Satin Moon Fabrics

I think they had some good fabric, but will NEVER go back there. I realize from the other reviews that the owners can be quite rude, and may not care. The sister waiting on me proceeded to tell me she was great at selecting fabrics, but was having a hard time finding something to go with the pillow I brought in because she didn’t like the fabric! Who says that? She seemed really negative and I couldn’t wait to leave — it was a complete downer of an experience.

Why this place is closed on a Sunday, I’ll never know.

I have been going to Satin Moon for years! Susan and Alice are awesome! They will help you with everything, coordinating fabrics, calculating how much you need and incorporating their ideas to enhance yours!
Check it out for yourself!

OMG! I love the fabrics here! It’s wonderful to look around and spend some time here. There is so much to see in a relatively small space but I would say you will find alot of fabrics you will L O V E !
If you love to decorate, sew, study textiles, visit craft blogs, love ribbon, love linen, just get yourself here to look and see! This place a a FIND!
The women who work here are very knowledgeable and helpful.
Next visit… soon! And often!

Hier ist meine kleine Geschichte zu Satin Moon:
Ich habe da eine rote Tragetasche, die ich wirklich überall mit hinschleppe — die hat schon so viele Flughäfensicherheitskontrollen durchlaufen, dass sie wahrscheinlich schon an Krebs erkrankt wäre, würde sie aus lebendiger Materie bestehen…
Nun, wie dem auch sei… da diese Tasche rot ist, kann ich sie beim besten Willen nicht mit jedem Outfit kombinieren — vor allem nicht mit meiner Lieblingshose. Die wiederum ist zwar auch rot, aber in einem anderen rot, das nun so gar nicht mit dem rot der Tasche harmoniert. Und so habe ich nun schon seit längerem Ausschau nach einer Tasche in einem ähnlichen Stil gehalten… und da ich leider nicht fündig geworden bin, habe ich mich dazu entschieden die Tasche von einem Schneider «kopieren» zu lassen. Ich hatte nun aber zwei weitere Probleme: ich brauche einen Schneider und ich brauchte Stoff!
Und hier kommt nun Satin Moon ins Spiel, denn hier konnte ich gleich zwei Fliegen mit einer Klappe schlagen! — Als ich am vergangenen Wochenende meinem Lieblingbuchladen auf der Clement Street einen Besuch abgestattet hatte, musste ich unwillkürlich auch beim Schaufenster von Satin Moon vorbeilaufen. Und da ich ja gerade auf der Suche nach Stoff war (das klingt ja so, als ob ich ein kleiner Junkie bin), ging ich einfach mal hinein. Und ich fühlte mich gleich wie Alice im Wunderland… so viele tolle Stoffe!
Kurz darauf wurde ich auch gleich von einer netten Verkäuferin angesprochen. Ich erzählte ihr von meinem Vorhaben und sie zeigte mir gleich eine Auswahl an Stoffen, die für mein Projekt in Frage kommen würden. Viel wichtiger jedoch: sie erzählte mir von einem Laden ganz in der Nähe, wo man lernen kann, seine eigenen Klamotten (oder in meinem Fall Taschen) zu nähen. Ich bin gleich anschließend dorthin und habe mich für einen Nähkurs eingeschrieben. (Mein Beitrag über Creative Canopy beschreibt dies im Detail.)
Alles in allem kann ich diesen Laden sehr empfehlen. Die Verkäuferin stellte sich als die Besitzerin heraus, die zusammen mit ihrer Schwester (die beiden sehen sich in der Tat sehr ähnlich) diesen Laden schon seit vielen Jahren schmeisst. Es ist zwar nicht der billigste Laden, aber eine gute Stoffqualität hat halt ihren Preis.

High quality fabric for a good price. Not a wide selection however. Had good luck with shirting material here. The owners, sisters, are great to talk with.

These sisters were a great help and had an amazing collection of fabrics. It’s not that big of a shop, but you could get lost in there with their selection!

Terrible service! We were there for about 20 mins and both owners completely ignored us. They kept chatting with a customer and when she went off — they chatted each other. One lady passed us by without even acknowledging us. Very rude!

