WIP = Work in Progress
Happy Wednesday!
I have been busy doing everything sewing-related that doesn’t involve actual sewing this week.
I’ve more or less finished my fabric database in Evernote (I thought I was finished, but then happened to look over to my left and notice a couple more yards I’d put in a project bag). 89 pieces of fabric! No idea how many yards that is yet, but will update my Excel spreadsheet this week and figure it out.
Stashbusting has taken a definite hit lately, what with being out of town and that $2/lb. fabric sale at SCRAP right before we went on vacation. And then there’s that fabulous turquoise batik in the photo above–that was a curtain that I got for free from my Buy Nothing Facebook group. I do love me a bargain, but my stash closet overfloweth. The plan for September definitely calls for more sewing and less acquiring!
I also sorted and organized my stash as I catalogued it. This is the bulk of it right here:
As an aside, I tried REALLY HARD to buy some fabric while in the UK and just had a terrible time managing to do so. I went out on three separate excursions to find quilting shops that Google assured me were there and couldn’t find any of them. The fabric store I did find in central London didn’t have anything that grabbed me, though my partner and I did spend a minute admiring the gorgeous £100/meter tweeds. It wasn’t until our day trip to Cambridge that I stumbled on a quilt shop by accident that had some fat quarters that I could bring home to my sister for taking care of my cats while I was away.
I brought three meters of this home for me:
I’m saving this one for spring fever sewing next year.
So now I’ve got all this fabulous stuff in my stash, and I’ve been pondering what to make next. It’s still plenty hot here, and will be for at least another month, so something for hot weather makes sense, but what? A drapey tee with that lovely rayon jersey? A dress out of that raspberry linen? Or a shirt out of the turquoise batik? I spent way too much time on Pinterest yesterday considering possibilities . . . .
While I play around with ideas, I’m working a bit on the dreaded mending. Tonight’s job was hemming a pair of pants and putting patches on my partner’s kikoys. He acquired them on a cycling trip through Africa a good 25 years ago (!!) and the fabric they’re made of is on its way out. He loves them, though, and wears them daily, so I’m trying to patch the tears as they happen.
Someday, both kikoys will be covered in patches and he’ll be set for another 20 years or so.
Some of my patches. I have so much fun stuff hiding in my scraps!
More patches. He may not appreciate the fish, but I enjoyed it. 🙂
Three items out of the mending pile. Progress!
By the way, if you’re in the market for indie patterns, many sales seem to be happening right now in order to benefit Texas hurricane relief efforts. If there’s a company you particularly like or a certain pattern you want, this would be a good time to sign up for the company’s e-mails or Facebook page to get their sale code. Love Notions, Muse, and Schwin are three indies having sales that I’ve run across just this evening. Time to sew that stash!
Have a great week and may your path be ever strewn with bargains.
STH
ETA: This appears to be a public post, so hopefully the link to it will work. This is a list of pattern companies participating in the sales; sale codes are in the comments. Some of these sales are short-lived (I think the Love Notions one is only for 8/31), so don’t dawdle!
Further ETA for Chic Mona, and anybody else who might be interested: On Monday, Craftsy is allowing members to view their classes for free. Here’s a link that explains how it works.
