Stone Mountain & Daughter Fabrics in Berkeley has a stellar reputation in the sewing world, so I…read morehad to see what all the buzz was about when I was visiting Berkeley last month. While there was definitely a wide variety of fabric, the overall store felt a bit chaotic, cluttered, and unorganized. The upstairs has some discounted bolts but nothing really caught my eye. While browsing, I checked their website and spotted Ruby Star Society's selvedge/letter fabric but of course I couldn't find it in the store, so I had to ask. And while the staff helped, the service was just okay. The selection is decent but I think my expectations were higher given the hype.

Amazing collection of pure cotton, wool and linen materials for different types of garments. People…read moreare very helpful with selecting fabrics and how to use them for your needs.

Wow, as expected there are a lot of choices. The place has lots of different rooms for all…read moredifferent types of fabrics, sewing notions, tons of ribbon. I'm trying to go green so instead of buying yearly Christmas wrapping paper, I thought I would make fabric Christmas sacks to be recycled every year with the family. Entering this warehouse, I knew better than to wander around aimlessly, so i asked for help immediately. A very kind sales lady showed me all my choices in all the different rooms. Yep, they had Christmas fabric for me in February along with matching ribbons. I left very happy and got them all for a great price.

After a great visit to the San Francisco location of Discount Fabrics, I decided to check out the…read moreBerkeley Discount Fabrics too. This spot feels newer and does not seem to have as much variety/inventory, but it's peaceful and clean! I arrived just before closing but still had time to browse. As the website stated, they don't carry much quilting cotton here but there's a ton of other types of fabric and materials and I bought some vinyl for future sewing projects like pouches and pencil cases. Prices are excellent, the service was good considering I arrived fairly close to closing time, and there's a free public parking lot right in front!

This is my favorite fabric store in the Bay. The owner is so kind, and gave me so much valuable…read moresupport in making a quilt when I had a newborn. She even let me use a giant table to lay my quilt on and sew when I could not get anything done at home. It meant so much to me, and always will! I have bought so many beautiful pieces of cloth here. Shout out to Sassy thread and dream cotton batting, which is sold here. *chefs kiss* If you are unsure about quilting thread or batting, look no further. Also, the rotating exhibitions here are worth a visit aside from shopping. Bay quilts is truly a community hub for quilters, and anyone who loves to sew in the Bay Area! Come here and enjoy art, make friends, and make beautiful things.

Great quilt and craft store with dedicated and knowledgeable workers. After Joann's unexpected and…read moreundocumented closure, this was the closest fabric store to me. I didn't know what to expect in the random very industrial plaza but the folks there helped me find everything I needed for my son's class project. They don't have all the craft and decorative things that Joann's had (since they really specialize in quilts) but they do have most things you need for sewing and they're open to obtain anything you need for crafts. I don't know how they've survived in their location other than intense quilt enthusiasts but I'm happy I have a location to go to for fabric and sewing needs in the future.

What a great fabric store! Found a beautiful piece for a dress. Lots to choose from including…read moreunique fabrics and for a very reasonable price.

Customer Service needs some serious help. If you are purchasing something small, like buttons or…read morethread, be prepared to wait until everyone who walks in the store that wants fabric is serviced, even if you arrived before them. Smaller purchase = spending less money = not a priority = longer wait. The selection of buttons is very small, and many of the tubes of buttons are down to the last one and haven't been replaced. Strangest of all his the fact that the proprietor, despite selling fabric, doesn't seem to know her fabrics. I brought in a jumper for my daughter, and she kept arguing with me that it was 100% cotton. I explained that it was actually mostly polyester, she said I was wrong. We looked at the tag -- 95% polyester. We are all about supporting small local businesses, but this one could really use some help :/

I have not been here but they gave me great advice on what to do with a quilt over the phone and…read morehow to clean it. They are amazing. Thanks!

PLEASE READ Some of the staff were absolutely flummoxed with…read moremy presence in their store. I might return just to improve their cardiac output again. Other than that I will never go back there. Following me around the store? For what? To put their macro-aggression on full display to the other customers so that they feel safe in my presence. Apparently this is a pattern and I thought it was just me but I see other 2 star reviews describing the same treatment from years gone by. Are you kidding me Berkeley? It's just friggin' fabric. What am I going to do? Put a whole bolt in my pocket? You all are being too much with your silliness. Especially when "quilting" has a deep history in the cultures of customers that you are disrespecting with this behavior. Get a history book before you decide that you need to follow me around your store. Please realize that some of us are quite aware of your message when we're the only shoppers being asked, "May I help you?" It's not original, people. Do you think I'm incapable of looking at fabric? If your establishment is that exclusive, make it by appointment only. And don't start with the "Some of my friends are... (fill in the race or culture). This isn't a "MAGA" thing. This is a "born with it" thing. Disclaimer: not every staff person or customer decided that I was there to rob them blind.

