I Bought Over 10 Meters of Fabric at Liberty of London!
Visiting the iconic Liberty of London department store has been a dream of mine for so many years. Can you imagine how my heart pounded as I finally saw that beautiful Tudor-style facade in person and got to stand in front of the wooden doors?
In this picture, I am trying so hard to look calm and collected, but in reality, I could hardly believe where I was standing.
Liberty of London was founded in 1875 by Arthur Lasenby Liberty (exactly 100 years before I was born, but I shouldn’t tell you that). The store’s initial vision was to metaphorically “dock a ship in the city streets,” laden with exotic ornaments, fabrics, and goods from the East. The original shop focused on importing treasures, but Liberty quickly became renowned for its own creations, particularly its beautiful textiles.
Have you seen my free patterns made with Liberty fabric?
Dot Dot Dash: Free Throw Quilt Pattern for Mini Charm Bundles or 2 1/2” Squares!
Jelly Roll Kisses: Free Strip Quilt Pattern!
Twirling Blossoms: Free Quilt Pattern – Scrap and FQ Friendly!
Over the years, the store has expanded to include the latest fashion, fabulous home goods, high-end beauty products, and expensive gifts for only your very best friends. I saw everything from elegant silk scarves and designer apparel to beautifully crafted stationery and custom furniture. But you know the main reason I was there… to buy fabric!
Let me tell you what floor the fabric is on so you won’t have to search around like I did… the gorgeous bolts of silk, viscose, and cotton are on Level 5.
The Fabric Gallery at Liberty of London
Stepping into Liberty’s fabric gallery was more extraordinary than any dream. The gorgeous dark wood shelves held all my favorite classic Tana Lawn prints, plus so many more. I would never have the time to appreciate them all.
The center of the room held an atrium that was open to all 6 floors. We looked down on this gorgeous house made of patchwork quilt blocks. It was Hand-Stitched Stories: The Patchwork Collective. The installation was built to celebrate Liberty’s 150th anniversary in 2025, and contains submissions from artists from around the world. If you want to see it, you’ll need to hurry – the Patchwork Collective will be taken down at the end of July 2025.
I am a Strawberry Thief junkie. This print (designed by William Morris) adorns the wallpaper on my bathroom walls, my bedsheets, my kitchen and laundry room rugs, multiple pillows in my house, and so many of my quilts. Here, I got to peruse Strawberry Thief fabrics in every colorway imaginable. Of course, I bought some too.
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And you won’t believe this… they were having a sale. Most fabrics were 20% off.
The cutting counters were as beautiful as every other part of the building. Just two long, uncluttered tables with beautiful women ready to cut meter after meter.
Am I allowed to make you even more envious? There was another room with fabric and it held a clearance section. Let me tell you that when I left London, my suitcase was at least 20 pounds heavier. And I’m not talking about British currency!
Besides the clearance shelves, the second room held fabric bundles, sewing baskets, ribbons and trims, yarn, and so many goodies.
Eventually, the time did come to say goodbye to Liberty and to about half the money in my bank account. I bought at least 10 meters and since I’m not home yet, they are packed away in my suitcase in lovely packages that I can’t wait to open when I get there.
The next stop on my trip was Norway and can you believe that I stumbled into a fabric shop there too? I’ll write about it soon.
xoxo,
Disclosure: some of my posts contain affiliate links. If you purchase something through one of those links I may receive a small commission, so thank you for supporting SewCanShe when you shop! All of the opinions are my own and I only suggest products that I actually use. 🙂