“I am in fabric heaven.” Have you ever had that feeling? When you enter a fabric store (either virtually or in reality) and are surrounded by fabrics of all kinds – lots of patterns, texture, colour, and different types. So much choice – how do you choose? Of course, some people are looking for something specific, a dress fabric for a pattern you like, and want to make, or a blouse pattern you have been dying to have a go at.
When I look at fabrics, I am tantalised by their mystery and their potential. I just enjoy fabrics for simply what they are. I like unusual fabrics, vintage fabrics, special fabrics, textured fabrics. I haven’t a single idea in my head what I am going to do with the fabric, but some fabrics are just irresistible and I must have them. I have some fabrics that I have purchased that are so special, particularly vintage ones that have bold prints, or African style fabrics that the idea of cutting into them with a pair of scissors would be like committing murder. How weird is that? They are just so beautiful to look at.
Sometimes I see some fabric and instantly I can see a beautiful bag, and because you don’t need a huge quantity of fabric for a bag, I am pleased with myself, because I know I can cut out the bag pattern and still have lots of fabric left, just to enjoy!
One of my instant bag “visions” was this bag that is available to purchase in my folksy shop:
This gorgeous red embroidered fabric bag is rich with style and finesse.
Sometimes fabric can arrive in unexpected ways. One day, a friend suddenly presented me with a bundle of upholstery fabric samples. What treasure! They were simply gorgeous – lots of texture, colour and potential! What they were particularly ideal for was a patchwork bag and the following picture shows the result:
I used five different sample fabrics to create the bag and I was very pleased with how it turned out!
Certain fabrics are special in their own way. For example, cotton fabrics that are dazzling with their myriad colours and patterns make choosing which to have so difficult. Linen is a favourite because it is so versatile and comes in so many different colours now. Faux leather and suede are great to experiment with and they don’t fray! Classics like denim just never go out of fashion. But my all-time favourite fabric just has to be silk. Wow, it is just so amazing! Lots and lots of beautiful colours, weights, patterns and most of all, silk is the height of luxury. Luckily a silk bag only takes a little fabric so doesn’t cost a fortune! I made some silk patchwork purses because it gave me the opportunity to use lots of different colours, but only small pieces of silk. There are a few silk purses available in my folksy shop.
BFN Until next time! Edwina
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