Sew Fantastic

This listing needs to be removed. This shop has been closed for years!

A small haberdashery shop Located on Essex Road. Has a nice selection of items, however customer service is quite unfriendly and somewhat lacking.
On my last visit, my friend and I were totally ignored by the man that works there. After repeatedly asking for help, he finally responded to the fact that we were talking to him only when he decided he was ready. I would not have minded waiting for assistance had he/​the store been busy (which it was not) but you would at least expect some sort of acknowledgment, instead I was left feeling like I was talking to myself, he did not even look in our direction. When we finally did get his attention, we got the distinct impression that we were inconveniencing him, even though we only needed a minute of his time.
My friend and I look quite young (late teens) and I cannot help but wonder whether our perceived age had anything to do with the service we received. We did notice that he was more attentive to his more adult customers, though not anymore friendly, so to speak. If this is the case, then I am even more disappointed as all customers should be treated with the same respect/​consideration, regardless of age.
In conclusion, Sew Fantastic has a good selection of items but customer service leaves a lot to be desired, therefore I give Sew Fantastic two stars one because of their selection of items, and another because their prices are quite reasonable.

Um. Where to begin? This place is not a warm and fuzzy welcoming place. Neither is the guy who works there. I walked in and had to go to the back to get some help. I wondered if he was bit miffed that I disturbed him from listening to his radio show. Hmm… who knows.
I came specifically for a tracing wheel but he didn’t have any. Frankly, all the store had was bolts of okay-​looking fabrics and a selection of buttons. That’s about it.
Might be worth coming to if you’re in the area and can’t be bothered to go elsewhere for some fabric.

If you are going to run a haberdashery, i want you to be gracious when i bring you my business. b/​c lets be honest who the hell uses a haberdashery anymore. I think the highlight of my experience at sew fantastic was just being able to say i was going to a haberdashery. (i love that word) haberdashery haberdashery…
back to the review. I am assuming that the man working behind the counter owns the place, and it would seem as though he has come to resent the store and it’s clientele over the years. they have some fun fabrics and i went in there to order a pillow, but when talking to him about the necessary dimensions he didn’t seem to have the foggiest idea about fabrics or pillows… and so i ordered the wrong pillow size. when I showed up and found that they didn’t match my pillow cases he convinced me to buy them anyways b/​c i forced him to order them.
I think in the future i will take my haberdashery needs somewhere else thank you very much… haberdashery, balderdashery.

Although not totally the best quality fabric around, this shop is pretty cheap and does sell some quite good stuff, in among the synthetics and fun fur. The man who runs it is a long-​standing stalwart of the Essex Road and is really helpful, you can get quite generous offcuts for cheap and some good easy and vintage patterns. A nice local place to get fabric if you can’t be bothered to go to Soho or Shepherds Bush.

A small, independent haberdashery shop on Essex Road, Islington, this place is good for browsing if you don’t necessarily have a particular fabric in mind, cos the selection isn’t very big, but there are some interesting things to be found. Same goes for the haberdashery stuff, I haven’t always been able to find everything I’ve been looking for here, but most basic needs are met. The man who works here is helpful, but I often find him quite stand-​offish. The prices are alright, not the best bargains, but good value for money. A good local place for your craft needs, though. Have a look if you’re in the area.