Walthamstow Market...Need I Say More

O my goodness. I cannot believe I have not been to Walthamstow Market before! After picking up from various sewing blogs that this was THE place to go for fabrics in London I decided to make the trek up there this Saturday. Well I actually decided to go two months ago but something got in the way every Saturday until it became this one. So as it had taken such a long time to get there and probably would be a long time before I did again I decided to really go for it and went armed with my spreadsheet of upcoming projects I am looking for fabrics for and a bundle of cash!

Well let me tell you on my return that bundle of cash was not as depleted as I expected but I had bundles of fabric as planned! I could not get over the prices for the quality and variety of fabrics available. I came back with enough fabric for 4 dresses and 2 tops as well as a bulk buy of both black and white fusible interfacing for just over £30! £30! Even on Goldhawk Road I'm used to fingering fabrics wistfully and then subtly edging out the door before even asking how much per metre to save myself the embarrassment of having to leave when it's £15/m and I need 3. Here I began in my usual manner of avoiding all sales assistants and trying to find indications of price on the roll to give me an idea but by the end of my trip I was striding confidently up and asking for 3 metres before even considering the price! Well who wouldn't when basically everything is £2-3/m at most. Anyway on to my purchases and my plans for them.

This may be my purchase of the day. I thought I was really going to struggle to find a fabric to make this dress out of as all the suggestions with the pattern were for sheer floaty fabrics but there is no indication of how to combat this with a lining in the making up instructions. Amazingly perfect fabrics for this dress were what I found all day! This particular one was only £2/m. The picture doesn't really do this fabric justice but in reality it's a beautiful lightweight silver/grey silk blend (I think! My fabric knowledge is awful!) which has a gorgeous drape and has a lovely watery effect when moving. I think it's going to be ideal for this dress, although this project is one planned for a way off yet when my dress making skills are a little more suited to working with such a slippery fabric.

This is a lovely lightweight denim in a really unusual colour, I think it was £2/m. I did buy this because I was looking desperately for a fabric which wouldn't be too floppy for my Jackie O inspired dress (right hand picture). I was super keen to find something to make this from as this is the kind of dress I would wear all the time and I think it's likely I will make a number of versions, however I really struggled to find something just right. I think this is partly down to me not having a strong idea of what I was looking for a being a bit overwhelmed by all the choice and now I've had time to reflect I think a medium weight cotton twill would be a good option. When I got home I realised that this dress might not work particularly well in full denim, well at least I'm unlikely to wear a full denim dress so I think I may instead use this fabric to make a little skirt as pictured on the left. I have already begun one version of this skirt but production has ground to a halt as I think the wool I initially selected from my stash is a little too thick.

This is another favourite buy of the day! A beautiful purple lightweight wool with a fleck in it at £2.50/m which when I saw just screamed Joan Holloway to me across the shop. An ideal choice I think to make up one of these vintage patterns from my Nan's collection I think you'll agree! I'm thinking the version with the fitted rather than full skirt of the pattern on the left. I cannot wait to get started on this and think this may be my entry into Julia Bobbin's Mad Men Dress Challenge.

This fabric was the bargain of the day! I again wanted a fabric with a little bit of structure for a summer dress that wouldn't be too liable to cause me to flash my knickers in the tempermental weather of a British summer. I also wanted something that would have enough structure to create a little bit of support and strong straps for this sundress again from my Famous Frocks pattern book. One of the fabric suggestions is seersucker which I would love to try but feel it might be a bit lightweight for anything other than wearing on holiday. I had almost given up on finding something for this when this print caught my eye as I was leaving the final shop of the day, and then I saw the price. £1/m! I'm not sure what sort of fabric it is but it's beautifully crisp and strong while having a lovely smooth finish. Plus the print is just perfect, not too big or small. I know there is a trend within my colour choices for the day and I do want to branch out into some brighter colours but I want to begin by making some clothes I'm definitely going to get some wear out of.

The final two fabrics are both prints for Colette Sorbettos. I've had this pattern ready to work with for ages and can't wait to get playing with it after seeing everyone's versions all over the internet. The first fabric is a gorgeous silk at £3 for the 1 metre you need. This was from Saeed Fabrics which may have been my favourite shop of the day, I bought a lot in there although I did feel slightly hassled to make a purchase. The second is a printed cotton lawn also £3/m from the stall outside Sainsburys. There was another fabric on this stall which I wish I had bought with hindsight but when I asked how much and was told £4/m after buying fabrics for £1-2/m it seemed expensive, ridiculous I know! It was a beautiful medium weight floral print cotton which would have been perfect for a casual summer dress thinking about it now. Never mind there's plenty more fabric in the world!

