The e-Bay Advantage

You are probably interior decorating, or clothing-designing.  If you are performing the former, you likely are exhausted from the selection which does not offer the color, style and/or price you require.  As to the latter, the usual sewing-incentive is coping with personal weight changes which require multiple replacements of your wardrobe.  Your wardrobe is 90% unusable.  You carefully purchased everything on clearance, but it is a long list of such items which hang in the closet.

Sit, relax, and explore the largest selection which only cyberspace can offer.

When fabric shopping for upholstery, the first issue is durability for cat, dog, and even human nails.  Such texture will likely require a denim needle for your sewing machine.  (And it is even possible your machine is not strong enough for such a project.)  Denim-quality cotton is good for bedspreads, slip-covers, etc.  And strong wool can also serve as a window-insulator (i.e., curtains).  But non-breathable fabrics cut-off this crucial oxygen supply.  If you have such a disorder, you may have to compromise durability for this issue.  And you may consider using rayon.

Rayon is often understood as an artificial fiber because it phonically sounds like Dacron.  Actually, it is made from wood pulp.  The tree has to breathe as you do.  Henceforth, rayon functions with your body as a vitamin.  It is warm in the fall and spring.  And as to the oppressive heat of summer, it is excellent.

It is difficult, sometimes impossible to find in stores.  You need an everything shop, as only this one can offer.

And as to the curtain issue, you may need to line such to protect from sun-damage.  Or you may not.  Pretty designs noticeable from street-distance can create a good first impression for anyone considering purchasing your home.  But if you decide to install liner, you must appropriately correspond fabric-quality which will ensue color-correspondence.  In other words, if your primary fabric is 50%-natural-fiber/50%-artificial, then so too must your liner.  If it is 100%/100%, the same principle applies.  On store or e-Bay level, the color-correspondence or lack thereof, may not be noticeable.

Examples:

You selected 100%-cotton-velvet curtains, but you chose an inexpensive 100% polyester liner.  With great excitement your purchased such in the store.  On your sewing table these appeared beautiful.  You hang these in your living room and step-back.  The colors do NOT correspond.

You selected 25%-wool/75%-acrylic valance which you lined with 25%-cotton/75%-polyester.  In the store you reluctantly selected these because it was all that was available which correspond to your dining area, at the price you were willing to pay.  You reluctantly work with these on your sewing table.  You force yourself to complete the project.  The colors correspond.

As to the issue of lace or other trimmings, for some mysterious reason, artificial fibers correspond with natural.

When designing personal clothing, some of the same principles apply:

Prioritizing rayon for breathing disorders.

Ratio-corresponding natural and artificial fibers.

Your first priority is, obviously, a pattern.  Begin with the item of clothing in your wardrobe that never seems to fail you and look for its image.  Select a pattern which does NOT feature a drawing on its cover, but rather a model.  And if the model is NOT vertical, it probably doesn't look good in such position.  For example,  ruffles tend to drape vertically, whereas the model is horizontal.  The McCall's patterns are the best.  These are simple, and can be modified with various tapering techniques.  The Buttericks and Vogues are good but may require complicated back patterns.  When working with complicated backs, remember a few things:

The model for whom the pattern was designed probably has a different shoulder-to-waist height.

You are either right- or left-handed.  Henceforth, when examining your work using a hand-held mirror before a full-length one, use each hand equally.

And always match the weight of the fabric with the clothing design.  You may find a beautiful pattern and decide to make it in a beautiful silk.  However, a heavy linen may be more appropriate.

E-Bay sellers

Depending on the width of the material and your personal height and width, you probably need two-yards for pants, one-and-a-half for a jacket, etc.  And you need a margin of error.  Many professional sellers market in five-yard units.  Amateurs who are attic-cleaning may offer lots.  If you are only making one pair-of-pants, such would be very expensive.  If you are good at remnant management, such sellers may be perfect for you.

E-Bay selection

Wool is the most manageable.  Many women are allergic to this fabric so henceforth, many designers such as Liz Claiborne, don't use it.  You should find almost any color, plaid, or wool-blend, at the yardage and price you need.

And the extremely limited rayon market is yours.  While this fabric has the reputation as one of the worst, it is actually the best and most versatile.

The cotton and polyester markets are overwhelming.  I would recommend great specificity as to color and price-range.

If you are purchasing bridal lace, I recommend double-scalloping only.  The word scallop means shape.  That is, we are talking about the curvilinear design of the edges.  Many laces are straight on one side, and scalloped on the other; single-scalloping.  The scalloping is the expensive aspect so henceforth, single- is very expensive.

E-Bay search

But some sellers may be marketing what you want within your price-range, but not using the choice of words to make an appearance on your search.  Under such circumstances, the computer can do the work for you.  You must first begin by finding exactly what you want, at any price.  Then add such to your favorites.  Then, using the drop-down list next to the bidding icon, have the computer view similar items.  This search will deliver you to sellers who are either new to e-Bay, or new at selling this particular item.  You will find your competition limited, if it even exists.

E-Bay price

If you compare this figure to the cost of gas for a visit to a fabric store, it may be negligible.  This is what makes e-Bay shopping cheap and good.