Lindt chocolate balls were provided with water as stunning refreshments, as well as biscuits and tea. This course is also available on selected weekends. Sew Make Create also run a variety of other craft courses. After the beginners crochet course, if you wish to take things further, then the crochet clinic is for you. Instead of yarn, turn that yarn into 'plarn' with a plastic bag crochet course. Sew Make Create is a dynamic arts space that also rents out sewing machines, and hence provides ample working space to design some pretty clothes. Sew Make Create also sell sewing machines and craft supplies. Sew Make Create (from the request of many parents) have put together a fantastic course schedule for the kids school holidays coming up, as at the time of writing this. Beginners crochet is also covered, and kids can also learn cupcake decorating and also learn how to make these adorable felt brooches. Located in Chippendale right near the Broadway Shopping Centre. If you're curious (in more detail) as to how my beginners crochet experience went recently, then follow this link: http://www.weekendnotes.com/crochet-for-beginners-sew-make-create/ For more information on the various courses put on especially for kids these school holidays, then follow this link: http://www.weekendnotes.com/crafty-school-holiday-activities-sew-make-create/ With many initiatives to ensuring that Sydney is an arts and crafts focused city, when is now a better time to learn a new craft? Go on, unleash the craft master within!

From the owner: Sew Make Create aims to encourage learning and creativity through providing the right environment,…read moreassistance and facilities

Ouch. Bad pun pain. I walked in the door and was met by a sparkly orangutan card. And 'Stairway to…read moreHeaven' belting out over the stereo. I have a bit of a perverse fascination with patchwork stores. I sew other things, but don't quilt, and love the bolts of colourful fabrics piled up everywhere. This store has a bunch out the back of the more modern funky variety which you don't see elsewhere. Odd vintage inspired prints like 1950's illustrations, bizarre cat and poodle prints (good gracious) and enough fluffy fabric to keep my chenille-obsessed mother happy. But to get to them, you have to walk through the much larger scrapbooking section. I'm sorry, but I don't get scrapbooking at all. It's not craft if all you do is paste. And since much of the stuff you buy is self-adhesive, it's not even pasting. Craft for the creatively-illiterate? Really, Martha Stewart cupcake wrappers? There's a whole big world out there ladies.... So, scrapbooking and Led Zepplin. I could feel my brain going a bit fuzzy. Feared impending stroke as the poor overheated organ strained to compute. Walked past busy staffers and crocheted fish. Tiny alphabet stamps and enough ribbon to keep a few maypoles going. I'll be back for the retro prints after I've calmed down...

When a search for a wedding outfit, cocktail dress or ball gown becomes frustrating I grab a…read moremagazine picture and go to my dressmaker in Hunter Street and after deliberating with her regarding suitable fabrics my next stop is Saigon Fabrics. And yes I'm not sharing my dressmaker as the hero of this review is Saigon Fabrics. Saigon Fabrics is based in Erskine Street, Sydney which is the perfect CBD location. However it's the range of fabrics that they provide which is the showcase of Saigon Fabrics. They specialise in appliqués, lace and designer brocade all a bit too frou frou pretty for me. However the soft printed silks and the raw silks on offer are a highlight. The colour range is similar to the hues used by Camilla Franks for her kaftans. I have also purchased a yellow raw silk to imitate a dress that Cate Blanchett wore to the Oscars in 2005. It certainly wasn't in the Oscar category but I was just so happy to find the colour and right material that was not popular at the time I was getting the dress made. Jenny Lam the Manager is very experienced and will advise you on all fabrics and make suggestions to either encourage or discourage your choice which she does diplomatically. Saigon Fabrics price points from affordable to premium. It's certainly worth a look if you find you can't find that outfit you are hunting for.

This store has beautiful fabrics for weddings and all formal occasions. There are two floors of…read morematerial and the fabrics are from all over the world. The staff is very friendly and extremely helpful! If you are planning a wedding or need a custom designed dress or gown, this is the place to go. They also know great dress makers and designers.

Bondi art supplies have been in this same place for over 20 years, and they're ability and…read moreknowledge have cemented them as a place of education, a manic, hectic, eclectic, inspirational place of worship for artists at heart. They're comprised of 2 stores, one at 183 Bondi Road, and one 2 shops down at 179 Bondi Road. This is strategically done to accommodate different requirements for artists in the area - 179 offers a full range of artists materials and which encompasses an enormous specialty paper. Trust me they're beautiful, and very hard to find elsewhere. 10 metres down the road, the store at 183, is where they stretch canvasses, and is a mecca for lovers of primed cottons, acrylic and oil primed linens - dozens to choose from - every one displayed with a hand stretched example of how your finished piece will look. Not to mention they have a large array of art books from all over the world, for all age groups. So if you're in the mind to nurture your young ones' talents the come down and show them around. You'll find a large collection of drawing supplies, papers, pigments, art easels, mount boards, portfolios, architectural equipment, varnishes, inks, oils, and canvases.

Truly excellent service and amazing range of hard to get supplies and very fair pricing,…read morewouldn't hesitate to recommend. Hope they are there another 20 years!