The only thing I was disappointed by was the lack of decent stretch fabrics on offer. I was in particular looking for a plain or printed jersey to make a Farah Fawcett inspired wrap dress from my Famous Frocks book and was planning on this being one of my first projects as it seems quite a basic start and I'm keen to experiment with knit fabrics. However every jersey I found was UNBELIEVABLY sheer. Literally if I held it up I could see clear as day everything happening behind. I'm looking to make an easy to wear spring/summer dress that I can just throw on in the morning and feel confident and comfortable in, not something through which everyone can see my pants. And I don't want to line a simply jersey wrap dress, I want this project to be quick and simple. Has anyone else had this problem looking for stretch fabrics before? And does anyone have any suggestions on where to go to find something a bit thicker and more substantial, London or internet based?

All in all, a very successful trip. Plus my little spreadsheet really did help me keep focused and make some good decisions, even if I was a little bit embarrassed to get it out and study it intently under the watchful eye of the stall holder!

The Big Sewing Area Unveiling!

Aaaah! It makes me so happy to finally have a proper place to sew. My lovely wonderful man set up this little area for me as one of the first things we sorted out when we moved in and I can’t stop just sitting here and looking at all my lovely things around me and looking out the lovely big sash window which is perfect for letting in lots of light for me to sew in. I seriously need to get on with some sewing rather than just wallowing in my new found space and daydreaming.

One of the biggest challenges I’ve faced when trying to be more productive with my sewing is the act of PREPARING to sew. It’s so easy when you’re sitting in front of the telly on a Saturday afternoon (yes it’s Soccer Saturday, don’t judge) thinking ‘I should really do some of this project or that project’ but then the thought of actually digging out all the tools and bits of fabric and notions and the right thread and setting up the machine before the satisfaction of actually achieving something can even start is a right put off to be honest. But now I can keep my sewing machine out and everything I could possibly need is there in one place. No more opening every box in the big store cupboard to find the perfect button or rummaging under the bed for the other sewing machine foot!

So I’m still fiddling with exactly where and how I want certain things stored and I guess this will develop as I start sewing and figure out what’s easiest to have close by. It’s quite a small area where everything is kept but the room itself is quite big so there’s plenty of space to spread. Mister has got a music space the other side of the room for practice and giving lessons and we’re also planning on getting a dining table in here which can fold out so I can use it as a big flat space for pattern cutting which will be A-MAZING. Until then, there’s a whole lot of floor going on. I love Bromley and the fact that we can get so much more space with our money. And the best thing about it is we’ve got a separate little sitting room so when I get in a strop with a zip and need a bit of a telly break I can just shut the door on it then start up again later. Did I mention the fact that I love the new flat in Bromley??

So the main storage for my sewing bits is a good old Ikea Billy bookcase with boxes containing various treasures. On here I’ve got my sewing basket, my box of threads and a couple of boxes of useful paper and card for drafting and tracing. I don’t know about everyone else but I like to have all these messy little things tucked away in nice boxes. I can’t sew in a mess; I need a clean, clutter free space to spread out in.

On the lower shelves I’ve got all my sewing and costume related books as well as folders with my pattern cutting work. I figured it would be really useful to be able to just reach down for a bit of reference when I’m a bit stuck, plus they just look nice.

I’ve also got a new box containing all my patterns, which now number a fair few with all my Nan’s vintage numbers. It’s really nice to have them safely tucked away in a designated place to be looked after. Also in here are the little examples of tailor’s tacks and basting which my Nan sent me in the post when I started out on this sewing quest, what a smile that brought to my face on opening!

All my fabric is in a box concealed in the opposite corner of the room – another reason why I need to get sewing otherwise I’m going to have to invest in a bigger box! There’s space for my machine to be stored under the desk in its little case when we’re using the room for other purposes (although I like seeing it on the side!) I’m toying with the idea of saving up for some kind of folding screen to pull across when I’ve made a bit of a mess and we want to use the dining table but I’m worried about it blocking the light. My blokey doesn’t think it’s necessary but we’ll wait and see what he thinks when he sees how much mess I’m capable of making!

