Good selection of items, always find what I'm looking for. Staff nice and helpful. Can get single…read moreitems when needed and not have to buy in bulk.

Crafty Sew and Sew has the dubious pleasure of being located directly next to the ultra pink adult…read moreshop Passion Online at the Newport Road end of City Road. Whilst this business has opted to carry a cheeky little name that may occasionally raise an eyebrow or two, they have definitely been upstaged, in the controversy stakes, by their immediate neighbours! In many other ways this is the ideal location for this old-style craft shop. It is surrounded by fabric stores, many of which are within a minutes walk from Crafty Sew and Sew, and with companies like Calico selling sewing machines, and Butterfly Fabrics carrying some fabulous materials, as well as some really large fabric stores with phenomenally extensive stock ranges like Fusion, Crafty Sew and Sew couldn't be in better company. All of these businesses support the fundamental drive behind Crafty Sew and Sew, offering patrons of the shop plentiful choice where fabrics are concerned. Crafty Sew and Sew offer a good range of craft items and ready-to-make kits of all descriptions. A visit to the shop is an inspiring experience, and the people that work there are only willing to help. If you are looking to take up a hobby, but are not sure of which direction to go in, I advise a trip to this little Pandora's Box of delights. The advice you will get will be invaluable, and the choices available are impressive, and cater to everyone's budgets.

Calico is located at the Newport end of city road and close to many other competing fabric stores,…read morewhat set this store apart from the competition is the type of material available that Is more suitable for furniture upholstery and home décor such as curtains. There is a range of lighter materials but nothing close to the volume as Terry's or Butteryfly fabrics can offer. The shop also sells a range of furniture and this reflects the heavier materials on sale. The Calico sales people adds just the right amount of helpfulness to the shopping experience allowing you to browse, until you engage them with questions. As home improvement or curtain retailers go this ones got the smaller independent shop atmosphere providing the material for soft furnishings such as cushions, drapes, throws, upholstering etc.

Calico is a furniture shop but it is also a fabric shop. In case you hadn't yet realised I am a big…read morefabric shop fan. I couldn't make an outift for the life of me - unless it involved making holes in a bin bag, tying a belt round the middle and insisting I was creating garbage-bin-chic - but I do love to go and just look at and stroke fabrics. Is that weird? Regardless, this is the last of the fabric shops that we visited on City Road and it wasn't as much fun as either of the other two. The fabric was absolutely beautiful but it is more of a home improvement shop, than a fabric for dressing up shop. Having said that, it is beautiful and the prices are pretty good for what it is. The people who work there are friendly and I felt free to wander around for a while.

Cardiff Fabrics & Curtains is a material supplier that is open to the public. With large inviting…read moresigns and front glass windows that show a large proportion of their stock. The store is set out like a DIY shop but the difference is they have made the effort of laying carpet. With a multitude of fabric choices any designer or student will be able to create some fantastic pieces from the material available. The place is also good if you are thinking of getting some throws for your sofas or just some semi transparent material for the walls or rooms to create a different atmosphere.

Butterfly Fabrics claims to be 'unique in all aspects', and this is in the most part true.... They…read moreare a pretty special little shop that stocks some really gorgeous fabrics. This is hardly surprising considering how long they have been in business; established in 1989, they have been around for over twenty years, and it shows. What's interesting about this is that they opened up shop just before the previous global recession, and having weathered this, they possess the foresight and experience to get through the current one. Butterfly Fabrics is a more upmarket material shop and stocks designer fabrics such as Liberty and John Kaldor, quality silks from India and China, as well as stocking a wide range of craft fabrics for patchworking and quilting. Inevitably the sell all of the associated items to go with this, including patterns for clothes as well as patchworking, along with threads, needles, buttons etc etc... They also stock sewing machines, fabrics for fancy dress and a range of fashion accessories. This is a delightful little shop, (that actually isn't that little), and if you are looking to buy some special material I highly recommend it.

Butterfly is the most expensive fabric shop on city road. My general choice would be Terry's…read morefabrics for the range and lower prices. If you're a textile design student or a seam person you will appreciate the more ordered sorting and layout to Butterfly fabrics, the sorting starts at the books of patterns and continues to the wheels of fabrics. If your need a fancy dress or starting tailoring and fashion this is a must see store. Satin, Silk, cotton and various other materials in a multitude of patterns are available and in stock. They also sell all the craft accessories you could ever need with roles of thread and sewing equipment and supplies. The materials here are more stylised and meant for serious tailors and dressmakers, art people and design students. Invariably the shop is generally quite so you will have all the expert advice at hand from the staff.

