Modern Domestic

This is an awesome neighborhood fabric shop. The selection of fabrics is well curated. There is a good variety of sewing machines. They offer classes. The shop is decorated super cute. Last weekend was my first time in. I picked up a corduroy print that was pre cut in a yard size. I buy fabric and my daughters great grandma makes her clothes. I love supporting local shops like this that carry higher end and unique fabric.

I’m from out of town and I checked out modern domestic, bolt, and fabric depot today. Modern domestic carries mostly cottons for quilting, as well as machines and quilting patterns. Their selection of quilting cottons was pretty good, and seemed to be very hand selected. Not as wide of a selection as fabric depot, and a little more expensive, but I think if I was a beginner quilter I would prefer the smaller selection and helpful staff. They also offer classes. I did find a few apparel fabrics I liked, but the selection is not as good as bolt on the apparel department.

I was greeted immediately! All my questions were answered about what the best starter sewing machine would be for an armature like myself. I also found out more about their classes, and definitely recommend starting out with that if you aren’t sure you want to invest in sewing as a new hobby! Looking forward to trying a class out soon!

Love this store! Great selection of fabrics and patterns. I could spend a fortune here. I’m an experienced seamstress but wish I lived closer so I could take a class.

I really really REALLY wish that I could give this place five stars. Their selection of fabrics is gorgeous and high quality. The layout of the shop is beautiful. It’s local. I kept coming here to support a nice Portland business, but the service is awful. I have always felt like an annoyance in the store, and I’m a quiet, friendly girl who likes to stay out of the way. They barely acknowledge you when you come in and I have always had to flail my arms a hootin and a hollerin to ever get someone to cut my fabric which always seems like such tough work for the sales clerks. I’m sorry for that. Basically I always get ignored here, and this is when the employees aren’t already busy with someone else. Please, Modern Domestic, please make your staff more welcoming. I never feel welcome in your shop. You’re better than this, MD. I just had to walk out of your shop, and I didn’t like it.

I’m writing a review about their sales on machines and my experience only. I’ve been to Modern Domestic a lot and think this is a great store and are a 5 star place on everything else.
I recently was in the market for a new sewing machine (exciting!) and had first gone to a sewing center to look at other machines first. I had been sewing on a 1970’s Bernina for about 5 years and it was time to come to the 21^st century. I thought I had wanted a Bernina, but after looking at a Pfaff, I was curious what the Bernina features were going to be in comparison for the price.
I was greeted right away when I walked in. The gal who was helping me was very friendly and pleasant to talk to. She inquired what I was wanting in a machine and showed me what she thought would work best and why. I honed in on one machine and asked a little further about prices, additional feet I’d need etc.
After comparing the two machines I was between, the Bernina was about $ 800 – 900 more expensive than the Pfaff I was looking at the sewing center. The Bernina did not have some of the functions I wanted like start/​stop secure stitching and thread cutters. The Pfaff also has a built in walking foot and I would have needed to buy that separately. MD offered financing, but was not as flexible with the price as the sewing center. The sewing center offered to throw in a few things free, and MD was not really able to offer any additional discounts (like paying full in cash). I might have been a little more prone to the Bernina since I know they are top of the line machines, but all-​in-​all, the Pfaff/​sewing center won me over.
I still had a great experience and would recommend Modern Domestic.

As an update, I have since had my machine serviced at Modern Domestic, and I can say that the experience was perfect, just like all of my experiences there.
They service all machines — not just the machines they sell. My «daily driver» is a 30 year old Pfaff which needed to be cleaned, oiled and adjusted. It was ready right when they said it would be.
Always highly recommended, and now for servicing too!

