Friday, February 13, 2015

Fabric Gamble or Goldmine

Blah! I am sick. I have a sinus infection/ cold /flu thing. I am coughing, sneezing, achy all over. It hurts to do just about anything. My hubby is an awesome caregiver and I have been resting up in bed. If you know me, I am chomping at the bit to get to my happy place.

I have been asked to teach a few friends to make t-shirt quilts. Before the class, I plan to have a few variations made up for them to choose from. I have had about one hour each day to do a tiny bit of work. Here is the top of a 12x12 twin quilt/ duvet cover I am working on for my daughter.  I plan to add a border along  the edges and may tie this one off. I will have better pictures with the final.


I have a client with a 60th birthday  in June. She has asked me to make this McCalls 7047 dress for her. She is a sassy grandma and has the figure to pull this off. I will be making this in a red sequin knit.

M7047, Misses' Dresses

Ga-Ga Red/Red | Solid Stone Fabrics $11.95

Before getting sick, I made the muslin for this one and I am so glad I did. I do not usually make them for myself, but it is a must when sewing for others. The dress  comes together easily, and the fit is great on her. I cannot wait to be better to get this made.

In addition to this dress, I will be making others for her family members. Her grand-daughter wants a dress with embroidered mesh lace like that seen here:
Image 2 of Chi Chi London Premium Embroidered Lace Prom Dress with Bardot Neck

This dress is lovely, but this lace is hard to find. I have searched and searched, but to no avail. I am still looking, but it is looking slim. I asked for help on a Pattern Review forum and was directed to Aliexpress. It feels like an international Amazon.com. I had seen items for sale on the site, but I never purchased because the prices seemed to good to be true. Based on the PR recommendation, and downtime in my bed, I decided to check it out.

I did not find the lace I was looking for, but I did find a world of African Dutch Wax fabric. There are so many wonderful prints and colors; I searched for hours. I know China is the hub of manufacturing, but it is also a hub of knock-offs. Are African Dutch Wax fabrics made in China? When the selvedge says "Super Wax" or "Vlisco" am I getting the real deal? I do not know, but for $30 for 6 yards with free shipping, I figure this potential goldmine is worth the the gamble.

 I ordered this                  cotton fabrics textile 6 yards $30.00
and this one
                        fabric for sewing 6yards african wax prints fabric patchwork fabric african lace fabric
Aren't they lovely? This is order is the epitome of delayed gratification. The listing says it takes 35 days to process and 5-15 days to ship. The shipping on my order says it will be here in 54 days. Lucky for me, I am not in a rush for it. If it turns out to be the real deal, it will be worth the wait.

Okay, I am spent. Time to go back to bed.

Happy Sewing,
Bianca


3 comments:

  1. Aw! I hope you r feeling yourself real soon. I can't wait to see Grama's sexy red dress!

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  2. I have the same thing. :( Hope you are better VERY soon, and just in case you are interested, I have a Pinterest board with many t-shirt quilt ideas/possible layouts that might be useful.
    https://www.pinterest.com/helenkosings/new-t-shirt-quilt/

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  3. Feel better too Helen! Thanks for your pin board link, I will go and have a look.

    ReplyDelete