London fabric shopping

So I love living in Newcastle, it really is a wonderful city, I would like to stress that now. However, one thing that gripes me about the region is the fabric shops... or lack thereof. Yes there are places where fabric supplies can be acquired in the Newcastle area, but for the majority of these you need to have a car to get there (Dainty Supplies in Washington being a good example, great shop, in the middle of an industrial estate, far far away from bus services). So I am limited to Fenwick's in the city centre (good variety of material types, not great for patterns), begging my sister for a lift to Dainty Supplies in Washington (better selection but more crafting stuff), or eBay (all hail the eBay). EBay is very good, but you really are taking a stab in the dark where the feel or drape of the fabric is concerned. I love reading other people's blogs about their sewing adventures and always feel very jealous that they have places that they can get beautiful fabrics nearby.
So on my annual 'staycation' to my parents house in Wiltshire, during which we usually have a day out in London (tis but an hour or so on the train), I got very excited about the prospect of visiting a couple of fabric shops while we were there. My Mum is also a sewing enthusiast so she was very up for it (Dad agreed to station himself in a nearby pub and watch our bags)... and I stocked up! I thought it would be nice to share my expedition and the beautiful things I found.

We went to the usual touristy shops that I've not been to before...

Very swish, very fancy... very expensive



Hands down best escalator I've ever seen





But I was really in it for the fabric! So as we started on Oxford Street visiting Selfridge's and John Lewis, I had a look online to find out what was in the area, and the best bet for fabric shops looked like it would be Berwick Street, where we found...

Mum outside the wonderful Misan Textiles

This place was amazing! There were actually several really great shops along this street (I failed to photograph them all, but I also particularly loved The Cloth House), but I really took to Misan Textiles as they have a bargain basement which was just floor to ceiling fabric heaven (and who doesn't love a bargain). They had really helpful shop assistants who were really enthusiastic, and who packaged up my purchases just beautifully..


Wonderful parcel heaven

Who doesn't love their stuff packed in tissue paper and wrapped all pretty. So asides from three which I bought in Fabric Land in Bristol (also a day trip with Mum while 'down south') and one recent eBay buy, all of this was bought in Misan Textiles...

I'm apparently into purple right now

I love my stash, and I'm so excited about planning and making and stuff, I already have many ideas about what I could make with this lot. Ok guys, this is where it gets a bit picture heavy, but I get really excited when I have new things!!

A grey tweed type fabric which I found in Fabric Land in Bristol... on it's way to becoming a winter jacket

A black jersey fabric with white printed flowers, I have no experience of working with jersey so I got this to practice with from Fabric Land... also I want to make the wraparound dress from the Great British Sewing Bee book.
 

I also found this in Fabric Land and fell in love with the pattern on it. It's a chiffon which I've not worked with yet...eep!

A lovely brushed cotton I found on eBay... I'm planning on this being the lining for my winter jacket, not sure if it will work yet, but I'm going to give it a go.

One I found in the Misan Textiles basement. It feels like a lovely soft cotton which is very light, though I'm not sure as they don't label what each fabric is. You also have to buy what is in each bundle, I think I got two meters out of this but will be measuring it again... I'm thinking nice shirt

I paid full price for this bad boy... my Liberty Lawn with blue buds, this photo came out a bit blurry so it doesn't do it justice, it is gorgeous. I don't know what to make with this yet but I feel like it needs to be special

Another really soft feeling cotton in navy blue with daisies on it. I am a little in love with this one... I think a blouse (pattern ordered and on it's way... you will hear more here soon.

I have no idea what this is... it's light, it's floaty, it's not quite chiffon... I'm going to have to have a think about this one, but it's really pretty

Again I have no idea what this actually is, but it feels like silk, it's much darker than the photo lets on, the shiny ness reflected the flash making it look much paler. This one I have hallmarked for a Sencha Blouse (I've made one before and have been looking for a silky fabric to make it in since).

So this is are my new toys, I'm really excited about getting stuck into this lot. The first thing I want to get done is the winter jacked made from the grey tweed. I promise to keep to up to date with progress on that project.
I really enjoyed having a look around the fabric stores of London. I would love some suggestions of other good places to visit, in Newcastle and anywhere else in the country. Please get in touch if you know of a good place.

The GBSB 'Skater Dress'

It has been nice to get the sewing machine out again and get stuck into a project. And here it is!! The 'full skirted dress' from the Great British Sewing Bee book (Sew Your Own Wardrobe), or as I have been calling it... The Skater Dress

As I take a very uncomfortable looking photo... photos will mostly be appearing headless (sorry)

This was a pretty easy pattern to follow and has a lovely shape which is very flattering for the larger of bum people. I love the little capped sleeves (which are double sided so the pattern continues underneath, very pretty and a lovely detail), they did cause me a little bit of trouble until I worked out which way round they were meant to go.
When I picked up the material to cut the pattern I decided that (while it is lovely and soft) the cotton was in fact very thin. As we are heading into autumn (not yet, I'm still clinging onto the last few weeks of summer... but it's out there, lurking) I thought it would be prudent to add a lining to it to give it a bit more substance. I decided to underline it as this is my first attempt at lining a dress, I think I managed it ok.

The bust with princess seams

I used a cream jersey fabric for the lining which felt lovely and soft, it matched the cotton for it's softness and kept the lovely drape of the dress. I unfortunately didn't take into account that the jersey may shrink a little so the hem had a bit of a bubble effect (which you can see at the front of the photo above), this resulted in some unpicking as I decided to just hem both layers of fabric separately.

I decided that this would make a lovely addition to my summer holiday wardrobe, and give me a good opportunity to wear it out somewhere nice. I've spent the last week in the south with my parents who live in Wiltshire. This dress made its debut on our day out in London (where we did some fabric shopping - I'll tell you about that soon), I wanted to get some photo's taken while we were there but it was really windy so the photos came out a bit... well...

Holding down the skirt so my dignity isn't lost

So some photos were taken in the back garden of my parents house to show the shape and the interesting bits (unfortunately it got a bit creased after the day out in London)

The shocking thing is I wasn't wearing tights, my legs are just that white

The low back is much nicer than I expected

The back of the dress requires a hidden zip, but I managed to fit a regular zip which you can see at the top. It also asks for a hook and eye to secure the top, but I really hate those things so decided to fit a button with a loop fastener, I think it makes the obvious zip look like it's meant to be there... sort of.

Me and my Dad in London - Mum's photography skills... wonky

And some proof that I did in fact wear the dress in London. We went to visit the Queen, who was actually at home.

Things I learned making this dress...
1, Princess seams are a bugger, but they are lovely and flattering and a very comfortable fit.
2. Lining something with a stretch fabric is not always the best idea (you live and learn).
3, Always double check you've got the right zip, it does make a difference.

Things I learned in general...
1, A bum length cardigan is great for controlling a girly skirt on a windy day... you heard it here first.

All in all I really enjoyed making this dress, I will definitely be wearing this a lot as it is so comfy, and I will definitely use this pattern again... I think it would be awesome in a knit or jersey fabric.