This place is doing everything right. The building stocked with drool-​worthy fabrics, a rainbow of threads and every notion you could ever need. They have classes for every level of sewing enthusiast, on everything from machine basics to zippered pillows to perfectly fitted summer dresses to quilting classes taught by everyone’s blog hero, Elizabeth Hartman of Oh, Fransson! Recently I learned that in addition to all of this awesomeness they have the BEST machine servicing system in the city.
I’ve always taken my machine to the shop I purchased it from, a well established local business that has always been friendly and done an excellent job. Since MD is within walking distance from my house, though, when my beloved BabyLock started misbehaving I decided to try them out. SO GLAD I DID! First of all, basic service $ 50 less than the other place. Nice. They have you put $ 25 down, then contact you if your machine is going to need anything beyond a tune-​up, giving you a quote of labor and parts cost and the opportunity to stop service. This is AMAZING. Repairs can get expensive.
I got my diagnostic call a few days ago, and it turns out it needs parts and extra labor, so it might take awhile before we’re reunited. Typically being without my machine for a few weeks would be hugely problematic, BUT:
They let you sew in their classrooms until repairs are finished! As long as there are not 2 classes being taught, you can go in and take advantage of their amazing studio spaces. They even give you a toolkit, complete with everything you need (pins, fabric and thread scissors, roto-​cutter, seam ripper, chalk wheel thingy, etc) to use. All you need to provide is the «consumables,» ie the stuff your project is made of (fabric, thread, interfacing). They have several Bernina machines, huge work tables with cutting mats, wide ironing boards and fancy irons, great lighting and a friendly and helpful staff. While my baby is being serviced I am pretty much living there.
tl;dr: This place is amazing, check it out.

I learned to sew from this shop when they first opened and have taken over a dozen classes. The atmosphere is perfect ! Love the teachers, Erica Horton is my favorite. I have take a variety of classes and recommend to everyone I know !!!

Open sew is fun! It’s very convenient to have machines, tables, pressing stations and even a little box of supplies ready when you walk in. I’ve been beyond satisfied with my machine service (Bernina 1008) and sharpening of shears.
My one sadness is they stock only a few of the old style Bernina feet for the 1008, but they explained it is cost prohibitive to stock both models of presser feet. I am impatient and don’t have much interest in ordering, so I go without. An invisible zip w/​the regular zipper foot ain’t so bad!

Found this place by accident as I was walking around while waiting for a table at an eatery next door. The store is huge. Part classroom, part supplies, all great service. Their fabric prints lean more toward the hipster contemporary designs which are timeless and universal for almost any project in mind, especially if you’re into that whole DIY craft fair creations sort of thing. I found some pattern inspiration for the purses that I make. The lady at the til was super friendly and helpful. Prices were great, especially, for ¼’s. They even have neon thread! It’s so hard to find neon thread at home.

If you are interested in purchasing a Bernina machine (a worthy investment for sure!) or need to have yours repaired, Modern Domestic is your store! I have had my older Bernina tuned up and serviced here a few times, and it always comes back good as new.
They have a large selection of Berninas, from the beginner Bernette machines to the professional embroidery models. They have a huge selection of feet, and can easily special order any they might not have (as well as special order feet for the older machines, such as the one I have).
They have a lovely assortment of essentials and notions, such as thread, pins, and tapes. A newer addition is their curated fabric selection, which is beautiful! A great assortment of quilting cottons and dress weight fabrics await you. The selection is different from Bolt, so make sure to visit both stores when you take your fabric shopping to Alberta.
Did I mention the customer service? No? Well I should! Everyone is kind, informed, and professional. I always feel well taken care of there, and I hope you do too!
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I wish I could give them more stars.
The Fabric and notion selections are amazing. They have the perfect solids, the most modern prints, and a lot of modern apparel fabric. No one has modern apparel fabric like they do.
The ladies that own the shop and work there are so friendly and helpful. I brought my machine in with weird problems. The expert technician checked all sorts of stuff and then they invited me to sew with it in the studio and make sure it was working properly. Part of the problem was me but instead of washing their hands of the situation they enthusiastically and patiently worked with me to learn what I needed. I felt totally supported by excellent teachers. Their attitude towards sewer education is so good — they’re very detail-​oriented but they’re also very good at meeting you at your level and giving good information.
I feel really lucky to live near such an amazing resource and crafty home away from home.

Great little store in the middle of a terrific arts district.
The space is sleek, modern and fun. The women who work here are personable and knowledgeable. Plus, one grew up in Illinois. All the cool quilters are moving to Portland.
There are 3 sections, the first primarily devoted to Bernina sewing machines, my own personal favorite so this was fun to peruse. There were also notions and other fun items in here.
The middle section is where the bulk of the fabrics are located. The selection is not huge but everything is quality, fresh and fun. I got some fabrics to make pillows and to complete a collection for a T-​shirt quilt for my husband.
The final section is the area where you can take classes and create your own magic. It made me just want to sit down and sew, it was so enticing.
I love visiting Portland but I can’t want to get home and sew with my new fabrics.

