Sunday, February 22, 2009

Today's purchases

Moggy here.
Since I do tend to use this blog as a bit of a 'what pattern did I use for that frock?' memory jog, I thought it might be useful to post about fabric purchases too, so I can remember where and when I bought things. And do lazy stash-shopping too!

Spotlight had a special members-only sale for the last few days - spend over $100 and get $40 off. So I went in and bought STUFF. Note I haven't included pictures of the three packs of Schmetz needles, 1000m of black Guterman thread, box of glass-headed pins six cones of overlocking thread, 10m of cheap non-iron interfacing for tracing and 3.5m of iron on Whisperweft (yes, dear readers, I did reach the magic $100...).

They had a pretty good specials table, where everything had an extra 50% off, so I bought myself a bunch of fabric. As I am what could accurately described as a lazy sewer, I only buy muslining fabric that I wouldn't mind wearing out of the house, since it might turn out nicely and then I will wear it. If all else fails, it will work as a housedress, and I have vowed only to wear things I like, no matter who sees me.
Some of this may also be used to line frocks.

Clockwise above you see:
6m of "Printed Poplin Old Rose" cotton @ $1m (might muslin one of those ginormous-skirted fifties frocks)
2.5m of japanese inspired quilting cotton @ $2.50/m (that's all they had left. I think this will be a slim-skirted frock, probably a tried and true rather than a muslin)
5m of green wallpaper print quilting cotton @ $2.50/ m (so I can practice some chevroning)
3m of poppy print voile @ $1/m (not sure with this one, might make a yukata depending on how see-through it turns out to be)

And from the non-sale side of things, I bought 2.5m of stretch cotton sateen leopard print ($14.95/m! how pricey!) which I think will become a pinafore as I can then wear it in summer as a frock and with a shirt underneath when it is cooler (IF THAT DAY EVER COMES).

On the right is 2m (it is 148cm wide) of cotton voile @ $7.95/m. I don't know what this will be yet - a blouse? - but for some reason I couldn't resist it.

I'm trying to be a bit more vigorous about pre-shrinking since I make so much out of cotton, so all of this is now on the line drying (it's a warm day, so it should be dry soon). My method is to overlock the ends of the fabric to a) stop it fraying and b) remind me I have preshrunk it when I come to use it whenever that might be. Then I either soak it in water in the sink for 20 minutes or stick it on the shortest cycle in the washing machine without any detergent. I only ever wash in cold water and line dry, so I wash it in cold water and line dry it when I preshrink it.

Having said that, I think I will go and make a frock out of something I didn't buy today.

3 comments:

kitty said...

What a fine stash enhancing excursion you had! I look forward to a flurry of frocks, forthwith!

livebird said...

Pre-shrinking = virtuous. You saintly thing you.

Also trick my Ma taught me - snip off a triangle from each corner and it prevents fraying during washing. Much quicker and lazier than the overlock and we do love quick and lazy so.

Me, I went to Spotty and wandered for about an hour unable to find any fabric I wanted to buy. Did the needles/thread/tools stock-up instead.

Unknown said...

I like the corner-snipping idea, but then I wouldn't know if I'd preshrunk it and then I might have to do it again - there goes the laziness!

needles/threads/tools need love too...