Trip to G Street

I actually bought this fabric a couple of months ago. I don't know if folks enjoy reading about other people's sewing purchases. I know that I do. I'm not sure what the attraction is. Maybe it's living vicariously.

I hit the infamous 2.97 table. I found three knits with borders. These fabrics are "complicated". It means I have to spend 5x as long cutting and matching.
The first two fabrics are a silky poly knit.


I was certainly in a black and white mood.


The last piece is a heavy cotton knit. It is a beautiful piece of fabric, but I'm going to have to figure out what to do with it because it is a "springy" print and "wintery" weight. It is going to have be a fitted style because it is too heavy to be loose and flowing. I can probably get away with a simple fitted skirt.

I have actually been relatively good about my fabric purchases this year. It was probably because I spent 4 months obsessing about Bonnie's 1st Communion dress. I wasn't thinking about other sewing projects.

Trip to Baltimore

We normally take a big summer trip to Disney World every summer. This year we are planning to take a couple short weekend trips. This weekend we went to Baltimore, Maryland. Baltimore is only about an hour and 15 minutes from our house so at least the whining in the car was limited. Our first stop in Baltimore was Ft. McHenry.

This is the place where Francis Scott Key was inspired to write the poem that became our national anthem after seeing the flag still flying over Ft. McHenry during the Battle of Baltimore in September of 1814.

A park ranger brought out a replica of the flag. The original flag is in the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. Here are Bonnie, Bill and Carl helping to unfold it.

Here is Carl on the ramparts.


Here is Bonnie playing Mary Young Pickersgill during a children's program at the Fort. Mrs. Pickersgill is the seamstress who sewed the Star Spangled Banner that flew over Ft. McHenry. (Thank God for the seamstresses of history!)

After Ft. McHenry, we checked into the Embassy Suites. We are big fans of this hotel chain because they have suites and free breakfast. If you have more than 2 children, it is difficult to fit in a standard size hotel room. The kids played in the pool for around 3 hours.

While Bill and the boys watched the soccer (futbol) game, Bonnie and I slipped out to find a fabric store. I used the GPS to find A Fabric Place.

This fabric store has beautiful fabrics - lots of wool, silks and linens. It is a bit of jumbled mess - but well worth the trip. When I was first looking around, the prices on the rolls were very high, everything was in the $30 - $40 range. I was about to walk out when I asked a manager (Michael) if he had any specials or anything on sale. He told me to show him what I liked and he would give me a good deal on anything. I picked out fabrics and he give me each for $14/yd, which seemed quite reasonable for the quality. It pays to ask questions at family owned fabric stores.

I got the following:

Airy black knit with floral embroidery

Deep berry colored wool suiting with chevron pattern

Berry and off white floral silk charmeuse - very very yummy!

On Sunday, we took the kids to the National Aquarium in the Inner Harbor. Here is a picture of the kids in the rainforest exhibit spying a bird.

If you are going to the aquarium, get there early. We got there when it opened at 9:00. The crowds were reasonable until about noon. About noon, it was too crowed to be enjoyable.

I Just Stopped By...

The Falls Church G Street is close to my new client. Now I can pop on over any time I want. I'm going to be featured on the hoarders show if I'm not careful.

I hit up the 2.97 table. I found this black cotton/lycra knit lace. I think it would make a fun top. I also found this light weight fuchsia poly cotton knit.

I also found this chocolate brown cotton/poly lace. I want to make a simple skirt with it. I had to buy lining - expensive lining (well I didn't need to buy expensive lining, but it was the lining they had that matched the lace). The lining cost 3 times what the lace cost. Hmmm

I also picked up another chalk marker. This is my favorite kind. It has a a chamber for chalk and a metal wheel that produces a fine marking line. Unfortunately, I loose them on a regular basis.

I Had a Gift Certificate....

G Street gave me a $50 gift certificate because I had to wait 2 weeks for my serger. I've been waiting 'til they had a sale to use it. G Street just got a shipment of $2.97 fabrics that day, and, well, I went a little crazy.

I got 2 yards of gray slinky floral print, 2 yds of black, white and teal poly knit and 2 yards of poly brown paisley knit. The black and teal knit will make a nice top to go with a teal cotton jacket I got from Lane Bryant.



Another $2.97 find: 2 yards of white, green and brown poly knit with a border print. I have some brown linen that would look great with this print.



2.97 find #5: A mosaic challis. It's either rayon or cotton. I'm actually leaning toward cotton. It has a great hand. I'm thinking of a simple shell to go with the teal jacket.



This fabric is a sheer paisley knit from the 2.97 table. It had actually been put aside by a sales girl on a table in a room behind the 2.97 table. I didn't realize this until after I had it cut and heard the sales people talking that they had to fight customers off the fabrics they had put aside. Wow, I really feel bad :)


The last 2.97 fabric is a red acetate suiting with a waffle pattern. It will make a striking jacket, though tailoring will be a challenge.

My final fabric purchase is a summer weight merino gray wool that is yummy. This was not on the 2.97 table. It was $19 plus 25% off. I plan on making a simple skirt with it so I only got a yard.

