A new notions vendor

Browsing Urban Outfitters today I was surprised to see that they now have a sewing section. They're even offering a sewing machine called "The Professional Sewing Machine" by Singer. The sewing kit and tape measure would be cute as gifts, and I like the vintage buttons and appliques. Most of the items are available online only. Let's keep our eyes on this to see what else they might add!

I now have a 3rd hand

I can't believe I've gone this long without a ham holder.

These things aren't easy to find, either. Well, I did find a wooden ham holder at my local fabric shop - with a $25 price tag. Clotilde also sells a wood one for $25. I found one online source selling the June Tailor plastic ham holder - SHC Fabrics has it for $17.

I was determined to get a better deal. Eventually I found my way to Mary Jo's Cloth Store where they sell a wooden ham holder for 12 bucks! I'd never heard of this online store, and navigating around the site is annoying, but I can report that my order was processed quickly, so I am pleased and I'll gladly recommend the site to all of you still 2-handed seamstresses out there.

Best Black Friday ever

I jetted down the coast to the Bay area for a short but sweet Thanksgiving trip to see some family. I wasn't planning to make the trip about sewing, but Leslie forwarded me a 20% off coupon from Stonemountain & Daughter and my arm was twisted. I recruited my SIL to come too, so that still counts as family time, right?


Leslie in her Patrones skirt and me in my BWOF dress.


As it was my duty to support the economy on Black Friday, I didn't leave empty-handed. I got this B&W wool coating, and a colorful silk lawn that will make a great summery blouse.


I also picked up this Olfa rotary cutter extension guide, it makes it easy to add SAs during cutting - very handy for BWOF addicts. Rumor is that it is no longer being produced, and I'm pretty sure I bought the last one in the store, the salesperson gave me the display package because she couldn't find any more stored away. It doesn't work with the ergonomic style Olfa that I have, just the original straight-handled models, so it looks like now I need to buy a new rotary cutter in order to use this!



After I parted ways with Leslie, my SIL and I met up with our husbands and we toured the Yves St Laurent exhibit at the de Young Museum. Talk about inspiration! The garments are definitely more incredible in person than they appear in photos. The exhibit is open until April 4, 2009.

Vilene bias tape: Just a few mouse clicks away

Melissa notified me that Vilene bias tape, BWOF's favorite notion, is just a few mouse clicks away! It's available from Sew Essential in the UK. They'll ship to most of Europe and to the US. For those of us in the US, it's $1.05/meter, and shipping is around $7.

What would we do without the internet?

Shop vicariously through me

Because I no longer had to work on my wardrobe this week, I felt like I had newfound freedom! On Wednesday after work, I headed for the Pacific Fabric Outlet with the hopes of scoring some silk twill or other high quality lining. No luck there, but look what I did find:


A huge table of Anne Klein knits (poly/lycra), $9.99/yard.



I found an ivory/black abstract print that was just so me and came away with 3 yards of it, intending to make Vogue 1029, a DKNY dress. When I got home and took a closer look at the pattern, I realized the skirt is cut on the bias, a full quarter-pie shape really. The print I bought is directional. Still, I think I’ll go ahead with it because the directionality of the print isn’t that strong, and I’m hoping it might even look cool.

And look what else I found:



FOE (fold-over elastic)! Cidell recently had success with this stuff and I’m curious to try it. It’ll be perfect for the crossover v-neck of the DKNY dress.



Exploring notions is almost as fun as fabric shopping. I picked up some white Clover marking chalk, just because. I've really been wanting to try out the Japanese-made Kai scissors so when I came across them, I took it as a sign that they should be added to my basket. Ann recently raved about them. And given how many Burda magazine patterns I use, I really ought to have a Clover double tracing wheel, dontchya think?



I spotted these Clover "fork pins" that look like they'd be great for pinning slippery fabrics. I thought I should do some research first. Does anyone know - what are they used for, are they worth it? They're $10/box.