I don’t typically review shops, but I just had a great experience bringing in my machine for service. Turns out the bobbin was just winded incorrectly. Meredith corrected it and gave me a few options to go forward. Service costs $ 105 and you’ll get studio time while your machine is being serviced. Awesome! Except, they have machines at all price points, so I will just save up for a nicer machine. The Bernina sewing machines may be more affordable than you think. I should have gone into the shop earlier. The website is a good starting point, but the store is even better! Meredith was super nice and gave me a few pointers on how to use my machine. I wasn’t even a paying customer and got great customer service!

I can’t sing the praises of MD loud enough! I learned to sew from these fine ladies about two years ago. Their enthusiasm and passion for sewing and creativity is infectious — it’s why I’m still sewing today!
They are incredibly knowledgeable, friendly, and patient teachers, willing to spend time explaining how to do something, helping to trouble shoot problems, etc. They offer a wide range of classes — there’s always something for everyone, from novice to expert. I’ve especially loved these classes: Japanese patterns, appliqué, «hems in a hurry,» t-​shirts/​working with knits, bias skirt, and private/​1-​on1 session.
The space is so lovely — light, spacious, beautifully designed, with lots of inspirational products and class samples. And they play cool music, too!
And then there are the wonderful Bernina machines, available for purchase and/​or use. These are amazing, easy to use machines that deliver top-​notch quality results, and the MD staff know these babies inside & out. They also offer great service and repair on all machines.
There’s always something fun, creative, and unique going on at MD!

I went for some help in finishing a sewing project I was almost done with. While someone did help me, I felt she was condescending and talked down to me. I have sewing experience and I would have appreciated if she would have taken some time in inquiring about how much experience I had so she could gauge my knowledge and perhaps she wouldn’t have spoken down.

What a cool little shop this is!
I stopped in to Modern Domestic the other day for the Modified Style fabric distribution party, and was surprised to find a bright, open space full of sewing and crafting supplies, fun project art, and lots of things with birds on them.
This store/​studio offers equipment for sale and equipment for in-​store use, as well as classes and other fun community activities. While I don’t know any more about sewing than I learned in home-​ec in high school (yes, they made boys take home-​ec in my high school, and yes, I did sew a bag and as far as I remember I got at least a B on it), I can see that they offer a ton of supplies like thread, bobbins, needles, scissors, irons, measuring and cutting tools and similar.
The ladies who work in here seem nice helpful, and I could see that the sewing class for children that was taking place upstairs in the loft looked like a lot of fun.
This was definitely a fun shop to browse in while I was hanging out for the fabric party, and I am sure I would direct any of my crafty friends here were they looking for some coolness to check out.

Love this place!!! Always welcoming! Always friendly!
I wish that the classes were not so darn expensive… however, if you already know how to use a sewing machine, need a place a cut large amounts of fabric with precision, or need a little help from a knowledgeable guru… this is the place for you!
The price is fair to use their machines for an hour… and it comes with use of just about any tool you could possible require!

Oh, to have some time to Sew. When I left L.A. I left about 90% of my possessions with strangers, friends, and family. I sold, gave away, donated most of it, I «placed» my most prized possessions.
I can’t quite recall if I gave my sewing machine, iron, and ironing board to one of my closest friends or if I placed it in her capable and loving hands. Either way, I figure it’s hers now and I don’t have anyplace to keep it, and I certainly have no place to set it up and use it.
Thanks to Modern Domestic, I can still dream about sewing something creative or practical, actually, I can go there and do it! No set up, no worries about if my machine will work or if I can find the right needle or an empty bobbin. Yep, it’s a sewing studio, equipped with Bernina and Janome sewing machines and you too can go in and use them, take classes and rock the DIY Portland community. It’s a super space steps away from Tin Shed.
I can just go there and use one of their most excellent and top of the line machines along with all of the other goodies they provide for a very reasonable fee. All I have to take is my own yarn and fabric and viola! I will have something sewn up when I leave.
I’ve yet to take any of their classes but I’m hearing really great things about their new screen printing classes so I just might have to sign myself up and see what fancy schmancy designs I can create from my very own creative place.
For those of you who want to know that my machine is okay, it is with my good friend who loves it because it makes better button holes than any of her other half dozen fancier mega expensive, computerized machines (she is a costumer for the TV/​Movie industry and she still loves my machine, how can I ask for it back?)