I belong to a quilt group which meets once a week on Tuesdays. From the group I learn a lot about quilts including where to shop in Bangkok. I will let you in on our best kept secrets!
Jill C., Bangkok, Thailand
jillc0029@gmail.com
Idea Angel has moved to a new location in the Chatuchak area off Soi Prachaniwet 1. Owner Pead set up a nice new shop in a little soi here and she gives quilting lessons. There is a class to make a patchwork purse/bag all day Saturday or Sunday Jan 23-24 10:00 to 4:00. The cost is 800 baht and that is for materials.
They sell fabric, sewing machines, rulers, mats, Olfa rotary cutters and much more.
Idea Angel is a quilt shop in the Chatuchak area of Bangkok.
Here I am with Pead the owner
They have fabric from India, Japan and fabric that is destined for export to the U.S.
Janome, Elna and Brother sewing machines for sale
They sell Suncoccoh brand accessories from Japan, such as flat head pins.
They have Olfa rulers in centimeters, and a cutting mat in inches on one side and centimeters on the other side. Size 18 x 24 inches.
Wongwian Yai (meaning ‘Big Circle’ in Thai) is a roundabout in Thonburi, the old capital of Thailand. Wongwian Yai used to be a major business center before Bangkok became the capital. Nearby Charoenrat Road is famous as the center of leather goods shops in Thailand. There are specialty shops with supplies for shoe-making and purse-making. This area is just over the river from Bangkok across the Taksin Bridge (Sathorn Bridge). If you walk out exit 3 from the Wongwian Yai skytrain station and head down Soi Krung Thon Buri 1 also known as Soi Salapi, you’ll see the leather shops.
The shops have awls, wooden yardsticks, wax, die-cut tools, mallets, silver pens for writing on leather, vinyl, canvas, zippers by the roll, purse handles, chains, snaps, buckles and of course leather.
There is a shop called Laser Gallery which will laser-cut material such as leather, acrylic, wood, cloth, and plastic. You can bring acrylic sheets not more than 3 mm thick and they will cut it in shapes to your specifications. Open 8:00 am to 6:00 pm Monday through Saturday. This might be the only place around where you can buy a fish skin made into leather.
After walking down Soi Salapi, turn right on Charoenrat Road and there are fabric shops selling sequin covered fabric which would make a very nice dressy evening gown or dance apparel, such as Pravitrungroj. Also lots of purse handles including wooden and leather ones. Well worth a trip. There were a few tourists too!
BTS Wongwian map
Laser Gallery open 8:00 to 6:00 Monday through Friday, bring acrylic sheets and they will custom cut it, they also cut leather for shoes, and sell fish skin leather
Pravitrungroj Leather Dealer
Pravitrungroj Leather Dealer – sequin fabric
sample of leather
S.P. Leather Access – patchwork fabric for purses
S.P. Leather Access – metal purse frames and clasps
V & P Leather 1223/1 Charoenrat Road, Klong Ton Sa, Khlong San, Bangkok 10600 – zipper pulls of all shapes, sizes and fashions
Wattanaporn P.V.C. – sequins!
Wattana Pu Center Co., Ltd. – purse handles and accessories
There is a new quilt shop in town called “Pretty Quilt”! It is the first quilt shop in the expat community of Nichada Thani, a suburb north of Bangkok. Nicole Park, one of our local quilters, owns this creative and fun shop. There are fabrics from Korea, Japan and Indonesia, kits, fat quarters, thread and cotton batting. The store is located on the 2nd floor of Oasis shopping center, next to the entrance for the Nichada Thani neighborhood on Samakee Road in Nonthaburi. Open Monday through Friday from 09:00 to 18:00. There are two quilting teachers and you can take classes in hand quilting and machine quilting. Go see the Kaffe Fassett fabric and all the cute quilting fabric and supplies. map
The quilt show at International Quilt Week Yokohama is held every year in November at the Pacifico Yokohama Exhibition Hall, Minato-Mirai 21, Yokohama, Japan. It is a fantastic show with wonderful artistic quilts on display.
There is plenty of shopping at the hundreds of vendors. Vendors are at the right, and quilts at the left side of the large hall. There are 3 days. On Thursday it is open from 10:00 to 6:00, Friday 10:00 to 6:00 and Saturday 10:00 to 5:00.
I just got back from the show which took place from November 11 – 14, 2009. I ordered tickets ahead in the mail from the website International Quilt Week Yokohama and the tickets arrived in the mail. It’s also easy to buy the tickets there. One ticket is good for one day. You may go out and re-enter on the same ticket after getting it stamped, so you may go outside for lunch. Inside at one corner there is a refreshment stand selling bento boxes (lunch boxes) and beverages. You can sit there or take the boxes outside and eat. The quilt show is on the ground floor. On the upper floor there is a curry restaurant which is good. You can get beef curry with cheese among other things.
The show was crowded but getting there at 10:00 or a little after 10:00 is OK as the crowd quickly enters and disperses throughout the large hall. The weather in Yokohama at this time of year is mild fall weather. People are wearing winter clothes, such as jackets, sweaters, long pants, boots and scarves. Inside the hall it is very warm. You’ll feel great in a tee shirt, jeans and sneakers for inside the hall.
The quilts on display were inspiring and beautiful. There were quilts from Russia, the U.S., Australia and other countries. There were quilts embellished with metallic fabric, buttons, and sequins. There were quilts done in a round robin by a quilt group. Some interesting techniques included fabric leaves sewn scattered across the quilt and other 3D effects. There was a huge quilt hanging from the ceiling that took 2 years of hand sewing to complete, done by a Japanese quilt group.
Most of the quilts have a sign for ‘no cameras’. You can buy a magazine with many of the quilts pictured. You can take a picture of the miniature quilts and a few quilts in sections that don’t have the no camera sign.
The vendors have Japanese fabrics. Look around for good buys on fat quarters and small squares packaged in convenient packs. There are kimonos, kits, marking pencils, thread, kimono fabric, needles, and clothing. There weren’t any classes on quilt techniques, only craft type workshops.
The vendors only take cash. It’s nice to have a backpack or rolling carry-on suitcase for purchases. We felt there was enough to keep us busy for 2 days of the quilt show. Yokohama is a beautiful port city. Shops close at 8:00 pm but restaurants remain open late. Our 3rd day in Japan we spent in Tokyo taking a city tour. All in all it’s well worth a trip.
rolls of quilt fabric tied up in neat packs
A panel, 600 yen
Kimono fabric, a pack for 1500 yen
Packs of 5 cm fabric squares, 700 yen each
Pattern and all the pieces to make a patchwork skirt, 9870 yen.
Silver Spot Shop - used machines are shown here on tables, new machines up on shelf
Silver Spot Company Limited
13-15 Chakrawat Road, Bangkok
tel. 02 222 5535, 02 223 9337
This small shop is located in Chinatown near the intersection of Charoen Krung and Chakrawat Roads. On display are Janome, Singer, Mitsubishi, Penguin and Iron Man. These are your basic machines, under 5000 baht. They’ll show you new machines at really low prices too. They also repair sewing machines. There are more shops selling used sewing machines near the Grand Palace, on Atsadang Road near the Ministry of Interior, facing Klong Lod.
I belong to a quilt group which meets once a week on Tuesdays. From the group I learn a lot about quilts including where to shop in Bangkok. I will let you in on our best kept secrets!
