I have no shame. I actually headed up towards my friend’s wedding an hour early so that I could stop by Vogue :) I spent 45 minutes shopping in taupe satin T-strap heels and seafoam teal lace and with silk velvet trim.
The Evanston store is the flagship Vogue store, and it’s huge- four large rooms of fabric and then a couple of smaller rooms with trims and equipment. Most people prefer the Evanston one to the downtown one, but visiting again I remembered that I actually prefer the downtown one. For some reason I always feel like the fabric in the downtown branch is a little more “serious” and the stuff in Evanston is generally more novelty and colorful, with lots of dressy fabrics and prints:
Having already stocked up on prints at Whipstitch, I wasn’t too interested in most of Vogue’s current offerings. But I did peruse their massive selection of remnants:
And pulled out a lovely gray plaid wool remnant (I know, so very typical of me), which will become a skirt at some point:
Oddly, I’m feeling mostly fabric-satiated at this point. I don’t have an enormous stash, but I’ve certainly got more than I need. It’s sort of like being offered dessert when you’re already full- just not that interested. I did, however, pick up two lovely little additions to my Husqvarna feet family:
Those are a 7-groove pintuck foot and an invisible zipper foot. I currently have a cheapo plastic invisible zipper foot, which always seems to gradually push the zipper away from the fabric edge in an annoying way. I’ve heard the Husqvarna zipper foot is brilliant though. As for the pintuck foot, I didn’t know what kind to get and the Vogue people were remarkably disinterested in helping. 7-groove seems like a good starter one though. I’m actually miffed because I noticed right after buying it that the chrome is already chipping off the foot (you can see a little brass-colored spot on it at the bottom of the second picture). The feet weren’t packaged, just loose in a box. But I won’t have time to go exchange it before I leave, so I hope the chrome doesn’t continue to peel.
Heading home tomorrow, suitcase ever so slightly fuller than when I left!
25 comments
Comments feed for this article
April 17, 2010 at 10:57 pm
lorrwill
Your restraint is admirable.
I am pretty sure my head would have exploded from all the different choices.
Maybe a bit of clear fingernail polish (or the like) on that little spot?
April 17, 2010 at 11:27 pm
Karin (the mrs.)
No picture of you in your wedding outfit? ;-) Did you make that yourself too by the way?
Oh la la. That shop looks like heaven. Even only the remnant section…! Love the wool.
April 18, 2010 at 3:36 am
Gorgeous Things
You are going to love the Viking invisible zip foot. It makes inserting I.Z.’s much easier! I had the plastic one for years too. Then I bought a good foot on a whim and it’s been the best purchase.
April 18, 2010 at 4:23 am
Elaray
I’ve accepted your selfishness, but I realize now that you are also MEAN! How dare you gloat about visiting Vogue Fabrics, a store I would give my left pinky-toe to visit. Somehow I knew you would find your way there in your wedding clothes. I would have done the same thing!
April 18, 2010 at 5:10 am
Cidell
Why I didn’t go there when I visited a few years ago I’ll never know
April 18, 2010 at 5:47 am
Mary in FL
Oh, my, a whole table of ITY knits, my weakness. My budget thanks me for not living anywhere near there …
April 18, 2010 at 5:48 am
Nancy K
I am a late convert to the invisible zipper foot, I have a Viking Platinum, and I love it! For years I put them in with a narrow zipper foot from my much older Viking ( the newer one came with that awful wide foot..) but the invisible foot is just perfect. I don’t have to rip out the zipper because I sewed too close to pull it up, or to far so that it is not invisible. Good choice.
April 18, 2010 at 6:58 am
Cassandra
Great stuff! I live in the Chicagoland area so I’ve visited both stores. I find the Evanston store is better with home dec items. I get to the other two stores (near downtown and Lansing) more often. I have incredible restraint but I’m very impressed with yours.
Fun post and I hope you enjoyed your Chicago visit.
April 19, 2010 at 12:51 pm
fitzfabulous
Wait, there’s a Vogue in Lansing, too?! I had no idea! Wonder how the silk tables differ…
April 18, 2010 at 9:14 am
lsaspacey
At those prices I could actually buy fabric even at my diminished salary. I can’t believe they have knits for $5 and shirtings (since Jo-Anns has barely any) for $3-4! But of course I would still need the money to get to Illinois.
