Everywhere I go I'm haunted by curtains

Really, does nowhere round here sell fabrics for making dresses? I know I can buy online but since I'm new to this I want to get a feel for different compositions and what the fabric feels like but everywhere I go I'm faced with racks and racks of furnishing fabrics and none for clothes :( I've been to fabric warehouse, John Lewis (this specific branch only sell home stuff apparently), hobbycraft and a few independent stores and they've all been rubbish to be frank.

It started with a sock monkey...

Since I started university in September I've found that I have a lot of time on my hands. I'm not even studying an 'easy' course, but going back to study at 23 after four years of full-time work means that your week feels incredibly empty! I'm living in halls, a mistake I think, considering I'm not really into traditional student pasttimes of drinking and clubbing (been there done it, definitely got the t-shirt), and having no tv licence I've turned to new ways to occupy my time. It started with a sock monkey: