The GIANT Fabric Warehouse You've Never Heard Of: Tour & Fabric Haul

So which fabric (or project) is YOUR favorite?! :chillwcat:

This brings tears to my eyes! 😪 29 years ago, I bought the fabric for my wedding dress at S. R. Harris. It was beautifully textured and blush pink colored, with just enough sheen to make it special! I also made my two flower girl’s dresses in the same fabric. Miraculously, I also happened upon an Edwardian style discontinued Vogue pattern, perfect for a February candlelight wedding in Minnesota! In another interesting twist, we found our wedding invitations at a nearby paper warehouse, and they featured a painting of an Edwardian wedding with the bride in a dress much like mine! 24 years later, I purchased the fabric at Harris for my outfit when our daughter was married, and this time, blush pink was REALLY “in”! As for their customer service…When my husband forgot they closed earlier on Saturdays, and neglected to pick me up on time, I was given a ride home by none other than Mr. Harris himself!!! He said he wasn’t about to leave me outside alone on a chilly October night! In those days, I had no cell phone! My dear husband is now in Heaven, but I’m so grateful I have a beautiful dress I created myself to remind me of our special day!

YOU have been the ONLY person who has EVER mentioned "burn-testing'. I really don't know why there are so few people who even KNOW about this. I am a weaver, who frequently sews, and deals with the threads before they become whole cloth and if I didn't know what I was weaving with, well, that is a recipe for disaster. Thank you for even mentioning it. 😃

Love the “More fabric than 500 grandmas” 😂 got me laughing! Any love your channel, the effort you put into your content is remarkable. Thanks Shannon, keep making awesome content :)

They would have to drag me kicking and screaming out of this fabric store/ warehouse....I'm drooling 🤤!!!

Regarding your light blue cloth, I think it is the color that gives it a modern vibe -- rather like "Oxford cloth" actually. Like "shot cotton", Oxford cloth is a material woven of two different colored warp & weft threads. However there are differences: 1) In Oxford cloth, the warp thread is white. The weft color is usually a pastel: blue, pink & yellow are popular choices. 2) Oxford cloth's structure is a "basket weave" pattern. "Shot" fabrics are usually structured with a plain, regular "one over-one under" weave. Weavers in India have been making "Shot" cloth for centuries. I say cloth here because there are also shot silks, shot linens, & shot wools. The fabrics are often quite dramatic, with two bright & distinctive thread colors creating a third color. One can see all three colors by changing the angle one is viewing from. Two additional notes: A) In "shot" cloth, the threads are generally dyed in small batches. Not sure why that is required, but it is what it is. B) If you have trouble differentiating warp & weft. Try thinking of the WEFT thread as the one that is woven going to the right & then to the LEFT. The WARP thread, much like "Warp speed", of "Star Trek" fame, goes straight ahead.

I saw you feeling everything - I shop for fabric by feel first, colour second, price third😂

I spent well over six hours in their warehouse and it was 86° out and I was so thirsty but I couldn’t quit shopping for fabric. So on my way home I stopped at the A&W and grabbed a gallon root beer I said gallon of beer and drank the whole thing. My adventure is shopping at SR Harris.

So, your wonderland is currently 21 hours and 5 mins from me topping out at 1401 miles…and I’m still tempted. 😂 I’m not usually big into shopping but book and fabric shopping is such an adventure. I’d have to steal my sister for the trip. And I’ve never been to Minnesota either… Alas, work and school. Maybe one day. Thank you for sharing!

LOVE ❣️❣️❣️ SR Harris! I've been going there for years. I even met Mr. Harris back in the 80s. They opened another smaller store in Burnsville, MN, which is smaller and better curated. There's usually a coupon available online you can show at the counter for a discount.

Thanks for featuring one of the best (... well really, its the only one ...) fabric warehouse in Minnesota. The best way to use this store is to: 1. Browse all the fabrics 2. Fall madly in love with one of the fabrics. 3. Make up a project to justify purchasing it. I never have any luck if I go in looking for something for a current project. But, if I am waffling on what I want to make, I just go look at all the fabrics... one of them will speak to me... they always do!

That gray wool fabric @17:45 is called a chalk stripe. Skinnier stripes are called pinstripes. 👍. Many years ago I went to S.R. Harris and was overwhelmed, and bought such gorgeous fabrics, a few of which I may actually have eventually sewn!

This wonderland is only 5 miles from my house and I would happily spend days there if I had the time. It’s just the sort of treasure hunt that I love! I’m so happy that you love it too.

The random 'osier ??' at 12:52 startled me 😄 This kind of store is THE DREAM. I wish they were a thing here in France. Also, if you have any left after make the linings, the mushroom prints would make adorable tea towels, napkins and other kitchen items ! To use the burgundy voile thing to its full effect even in autumnal weather, you could use it as an overlay on a base made of a thicker frabric in a similar or neighbouring shade : red, brown, purple... For instance by cutting out a basic fitted tight-sleeved bodice in the base fabric, and a another, gathered, poofy, bishop-sleeved bodice in the voile, then assembling them as one. Many examples of this in 1890s fashion, although they more likely used something like silk organza which has more body

I go to SR harris all the time. If you buy more than 5 yards they cut now. And they are so generous with the measurements. You always get more than you pay for.

SR Harris is a must stop on all my trips to MSP (I live in FL). My mom has been shopping there for over 50 years. I have seen them expand from just fabric, fine lace & leather to adding notions such as zippers, thread and more. Wish I could find an equivalent closer to me in FL.

Thank you for sharing your trip to this awesome store. Wish I lived closer and also, I have a lot of my dear mother's quilt material to sew up. 🙂

The first time I went to this store I was so overcome I had to just leave I was so overwhelmed. Seriously AMAZING

My heart CRIED watching this! I'm heading up there today and I usually hit both locations. This is truly a hidden gem in the Midwest

I really love your energy! Unlike me, who has about a dozen project bags laying around my house waiting for me to actually finish something.