Pretty fabrics

I've been looking through some of the fabrics sites and testing my will power.
All these fabrics are probably available at different places and varying prices but the links I've added are where I found them today.

This beautiful toile is from the Mary Rose Paris collection by Robert Kaufman.

Here at Shabby Fabrics.

Very tempted.

This one is called Eco Trees and its from Timeless Treasures which is a quilting brand I think.

Here at Gaga Fabrics.

Thought about it.



Its difficult to make this one out as a little thumbnail, but if you click through to the site you can see it enlarged. Its called Country Town Cafe and is a 22" border printed fabric.

Here at ReproDepot and its on sale!

I gave in on this one I'm afraid! I'll let you know what its like when it arrives.

New fabric for the MM inspired dress

Why is it always so difficult to photograph fabrics nicely?

Anyway - here is the fabric I got for my new dress project. Its a very light wool and it feels lovely. The colour is actually kinda blue and black at the same time, I hope it won't be too heavy.

Amy Butler and Cath Kidston fabrics at John Lewis

I popped into John Lewis yesterday to pick up some supplies for my latest project (top secret for the moment!) and let out a little involuntary squeal upon reaching the sewing department. They have stacks of new Cath Kidston and Amy Butler fabrics!!

They are not cheap - some of the Cath Kidston ones

are £13.50 a meter, but theres some really nice designs. Its cool to be able to buy things like that in the shop where you can see and touch the fabric instead of having to always order online.

They also had this really cute little sewing machine for just under £50.

Thinking about Christmas Lolita things

Its getting towards that time again when decorations start appearing and Starbucks have their 'festive' red cups out. So I've just started to let myself get a little bit excited about Christmas. I'm hoping that I'll have time to make a dress from the snowflake/doily fabric I got ages ago. I think it could work with a white fake fur trim? Maybe a little bit 50s? Needs a little thought first.

Its also getting near the time when I (should) start making my Christmas cards! I'd really like to do a lolita-esque card this year, but we'll see how that goes, my drawing skills are not great.

And finally I've started looking for presents for people and making a list for santa. I think list ideas is a really good site for this where you can add things from anywhere, on or offline.

Lolita Fabric - custom printing from spoonflower

There are a lot of nice fabrics out there but one of the things that really makes brand dresses stand out is their custom patterns. Especially border prints. I love the Moitie 'Iron Gate' print but I rarely see nice border prints available on the roll.
Recently I've been quite excited about Spoonflower. Its a site where you can get your own fabric designs printed on demand in small quantities, like lulu but for material. Its currently priced at $18 yrd and although this is at the higher end of what I would pay for fabric, if I could have anything I wanted in the world.... it starts to sound tempting.

I'm going to have a go soon and get a swatch printed up to see what they can do. I'll let you know how it goes!

Shabby Fabrics: Review

Yesterday my order from Shabby Fabrics arrived. It was neatly packaged in a resealable bag and priority mail envelope. This is the same way Repo-Depot sent my fabric. Both orders were around 3 yards - so I don't know how they would sent larger quantities. It was very quick, my order arrived in 8 days. (International Shipping)

The only problem I can see is the colour difference. If you look at the colour on their website (previous post) and compare it to my photo, in real life its a lot more peachy than pink. I am thinking about ordering a set of fat quaters (small pieces mostly used by quilters) to see the other colours properly.

Ordered MORE fabric

I've ordered some fabric like this from Shabby Fabrics - they do loads of shabby chic and cottage-y prints which are great for classic lolita looks. More Mary Magdalene than Angelic Pretty.

So when it arrives I'll do a little review of the site and then start worrying about whether I can make something nice enough out of it!

I've also found a place that supplies Robert Kaufman fabrics in the UK. So I'm checking that out for some super-sweet cupcake-y stuff.

New fabric

This week I have aquired 3m of some lovely Paris-y Eiffel Tower fabric. Its a kind of lawn, its not that thick but it feels nice and soft.

I think its a great pattern, but I don't know if the colour will suit me. I'm thinking possibly a skirt?

Reprodepot review

Since I have improved somewhat in my sewing skills I decided it was time to start looking for some nicer fabrics. Recently I have been using basic solid colour cotton to try out patterns and shapes without spending a lot of money.

I found a pretty print on the reprodepot site. I think it might be a bit winter-y as it really looks like snowflakes... but its a beautiful colour and has a nice edge that will be great for the bottom of hte skirt.

So, shopping at reprodepot. This was surprisingly easy. A lot of these places seem to sell fabric by the half yard so you have to remember that 3 1/2 yards is a quantity of 7. The shipping costs were reasonable and the fabric came out at around £5 a yard. It took about 10 days to arrive (in a flat rate envelope with a resealable platic bag inside).

They also had no problems sending it to a different address to the billing address.

Good news all round. I am thinking about making a JSK from it - after I have tried out the new pattern I am working on.

Online Fabric Shopping

So today I went down to the (not-so-great-part-of-town) Market to have a look for the spotty fabric to alter the strapless dress. They didn't have anything remotely similar so I am thinking about buying fabric online. I haven't done this before as I like to feel the fabric and check the quality before I spend my hard earned pennies. I've been checking out a few sites recently and I've seen some really nice printed cottons. Plus I think this would be a good way to stock up on cheap muslin or similar for prototypes.
I'll add some of these to my shopping lists when I get time.

A day out shopping

Yesterday I went on a little adventure to find some more fabric shops as the one I usually use is a bit limited. I went to a Fabric Warehouse but the most part of the space was taken up by curtain fabrics. I did however find a nice purple needlecord which I am thinking might make a good winter skirt. Then I went to an indoor market, where one of the stalls had an excellent selection. I got some really great grey courdroy for my coat, and it was on offer at £3.99 a metre!

I also saw these fabrics in a department store. The strawberry one would be great as a skirt but it was a bit expensive at £14 a metre. The white one with the ribbon through it looks like an excellent choice for a blouse, but I think from past experience it might be difficult to work with due to the pattern repeat.

These on the other hand would be lovely for a more country look and a bit more affordable at £5 a metre. In the market they also had red or white material with big musical notes printed all over it. I think it would probably work, but it would be a less than subtle effect...