Tracing paper

Gaile asked what kind of paper I use to trace patterns. I use tracing paper that comes on a roll from an art supply store. Specifically I use this 24" x 50 yard white tracing paper. There's an Utrecht shop nearby so I buy it in person. I trace with a pencil because I always make some kind of mistake that needs erasing, but the cool thing about this paper is that you can write on it with markers, including Sharpies, and it won't bleed through.

The paper comes in different widths: 12", 18", 24", and 36". I feel like the 36" might be a little too unwieldy, for me at least. I like the 24" width; only a few times have I traced something that required me to tape sheets together to be big enough.

The first roll I purchased lasted me nearly a year; I just purchased my second roll a couple of months ago. Sometimes I try to be really conservative, saving all the little scraps I end up with, and other times I just throw them out.

*************

My Burda Easy Fashion coat is coming along together quite nicely. I just need to insert the lining and make the origami trims which will be hand sewn onto the sleeve and coat hems. I have a feeling this will take a while - making the origami trim itself requires a lot of hand sewing. I am going out of town for the weekend; if I get my act together, I'll get it prepped to the point where I can bring the trim (but not the coat) on the plane and tackle the hand sewing in transit.

"Estate sale...yarns and fabrics...great prices" - I'm so there

I got up early this morning and checked Craigslist for any yard sales happening today within walking distance of my house. I found an estate sale and scored two bags full worth of stuff there. Buttons, a vintage Belding-Corticelli kit, Addi Turbos, eyelets, snaps & associated tools, and a pincushion! Everything was 50 cents each except the box of buttons which was $3. I'll ask my mom if she wants any of the knitting needles, she knits a lot more than I do.

I also got some kitchen gadgets, vintage Italian silver spoons, colored pencils and some old coins that I'll send to my dad who is a collector.

I decided to skip the rest of the yard sales on my list except for one that was on my way home. More buttons(!) and fabric (because I just don't have enough).

Speaking of bargains, my mom sent me this Balmain pattern that she found at a thrift store (in Colorado which is where my parents live). Factory folds, and it even has the special Vogue label!

How much cuteness can fit into one store?

Edited 6/6/07 to try to make the second photo enlargeable, but was unsuccessful. I'm putting "Learn HTML" on my to-do list.

Yesterday after work, I was running here and there downtown doing errands. Once of my stops was Daiso, the Japanese "livingware" store that now has a few North American (West Coast) locations. It is kind of like a dollar store, except:
.

1) most things are $1.50,

2) it has at least 20x the selection of any dollar store I've ever been to, and

3) everything is adorable in that way that only Japanese products can be.

.

From kitchen gadgets, laundry organizers & stationery to aprons, pet toys & toiletry travel bags, Daiso has got you covered. Seriously, I can't even begin to describe their selection, you've just got to see it. The first time I went, I was there for 2 hours taking it all in.

Yesterday I noticed an endcap of sewing notions. They've got elastic, safety pins, crochet thread, measuring tapes, etc. There was a little set of machine needles, but I wasn't sure if they would fit my Pfaff. They even have invisible and regular zippers, in sets of 3 short or 2 long, and yes, they are only $1.50.

Okay, I'm not sure of the quality, but I'm willing to do a little research to find out. And it sure beats schlepping into Joann.

Studs

I'm sure you've noticed the studs popping up all over today's apparel, shoes, and handbags. They often have a darkened patina. I have a pair of Marc by Marc Jacobs flats that feature an assortment of studs on the toe, and let me tell you they are worth every penny.

Cacharel silk organza blouse, available at Net-a-Porter

Development modal jersey top, available at Shopbop

Temperley London silk chiffon dress, available at Net-a-Porter

Did you know you can create this look yourself? I opened up the M&J Trimming site the other day to search for some buttons, when I saw these featured on their main page.

They are called Italian Sew On Rhinestones and you can get them in sets of 6, 12, or 18, depending on the style and size, for $10 - $12. It could be painful for the wallet to get too carried away with these, but think of the impact a few sets of well placed studs could make. I'd love to see someone give these a try!