Stuck in the Mud

8 Comments

I’m having a terrible time getting my studios in order. I’m so completely excited that I will have two (!!) upstairs rooms dedicated to all of the creativity that I love. Sometimes I feel a bit guilty relegating the children to the basement for my desire for space and natural light, but on the other hand, the kids get almost the entire basement dedicated to their toys where they can do whatever they want. Heck, I’ve even thought about dedicating an entire wall to their doodling.

I have a bit of painting in the computer room and a whole lot of organizing in the craft/sewing room. I’ve been organizing here and there as I can, but seeing all of my supplies is getting me more anxious than ever to start working on projects.

I picked up these beautiful fabrics at Britex in San Francisco while I was there for the art.com launch. They were my super splurge at over $20 a yard each. Still I felt like I held back. There was more fabric there than I could shake a stick at. My favorite bolt had to have been a pretty vintage-inspired silk jersey that was dreamy to the touch. It was $110 a yard. We’re in hard-core budget mode, so I consider the above yardage alone a real splurge.

The striped fabric is a rayon with a lot of stretch and structure. I’m thinking it would make a beautiful nautically-themed structured dress. One with pretty pleats and a tulip skirt. The floral fabric is a cotton jersey that’s incredibly lightweight with awesome drape and great opacity. It would make for a fantastic pleated maxi in my opinion.

Have you ever splurged like crazy on fabric, just because you liked the way it felt? I don’t have any set projects with these, but I bought a yard and a quarter of both, so I should have enough for most of the projects I’m brewing. How do you shop for fabric? By need or inspiration?

view or add a comment
  • Categories
    1. Kristin says:

      90% of the time, I buy fabric completley on impulse. The other 10% is spent pulling my hair out, looking for the exact fabric I want, but rarely seem to find. Have you been to Fabric Mart in San Jose? Its like sewing mecca. I was there last week and bout four yds of 2″ white stretch lace for $4! i love that place. Its sorta like a thirft store and the Vietnamese ladies cut directly from the giant spool – theres not a bolt in sight.

    2. kristin says:

      Okay, I’ll make it 2/2 Kristin comments. Aaaaah Britex. I went for the $30/yd eyelet when I was there! I go to different fabric stores for different reasons, and I pay enough attention to fabric to know when I should snap something up and when I should wait for a deal. That said, since I’m just now learning to sew for myself, I am not so willing to splurge on “adult” fabrics yet. Just don’t have the confidence. Anyway, TWO studios! That’s so awesome!!!

    3. Artchoo! says:

      Oh, goodness. Not fabric, but I do that with yarn way too much. Whether it’s the color or it happens to be amazingly soft, I’ll talk myself into having to have it. Drawers are now sitting full of the stuff. Oops! By the way, I found you on the ALT class tonight. Really beautiful blog!

    4. Melissa says:

      Do you knit @Artchoo? Knitting and crocheting are things I can’t do, I feel like I’m all thumbs when I try!

      I’m glad to hear I’m not the only one who impulsively buys things based on the feel or look of supplies.

    5. Tara says:

      Two studios? Ah, that’s awesome! I’m a self-confessed fabric hoarder. I love reproduction fabrics mostly and buy them, a lot. Thank God I live a little too far from a local store that has a whole room full of them.

    6. Miranda says:

      Total impulse. If I love it, I buy it. Then my never-ending list of to-do’s grows as I come up with things to use them all on…

      Love both of these. I have a navy/white stripe knit in the above mentioned list. Right now it’s slated as a 3/4 sleeve nautical tee for Milo. And maybe a matching one for his mom:)

    7. Melissa says:

      Miranda, you and I are very much the same. My to do list grows as I find fabric I can’t live without!

    8. Sarah says:

      Total impulse. I once bought designer fabric from a guest speaker to our buy sewing class for 15 a yard. Bought thre yards of thre fabrics. Ouch. They’re still sitting, waiting for me. I don’t stress about it though. I have dozens of boxes, and it’s nice to just find something I like from my stash. Plus, I figure when I don’t have money, I’ll still be able to make awesome clothes.

    mobile site