This is one of the largest Shaws shops in Cardiff, and it's one of the best too. It has a good…read morerange of linen and home-ware odds and ends. The staff here are really lovely, and helpful. Although, once I spent ten minutes tyring to explain why I had no need for a shower curtain. Shaws sells a wide variety of soft furnishings, such as duvet covers, sheets, cushions, blankets and curtains. Although their products are not exactly up to the minute on the style front, they are usually pretty decent for the price. They have a good selection of children's duvet covers and fabrics. This is a good place to go if you're in need of well priced linen, but not somewhere you might think of when looking for that ultimate piece that will really set off months of hard laborious redecorating. Perhaps worth a look at least. You might well be surprised.

I was recently in Wood Street branch needing help after recently moving into my own flat, I was…read morequite stuck on the necessary sizes on my windows and quite limited on the necessary sheeting and bedding needed for my bed. I was quickly approached by a jolly member of staff who asked if there was anything I needed help with. Even though i didn't really know what I was asking for the lady really took her time to explain the items i may need and help me picked the most for my budget. I found the member of staff that helped me very knowledgeable on what she was selling and gave more attention to helping me than some of the staff do in large stores such as Tescos. I would just like to say the service I received was second to none and I will definitely go back and have recommend this store to a number of my friends looking for similar items.

I word of recommendation about going in to Hobbycraft. Please don't go in if you don't know what…read moreyou want to buy beforehand. You need a plan of attack. Head straight to the help desk and then to where they send you with blinkers on. Hobbycraft is a massive warehouse of, well, everything that you could possibly need to any hobby ever. Their problem is certainly not being able to supply us with our needs, but rather, they over supply. You stand in the middle of this store and want to scream: Argh! I know I should be using all these creativity to make something, but I don't know what! It's all on overload. That being said, I know people who live in these stores. And yes, their houses are full to bursting with ribbons and gibbons and squibbons and such, but they're always prepared and kinda nifty with a needle. So, in short. Get in. Get out. Or pay the price. Dun dun duuun.

So this Hobbycraft gives you two floors of everything arty you can think of from standard drawing…read morematerials, to specialist model making materials, framing equipment, soft furnishing stuff and lots, lots more. It is a bit of a maze and they really don't make it easy for you to navigate this store. Apart from one sign by the stairs, they is no signage through the shop and that really annoys me. They obviously want to tempt you to buy other stuff but its so frustrating when your just after something specific. I spend a good 5 minutes walking around the upstairs with no sign of any staff members to help guide me. Eventually I found the section I was after but I was disappointed by how expensive everything was. I took myself to the checkout to pay and the checkout staff were busy chatting so I was barely acknowledged. Good selection but i'd rather get what I need online for cheaper.

I came here for a new quilt and some pillows and left fairly happy! To be honest, Shaws isn't my…read moretype of store mainly because I'm not super into fabric or knitting. Still, it's quite a good store with fine customer service. ~ Customer Service: This store was pretty much completely run by a gaggle of cute older ladies who were very pleasant to deal with. My partner and I were looking for quilts and we didn't see the ones for sale (only saw the display ones) and one of the women was happy to point them out. When we went to pay, she was very polite and had a very calming lovely voice. It was also nice to see other customers enjoying their chats with the staff; you can tell that this Shaws branch has a very welcoming environment! ~ Variety: From what I can tell, there's a decent amount of variety here although it's not as massive as some other Shaws stores I've seen. There were loads of different quilts to choose from depending on what you like and how warm you want to be. --- I can't comment too much on how great Shaws' products are as someone who's pretty new to fabric shops. However, my limited experience was fine. If you're like me and you're just looking for some basic things to get you by, Shaws is definitely the place to go. Great customer service with a very welcoming atmosphere!

A knitters paradise! This lovely little wool store is quietly tucked in on cornerswell road and is…read morea godsend to anyone looking to buy quality wool and other haberdashery items. From Sirdar to Debbie Bliss, this shop has it all and more. The staff are very friendly and always have time for a chat as well as ready with an answer to any queries you may have! They aslo stock a lovely range of unique and designer buttons as well as lots of handmade and dyed unusual yarns. I believe they also run a knitting circle and certainly, there is always time to have a sit down round the table in the shop and have a natter and a knit!