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mood has a great selection and a really nice staff. they've always been helpful whenever i've stopped by. the collection can be a little hectic to shop sometimes but if you're willing to dig around a bit you can always find great fabric.

their velvets are my favorite so i'm glad you guys showcased the pretty gold textile above. also, some of the "fashion" texiles can be used for curtains, etc if you back them well.

That's the shop Project Runway uses.

Where are the $14 per yard fabrics? Everything I saw on their site was $35 to $55 per yard.

Hmmmm. I wouldn't say the staff were 'nice'. Half the staff know what they are doing, and the other half are just kids. The kids don't know anything about the fabrics. eg, how much it is (one just made up the price on the spot the last time I was there), the difference between interlock and jersey, where to find the extra wide fabrics. Ie, they know less than I do about the store.

Most of the fabrics don't have labels for prices or tags to show fibre content. If you care about this sort of thing, then B&J are a much more organized store.

You have to go to their store, really a warehouse on two floors, with factory-size rolls of fabrics from floor to ceiling. It's fantastic.

I've shopped at Mood for several years (for home & clothing textiles) and have always had good luck there. i agree the staff is spotty but after a while you'll get to know whom to deal with. the prices run a wide gamut.

I've also shopped at B&J and while I agree that it is definitely more organized and a more pleasant-looking environment (Mood is a dump) I have found the staff to be very condescending. you really have to be tough with them. that said, I've gotten some good stuff there.

also for home textiles try Harry Zanin downtown. fantastic stuff -- but very expensive (and more traditional-looking). I've used them only if I need a small amount of fabric, say to cover small chair cushions.

I can just see Tim Gunn in there saying, "Are you sure you want to go with that?"

you always have to find the older people there to help you out. but if you catch them on a bad day, they're very horribly moody (excuse the pun). the younger assitants are a lot more eager and friendlier. the fabrics of the same material are normally all placed in the same palce and are all about the same price.

mood is definately a lot cheaper than B&J and has a larger variety of fabrics.

Does anyone recommend a tailor below 23rd St. to make curtains from fabric I bought at Mood? I don't sew...I'm sure it's a really easy job but at the same time I don't want someone to screw it up...thanks!

My fabric is $14 cotton eyelet. I'm very happy with it (so far)...

Designers, you have 30 minutes and $14.

I have never found the staff there particularly helpful, especially downstairs - seems like I usually have to run around to find someone to answer questions or cut yardage. I do like their selection though.

mood is great! But be prepared to spend some time - there's a lot of stuff. It can't be beat for the sheer quantity & range. As for staff - if you want to spend 50$ for cotton velvet, go right ahead & head over to B&J...

I was there over the weekend...

The area downstairs, where the home decor and upholstery fabrics are located, is a disaster area! They were doing lots of moving and renovating down there, which seemed odd since it was like, um, their busiest day of the week. Anyway, they have a wonderful selection, but it is sadly disorganized. There are bolts upon bolts that are unreachable or untagged. The staff are either ignorant or impatient, and in some cases downright rude.

So in the end, as much as I loved their stuff, I am not spending my money there. It's too much money, chaos and attitude for my liking.