Showing posts with label fabric. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fabric. Show all posts

Sunday 16 November 2014

My new fabrics

I got myself some new fabrics. And although sewing could hardly make its way into my daily routine recently, I still dreamed of fabribs and what I could possibly make with them.
I went back to Bulgaria for a week and I couldn't imagine not going to a fabric shop to stock on some new dressmaking fabrics, which were much cheaper than buying in UK.
So I came back with this little bundle. And I feel happy just by looking at it...


I forgot to add that beautiful polyester taffeta fabric to the bundle. Lustrous and crisp it would make a great skirt.



And now a closer look at the fabris in the bundle.

This is polyester taffeta in beautiful plum tone that changes according to the light. I love it. I plan to make it into a dress for my little girl. I bought some matching lining for it as well.


Here is a piece of beautiful black lace. It 's a small piece (app 50/50 cm ), which was left over from a dress the shop owner had made for a client. Most of the fabric shops were in fact little dressmaking and amending ateliers, which also stocked some fabrics. So when I asked the shop owner how much it cost, she kindly offered to give it to me.


Here I have some cotton jersey in dark pink. It's very soft and stretchy. I could make a dress or tunic for my Eva with it.


Another knit fabric in grey. Very soft and drapey, I think it was made from rayon. Still not sure what I would do with it as it was the end of the bolt and measured app 1.20 m, but I just loved the way it hung.


And lastly, this gorgeous woven fabric which has some cashmere in it. It is quite thick and would be perfect for a little coat. I got some lining, as well.


All I need now is to find some spare time to get sewing...

 
 
 
 

Saturday 26 April 2014

A Boy's sunhat



This holiday it was all about hats for me. After making a sunhat for my little girl, it was my boy's turn to get a new hat. As I didn't have any boyish fabrics, I had to buy a quarter meter of some fabric, suitable for boys. I went to a local fabric shop and came across this "elephant" one and thought it could be made into a hat.


Although it looked simple to make I must confess that I had to make two tester hats before I got the size right. 
Now that the sunhat is ready I keep thinking that it would have looked better if I included a strip of white fabric or white piping to make the hat more attractive.



The thing I like most about making this hat is that it's something very practical and I'm sure it would be worn a lot during summer.

Monday 17 March 2014

"Ocean Blue" dress


I can finally show you the dress I have been making for my seven-year-old niece. It's ready and on its way to its future owner. Now I am so curious to find how the dress fits her. I wouldn't be surprised if it is a bit large for her, but I was so concerned not to be too small, that I prefered to be on the safe side and make it larger.
For the dress I chose deep blue fabric, which I found very easy to work with. It is a good weight for a dress and drapes well. When I bought the fabric last summer I was told that it was cotton, but it looks to me more like polycotton.
This dress is one of those projects which I wasn't sure how they would end up looking. I didn't have much time to make the dress, so I decided to construct the bodices, the skirt and the sleeves and once the dress was ready to choose a decorative detail. I wanted to add a decorative detail because the dress would be made with single coloured fabric and that was a way to make it look more interesting.


I had a few options on my mind. The first option was to make a big fabric flower for the front bodice, the second option was to add some pleats on the front and the third option was to add either trimming or applique to the skirt. As you can see I chose the pleates in the end.


I opted for a back opening in order to make the dress easier to put on and also to add more effect.
You have probably noticed that all the buttons are different and the reason  is that I didn't have four buttons of this size that were the same. I actually like the look of them on the back.


Wednesday 12 March 2014

A trip to a fabric hotspot

I started this week with an exciting trip to the west part of London, where along a short stretch of Goldhawk Road you can find at least ten fabric shops, all crammed with all sorts of fabrics. I have been wanting to visit this fabric hotspot for so long, but with two small children I couldn't really get myself travelling to there.
I am so glad I finally found the time to go there. After meeting an old friend for a nice chat over a cup of coffee there, I went to explore the fabric shops. I spent around four hours there digging into loads of interesting fabrics. I just wished I bought the fabrics I liked in the first two shops I visited, but because I didn't know what I would come across in the other shops, I decided to have a look around first and then to buy. In the end I couldn't go back to them, as I didn't have time.
Of course, I didn't come back home with an empty bag. Here is what I bought.
Some lovely pure cotton fabrics, which I intend to use to make some duvet covers and pillowcase for my two little monkeys. They were reasonably priced at £5.50/metre.






pale pink tulle



Flower printed cotton fabric and pale magnolia cotton fabric


Beautiful white trimming



Two polycotton fabrics priced at £2/metre, with good drape



I tried to capture the fabric's real colours, but the two polycotton ones were quite tricky. The same fabrics looked differently on the different photos.
Lately I have been drawn to mustard colour fabrics. It's strange, because it has never been one of my favourite colours before. Apparently with time one's preferences change.
What colours are you drawn to?



