Fabric Market in Germany
Martin and I recently went to Potsdam, Germany for a fabric market. (Potsdam is just Southwest of Berlin and linked to the Berlin subway system.) We browsed the market together for a little bit then split up. I sought out fabric for Christmas projects; Martin looked for lunch.
Perhaps you’d like to look back on my end of things with me?
The market was filled with so much to touch, and so many women with a common interest. I think that many of the shoppers made a lot of their own clothes, too.
Customers stand on one side of a table and sort through fabric. You scoop up what you want and hand it to the other person on the other side of the table (like this man). The place was packed… on the shoppers’ side of the table.
I saw stacks of wool and linen, carefully sorted plastic tubes of buttons, and even some holiday fabric from the United States.
I liked looking at all the laces and ribbons. Those booths were the most crowded – with young women and older women alike. I saw only one man following his wife to another booth. She was handing him bags; he was complaining about being there.
He should have been in charge of lunch, too. No?
I’ve been struggling to find fabric in Germany. When I do find some, it typically starts at 19 euros/meter… or $30 a yard. THIRTY BUCKS?!
Needless to say, we do not have a problem with excess fabric stashes in our house.
The most affordable fabrics I’ve seen in Europe came from this market. And if you don’t mind squeezing your way around, fabric markets are hands down, the most amazing atmosphere to shop in.
Now to start sewing stockings with my picks (which include that green pompom trim hanging in the upper right of this last photo – Isn’t that a fun detail?!).
Are the stockings at your house handmade? (any tips?) Or do you have any experiences or dreams of fabric markets? Do tell!
December 9th, 2009 at 7:05 am
This is a timely blog entry. Just yesterday I cleaned out my box of fabric scraps and was planning on going to the fabric store today to pick up some for a couple of small Christmas gifts. $30/yard (meter?) is quite expensive. Is it better quality than what we have in the States? The market atmosphere seems exciting and inspiring. How often are the markets? Do you have to buy what you like and save it for later for some unknown project or are they often enough to buy fabric as you need it?
I made my son’s stocking. I used flannel for the inside lining to make it soft and warm. I like homemade stockings. It is well worth the effort.
December 9th, 2009 at 7:25 am
Oh my goodness that looks like a form of Heaven. :) Amazing!
December 9th, 2009 at 8:41 am
That place looks like heaven to me!!! Now, I don’t actually know how to sew . . . but having someplace like this near me would definitely prompt to me start — and soon! Great post!
December 9th, 2009 at 9:13 am
I can’t sew, but my mom made stockings for my boys out of burlap (which is cheap here). She bought a yard of green/red plaid for the cuff. They look great and I used the extra cuff fabric to cut strips and tie them onto our tree for free ornaments that match the stockings! I love how it looks!
December 9th, 2009 at 10:06 am
What a lovely market! I would get lost just browsing in there for hours. Was there any Gluwine nearby to keep you warm as you shopped?
We have knitted stockings from my husband’s aunt with our names and some Christmas motifs intwined in the pattern. My husband has had his since he was very young and Aunt Carol made me a matching one as a surprise gift right after we were married. We never use these for gifts, though, because we fear stretching them out or staining them. (When I asked Aunt Carol how to wash them, she said, “Don’t.”) We hang these stocking in our entry hall area as decor only.
My family are huge stocking stuffers and my husband has really embraced this tradition, too. He had never used stocking for gifts before he met me, due to the delicate knitted ones everyone in his family owns. So, I bought us some sturdy, but attractive velvet ones and pinned our initials on them so we can tell them apart. We think of stockings as wonderful encores after the present under the tree have been unwrapped.
December 9th, 2009 at 11:41 am
gosh – wasn’t it overwhelming?! It certainly is the cheapest place to find fabric in Germany, and you’re right about it still not even being THAT cheap =( A few tips – some of these Holland Stoffmarkt folks actually sell online – so now that you’ve see their stuff in person, you can feel better about ordering things online. (specifically the 5 Euro stripes and polka dot guys). Another thing, DaWanda has lots of German fabric sellers and if you just sign up for emails and favorite shops, you might catch some online discounts. Otherwise, I’m planning on stocking up on fabric and trimmings when we hit the US for the holidays! It is SO outrageous over here!!
December 9th, 2009 at 4:41 pm
I know a little girl who would love fabric for Christmas, maybe some green pom-poms too! I also know of a market where the fabric is sometimes stacked neatly and sometimes in piles on the floor! Katie, have you heard of this market? :-)
December 10th, 2009 at 7:38 am
So enjoyed your pictures! You seemed to truly capture the essence so well of this market that I felt like I was there! I didn’t realize fabric could be $30 a yard! Wow! Loved reading of all the comments. It’s a Snow Day here today……I’m thinking the sewing machine and fabric will be out to fashion something up with today!
Also, enjoyed so much reading the comments about the stockings. A few years back I saw in a magazine, a stocking made out of window screen material for that special handyman person in one’s life!
I thought “To Neat”….as with the imagination….stockings can literally be made with as far as the imagination can dream!!!
December 15th, 2009 at 8:33 am
haha, Maureen!