Above the corner cabinet is my notice board, which is handy in so many ways. I’ve been displaying upcoming projects and quick reference sheets with things like how to use my French curve on here. I think it could also be useful to pin up the pattern envelope of what I’m currently working on too, looking at the illustration of what I’m working towards might keep me motivated.

I’ve also got my Fashion Avenue street sign up which my Mum brought back from New York for me, perfect don’t you think?! Better than the one which has temporarily found a home on the other side of the room anyway…

You may have noticed I’ve got a little telly tucked in the corner too; this is not just for me but it is a strange trait that I’ve always had that I work best with the telly on. Many people have said this is weird to me in the past as they just find it distracting but I love putting on a box set and settling down to a long session. Plus I can still have Soccer Saturday on! Best of both worlds! How does everyone else like to work? With music, with company or in complete quiet?

Best get cracking on becoming a dressmaker extraordinaire now I’ve got this all set up!

Finished Project - Pillowcase Dresses

I’ve actually managed to be quite productive throughout the move period, mainly because I’m so excited about my new sewing area I keep sorting through fabrics and patterns rather than actually sorting out the flat! When packing I also managed to find my reel of bias tape, which went walkabouts and was preventing me finishing my pillowcase dresses project (I was in desperate need of a designated sewing area to prevent things like this happening!). But voila! The three completed dresses which will soon be winging their way to Dress a Girl Around the World in America and then on to hopefully put a smile on a few little girls faces somewhere else in the world. I have the combined pride of making something from scratch and the good feeling that it’s not another something to add to my ever growing collection of pretty things but is to go to someone who doesn’t have a single pretty thing and may not again.

The dresses were very easy to make, even when constructing the dresses from scratch with printed cottons rather than using the suggested pillowcases. They were also surprisingly quick to pull together (discounting the search for the bias tape!). The longest part of the construction process was pinning on the bias tape straps, though this wasn’t as fiddly as I expected and I think this would be dramatically quicker next time as this was my first time binding edges. I’m loving how tidy it makes my messy edges look and I can’t wait to try out some bound seams now.

I’m very proud of my finished product and am quite tempted to add on a couple of pockets or some braid trim to them before I send them off. I really do urge more of the sewing blog world to make even one of these dresses; I think it’s a fantastic way to bring a little light into the world where there may not be much. See the Dress a Girl Around the World website for all the information you need.

Back to the Land of the Sewing

Hello again world! So there’s been a fairly huge gap in between posts (just as I was getting in to the swing of posting regularly!) because I have recently moved flats and the chaos having my things everywhere but where I need them and trying to find furniture and being without internet for almost three weeks (well done there Sky!) has resulted in me falling off the planet! But I am now very settled in the lovely Bromley, where the temptation is to go shopping every five minutes with the Glades shopping centre just around the corner…or should I say to go browsing for ideas for sewing projects?! I have spotted quite a few details in new trends recently which I’m feeling very inspired by and I’m determined to make not buy my way into a whole new wardrobe which I love. I’ve got some kind of new found sewing creativity going on at the moment; I’m sure where this has materialised from but I’m thinking perhaps a combination of the lack of creative production over the last few weeks, the prospect of fabric shopping this weekend, getting back in to some serious Mad Men watching (who can not be inspired by those dresses?) and also very importantly my brand new lovely designated sewing area! Photos of that to come!

With all the move chaos the trip to Walthamstow market has been postponed and postponed but is finally happening this weekend and I am fully prepared! I know I’ll get there, get overwhelmed and just end up buying random amounts of fabrics I think are pretty then get home and realise I don’t actually have anything I need to make any of the patterns I’ve got lined up. So I’ve made myself a lovely spreadsheet of the patterns and projects I want to make next along with the types of fabrics recommended for each garment and the yardage. 

I’m then going to print this off and take it with me so I have a handy one page reference of all the fabrics I am looking for and what purposes to keep me focused. I’ve also included a handy column with all the notions needed for each project so if I find the ideal fabric I can then get all the notions in the appropriate colours so when I get home I’m ready to get cracking! There’s nothing more annoying than getting held up mid creative flow because you don’t have the right zip or popper. 

This little bit of organisation has made me feel a lot more positive about the endless list of things I want to make, I think I’ve been a bit overwhelmed with all the ideas, so much so that I haven’t started any one thing. Hopefully with a little bit of structure progress will be made. So keep your eyes peeled for hopefully a very excited me posting later in the weekend a post filled with pictures of beautiful fabrics and notions!