The look for so very much less

Desiring this wool blend knit at Gorgeous Fabrics? It's yours for $23.80 on sale. Regular price $28.00.

Or you can go to Fabric Mart and get it for $12.99. Note where FM says market price $22.00.

Have a craving for a purple hued soft tie dye rayon or viscose knit? Go to Emma One Sock and buy it for $14.95.

Or go to High End Fabrics and get one for $5.75.

Snip, sort, and the spreadsheet

Not a bit of sewing going on here. Last week while doing some super easy sewing as a call out to my mojo I managed to snip a nice little wedge into my finger with my tailors point Ginghers. Ouch! Those things are sharp, smooth cutting, and sturdy which is why I like them so very much. Mine are stamped with "Italy" which I suppose means they are made there. Then within the same hour I managed to serge a hole in my fabric. Right in the front and center of the scrub top, my easy project. Step away from the sewing tools! What to do instead? Sort the stash, of course.

Sorting

Questions I ask when I sort my fabric:

• Is this color or texture really me.
• Will I enjoy sewing this fabric or will it be a chore?
• Do I still feel love for the fabric or is it over?
• Do the colors work together?
• How does this fabric work with my existing wardrobe?
• Would I really wear this fabric or is it a fantasy fabric?
  

I store them in general categories in my tall shelved cabinet. Nearly all my fabrics fit in there, a few bulky ones are in tubs on a nearby shelf. I like being able to see what I have. I like to be in control of my stash, not have it control me. NancyK said that first.

The spreadsheet

Once upon a time I thought using a spreadsheet to manage one's stash was a bit hard core for the sewing room but after a few incidents of forgetting what I had or how many yards a piece was, I was a spreadsheet convert. Most computers come with a simple spreadsheet program and if not, one can download programs like Open Office for free.

Categories I use:

• Color - with the basic color family name first
• Weave or knit - twill, jersey, crepe, etc.
• Fiber content - cotton, silk, wool, etc.
• Fabric width
• Length
• Source - where purchased

I use Microsoft Works and there is a "sort" function where I can arrange a chosen column alphabetically. This way I can see what I have in a certain color, how many wools I have, and so on. I'm thinking of adding a "type of use" category with words like jacket, tees, pants, and blouses. Then if I see a pattern I must make I can quickly see what suitable fabrics might be in the stash.

Now I must get back to updating my spreadsheet!

Burda, now I want you again

The August issue of Burda is now online and it has made me want again. Want patterns, designs, new clothes, fabrics - wants that have faded into near nothingness lately. I have been blaming my flat mood on the heat but maybe the new wanting is due to the fact that the styles showing up this fall are my old favorites. Once upon a time I loved slim pants, simple and elegantly loose shirts, tailored jackets with a subtle twist, combinations of quiet colors like gray in all it's hues. Simple, functional, elegant, well tailored, love these. I can't wait to have the August Burda in my hands so I can browse and dream and, hopefully, sew.

The Love List

This pretty basic jacket with the subtle twist of having the buttons in a concealed closure and being intended to wear with the collar up. There is a soft steel blue wool cashmere blend that has been in my stash almost too long. This might be the right pattern to make it come out.


The loose fitting banded collar shirt. I have seen this style in printed chiffons which gives a nice effect, the contrast of menswear and feminine. Soft, drapey, easy to tuck in, easy to wear, this is my kind of shirt.

Slim pants, my wardrobe staple for many years until the bootleg look arrived and made slim pants look fashion backward. The slim pants of yesteryear were more like close fitting tapered things though. I like the updated leg shaping in the current pants.



Jacket + shirt + pants = outfit. I need to go rouse my mojo.