Exquisite fabrics and incredible customer service!
The prices are fair for the quality of the materials. The two sisters who run the shop are incredibly helpful; they even helped us select fabric, laid out the pattern to help my mother and I determine the right amount of fabric to buy, and picked through the button box so we could pick out the best of the best vintage buttons.
If you are looking for beautiful and rare fabrics and notions, this is your place.

i have been shopping at this store since the last time i lived in sf about 20 years ago. when i asked the sisters if they were the same owners, they told me about how they had opened the store in the early 70’s. they are very nice ladies. just really decent people that you want to patronize.
the selection is exquisite. there are no ugly fabrics in this store and i think that you will be surprised at how many fabrics they have in a small amount of space as opposed to other stores where the fabrics are all spread out.
i think that the prices are very competitive considering the quality of their fabrics. most of them are very unique.
someone mentioned that they did not say hi when they entered the store. i can understand how someone who has never been there might be offended. today i went in and they did not initially greet me, but since i already know how nice they are, that did not bother me. they let me look around and they were there right away when i needed them. i like that approach myself. it makes me feel like they are not breathing down my neck.
i have been to a lot of fabric stores in my day and this is the best.

This is my favorite fabric store in the city. It’s a small store and can be expensive but they carry beautiful, unique, high quality fabrics. The store owners are very helpful and will answer your questions, unlike the extremely unhelpful, rude employees at Britex.

These two sisters crack me up! Very low-​key with a great eye and both have years of experience.
Their fabrics are jaw dropping-​ly beautiful! EXQUISITE! I feel like I’m traveling through different countries when I’m in there. Much more helpful than Britex.
LOVE IT!!!

I had a wonderful time here, looking for something eye-​catching to make into a sash for a LBD, as I head to a cocktail party on Saturday. Not only did I run out of time to buy a new dress, but what’s the fun in that? Deciding to create a new look by sewing a sash that comes to a bow in the back down my dress does the ticket.
I went in thinking that how could I go with anything other than silk? Soft, lustrous, beautiful colors… I created my own dazzling ideas in my head. I knew that after reading these reviews I would be able to talk to the sisters (or one) and get some good ideas. So I started by saying that I was looking for a great fabric to make into a sash and bow for Saturday. The sister asked me so many great questions like, «Did you have anything specific in mind?’, «What’s your favorite color?», «What jewelry are you going to wear with it?», «How long do you want it?». I mean, she was, I felt, very accommodating, pleasant, and thorough. I knew I’d come to the right place.
Half of the time I was on the phone with my date, snapping pictures of fabrics, sending them along, talking up options. But never was I hurried, bothered, or otherwise made to feel unwelcome by stopping my process repeatedly to report back to the mother ship. In fact, we (the sisters, me, and a cute couple with an adorable almost one-​year old pup named Ursa) had a laugh about how they’d had customers converse to some unknown on their phones about fabrics they were choosing, including a young lady who was on the phone to Brazil!
This is a great little store. I’m glad that I didn’t stop at Discount Fabrics as I’d planned but, instead, stayed in the neighborhood and frequented my own little neck of the woods.
I left with nothing even close to what I imagined, but still love it. Now for the shoes…

After finishing the conference, I had on my punch list from my better half a trek to Satin Moon Fabrics. When we visited a few years ago, they were closed due to a water pipe break. While they are no where near the size of some larger stores, the quality of their stock seems on par.
After asking permission if I could take photos of their store and fabrics, I emailed and awaited a response. Since it takes a while to email larger photos, I walked down the street several blocks just to see what rest of the area is like. It plays as mostly residential with a small town street tucked away in the middle.
Upon returning, the two sisters, who apparently own and run the store were quite helpful to this lumbering guy who obviously had no clue. After retrieving several bolts to send closer photos I was directed to ask for a sample. The sisters suggested that because this fabric had a very large pattern that ¹⁄₈ of a yard would be more suitable and frankly even I could tell they were correct. After cutting the material, they also took a small corner sample, taped in their customer book, dated and named it so they could find the bolt again if an order was phoned in. They explained that this was the best way for them to locate something again.
Overall, a good experience for a dutiful guy who had no clue.

An absolute little gem tucked away in the inner Richmond!
The sisters who run this store have fantastic taste and it shows in each fabric and notion they choose to stock. A nice selection of fine linens, liberty prints, and so, so much more. The button selection alone is worth the visit. On my last trip, I bought a bag of the most amazing wood, horn, and shell buttons I’ve ever seen and had the best conversation with the purveyors. Some would argue that their prices err on the high side, but I find them to be incredibly reasonable. It is so rare to come across a store like this and I’m so happy to know that it exists in this city.

So unfriendly!!! They’re only interested in customers that are spending alot of money, period. Beautiful fabrics, very expensive— I won’t be going back!

