let's have a thread about where to buy raw materials and supplies for cosplay and lolita.
some fabric sources (for the US):
>fabrics.com
>Joann
>Hancock's
>Mood Fabrics
Misc. sources:
>Michael's (general craft supplies)
>Fire Mountain Gems (beads/gems)
>Dharma Trading Co. (dyes)
>laces.taobao.com (lace)
>>9291445
Have any anons bought minky or anything similar from taobao? Can I have some shop recommendations?
>>9296572
I'm waiting on some short nap minky from aliexpress. usually I get kinky from theminkyboutique.com
I get my resin from Amazon because it's usually the same price as Michaels/Hobby Lobby after the 40% coupon. A survey app I use rewards me in Amazon gift cards so I don't pay for resin out of pocket most of the time.
I use nail art supplies for resin and sometimes use nail art brushes when painting BJD's. I also make BJD eyes and use things like flatback pearls and rhinestones. eBay and Aliexpress have pretty similar selections. I use whichever is cheapest. Sometimes I have coupons on Ali but sometimes eBay has better cashback options/have a gc from instagc (thanks mysterious anon who mentioned it on here before!)
I will order some findings soon but can't decide between Fire Mountain Gems or artbeads.com. Does anyone who has used both have a preference?
>>9296755
artbeads can be pricey sometimes....but they have sales pretty regularly. firemountain gems always ships super fast for me and you can't beat their $5 shipping no matter how huge the order.
>>9296590
>I get kinky
a-anon-chan!
>Hancock's
Oh anon.. Hancocks closed for good on July 15th :/ (There is still Hancock's of Paducah, but they're a single separately owned store and have been for years - I think they also just do quilting?)
That aside, I do a lot of online shopping since many places do swatches. Fabric.com, SpandexWorld, even on ebay and etsy a lot of the time for weird stuff.
>>9297113
I was gonna say this, but typing in the hancock's website leads to a page that says they're getting a website up and running so maybe they'll start up again online
>>9297155
No, you don't understand they literally can't. Hancock Fabrics filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in February, and at the end of March a judge ruled that they wouldn't be given another chance. A liquidation company bought out the entire thing - website and all - and cleared out stock including fixtures.
Later, the customer information, some (possibly all? I'd have to look to be sure) of the copyright information (such as the Beautiful Fine Fabrics label, the specific "corner" labels for different departments, etc), and website frame were sold to Michaels, who may or may not do anything with it besides send out mailers to people who may not have gotten them before.
But Hancock Fabrics is 100% gone and dead.
>>9297184
Holy shit that sucks, I've been wondering why I haven't been getting my usual coupons. I haven't bought fabric online but I might start because JoAnn's is the worst.
>>9297184
My bad! I knew about the bankruptcy and that things were sold to Michaels. Typing in hancocks.com yesterday led to pic related so I got excited. It looks like Michaels might be rebooting the website under the Hancock Fabrics name (but with it still being owned by michaels) but this is just a guess and they could just send out mailers like you suggested. We'll just have to see
Does anyone know where I can buy thick faux leather? Not the thin stuff, or fabric. I've been searching for hours with no results
https://farelawn.tmall.com is nice if you need stuff for cosplay props or armor.
>>9298583
I like fabricempire.com. I got swatches of a bunch of pleathers there once and they have all types.
http://www.urquidlinen.com/collections/fabric-by-the-yard
This is an incredible fabric resource. I found them because I was having a bitch of a time outfitting Sailor Scouts with the same brand of satin in the right colors. Their shipping can be up there but the per yard price is so cheap and they don't have a minimum order. I'm in love with their L'Amour satin now it comes in so many colors and has a lovely weight.