And now for some great blog news. I got a "real" camera. A Nikon D5000. I think it is probably a starter camera for photography enthusiasts, but it is a huge leap from my Panasonic point and click. I think you can see from the above pictures how much better the picture quality is.

I Was in the Neighborhood

I was in Arlington, VA this week so I thought I'd pop on over to the Falls Church G Street Fabrics. I think they have a little more selection than the Centerville location, but it's pretty comparable.

Because I didn't have a coupon and there was no sale going on, I headed for the $2.97 table.

I picked out 12 yards of fabric because, well because I am a fabric hoarder. It's true - I've watched that show and my collection of fabric is irrational.

First up is 2 yds of of a poly print. I think this fabric is intended to be cut out as scarves. I'm not a scarf gal. Anything that makes your neck look even thicker than it actually is - is not a particularly good look for a girl of size. I'm thinking of some kind of loose top. Fabric placement is going to be interesting.

I also got a yard and a half of teal, white, and black knit print. I'm not totally sure what the fabric content on this is. It has a great hand. Almost like silk or rayon. I'm afraid to wash it. I will need to be extra careful with the fabric placement of this fabric to avoid booby bulls eyes.

I got 3 yds of a white cotton chenille with a butterfly motif. I'm thinking of beach cover ups for Bonnie and myself.
I also got a yard and a half of a poly novelty knit. I'm thinking of a cowl top for summer. It should match some fuchsia linen I have for a jacket. It too has the potential for booby bulls eyes if I'm not careful.

Last but not least a nice heavy peach cotton knit. I got 4 yds so I can use it for a top or for knit muslin fabric.

Sale at G Street

I had a 20% off coupon from G Street burning a hole in my pocket in addition to a 25% off of everything sale. How could I not buy some fabric?

First off is 3 yards of this fine eggplant wool gabardine for $11.50 yd. I needed (OK - wanted) some purple wool to go with this top. It's going to have to wait til next season though, I am on to Spring sewing.

I next hit the infamous $2.97 table. I found 5 yards of the dark shimmery teal knit mystery fabric. Ohh shiny!

I also got the dark Wedgwood blue cotton knit, cheap and good for experimentation. No tears if it doesn't work out.

The 2.97 table also produced this sheer burn out light sea foam green knit. Not sure about the color, it may be too light for me, but it is really cool fabric. I also bought matching lining to make a shell. I'm thinking of Burda Plus Spring/Summer 2010-410.

This would definitely fall under risky sewing category. There is a strong possibility that it would be too floaty for me, but I like the Silhouette.

And finally...

Yellow embroidered cutout cotton/Lycra? knit for Bonnie. Yellow is the kiss of death color for me - literally. Somehow I birthed three children who look fabulous in yellow. Who would have thought it? I was thinking of a Mexican inspired peasanty blousy look. I found McCalls 5839.

I want to make her the top with the flounce collar as a dress with an elastic shirred waist. Hopefully the flounce doesn't stand up as much as it does in this picture.

Trip to Denver Fabrics

My mother is very ill and in the hospital. She had a perforated colon. A very bad thing. I flew out to Colorado to be with her in the hospital. Thankfully she is on the mend. While she was sleeping, I slipped out to visit Denver Fabrics located about a mile from the hospital. I bought several pieces that I brought back to the hospital and shared with my mom. Apparently, this really cheered her up. She has her own fabric stash or "collection". We discussed all the possibilities and caressed the fabric I bought. I guess my fabric problem is inherited....

Denver fabrics is a fun shop. They have a wide variety of fabrics of varying quality with very reasonable prices.


I got a black wool/lycra and something else (acetate/poly?) with hot pink and white stripes . The swirly cotton/lycra knit was 3.97 a yard. The green embroidered cotton was 3.97 a yard. The last piece in the picture is a very fine black wool suiting for $6.97 a yard. I want to make either pants or a high waisted skirt.

I also got a black cotton/poly shirred knit for 2.97, a mystery content fine sweater sea foam knit for 3.97 and a rayon knit print for 3.97. I'm thinking of Burda 8/09-137 (whatever it is now called) using the sweater knit - probably just using the bodice though.

All the fabric cost me only $67. Of course I got to pay $20 extra because my bag was too big for carry on.

Denver Fabrics has cut-your-own fabric tables. A first for me. I guess they figure it costs them more to pay cutters than what they loose from customers over cutting yardage. Are there other fabric stores that feature cut-your-own fabric?

Trip to G Street

I don't know... I really hope I'm wrong, but I get the feeling the Centerville G Street may not be long for this world. There certainly weren't any new shipments of fabric between the couple times I have visited. There have also been nonstop coupons and sales lately.

God I hope I'm wrong... the alternative is just too depressing.

Well, I'm doing my part to keep it open. Since my navy pants turned out so great, I bought some very nice chocolate linen and black linen to make more pairs. I also bought some hot pink basketweave linen for a jacket and very fine teal swiss dot cotton for a blouse. None of these fabrics would ever in a million years grace a JoAnns or a Hancocks!