Wednesday 19 February 2014

Getting ready for a new project

A few days without sewing passed and I feel ready for my next challenge. For some time I have been wanting to sew something as a gift for my sweet 7 year-old niece. And indeed this would be a challenge as she lives far away, so I have to sew the garment without her being able to try it on before completing it.
I plan a sleeveless top with a simple design as I don't want to risk to do something more complicated which might not fit in the end.


It may feature a Peter Pan collar, which I have never sewn before, so here is an opportunity to try my hand at it.
I've got lots of single-coloured dressmaking fabrics, but I have my eye on these contrasting fabrics.


Do you think the design and the fabrics are a good match? I must confess I'm not absolutely sure, but quite curious to see the outcome.


I thought you might like to see the latest addition to my growing collection of sewing books. The book arrived yesterday and I am so excited. It came just on time for this project, as the book demonstrates how to draw basic blocks for childrens garments.
I will keep you updated on the project. Thanks for reading!

Sunday 2 February 2014

Kids Clothes Week Winter 2014 - a "winter fairytale" blouse


 As I have wrote in my previous post, I had already moved towards another project of mine - "winter fairytale" blouse. This name popped into my mind when I saw the blouse, maybe because of its white colour and delicate print.



 
This would be my second project during Kids Clothes Week (KCW), which surprizes even me. I started both projects from scratch and actually spent more time on drafting the partern, making toiles and adjusting them than sewing them. For the white blouse I had to make three toiles to get the desired fit. But it was worth it because looking at it now, I can say that I am happy with the result.




choosing which button to use
 
I even start thinking about trying to grade the pattern in bigger sizes. I am thrilled to see whether I could manage to do it.
Here is a little hair accessory which I made from the remaining fabric scraps. Not that any hair accessory manages to stay long enough on my little daughter's head.


 
And that's what my little cheeky boy did with some fabric scraps, while I was busy sewing.
 


Sunday 26 January 2014

A parcel full of fabric loveliness



A parcel full of  fabric loveliness arrived yesterday. I have written how I fell in love with Nested Owls fabrics by ADORNit and wanted to order some of them. So the last few days I was eagerly waiting every morning for the postman to knock on the door and hand me the little precious parcel over. Well, it happened yesterday but not exactly that way. In fact he handed over a delivery card, notifying me that £20 custom charge had to be paid in order to be given the parcel as it came from outside EU. I expected a charge but definetely not that much. I should have checked it beforehand.
Then when I went to the Royal Mail Collection office to collect it, I had another disappointment when it turned out I didn't have enough cash with me to pay the charge, being short of only fifty pence. So a trip back to home followed and then another one again to the Collection office.


Finally I was able to open the little parcel and see its lovely content. The fabrics were also much appreciated by my little girl, who quickly came and sat on them the moment I lay them on the carpet. There were also two ribbons which surpisingly quickly found their way into her little hands. I hardly manage to save them from her.


Now, I start thinking what can I make with them. Any ideas?

Thursday 9 January 2014

Pearl beads and lovely new fabric on my shelf



Just a quick post to share with you my latest additions to both my fabric stash and embellishment collection.
Firstly I bought some pearl beads. A few days ago I came upon a beautiful dress from Heidi and Finn that was embellished with pearl beads and I liked the idea. So when I saw them in a shop I decided to buy some. I still don't know when or where I am going to use them but I reckoned that it would be useful to have them in case I need them one day, hopefully sooner.


I also found that sometimes when I look through my fabrics, buttons or embellishments, ideas pop into my mind. You can actually find a lot of inspiration just by looking at them.





My second purchase was this piece of fabric. It is cotton and doesn't have much drape. And the pattern is lovely. I plan to use it for making a feminine blouse or tunic for my little cupcake. I still haven't decided on the design, though. I keep changing my mind all the time. I won't be able to start it before next week anyway, so still have time to think.
It would be a busy weekend for me. We are going back to UK, so there will be lots of packing and unpacking over the next few days.

Friday 3 January 2014

Some adorable fabrics

To say that I am a fabrics addict would be an exaggeration, but the truth is that I do love fabrics. I love looking at them, playing with them and imagining what could I turn them into.
I came across ADORNit Nested Owls fabric range by chance. You can see images from that range throughout the post.


I was admiring the lovely items on display in a small shop called San&Sab, in which the owners were sewing everything in there. And with the current boom of online shops, it is such a pleasure to be in a brick-and-mortar fabric shop, where to be able to touch and feel the fabrics. I could stay there for hours, and maybe I would if I wasn't starting feeling a bit uncomfortable .
Unfortunately I don't have such shops near to where I live and often have to browse fabrics on the internet. A few times I have been disappointed when the fabric arrives and it turns out to be too stiff or not the right shade.


Anyway in that little colourful shop I noticed some scrap fabrics,which they didn't sell. Later I searched for them on the internet and found the complete Nested Owls range. And I am in love with it. For my great delight ADORNit ships to United Kingdom and I am looking forward to ordering some.


There are some lovely ribbons, too.

And have you bought something recently that you feel quite excited about?