Souvenirs

Yesterday afternoon, I spent with my friend Caroline. We were supposed to spend today together and things changed and that was just fine. I picked her up after church and we drove to the Fabricland in Vernon about 1 1/2 hours away.

We have a Fabricland in Kamloops however, it's operated by head office whereas the one in Vernon is a franchise. Some of the stock is similar but overall the store is cleaner, brighter, friendlier, and has a higher quality of fabric. I really enjoy visiting there AND... our timing was perfect. Everything was between 50-70% off. Even for me - who already has 300 yards of fabric - that's simply irresistible. For Caroline... well, there are no fabric stores where she lives so our yearly foray is her major stashing event. She did exceedingly well.

After a quick walk around the store, we looked through the pattern catalogues choosing new patterns and checking yardage on the ones that we already had. It was amazing how many patterns we have in common. It's so wonderful to have a friend who shares your interest. We were there three hours and neither of us was tapping our toes wanting to leave, our eyes stayed rolled forward in our heads, and we were surprised where the time had gone.

Equally wonderful is a friend who knows your likes and dislikes and what suits your lifestyle and body type. Caroline kept pointing out patterns she thought I might like and mostly I had them all. Likewise, she mostly had the patterns I thought that she'd enjoy. Unfortunately, we hadn't sewn many of them even though we each have a lot. We decided that we're collectors - LOL.

I bought four pieces of fabric. The one bottom left is a dark navy, polyester rayon blend with a spaced stripe suitable for a jacket or pencil skirt. I bought enough for both. Beside it is a 100% cotton, lightweight shirting in white with a dark grey stripe. GORGEOUS.




The fabric bottom left in this image is a black, stable knit. Last week, I tried on some lounge pants that were made out of knit. They were wonderful except that one size was too small and the other too big so I couldn't buy them. Now, I can make my own. Beside that is a dark grey linen blend. The opposite side is a light grey. I could make a co-ordinated outfit using both sides. YES YES!




Why buy fabric when you already have 300 yards you might ask? Well... two reasons. One is that day trips like this are my holiday during the summer and therefore these pieces of fabric are my souvenirs. I'd much rather have fabric than anything else. Howard and the boys are away this week and I'll sew.

The other reason is less wonderful. I've been stashing fabrics for almost thirty years but I have done almost no fashion sewing in the past twenty so many of the fashion fabrics in my stash I either no longer like or are not practical for my lifestyle. Quite a few are too fancy. I've thought a lot about that (sad fact) this last week as I've been slowly cruising back into sewing. I asked myself what works for the woman I am right now, with the lifestyle I live in this moment? I want to sew for the present.

Later this week, I will give my fashion fabric a major culling. If a piece can't be used, can't be evolved (dyed, stamped, surface design, ripped, etc), is no longer loved, doesn't suit me at all, or for any other reason doesn't work, it'll be leaving the studio. Yes - I know that's a waste of money but the greater waste is keeping it. By giving it away, someone else can use it. My goal is to get the point where I have a small stash - say two boxes - for late night sewing and impromptu projects and am mostly buying and sewing in the moment. I think there will be more pleasure (and a lot less guilt and regrets) in that approach.

At dinner, I asked Caroline which of the fabrics that she bought was her favourite. We talked about that for a bit and then she asked why? I said that I planned to sew my favourite first and not save it for later when it might be outdated, inappropriate, or no longer a favourite. There are some things that don't need to wait and sewing our favourite fabric is one of them.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful: a wonderful day with my friend. I have missed her so much since she moved away from Kamloops 22 years ago. I really value the time we have together.