I’ve been really good about sewing output recently. For serious. I average about 2-3 yards per dress and have made four dresses, two dress muslins, a blouse muslin, and a skirt muslin in the past month. Not half bad. (These are totally monthly updates now, which is more than half bad, but I say we just overlook that.)
June Output, sans muslins: four dresses, ~11 yards.
June Intake, sans lining and muslin: 6.5 yards
Can we say victory? No? Fine.
I’ve been trying to curb my fabric spending while I save for a new sewing machine. I know that I’m too far gone to actually give up cold turkey, but I do think I need a step-down approach. I’ve been over to the fabric stores on 39th Street, which is basically a methadone clinic on every level. My beloved Paron has moved there (and is not included in this assessment). Baby Jesus. It is a truly overwhelming experience. I used to think that Metro Textiles was a bit cramped and overflowing. Uh, no. I left after two days longing for Metro’s organization. I only bought from one place, It’s a Material World.
Peter over at Male Pattern Boldness noted that this print is still available two years later, and I had to snap it up. Cathy looked fantastic in it.
I feel that if Cathy likes something, it must be good. Also, I totally own an iron, but this was just out of the wash.
I had a big wheely-trolley thing from work and couldn’t navigate the labyrinthine aisles at Material World. God, that makes it sound almost glamorous. More like: I was deathly afraid of being crushed by fabric or beaten up by one of the bargain-seeking grannies because of my schlepper wheely. All was well, I found the fabric easily, I wasn’t asphyxiated, and a man who gave off boss vibes waited on me. I got 3.5 yards for $17.50. The boss man’s guest joked with me, everyone was in a good mood and all ended wonderfully. The end.
I went in today, unburdened by mah wheels, because I thought I’d be able to find some interesting fabrics on a dig. On my first visit, I thought that there seemed to be really lovely florals and some Ascher to be had. I suppose there were, but the sales associate kind of followed a bit too close for my taste. This is a store where if you are anywhere but clear across the room, you are a lover’s distance from the customer. I decided to choose the first fabric that really jumped out at me (lobsters!) and flee.
The clerk told me that only chiffons were five dollars a yard and that this cotton was six. Um, signs and precedent and oh whatever. Sigh. I forked over my card and, oddly, the charge only rang up as $4.77 a yard, for a grand total of $14.80 charge. Wow. Three yards of voile and a trip straight out the door. Huzzah!
There’s no cutting table and they seem to be pretty exact about their yardage. Kashi at Metro doesn’t have a cutting table, he has this big stick-thing (technical term) and he plops the bolt onto it and cuts evenly with at least a little extra. Do with that what you will.
The stash check-in turned into a review. Oy. That was totally interesting for everyone. Intrigue and mystery and new horizons explored. No, it was actually boring as dirt and further evidence that I am basically sixty. Hey, it’s something. Moral of the story: I think Material World and I are kind of done for now. I might stick to the greener pastures of labelled bolts and knowledgable sales associates. Not before I pop into A&K.
Seam Ripped 