I LOVE Rayon

As fabrics go, many people go on and on about silk, and while I do like silk, my absolute favourite is Rayon. Especially rayon challis. Some varieties are so soft and comfortable I would use them as bed sheets. I'm not even talking bamboo rayon. Just plain rayon.

My favourite is the one I used for the dress below. The texture is absolutely divine.

Of course Rayon comes with it's own challenges, it seems the fabric stretches and grows even when it's a woven.  I've learned to wash my rayon, fold it perfectly and sometimes even iron it, let it sit, then cut it.  AND NEVER RE-CUT thinking it's too big. Fabric may have shifted and if you recut, garment isn't going to fit!

I've been in love with Rayon since I've been a little girl. My favourite pieces of fabric and kerchiefs were made of rayon. I suspect my grandma might have liked rayon too.

Of all the "synthetic' fabrics rayon is my favourite.  It's man made but with natural fibres. It breathes. It feels divine.  Don't tell me that viscose is the same. I've had a few clerks at club tissu trying to tell me that viscose is a form of rayon. Yes.. but not natural fibres. Viscose makes me sweat and stink and feels like nasty polyester. Rayon, is another story. Then there's modal which is also a type of semi synthetic rayon, often used with cotton in my old navy shirts, and that seems ok. Makes for extra soft garments when modal is added.

More Fabrics!

Sunday despite working overnight, my sweetie took me to the Fabricville in Laval so I could see if there was anything else I wanted for 50% off with a coupon.

Fabric I got for $2 a meter

More baby terry cloth, this one a dark pink with hearts and Terriers

I found some fabrics in the liquidation area for $2 a meter. One is a lacy flowery cotton, the other is a greenish turquoise stretch poplin.   Both can be used to make small summer dress.

Batiks that make me tic....

These are all the batiks I've purchased so far.  The most expensive being the dragonfly batik I picked up at the Club Tissu in St Hubert. 

The two smaller fabrics on the photo are those I already made dresses with.   Three of the other 5 I have an idea of what I'm making. I just love batiks. Don't know why but they speak to my soul. I need more!

New fabrics to sew...oh my

One of my friends went to New York City for the Thanksgiving week-end and brought me back some fabric. All the fabrics shown except for the red bottom left and teal bottom right come from NYC. 

The two Navajo prints are cotton knits, the other fabrics are stretch sateens. Best of both worlds, a cotton fabric with a bit of stretch. Woot.  The two teal pieces are both Rayon knits. Ièm not crazy about the shiny sheen on the darker knit, but it seems it might make a spectacular evening dress. 

Tonight I wash all this fabric. Last night I could just look at it in awe Note the two fabrics that didn't come from NYC were picked up at Fabricville at lunch yesterday. The teal I'd been thinking about since Saturday. The red sateen, I knew would match the red printed sateen, so I had to have it, especially at buy 1 metre get 2 free. Usually can make a dress in 2 metres. The extra meter can be used for accents for another dress.

Great fabric finds at Value Village

There was a 50% sale at Value Village on clothes and linens, of which fabric is part of. So two Sundays ago I ended up picking up 4 pieces of fabric, at ridiculously low prices. Now trying to get the smell of moth balls out of the fabric

The red fabric is some type of satin polyester, of which there was 1.5 meters, it was originally $2.99 so $1.50. The plaid fabric was a thick cotton flannel, of which there was 1.5 meters, originally $4.99. so $2.50. The pink lacy knit print had 2 meters and it was originally $5.99, so $3.00. The last of the fabrics was a pink and white cotton/spandex knit, of which there was 5 meters and it was originally $12.99.  So $6.50.  Normally a nice cotton knit is about $15 per meter.  So getting 5 meters for $6.50 is a steal. I can make easily 3, yes 3 dresses with this knit fabric!!!!

It's 3am and I'm awake, again.

I fell asleep while taking a break cutting out a dress last night. Woke up around 2:15am realizing I had not finished cutting the dress, but had the feeling I had, meaning I dreamed I finished it.

