Remember my charming DuBarry dress? I found just the right fabric- a pale green silk mini-pique and along with a few other tasty fabrics, sent my order to Fashion Fabrics Club. Since I live on the far side of the planet with no domestic textile industry, gorgeous fabric is hard to come by. (I won't wear polyesters, it's suicide in this climate, yet I find so much textured polyester in the fabric stores) When I can find a beautiful fabric, it often carries an outrageous price tag. I'm talking 10 times what I'd pay for it back home. I can find good linens and blouse fabrics readily enough, but when a pattern calls for something special, I order out.
As per the usual, I asked customer service to quote me a price on shipping. She quoted. I wrote back. The holiday intervened. By then, my silk pique evaporated. It's gone. Shipping prices skyrocketed at the turn of the year, I'll have to pay more to ship the remaining rest than the fabric cost to begin with. I know it's silly to be so upset, but I'm beside myself over the whole debacle.
I'm shelving DuBarry. Best to forget the pique first.
Instead, how about my newest project, the Lady Explorer Sun Jacket? It's a WW2 era jacket with pretty pockets and a peplum, Advance 2960. I'll make her unlined of a medium weight unbleached hemp-silk crepe back satin. I'll use the satin to the inside so it slips easily over my clothes. I have another, simpler sun jacket made from Simplicity 4044 which sees constant wear. I'm allowing myself to linger over the construction details of this jacket, I even re-drafted the back to include a pleat for movement.
I won't muslin, as I tried on the pattern after alterations and it fit like a dream:
Yaaay! I'm in the middle of cutting at the moment. Slowly, slowly.
You know, I feel better having vented and shared plans for another project. Thank you for listening.
Oh fabrics are a woe here aren't they! And I've only just begun the search. Would love to hear what your favourite OS retailers are?
ReplyDeleteOhhh. I don't know. They all suck to me right now because of shipping, which isn't their fault. Gorgeous Fabrics lives up to the name, Fashion Fabrics Club has great customer service, NearSeaNaturals carries my kind of ethics, and AuroraSilks carries gorgeous ahimsa silk. I like Margaret River Hemp Company because they're based in Oz and carry a wide range of hemp fabrics- jerseys, plain weaves, some fancies, and silk blends as well as organic cottons and bamboo. I buy from them often and I have zero complaints.
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