crafters in Germany?

[kimellett]

We just moved here to Stuttgart (loving it!!), but I can't seem to find a craft store. I scrapbook, sew and do other crafty things, and ds (5) has specifically requested "Crafts" for Christmas. I'll mail order if I have to, but I'm pretty sure there has to be a craft type store somewhere in the country!! I'm willing to drive a reasonable distance, so any and all recommendations/suggestions are welcome!

[enielangstrumpf]

http://www.qype.ch/place/192425-Buhl...aren-Stuttgart

http://www.qype.ch/place/192526-idee...GmbH-Stuttgart

i don't live in stuttgart, but i googled "bastelwaren stuttgart" and that's one of the first things i found.
sounds from the reviews, like the second one is hard to find and even more expensive.

if you're from the states you'll be more or less disappointed with every craft store in germany. they're smaller, not as well stocked and a whole lot more expensive.

especially buying sewing supplies here is extremely frustrating to me.
the big department stores (karstadt etc.) have craft and sewing departments. but don't even get me started on those.

i buy almost all my fabrics from the states and have it shipped. even with taxes and customs i pay a lot less than if i tried to find the same fabrics here (most of which are impossible to find anyway). a great ebay seller who ships to germany is la-chakra. LOVE her! fabricworm.com is also fantastic.

a lot of basic craft supplies especially for crafting with kids i get at "rossmann" drugstore. there's a big one right down the street from us and they have the basics and it's affordable. not the greatest quality, but for occupational therapy type crafting it often does the trick.

if you're really into sewing, mark your calendar for twice a year dutch fabric market!
http://www.stoffmarktholland.de/stof...id=18&Itemid=4
even if they don't come to stuttgart, the selection and prices plus the fun factor are reason enough to go on a daytrip to mannheim or another close by city.
this is a travelling market with about 100 or so merchants. they tour twice a year, once in spring and once in fall.
you can find absolutely ALL sewing needs there. and it's all half the price or less than what you pay at german stores.
if you're going for the bargain aspect, try to stick to the dutch merchants. there are some germans and the deals there aren't nearly as good.

that's all i've got for you.

i always have stateside visitor bring me goodies from joann's and when we go to the states in december i'll be travelling there with an empty suitcase just for craft goods.

[oceane]

I bought patterns by Jenny Hart here: http://www.quiltzauberei.de/ but i'm no experienced crafter so maybe this isn't for you?

[enielangstrumpf]

quiltzauberei has a pretty good selection for a german place. but every time i look at that website the prices nearly knock me out of my socks.
i don't really buy patterns (for kid's stuff i can not recommend ottobre magazine enough, which is available in english) so i don't know about the prices in that department, but the quilter's cotton they sell is about twice as expensive as when i order the same fabrics from the states.

[ithappened]

I buy most of my fabrics from fabricworm.com she is great!!... I also found http://volksfaden.de/ out of berlin who has awesome stuff and prices seem fair as does shipping..

At the moment Im looking for some good yarn/needle suppliers in the EU since everything in Austria is polyester or insanely overpriced..

[oceane]

the name of that store is so funny!

[Nina Rinkes]

I've just checked out "Volksfaden". It's really good! Thanks for that advice!

[ithappened]

do any of you have any sources for online cross stitching or knitting materials? the stuff here is insanely overpriced in the local shops and Id like to order some stuff for PP..

[enielangstrumpf]

Originally Posted by ithappened

do any of you have any sources for online cross stitching or knitting materials? the stuff here is insanely overpriced in the local shops and Id like to order some stuff for PP..

have you looked for supplies on etsy?
i find almost everything i need there.

[ithappened]

supplies on etsy?

I have but its hard when I just need bamboo knitting needles or some sort of EU equal to lambs pride.. there are some beautiful yarns on etsy but I don't want to pay $30 for 100yds of something at the moment

I really need to find a source in the EU or US that can ship to the EU (say that ten times fast) and doesn't charge a ton in shipping fees..

maybe I should ask at the UK boards?

[summermay]

Do you speak/understand a little bit of German?

Here is a shop offering inexpensive craft supplies, also traditional crafts...


http://www.labbe.de/shop/

[summermay]

Various art projects and detailed descriptions can be found here,

http://www.labbe.de/zzzebra/index.asp


Here is the section for children only, this should be advert free zone, for children.

[summermay]

And one more craft supplier, a little bit more expensive than Labbe, but the projects are really nice and durable.

http://www.jako-o.com/

If you click on "other countries in Europe- English" you have the menu in English.

They have lovely Christmas projects, also Waldorf style.
There are a lot of wooden figurines that you can paint yourself for Christmas, they turned out quite lovely.

[ithappened]

danke! those look great