Yesterday afternoon I wanted to return to Fabricville to pick up a Batik print that would be wearable in winter and would match this grey novelty knit with a lace overlay.  I was in a shop until you drop mood. The Batik was the one expensive piece of fabric I bought at $11.99/m,  I bought 2 meters. All other fabric was $2-$4 a meter, from the cheap wall. Found some blue cotton fabric as well as a paisley rayon print that will be fine for making medieval dresses. Also found a few more novelty knits   and picked up 3 different flannels ranging from $2-$4 a meter. In the end I had a 2 huge bags of fabric for $100 with taxes. If I'd been in this type of mood and had bought clothes, my credit card would have suffered far more. Bonus, enough fabric to keep me busy until Easter 2015 :)

Spent most of the afternoon and early evening washing fabrics and shrinking them in the dryer, mine and my friend who has no washer/dryer in her apartment. She visited with her 2 toy/miniature poodles. Kept the cats puzzled, what are those small creatures, not cats wandering around the house?

In other news I finished a red rayon/polyester knit dress yesterday, and am halfway through a viscose knit dress. Dug out a pattern from the mid 90's that I remember had a nice fit to use with a knit.

When is it going to SPRING already?

I mean I had some crocus on the lawn already, but it's grey and gloomy and cold. Where is the promise of spring?

This is obviously a winter that will end just when summer starts .The spring won't have sprung.  I spent all week-end sewing and even rearranging my sewing supplies.  I had an entire box of ribbons and lace and it was  ahuge mess. Now all the ribbon is wrapped around cardboard and it helps me visualize what I have.

I finished a dress yesterday. I have 3 others in various stages of sewn. One I just need to make the 10 button holes and sew 10 buttons and hem it. Another I just need to sew the sleeves and hem it, and the third, I just need to make the bodice, add the zipper and hem it.

Lay down fabric and they will come!

Ziva the Diva

Jethro, representing

Pixie is sleeping on green seersucker, while Jethro hangs out with the dragonflies!

Slowly starting to make dresses.

So far I've got 5 patterns for dresses cut out.  It's progress. Before I had 10-12 fabrics with as many patterns and I could not decide what I wanted to make with any of the fabric.

First day of Spring

Well it was yesterday officially but by the calender today is the first day of Spring and also the birthday of my eldest child, who turned 27 today. Where does time go?

Well this year on the first day of spring it's SNOWING.  I predicted it, Today I'm going to look like nanook of the north :)

After work I hope to go to Club Tissue in Laval and check it out.

Interesting turn of events

March is going to be a weird month.

 I have a potential date with someone I last saw 10 years ago on Friday.  My friend has her beau from  Florida visiting starting tomorrow morning. Of course now she's apprehensive. But I remember how I felt the first time I travelled to Dubai.  The apprehension will pass.

Also went to Fabricville at lunch and found some lovely cotton jersey knits, buy 1 get 2 free, so you get 3 meter for the price of 1.  I got 5.3 meters for $30 with taxes.  Will be able to make 2 dresses and a Tshirt and possibly a tank top. :) Don't get how I did not spot it on Saturday when I spent 2 hours wandering around the store.

I discovered FabricLand

Apparently Fabricville only exists in the east. In the west it's FabricLand. I went to the one in Ottawa in the Nepean area. It was big.

One thing that drew me there was that they had cotton eyelet on sale for $5 a meter. Also picked up 3 flowery prints to make dresses this summer, along with a few patterns. One pattern was a steampunk style outfit, I can visualize this in black, of course.

fabrics I bought.

Then there were dress patterns. I spent a few hours in Rideau Mall in Ottawa, didn't buy anything but had fun looking at this years fashions. Will have fun making clothes again .

Got this one for $1

Quintessential hippy dress

McCalls M6027

The love McCalls M6027, I just had to have it.  When I was Googling it earlier, I stumbled upon a really cool blog called Goth It Yourself. She's taken this pattern, modified it slightly and has been making really cool dresses, this one just wowed me.