I also hit the infamous $2.97 table. I found this very nice red wool plaid (I need wool like I need..) I think I now own enough wool to cover the outside of my house in its entirety.

I also found teal knit. It has that sticky silk feeling. It is either silk or a very good quality rayon.

Trips to JoAnns and Hancocks

Total filler posting.

Went to the local super Joanns with coupons in hand.

Picked up a red linen/rayon, black rayon knit and an eggplant rayon knit.


I've already cut out a gored skirt with the red linen, so stay tuned.

Also picked up this teal linen rayon with embroidery and sequins (nothin' says professional like sequins!)


The local Hancocks is about a mile from the new super Joanns. I'm not sure how long it will last. I picked up peach cotton/poly eyelet and some lacy poly mystery fabric to make a beach coverup.

Trip to G Street

G Street had a 25% off sale and sent out an additional 20% off coupon - so of course I had to go.

There are several reviews on G Street by the sewing bloggers. Certainly it has the best selection of quality fabric in the DC area. Sometimes I get frustrated because you do pay more and I find that many of the cutters are suffering from the "clueless factor". They are certainly a step above JoAnns, but for the cost of some of the fabric they should be significantly more qualified to cut it.



These are my picks:

1. mustard yellow poly/linen suiting - from the infamous 2.97 table. I will probably make a pencil skirt from it. It matches a silk print I have.

2. Silver and black rayon knit - I'm thinking of a surplus top. I have gray wool for pants that I want to match.



3. Silk/rayon? brocade - I used this to make my first purse.

4. Poly snakeskin print fabric - a very unnatural fabric - but, I clearly have a snakeskin fetish going on. I actually seem to be going through an animal print phase. I have leopard print pumps and a cheetah print top also. Aaannyway... I have already made a skirt from the fabric. Because I don't think there was anything natural in the fabric, it was a lot of fun pressing. I'll share pics of the skirt in a future blog.

Trip to JoMar

I was in King of Prussia, PA outside of Philadelphia on business. I dropped in on a nearby JoMar store.

JoMar is sort of like a step down from Ross with a fabric section. You have to search through the fabric - but you can find some pretty nice fabric at amazing prices.

I determined that I was only going to shop the $1 a yard table for muslin candidates. I really don't have any silky or knit fabrics suitable for muslin.

These are my $1 finds - 27 yards worth. Plenty of muslin - and who knows - maybe with the right pattern I'll be able to make a keeper.



Oh ya, I got my first blog comment from Christina -a sewing blogger legend. Yay!

Fabric Shopping in Los Angeles

Mood Fabrics

I was in Los Angeles for business so I decided to check out some of the fabric stores. First stop was Mood Fabrics. It is not located in the Fabric District, and I was able to park directly behind the building. This is the sister store to the NY City Mood Fabrics featured on Project Runway. It is a clean, well laid out store with beautiful fabrics. Lots of very expensive fabric, but actually a decent amount of reasonably priced silks, wools and knits. I guess reasonably priced is relative, It isn't JoAnns and you are going to have to pay a little more for quality.

You get the cool Mood bag with your fabric purchase.

Because one can never have enough fabric - my fabric purchases:

1. Silk Charmeuse - reeeeaally beautiful. It's a busy print so it will need to be something simple. Maybe something like Burda 12/08 -113

#2. Light blue snakeskin printed leather (the color doesn't show up so well in the picture) . I'm thinking a purse. I will need to buy a mallet and glue for sewing leather.

#3. Floral print silk: I have an orange wool challis that I want to use for a jacket. I found this silk that matches for a blouse. I haven't decided on a pattern yet.


Fabric District

After Mood, I headed for the LA Fabric District. This is quite an experience. A lot of small shops hawking cheap clothing and "stuff". There were several fabric stores selling lots of polyester knits and scary looking fabric. There are also men with flags that try to wave you into parking garages. This seemed a little scary to me - so I drove around until I found a parking spot on the street.

I decided to go to fabric stores recommended by several other sewing bloggers. I have never been to Los Angeles and the number of fabric stores was a little overwhelming.
Christina of Assorted Notions had several good recommendations.

Michael Levine
My first stop was Michael Levine's. It is basically a huge fabric warehouse with roving cutters.

1. 2. and 3. Novelty poly knits

4. I also got this silk chiffon. It is like air. I'm thinking about something like Vogue 8342.

.

Fabric Fabrics (doesn't seem to have a web site).

Fabric Fabrics is almost the exact opposite of Michael Levine's. It is about the size of a large walk in closet with fabric roles piled to the ceiling.

I got 3 pieces of silk.

1. Silk chiffon. Vogue 8342 would work for this also.

2. This silk - its pretty heavy - matches perfectly a maroon wool I have. The pattern Vogue 8516 would work for a sweet blouse.

3. Another heavy silk. I'm not sure why this appealed to me at the time. It has really got an 80's vibe and not in a good way. Well, maybe it will grow on me.