Monday, August 30, 2010

And then there were the fabrics

For those who are interested in the loot I lugged home from NY on Saturday, here we go:

First photo: 2 yards blue/white palm print stretch knit and some nice remnants of cream suede (both from Metro Textiles). The blue and white knit is destined to be a dress, though it hasn't decided which one yet. The suede, who knows. But it was two nice sized pieces and he only charged $8 for them, so who am I to say no to cheap leather?

Second photo: Possibly my favorite fabric of the day, and the most expensive (and totally not my colors, and I didn't care). Italian knit (aren't Kashi's best fabrics always Italian?) with a lovely stretch. I had originally said 2 yards but when he told me the price, I downgraded to one - from dress to top, in one easy move.

As far as which top, it's actually on the cutting table right now, well on its way to becoming the knit turtleneck in the otherwise bland September issue of BWOF.

The turtleneck is still pretty blah, but nothing about these pink, white, gray and black ladies is bland. Nothing. And it's fabulous to work with. I'm looking forward to the end of the heat wave so I can wear this one.

Third photo: Stretch woven, also from Metro, orange, black and teal stripes with bizarre bubbly-dots. I'm not sure what it wants to be yet, though it did have a friend purchased by the end of the day. 2 yards of this baby.

Fourth photo: The last of the Metro Textiles haul - bottom right, 2 yards of medallion-print silk for lining, bottom left, fabulous paisley remnant (free because it was under a yard), and top, aqua crinkled fabric that has absolutely no purpose but I have a weakness for the color and I'm sure something will come up. That paisley remnant has already been earmarked for the back of the gentleman's next vest. Definitely not a neutral.

Last photo: My one piece of fabric from Elliott Berman, a store where I would like to spend some serious quality time. I saw 5-6 different fabrics that really called to me, but when I unrolled this one and looked at that splotchy paisley design - in all my favorite colors - all the other fabrics went right out of my mind.

Italian cotton, they said this was. It feels almost as good as Liberty, and definitely washes as well. I think it's going to be a dress, probably for next spring-into-summer-into-fall.

All these fabrics have been pre-treated (if they can be) and are stacked up with the rest of the stash in the workroom, waiting for inspiration to strike.

I did make one purchase at Mood, completely unintentional. I blame Andrea, since she dragged me downstairs to help her look at leather. Somehow I went from looking at her leather to drooling over things I liked.

Long story short, I now have a jacket's worth of teal leather reclining comfortably on the shelf. It wants to be a jacket - after the big orange bag, I've had my fill of using expensive, brightly colored leather on something that will get put on the floor, dragged around everywhere and show marks in about 2 weeks time. Some leather looks good distressed; that did not. Definitely a jacket, but no ideas on style yet.

I briefly thought about swapping in the teal leather for the leather I had planned for McCall 6171, but I already have a matching zipper and lining, so what would be the point, other than using up the newest, shiniest piece of stash? Admittedly that is sometimes reason enough, but I left NY without a teal zipper of the right length and I'm certainly not going to find that here.

Just to make sure I didn't derail myself, I went in last night and started drawing out all the pattern pieces on the back of the leather I already had. It just fit, and I think the teal might be a little smaller, so leaving well enough alone was probably a good idea.

Lots of plans for the weekend, but not a lot of sewing. Labor Day Weekend is generally my time for getting all the last-minute outdoor house projects done, and this year will be no different. Plus we're going to go up and visit my aunt on Sunday and then on Monday I'll do more stuff to the house.

Who am I kidding? There will be sewing, and probably a decent bit of it.

7 comments:

shams said...

Verrry interesting. :) That bubble print has been on Marcy Tilton's website for some time and I have thought about it. I am especially intrigued by that print with the faces. :)

It sounds like you guys had a great time!

Carolyn (Diary of a Sewing Fanatic) said...

I didn't get to see what you bought at Metro so thanks for sharing!!! And more leather...*sigh* I'm sooooo jealous of the leather coat that hasn't even been made yet!

Nancy K said...

Lovely pretties to add to your wardrobe. I resisted leather on Saturday, but I spent enough without it!

Gail said...

Just stumbled upon your blog. You have some gorgeous cloth to work with. Can't wait to see what it becomes.

melissa said...

ooh, can you give me an idea of how much you paid for your leather? I'm headed to NYC in a month (Philly first, actually!) and I've got quite a bit of leather on my list... I'm trying to figure out how much to budget for my jacket, skirt, and obi leathers!

(email me at enquiries AT fehrtrade DOT com if you'd rather not shout it...)

meredithp said...

Lovely haul, Karen. It's so nice of you and your fellow shoppers to share the loot with us sad folks who weren't able to attend. Looking forward to seeing the finished products, whenever they appear.

Anonymous said...

I was jealously telling my husband about your teal leather when I got back Saturday (I bought the chartreuse leather for gloves). I am so glad you went for it. It is going to be FABULOUS.