Links
Vendors
The TechShop is kind of a club and kind of a vendor. It's really a member-supported shared workspace. They have the tools you need for almost any costume work you want to do, whether it's textiles, plastic or even metal-working.
Viking Sewing Center in Willow Glen is "my" sewing machine shop. Gordon has trained up a new maintenance technician, but still keeps a hand in and teaches the sewing classes there.
Thai Silks in Los Altos is one of the best known silk importers and retailers on the west coast. Exotic Silks in Mountain View is their wholesale operation.
Pickering International is a mail-order only importer and wholesaler of hemp and hemp-blend fabrics. If you're willing to order wholesale quantities, they're the place to go for hemp.
Dharma Trading is the Bay Area's clearinghouse for everything dye and fabric-paint. If it can be dyed, they can help you do it.
Lacis is a little weird, but it is the source for lace-making tools and other obscure vintage textile arts equipment.
Fabrics-Store.com isn't local (it's in West Hollywood) but it's a great source for real flax linen.
Educators
Sandra Betzina is the woman behind Power Sewing, formerly of HGTV and now available on the web.
Sandra Erickson runs the St. Helena Center for Pattern Design. Her patternmaking classes are amazing.
Wayne Wichern is an excellent milliner, and an excellent millinery teacher.
January opens with Further Confusion, the SF Bay Area furry convention. It's one of the biggest in the world.
February is Gallifrey One, the west coast's Doctor Who convention, down in LA.
Every spring Costume-Con is 4 days of costume. Kevin chaired the 26th Costume-Con in San Jose, April 2008.
May is the annual Bay Area Maker Faire. Still the original, still the best.
May is also BayCon, the SF Bay Area's longest-running science fiction convention, and happens every Memorial Day weekend. Kevin and I ran the costume contest for BayCon 2007.
In case you were having an easy time planning May, Fanime is the big SF Bay Area anime convention. In 2012 they added the Clockwork Alchemy steampunk convention to their schedule.
July 4th is the traditional weekend for Westercon, the North American west's oldest convention. Kevin and I are bringing the 66th Westercon to Sacramento in July 2013.
Worldcon is the oldest science fiction convention still running, and it's almost always in August or early September. Kevin and I ran the costume contest at Renovation, the 69th Worldcon, in Reno August 2011. Kevin produced the entertainment for the costume judging interval at the 2005 Worldcon in Glasgow.
October brings Mancuso Show Management's Pacific International Quilt Festival at the Santa Clara Convention Center.
November brings us Convolution, the Bay Area's newest SF convention.