April 18, 2010 at 9:43 am
Sharon Kendall
Try a little clear nail polish on the brass spot, it should stop it from any further peeling. You may have to “renew” it every few months if you use the foot alot.
April 18, 2010 at 11:27 am
Mary A.
Elaine- Thank you so much for your post about Vogue Fabrics! I’m traveling to the Chicago area for the first time in a few weeks a have several hours to burn between arrival and my meeting. Now I know where to spend that time! ITY prints for $3.99? Seriously?
Off to mapquest my route….
April 18, 2010 at 11:57 am
Dei
Oh, mercy, mercy upon us. Why post pics when all we can do is drool. Just plain cruel.
April 18, 2010 at 1:52 pm
joboenvogue
Elaine: I do believe that your posts may very well sway me to go to Northwestern University in Evanston purely for the Vogue fabrics flagship store.
April 18, 2010 at 3:36 pm
spottedroo
Love that gray plaid wool. Yum
April 18, 2010 at 5:10 pm
Annie
I completely agree with Ann and Nancy that you will LOVE the invisible zipper foot. I used to hate zippers but this foot has made me actually enjoy them. Really! This coming from someone who left dents in the wall of the house I grew up in because I got mad at having to rip a zipper out 3 times and threw the tracing wheel at the wall.
April 18, 2010 at 11:20 pm
Renee
W-O-W! 3.99 a yard?!? Here in Vancouver, the lowest of the low you can expect to be at least 5~6! You’re lucky to have been able to go all over the globe collecting fabulous fabric :)
I hope you keep having fun in your travels! Btw, you wouldn’t happen to have a few favourite online fabric stores to share with us would you? Even so much more awesome if said sites have ridiculously delicious deals during sales ;]
R
(fellow blog stalker #109385)
April 19, 2010 at 11:03 am
The Slapdash Sewist
Such restraint! I can always eat dessert, and I can always buy fabric. I went to Chicago twice last year for a wedding and didn’t get a chance to go to Vogue Fabrics either time. I suppose I should thank the bride for keeping me busy enough to save me from myself.
April 20, 2010 at 7:04 pm
sherahrah36
I’ll add this stop to my list this summer, thanks for the heads up.
April 21, 2010 at 6:29 pm
kitty
wow. I love, love, love remnants. I would seriously go insane in that store.
For some mysterious reason too, I always manage to get the ‘last’ on a roll of fabric, which means the store usually gives a bit to me free.
good for you for not going crazy there!
April 21, 2010 at 9:21 pm
Jean S
ah, Vogue…I used to live in Evanston (back before there was dirt) and have many good memories of all the fabulous fabric and incredible saleswomen.
also a few not-so-good ones involving the guy who serviced machines. Man, he was an arrogant snot!
April 24, 2010 at 7:44 am
Elizabeth
I lived in Chicago for so long and only visited vogue a few times. I wasn’t into sewing then. Oh the lost opportunities. I am in mourning. Oh wait, I live in NYC. I think I’m ok now. ;) And a teensy bit selfish.
April 27, 2010 at 2:51 pm
Leopard love « The Selfish Seamstress
[…] I just kind of feel like I’ve got enough fabric. Some of you praised my restraint on my recent trip to Vogue, admiring my prudence in walking out with just a wool remnant and a couple of Husqvarna feet. But […]
April 28, 2010 at 9:55 am
Deborah
I have the pintuck foot for my Viking, but am wondering if it’s time to finally invest in the invisible zipper foot. I’ve been installing them without for YEARS (with no trouble), but am always curious if it’s worth the cash to just pony up and buy the silly thing. Let me know if it’s life-altering, and I’ll revisit the issue…
June 26, 2010 at 11:01 am
The Slothful Seamstress and Sidonie « The Selfish Seamstress
[…] used a gorgeous wool remnant that I purchased from Vogue Fabrics in Evanston back in April for $7.50. I had intended to make a skirt with it when I bought it, but I […]