About Swanson’s
a textile merchant for the people, by the people
Swanson’s is a community fabric and fiber craft store stocked with the unused items of other sewers. It is a thrift store with a mission to supply everyone with affordable materials while helping those with too much reduce their stashes in a comfortable way.
By donating fabric and other fiber-craft materials, our elders and neighbors are creating a space where everyone can afford to make their own second skin, custom, how they like it, and with the finest of what we have left (which is a lot)
It will never be this good again
we live in a time of rapid change. it has become clear that industrial textiles will never be as good as they were in the past 100 years.
it has also become clear that ready-made fashion is a cruel industry. it is cruel to the environment, to workers, and to consumers.
From swaddle to shroud you are using fabric 100% of your life. You can learn how it works, and how to use fabrics in ways that suit you AND serve you. I know you can.
A Hidden Resource
Swanson’s Fabrics and notions are gifts from retired sewing stashes. They are the fabrics and supplies that sewers and fiber-artists naturally accumulate. I had a suspicion that the reason we all collect so much is that we didn’t have a place “good enough” to take it. So I made the place. Turns out I was right, and thanks to my community (and yours) of makers and crafters, I can resell these fine materials at a low, approachable cost.
ALL FABRICS ARE $5.00/yd, NO MATTER WHAT THEY ARE MADE OF. REALLY. I MEAN IT. I KNOW. UNBELIEVABLE BUT TRUE!
As we come to grips with the climate crisis, interrupted supply lines, and our dependency on slave-labor in far away countries to produce our cotton and fiber goods, we need another way to approach the fabrics in our lives.
We have a massive resource of textile goods in our country and it is time to tap into it. Our attics, basements, thrift-store donation bins, and dumpsters are brimming with discarded fabrics. It is time to start making and trading for the things we need, and stop buying so much new stuff we don’t. We need to see ourselves as trash-rich.
Customers at Swanson’s can pay for goods and services with goods and services. I accept trade of sewing and fiber supplies/materials, and trade for help in the shop.
I hope to inspire you to make your own clothes, to mend the ones you have, to shop second-hand and alter things to your taste. There is a lot of power in dressing yourself. Custom is king, and you can’t have a revolution in your master’s clothes….
❤️💪🏻
-Kathryn
In this case “older” is “the best”
Sewing supplies and fiber goods are interesting as a re-sale item, because they are “old,” but they are rarely ever “used.” A folded piece of cloth is still as ready to be made into something wonderful today as it was 50 years ago. If it has been cut in-to, well then it is simply a smaller folded piece of cloth for a smaller project.
Furthermore, the quality of textiles and tools have dramatically decreased while their production has increased over the past few decades. Vintage fabrics are by far nicer, and more often made of natural fibers, than newer fabrics. Vintage machines and tools were made to last a long time and be repaired.
Swanson’s sources materials from retired stashes and artists who are looking to move things along, thusly, we sell them at accessible prices.
STUDENTS AND TEACHERS SHOP FREE (or pay what you want)
I’m a former elementary school teacher and I am here to spread the gift of these incredible fiber-arts stashes. Please ask me for what you need, and we will make sure you get it within the budget you have.
Additionally, there is free fabric for teachers listed on our website. You just pay shipping ❤️💪🏻
You Can’t Have a Revolution in Fast Fashion.
The Hippies didn’t buy their clothes like that at the department store. Gandhi spun and wove his own cloth. Brittany cut the waistband off of her jeans and the world has never been the same. Custom tailoring and transformative fashion communicate the values of the time. Swanson’s fabrics is dedicated to teaching the craft of sewing to empower individuals to transform themselves and their environment. Pockets for everyone!
Helping People Let Go
Textile and Fiber artists are the most generous people I have ever met, and yet they hoard resources like no other community. Every sewer sheepishly says (while their family rolls their eyes), “Well, I SAY I’m going use it all, but I never seem to do it!”
To which I defiantly reply, “No artist ever used all of their paints. And wouldn’t it be nice if we could fit all the different possibilities for fabrics and yarns into a hand-full of little paint-tubes, but sadly that’s not possible.”
What we CAN do is be sure to pass those supplies on to the next person who could use them - use them to learn, use them to make something precious and incredible, or use them to decorate their own shelf for a decade, too, before handing them on again :) I want to facilitate this passing-down of sewing and fiber-craft wisdom and resources. It has only been a short while that this natural cycle has been interrupted in America, and I think it never really went away.
If you or your mom or your friend has too much of something related to sewing, knitting, or the general fiber arts, and you would like a friendly and compassionate person to help you redistribute it to enthusiastic sewers and fabric artists, please contact me :)
THE STASH HOUSE
Our goal at the Stash House is to empower you to make and repair your own fiber goods and clothes, and equip you for that journey with education and tools. The Stash House offers workshops, materials, and community space to foster the exploration of fiber arts and sewing. We value the knowledge sharing that happens organically in community space just as much as the formal teaching that happens during classes and workshops - and we hope that the Stash House will meet the needs of all kinds of learners. Stash House members and guests can exchange their expertise organically through fellowship events and Open Studio time, or take workshops and classes with our talented teachers. We have a packed calendar of classes open to everyone, from sewing 101, garment making, alterations and repair, to knitting classes and guest workshops. Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned sewist, we are excited to welcome you into our workroom!
So many folks come through our doors saying that their grandmother was an incredible seamstress - but that they themselves never had a chance to learn. Through multiple ways of engagement, we are reconnecting people of all ages with fiber arts.
We have a fully stocked workroom studio just down the hall from our fabric store, so you’ll never worry about running out of thread mid-project again!
Frequently asked questions
-
The Stash House is your local fiber arts learning, sharing, and sewing resource, located at Swanson's Fabrics.
Whether you need space to cut out a pattern, tools to sew on a button, or a place to learn something new, the Stash House is here for you!
-
You can sign up for a monthly or yearly membership on our website or in person! We also have workroom day passes available.
-
Access to Open Studio includes:
Domestic sewing machines and sergers
Thread, notions etc.
Cutting table and tools
-
These themed drop-in sessions are meant to bring together people and their independent projects around the fellowship theme. You will have support from our staff to answer questions and offer advice.
$10 drop-in/$5 for students, free for members
Fellowship sessions are covered if you use a Workroom Guest Pass!
-
We house a number of specialty machines that we maintain for our members to reserve during Open Studio Hours.
Members can get trained on and reserve time with:
Industrial straight stitch sewing machine
Quilter’s Pro Stationary long arm quilter
Brother PE770 Embroidery machine
Fancy sergers (Bernina and Huskylock)
Tabletop Projector for pattern projecting and cutting
We offer monthly orientations sessions for each machine
-
Workroom guest passes give a full day’s access to that day’s fellowship sessions and Open Studio time!
Access to specialty equipment is not included in the guest pass
-
Be a member’s guest! Our membership levels come with 1-2 Workroom Guest Passes per month
Buy one in the shop! Become a member for the day by purchasing a $15 day pass
Volunteer in the Shop!
-
Yes!
You can request private sewing lessons through our website starting at $55/hour.
Contact us about scheduling private group lessons as well!