Hello there ....
just a fabric sort of day today ...
read on if fabric 'does it for you'!
As you know we trade for a living ... and I buy lots of fabric ...
I buy big lumps and little scraps ... vintage fabrics ... modern Ikea fabrics .. pretty and jazzy and bright and funky .. anything really ... that might light up someones eyes ... and brings a smile to their face ...
that ' Oh that's just the right colour/design ... has the right feel' look.
I have bags of the stuff stacked around my work space ...
some of it needs washing and ironing to freshen it up ..
most needs sorting and trimming up.
Nice and neat and ready to use ....
I have lots of ladies who quilt and craft and come weekly just to have a browse through the fabrics ...
maybe they just need a fabric fix ..
a touch and a feel of the cotton ... a quest for ideas and inspiration ... well .. you know how it is.
Its a bit like a little sewing group ... one set of friends helping another with quilting problems .. or where to find that lady who knows where that particular thing/pattern etc is ... you know how it is.
So its all very nice and jolly .. I like selling the fabric.
Hubby P was out today and came home with this ... he thought he would take a risk and get it ... maybe I could do something with it ...
He said he was thinking 'around the box ? up inside the box?'
...I think he was trying to say 'thinking outside the box'.
Someone said to us recently that our 'goods' are a little different .. we do things differently .. its as if we 'think outside the box'.
So its Hubby P's new mantra ...when he can get it right.
Whilst I had the fabric out (strewn through out the house) .. I rootled about for some blue-ish bits ..
why is it you never .... ever ... have just what you have in your minds eye....
three suitcases I emptied in search of blue fabric!
I made do with these bits ... not really what I wanted but needs must.
I took the Home Sweet Home off the tatty bit of card it was stuck to ...
and put together a bit of a cushion.
I think its all a bit 'busy' really...
but I find these frilly ..
a bit over the top 'inside/out the box?' ones ...
do tend to sell as feature cushions rather than the more practical ones.
So we shall see ... its something a bit fresh to put out on the stall.
Sorry its been all a bit work related ..
but that's been my day today.
So what have you been up to ...tell me .. do you find fabric expensive ... my ladies tell me horror stories of fabric costing £'s per yard.
It use to be the cheapest thing to get a yard or two from the market ... but who has a market these days?
xx
its beautiful!!! I worked at a fabric store a few years ago, before i lost my sight, prices are crazy, I look for deals everywhere, using what ever I can use up, old sheets, dresses or shirts, its all good fabric, I wish I could visit your stall, I like what you sell, too far away I'm afraid though,
ReplyDeleteThank you .... perhaps it will find a home soon.
DeleteVicky x
I am back to quilt-making again, and am horrified by the price of 100% (imported) American cottons at the patchwork shop - £10+ a metre! So I have been buying 100% cotton clothing at car boots this summer, and unpicking it to use in my quilts.
ReplyDeleteMy eyes would really light up at boxes of materials!! I LOVED the Paisley material especially. My eldest daughter Tam has a thing about Paisley so I'm always on the lookout for that.
I loved the upcycled Home Sweet Home embroidery on the cushion. I have some old embroidered tablecloths with stains or holes, which I will be cutting up and repurposing (when I've done the Christmas quilts that is).
The paisley I found amongst a lot of sewing stuff .. it was just strips/scraps someone had saved .. I put them away .. saved them for a little project. so pretty
DeleteVicky x
Great Idea to reuse the embroidery, a bit too frilly for me but a lovely feature cushion for someone. However, on the top of your bag of fabric is a piece of woolly looking fabric which would be right up my street for a cushion for my living room, any chance of buying a bit off you ?
ReplyDeleteLooks a bit like that reversable welsh weaving doesn't it dreamer?
DeleteTalking about prices, have you seen the price of a fat quarter!!!
Gillx
Hi Dreamer .. yes it is a bit of a Welsh wool blanket I have just (yesterday) put it on ebay ... it is very popular here .. as you can imagine so I thought I would try it on ebay,. I will root about for you .. there may be another bit amongst the piles.
DeleteVicky
Well done Hubby P, and well done you, the cushion looks lovely. And I agree, you never seem to have just the right fabric for a project...and, yes, new fabric is extortionately priced these days. I root around in charity shops and have acquired some amazing bargains. My best deal was 10 yards of vintage Laura Ashley fabric for £7. When I bought it I didn't realise how much was there, or exactly what I had and I thought £7 for a charity shop buy was quite expensive. But when I got it home and did a little research I was over the moon. I sold most of it on Ebay in the end and made over £120 profit, keeping a yard for myself to make something to remind myself of my good luck.
ReplyDeleteWell done with the fabric .. bargins can be found if wee keep our eyes peeled.
DeleteVicky.
I loove your pillow!! Wish l could come and snoop through your fabric, sounds exciting. I love finding a good fabric bargain and always buy vintage or fabric on sale, it is soo expensive otherwize and that rather spoils the fun for me. I was cleaning up in the barn the other day and found a really lovely white and blue floral duvet cover wrapped around some tools. Washed it up, ironed and have put it in my stash t'till the right idea comes along. Great fun! Thank you for your sweet comment on my needle felting job, it is such fun. I am really into it these days and so are the children. Current project it an angel for my mum. All the best, Pam xx
ReplyDeleteWell done with the duvet cover .. there is so much fabric in them. Doesn't it feel good to give something a new lease of life.
DeleteVicky x
I love the little home sweet home embroidery. I have to watch my fabric habit, I love 50' to 70's fabrics, and I also love recyling old clothing and bits like you.
ReplyDeleteOur best bargain recently was buying a double patchwork quilt at jumble sale. It was FILTHY so the lady said 20p for it. So with a lot of elbow grease- and rubber gloves to start with! It came up a treat and is now on our bed.
Gosh ... lucky you .. 20p. We don't seem to get old fashioned jumble sales here... bet your quilt looks just fab.
DeleteVicky x
I also love fabric bargains, and have to stick to buying most of mine from charity shops. Some of their curtain fabrics are cheap enough and can be turned into sturdy cushion covers or shopping bags. I`m forever looking at the fabrics in charity shops for any that might take my fancy. It`s always useful to have a small stash of fabrics around the house just in case of any repairs needed to items. I also save buttons from garments I had altered. Quite a few long sleeved shirts were turned into short sleeved ones for DB and there is always a little good fabric as well as buttons to salvage. I keep the cut offs to be able to make the occasional breast pocket for DB or to repair the worn collars.
ReplyDeleteIf your Hubby is anything like mine .. you will be forever mending his clothes!
DeleteVicky x
I`m lucky with DB. I don`t have to mend his clothes very often. As he doesn`t do much physical work around the home I only occasionally need to mend items.
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ReplyDeleteI buy cotton clothing from charity shops, wash and cut the seams/buttons etc away. Childrens clothing is usually cheap and larger items yield a fair amount of fabric for £1.
ReplyDeleteYes shop fabric is very expensive, typically £3.50 for a fat quarter.
Indeedy ..there are some wonderful cotton prints out there ... usually in the guise of little girls dresses! I've had some really pretty stuff to use for my hexi quilt.
DeleteVicky x
I love that paisley just glimpsed in its bright autumnal colours.
ReplyDelete