I had absolutely no idea that there were fabrics in this world that could do the sort of things James Bond could only dream of. I came across the subject in the intro of my fab swatch book, Swatch Reference Guide for Fashion Fabrics. I read about the cross-breeding of spiders with goats to make spider silk. Yes, that’s what I said: spiders with goats. I assumed this was some sort of weird joke, but when I read it out loud to my husband, he said “Oh yes, I remember that in the news”. WHAT? So maybe I’m the last person in the world to know about it (and I regard myself as a reasonably well-informed person), but if the goat/spider phenomenon (and others to follow) passed you by, here’s what they are talking about. Continue reading “Discoveries of a novice: Intelligent/smart fabrics – they do WHAT?”
Tag fabric
Discoveries of a novice: Woven fabrics
One of the things that is taking me a while is getting to grips with fabric choice. Both which fabric to use and where to buy it. It can be something of a conundrum. You don’t want to spend a ton of money when you’re starting off as you’re fairly sure you’re going to make a mess of at least a couple of pieces. On the other hand, there’s just no point in making something if you don’t really like the fabric. And then there’s the whole “Is it the right fabric?” “How thick is lightweight cotton??” “How stretchy is this knit really?” “Would I need to line this one?” etc. etc. ad infinitum.

Cotton lawns and poplins
Monday montage: January 25th
Well… it’s still Monday in Seattle! Just. A busy week – and the main persuing I’ve been doing this week has been for fabric. I’ve got a class coming up in a few weeks to make the Fen dress by Tiger Crafts and I don’t have any material for it yet. I’ve visited a few shops but haven’t quite found what I’m looking for, so hit Etsy for a gander. I’m not sure all these would be suitable, but here are some of my faves:
Monday morning montage – Cyber Monday!
Alright, this is my first Cyber Monday in the United States, so please bear with me. My husband told me he thought Cyber Monday had died a death, but hubby – I beg to differ!! So many sales… too many sales for a young British whippersnapper used to paying much, Continue reading “Monday morning montage – Cyber Monday!”
Monday montage – my favourite finds!
Yuck – Mondays. Whether you’re working or at home, Mondays are a dismal start to the week. To cheer myself up I do a little browsing on a Monday morning and make a little montage of stuff I like to dribble over. This week I took a look at Etsy and here are some of the lovely things I found!