Hello friends!
It’s been a while since our last Sewing Small Talk topic. So here is a question for you: is there a fabric you’ve been saving for a special garment? Or do you have fabric that’s too special to use?
Tell us about what you’ve been hoarding in your stash and what you want to make with it.
I have an amazingly beautiful silk fabric that my husband bought for his mother In Hong Kong over 50 years ago. She never used it and it was passed to me. It is slightly under 30 inches wide and there is almost 6 yards of it. I don’t know what to make from it and I am scared to cut into it. I’ve had it for a number of years. Guess I’ll be passing it on someday.
Hi
You can make beautiful pillow covers.
While doing some lockdown cleaning I came across some lovely fabric I had bought for quilts for my now 17 year old son and 15 year old daughter. The fabric is much too young for their current styles, and I’m now torn as to what to do with it.
Hi,
You can make STUFF toys . There is patterns for this.
Claire
how about fun shirts for summer?
I have a lovely liberty lawn that I envision as a blouse. It’s the most expensive fabric that I’ve ever purchased, per yard, and before I use it, I hope to improve my sewing skills by making a shirt using your Classic Shirt pattern. If I can do a good job with it, then perhaps I’ll be brave enough to create a blouse with the lawn.
I have a few pieces of Liberty lawn, some quilting fabrics that were really cute and sold out fast, and a small piece of silk taffeta that would make a kid’s skirt. The really wow fabric is a piece of vintage red cotton organdy with little white Swiss dots that I found at Saver’s. There’s enough to make a vintage-style dress for my 18-year-old but she would probably go to the beach to take photos and then jump right into the water… I also bought tons of Lisette lawn and voile when it was on sale at JoAnn. Got some summer blouses planned…
I bought some amazing Outback Wife bark cloth by Gertrude Made a few years ago with a dress in mind. Then it arrived and I couldn’t cut into it. It came on sale when it was discontinued and I bought a heap more in different designs and happily cut into those (glorious to sew with), but I still can’t cut the original fabric I bought.
I have some gorgeous navy blue wool coating fabric that I’ve been saving for at least 20 years….together with matching lining material backed with felt for extra warmth. I’ve been saving it to make a toggle coat (which I have always wanted!). My skills aren’t good enough to tackle a big project like that, so I’m afraid to even start. The fabric will probably still be in my stash on the day I die.
Sounds like my story. I have some beautiful camelhair coating purchased from a local woolen mill that closed back in the 90s. It’s been in my stash ever since. I too have the lining and pattern. I bought a Vogue Ralph Lauren polo style coat pattern back then and so 25 years later it sits in a drawer in my sewing room!!!
I bought some Nani Iro Five Senses Earth fabric and can’t decide what to take with it! It seems like I should pick something without a lot of seams but I typically look better in a dress with a very defined waist. I’m still on the look out for the perfect pattern.
I had quite a few pieces of cotton that I was just in love with, but mask making has (kind of surprisingly) freed me up. I also cut up some vintage pieces that I had expected would be with me until the end. It all went out the door in the form of masks, and it felt great!
4 yards of silk, bought in Thailand in 1994! I have no idea idea what to make with it or how to care for it. I bought it because people said I should buy silk in Thailand! It’s been carefully ageing in my stash ever since.
I have a cut of silk that my grandmother bought in Japan in the early sixties (sixty years ago!), gave to my mum (who didn’t sew anyway) and it’s now been given to me.
I adore the colours, but it has an irregular, Chevron stripe so has to be used in a certain direction and is limited by it’s retro, narrow width.
I’m equally torn between using it and getting it wrong and stashing it and risking moth damage.
I’m doing the Classic shirt sew-along, with muslin, in preparation, and fingers crossed, for finally sewing up that Liberty lawn. It’s a superb tutorial and I’m learning so much–thank you!
I found a few yards of a beautiful fabric I bought over 26 years ago. I discovered it while organizing my sewing things during the current pandemic. It’s a slightly sheer very pale blue fabric with a very subtle design. I found a blouse pattern and I’m so happy with it! It has many pint UCLA on the front and a few on the sleeve caps. I’m going to get going on sewing my stash. It’s so much more fun to enjoy it! And if you make a mistake? That’s life. It’s just fabric!
Should say “many pintucks” … spellcheck?!?
Two words in US English, one word in UK English:
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pin%20tuck
https://www.lexico.com/definition/pintuck
One word in UK English, hyphenated in US English:
https://www.lexico.com/definition/spellcheck
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spellcheck
slightly late to the party …I have some fine charcoal grey wool (Jean Paul Gaultier?) which is adorned with silver ‘nails’ (as in hammer and – not finger) which look amazing. it is not the oldest fabric in my stash – but I genuinely have no idea what to do with it – I take it out every now and then to ponder its future – thinking a vest of some description but haven’t got there yet …