Rag Bags

That was a very tiring, but really fun day- I guided another bunch of sewing enthusiasts round Birmingham Rag Market, Fancy Silk Store and Barry’s Fabric Warehouse.  We stopped for lunch at Mount Fuji Japanese restaurant [om nom nom] and a few restorative cuppas at the church tea rooms, before ending up in Wetherspoon’s for a little show and tell and several drinkies.

I’m bloody shattered!

We cooed, gurgled, crowed, fondled gorgeous fabrics by the mile, convinced one another to try some funky patterns [Vogue will be doing well this week, I can tell you!] and planned more excursions as soon as the bank balances recover.

Here’s my haul

3m each of three gorgeous shot lining fabrics, for coats and jackets for the missus [£3.99/m Fancy Silk Store]

2 6-yard lengths of African wax fabrics @ £18 and £15 , top to bottom.  Market stalls.  I’ve been trying to find some in plain colours on eBay, to no avail, but this cobalt blue screamed at me to buy it.  The red and black is textured/embossed, and has a lovely sheen.

The red/black will be for a dress, no idea yet for the blue, maybe a tunic?  OOH hang on, what about that kaftan?

Rich, soft khaki green poplin for yet another shirt for her ladyship, Art Nouveau butterfly buttons and a few extra ‘silver’ teacups to make up the set I bought last year.  I think this was £3.99/m, I got 2m, Fancy Silk Store.  The buttons cost about a fiver.

Soft heather-coloured cloqué jersey, to use in this blocked top.  I’d already paid up and was done for the day when I saw this one, but it matched everything I’m wearing, so it had to come home with me!  I think it was about a fiver, I just got 1m.  Barry’s.

THAT Lynn Mizono pattern needs a contrast jersey bodice, so what could be better than this leather-look embossed jersey?  I already have a StyleArc ‘Ursula’ skirt in a similar fabric, and I absolutely love it.  Not sure what colour I’ll use for the skirt and sleeves, anything would work really…  Again just a metre, about a fiver I think.  Barry’s.

It’s time I had an LBD, and just look at this gorgeous stuff on the right:  it’s a stable medium weight ponte with flocked check pattern, the contrast is a plain ponte.  It was VERY difficult finding the plain one, all the blacks were wrong according to Kim and Glenda.  We kept going until they were happy!  5m total, at £4.95/m  Barry’s.

In case I want to wear it in winter, I want to make a sheer long sleeve top to wear underneath, extending the usefulness of the dress.  I found these two sheer fabrics on the £2/m table, so got 2m of each.  One is plain, one has checks printed in black on black. Barry’s.

All a bit gothic isn’t it?  Ah well, I haven’t made much black stuff for ages!  33m of fabric [eek] total cost £120 ish average about £3.60/m.  Hardly extravagant…ahem.