The Last Great Fabric Haul of 2011

Ok, well, I wasn't planning on buying quite so much fabric at the end of the year, but for some reason the end-of-year sales offered up better options to me than any of the Black Friday or pre-Christmas sales did.  Most of my family gave me "fabric money" as holiday gifts, and so I went a little crazy.  I pretty much hit all of my favorite fabric and pattern sources, and made out like a bandit.


ebay


Ebay is one of the best places to find older BWOF and other pattern magazines.  It is often hit or miss (especially if you are looking for a specific issue), but I have had great luck in finding a lot of the older issues that I fell in love with when I looked through the Russian Burda Archive.  Also, since my sister has brought me back some Patrones from Spain, I have started hunting those on ebay as well.  Here are a few that I snapped up recently:

Patrones 295

I don't think this style would look good on me,
but I do find it quite striking.

I LOVE the section on blazers - loving the collar on the one on the right.

The one of the left is so classic, and the one on the right has interesting waist detail.

I am also loving this dress - a possibility for my sewing challenge bonus item party dress?

I am really liking this dress as well.

I also couldn't resist picking up a few of these older Burdas.  I have actually been looking for the 01/2007 issue for several months, mainly for this coat pattern:

BWOF-01-2007-121

Though I also really like this coat pattern too:

BWOF-01-2007-101

And I also got the August 2007 issue which has a lot of great pieces with some interesting details:

BWOF-08-2007-111

BWOF-08-2007-102

BWOF-08-2007-117

Hancock Fabrics


The "local" Hancock's is very far out of the way, but fairly close to one of the rinks I skate at on occasion.  My mother got a 15% off total purchase coupon, so we hit the store after practice.  I don't know why, but I always seem to find something good at this store, and they were having a massive sale, with most fabrics 30-60% off.  I also got the new Simplicity pattern on sale, and some half-priced buttons:

Pattern and buttons

Black/gold buttons

Black/silver buttons

Gold buttons

Fabric clockwise from top: Black PRL for pants, black stretch lace,
light blue polyester lining (for the raincoat), plaid poly charmeuse,
blue/black paisley poly charmeuse print (most likely for lining).

Joann Fabric and Crafts


Joann's New Year's Sale sucked me in, as I needed to buy a second sewing gauge (for the new sewing space) and some wooly nylon thread.  While there I also picked up some Red Tag fabric and (prepare for a shock) Bemberg rayon lining!  I don't know when they started carrying it, or how long they will continue to carry it, but I am sure glad they have it!  Regular price is $9.99/yard, but with the sale it was $5.99, and with a 50% off coupon it could be less in the future (on a non-sale day).  Hoping this is a sign that Joann will start carrying some more higher-quality stuff, but I am not counting on it too much.

Thread and notions

Metallic blend poly/cotton and Bemberg rayon!

Right now I am thinking of making a blazer type jacket with the fabric and using the underside (lighter, more shiny) as a contrast collar).  I have a few patterns from the Patrones magazines in mind for this, though I probably won't get to it anytime soon.

Sew Much More


This is a local-ish fabric store specializing in fabrics for dance, skating, and gymnastics costumes.  Though they used to be at a different location with a larger selection, they still carry some great fabrics on occasion.

Back - spandex print
Middle - black spandex lining and black power mesh
Front - red shiny spandex

Spandex World


Since the new skating season is starting, it is time to start planning out my new skating costume designs! I went looking for fabric in LA, but was unable to find anything really suitable.  And since my sister also wanted some sequined fabric for a fancy shirt, it seemed like a good time to place an order.  Also, I feel the need to point out that their swatch service is fabulous, and I have found their customer service to be very helpful (I had to talk to them on the phone about waiting for an out-of-stock fabric...).  In any case, here is what I ended up with:

Clockwise from top: Red spandex, burgundy spandex,
gold sequin fabric for my sister, teal sequin knit fabric, blue stretch lace

Fashion Fabrics Club


The email about the sale came while I was starting to think about my plans for the 2012 Sewing Challenge, so when I saw a sale on denim, I thought it would be a good time to get some.  I also couldn't resist the sale on wool coatings, so I got a few of those as well.  And, of course, I had to get a mystery box because they make life interesting.

Denim - for the jeans phase of my sewing challenge.

Blue/black wool coating.

Magenta wool coating - it is fabulously smooth.

Mystery box fabric - I think the green and white in the front are silks.

More mystery fabric - some cotton floral fabric and assorted polyester things.

Mystery box part 3 - knit fabrics

Fabric Mart Fabrics


I think Fabric Mart might be my favorite online fabric source - they have such great quality at reasonable prices and I love that their stock is always changing.  During the Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales I wasn't too interested in anything they had, but they recently had a one day 30% off total purchase sale and I went absolutely hog wild.  We are talking upwards of 50 yards here.  Insane.  But I got some really amazing stuff.

The mystery box - back row: grey wool, purple knit, white silk/linen blend
Front row: blue star fabric (linen or cotton), striped fabric (cotton/silk?)

Left: polyester lining fabrics, right: micro-fleece for interlining

Back: cotton sateen and green cotton twill, front: metallic blend fabric

Silk!  Back: dense, smooth blue-grey silk and tan silk shantung.
Front: pumpkin silk-acetate blend, and teal ombre silk chiffon.

Blue houndstooth wool coating

My favorite!  Teal/navy Marc Jacobs wool.
This will become a BWOF coat.

So yeah... that's, ummm, a lot of fabric.  Like, a lot a lot.  Like whoa I can't believe I ordered that much fabric.  Like, I won't be needing fabric for a really long time amount of fabric.  So at this point I am thinking I probably won't be buying much fabric (any fabric) unless it is required for structural support, lining, or interlining anytime soon.  I don't know if I will say that I am officially on a stash diet, but I will say my fabric appetite is quite satiated at the moment.  Ah, well.  It is pretty and it does make me happy and inspired.  On that note, time to get sewing!