My daughter and I adore the store and the ladies…
We love their fabrics… they know us… we don’t shop there often… I’ve got enough fabric to last me a few months worth of sewing… they are helpful and witty… they always have great advice…

Whenever I need some beautiful fabric, I go to Satin Moon. While smaller than Britex (by a lot!) I think Satin Moon’s selection is superior.
Sumptuous velvets, unusual and unique fabrics in all shades and gorgeous textures, browsing in this cozy and chic little shop will spark the urge to feather your nest.
I’ve bought almost all of the fabric I’ve used to make pillows, re-​upholster chairs and cushions from Satin Moon.
In fact, having two cats, I’ve re-​upholstered one chair **three times** from fabric I bought at Satin Moon. The nice ladies who run the shop also gave me the name of a fabulous and reasonable re-​upholsterer.
(swats cat away from chair). Sigh, I’m sure I’ll be calling him again next year…

My favorite fabric store in SF. Everything they have is high quality and beautiful, that is reflected in the prices. I should note that they carry some of the same fabrics as Britex, but with prices that are 20−30% lower. I always like looking at their Japanese fabrics, printed cottons, silks, and wools. Wait, isn’t that everything except the interior decoration fabric? haha.
Every time I need something really specific, I am sure to find it at Satin Moon. Sure the price is higher than Fabric Outlet and Discount Fabrics… but it’s organized, well edited, and like I said… somehow I can always find what I needed for my one off pieces.
Some find the sisters to be a little standoff-​ish, but I love them. Just talk to them and you’ll see. They can be extremely helpful and will give you their honest opinions. Sometimes they suggest different options that you may not have thought of. They also really know their fabric… they’re great. Because of this… sometimes in the back of my mind, I think they would refuse help/​service to those they don’t think are worthy (i.e. can’t appreciate fabric, their store, disrespectful customers etc). But like I said… get to know them and be friendly!
They don’t really give out swatches for their fabrics (they might if it’s something really expensive), since they prefer you to buy ¹⁄₈ yard. I don’t really mind though, because I like having larger pieces of fabric and not all places will cut ¹⁄₈ yards (I’m looking at you DISCOUNT FABRICS). I also appreciate the way the sisters cut their silks: they rip out little grains so they can cut straight on grain. It takes extra time to do this. Sure, they could rip the fabric on grain, but then sometimes it gets distorted and you have to reblock the fabric (ehh I guess you should always block it… but sometimes I’m lazy!).
Top tip: If you go in here when it rains, be mindful of the silks! The raindrops on your clothes can damage them!

A year ago I had my jacket cloned. Yes, that is correct: I presented a beloved nine-​year-​old falling-​apart jacket to a genius of a seam-​ripping, pattern-​making, fabric-​cutting, garment-​crafting friend of a friend. She created an exact replica of the original item, but made with way awesomer material, wicked cool new snaps, and some sort of fairy dust that makes it even more fantastic than its predecessor.
Satin Moon’s role in all this, of course, was in supplying the materials. I didn’t come here initially — don’t kid yourself, it’s not cheap — but when I couldn’t find anything suitable on any of Britex’s four floors, I trekked over to the Inner Richmond to check things out. Somehow, this tiny shop had just what I was looking for. They also had a bunch of fabulous large gunmetal-​colored snaps that were the perfect finishing touch.
Just finding these items would have made me happy. The entire shopping experience was also great, though. They do have beautiful, unique fabrics, and the women who run the shop know its inventory inside and out. And when I say «out», I mean that literally. I kid you not, when there wasn’t enough material for my jacket on the premises, they conferred for a moment and agreed that there was more stored in a specific location in their garage. And then — I am still not making this up — one of them actually went home, picked up the fabric, and brought it back so I could purchase it. All within fifteen minutes. Take that, customer service complainers.
Save your pennies and hightail it over to Satin Moon next time you need fabric. It’s definitely my Plan A from now on.

I only get to shop at Satin Moon when I happen to be in San Francisco. It was the source of a wild-​goose chase last year — «where was that amazing little fabric store I stumbled into?»
Every time I have gone in the shop, I have been treated with kindness and interest by the owners. They carry beautiful fabrics. They are aware of the quality of their wares, and I’ve noticed they put the most time toward helping the customers who recognize the quality of what’s available for sale.
I have received thoughtful, insightful help every time I have come into this shop. I’ve chatted with them about everything from silk brocades to Liberty of London cottons. They are knowledgeable, opinionated, and tasteful — and they have never, ever led me wrong.
For the person who mentioned that Satin Moon doesn’t have a lot of quilting fabrics: this is true. By quantity, not much, but by quality, first-​rate. There’s a rack of Liberty cottons, and a rack of gorgeous Japanese cottons. If you want sheer volume, you should go to Britex — but if you love a smaller, carefully-​curated collection, go here.