I came to The Sewing Room room after teaching myself to sew on YouTube, which really worked for me…read moreup until I wanted to create more complex, personal things. I'm a total self-starter, but but eventually I needed someone to walk me through the hard things, explain techniques they've learned by applying them directly to my garments, and help me understand why a particular method works for a particular fabric or design. I was nervous walking into my first class. I worried I wouldn't fit in or I would feel out of place. That fear disappeared almost immediately. I was warmly welcomed by Christine Knobel, my first instructor, and by the other students. The community here is genuinely kind, diverse, and supportive. Apparently sewists are just really nice people (or at least the ones who come here are). I expected to improve my sewing skills, and I absolutely have, but what surprised me most was how meaningful the community became. In a world where most of my interactions happen through screens, spending time learning alongside real people has been incredibly grounding and joyful. I also love that they offer a fashion studies track, where you can learn from the very beginning, designing a sketch, all the way through creation. The classes are clearly structured to help you grow into a true sewist, not just complete a single project. Plus, they're always adding new classes, which keeps things fresh and exciting. This place has been a gift, both creatively and socially.

I moved to Alameda 6 months ago and wandered into The Sewing Room while exploring Park St. I am a…read moreself-taught hobby sewer and was so excited to have a sewing store walking distance from me. They have a beautiful small selection of fabrics, notions, and patterns but they really excel in classes. I decided to take a garment class (the lined jacket), not for help, but for community, and I'm so happy that I did! Christine was a great teacher and I do pick up some tricks! My goal this year was to grow my skills, so I decided to enroll in the Sketch to Garment class. It has been so fun working with Julie Ann and my fellow students. I was worried I'd struggle because I don't have sketching or design experience, but I love how easy and creative they made it! I'm looking forward to more. Come to The Sewing Room for community, creativity, and knowledge!

I came here rather than going to a big-box craft store, which I've been wanting to do for a while,…read moreand I was so pleasantly surprised by the selection and by the service provided by the staff! Drove over to fabrix on a Monday and it happened to be the Clement street fair at the exact same time, luckily I found parking really quickly and proceeded to go inside to find my felt and embroidery supplies for the felt ornaments I'd been wanting to make for Christmas this year. I had NO clue what I was looking for and I'm so grateful to the staff for helping me find everything and being patient with me throughout the whole process. It was quiet in the shop at first but quickly became busy, but I honestly didn't mind waiting in line for my turn because the staff gave the same amount of time to me as they did to everyone in front of me in line. I was kind of surprised at how inexpensive the whole purchase was, after she showed me my total, because I hadn't checked the prices of anything. Most of the fabrics was labeled with a price but it's one of those stores that has so much inventory that it's not easy to see the prices of everything if you're someone like me with awful vision and a stubbornness not to get glasses Anyway, I highly recommend this local fabric store!! It's perfect for basically all of your fabric crafting needs!!

No complaints over here! Support small business! They e been going strong forever, and it's always…read moregreat to stop by and get their opinion on anything! Need a few yards of holiday ribbon? They got you! (That's what I needed.) Go on in and check it out. Bonus: if it's art walk or Clementine, stop by for a little art lesson!

I went to Vivon last minute at 4pm Thursday to get a dress I'll be wearing for my cousins wedding…read moreon Saturday . I needed to get it hemmed and she was so accommodating and nice. I went there tried the dress on and she asked how far up the hem should be. Because the dress was multiple layers she quoted me a price and didn't charge me for the rush fee since I was a first time customer. I was able to get the dress hemmed by Friday 4pm! Of course I tipped her well because hello she took care of me and I will take care of her! I will definitely recommend her to all my friends and family!

She's the BEST! Amazing alterations at a reasonable price…read more She completely remade the top of a dress to fit me perfectly

The seam on the strap of my trusty sling backpack started separating while on vacation and I had to…read morestop using it. After returning home I researched and found out that the company that made it is no longer in business so I getting a new one was not an option. So I checked Yelp for backpack repair shops in the area to see if could be reasonably repaired. Narain's had good reviews and I stopped by on a Monday. Besides Monday, they are only open on Friday and Saturday. The gentleman at the counter greeted me and I showed him the broken strap on my backpack. He said he can repair it for $25. I agreed and he gave me a receipt and that it would be ready on Saturday. He said no deposit was needed and I can pay at pickup. Cash only. Came back on Saturday and he said there was not enough fabric to do a proper resew, so he had to add a piece of material for sewing and reinforcement. It looked good and he said the strap and backpack should last a while now. Happy with the repair and for the reasonable price. I get to continue using my backpack knowing that I can't get a new one anymore.

I brought my sleeping bag to fix and it was an easy process. Back in a week. Other than the odd…read morehours, the owner was very knowledgeable and helpful. He gave me a tip on how to preserve the zipper more but not opening it all the way to the end. $40 was very reasonable for this fix.

I had a 70s party to attend and the pants I ordered was as extremely big I was able to get help the…read moreday before the party which typically doesn't happen but they accommodated me even with prom making them busy ! It meant a lot to me !!!! The will always get my business

Kind service, communicative, easy mobile payment, alterations (taking elastic out of the waist and…read morea hem) were perfect and on time, with 4 day service. Reasonably priced.