FROM PILLAR TO POST
I've just spent a wonderful weekend in Melbourne with wonderful friends Di and Nic, dragging each other from pillar to post, from zakka shops to fabric shops, and back. There is nothing nicer than stash shopping with friends, bouncing ideas off each other, and taking selections in different directions as each person provides input.
Having someone to mind Pia while I grabbed bolts of fabric helped enormously too. Without Nic's help I would never have been able to purchase the following pure wools, and one wool/cashmere mix for winter clothes for Pia.
An afternoon at Amitie was excessive:: How much fabric can 15 women buy? A lot. Not only did we shop for fabric, but 15 bloggers got together for a blogetogether and gift exchange - that's what all the cards in previous posts were for! Quite a wonderful experience meeting bloggers, putting faces and voices to blogs and personality to writings. I had a great time, and I only wish I could have spoken to more people at length. A big thankyou to Justine and Nikki for organising it, and the ladies at Amitie for allowing us to take over their shop. I got into a red neutral and grey obsession with new Amy Butler and Lecien fabrics (and another spotty one from Patchwork On Central).
And last, but not least, my favourite, Patchwork On Central for Liberty fabrics. I love the whispy bits of threads. But all these will go with the wool fabrics above and with linen for next summer.
I'm all fabric shopped out. Now, though, it's time to go sewing machine shopping. And that is an entirely different world all together, and an immensely frustrating one at that.
Sounds like so much fun. Love your fabric selection. I need to get myself to Melbourne, I only live about an hour away, but sometimes that seems so far.
Posted by:Rennae | February 20, 2007 at 07:36 PM
I am amazed they let you all into the shop at once. We have signs here on sweet shops saying 'no more than two children in the shop at a time' and I kind of imagine that the fifteen of you were like girls in a sweetshop!
Lovely fabrics.
Posted by:Jane | February 20, 2007 at 07:36 PM
Sandra has just bought a new Pfaff. Not a quilting or embroidery one, but it's so smooth to use. *Great* buttonholes.
Posted by:M-H | February 20, 2007 at 07:46 PM
Sounds like such fun and your new fabrics look gorgeous! I had heard about a Zakka shop in Melbourne but wasn't sure where it was - so thanks so much for the link, I might be able to go check it out next week :)
Posted by:Emma | February 20, 2007 at 09:18 PM
patchwork on central park is a favourite of mine too, what wonderful fabrics you have selected, can't wait to see glimpses of pia's new clothes... think i'll need to add zakkaya and amitie to my list for my next trip to melbourne!
Posted by:sarah | February 20, 2007 at 09:43 PM
Girl Can Shop.
You got that cashmere/wool blend WHERE?
Posted by:shula | February 20, 2007 at 10:40 PM
I really need to go to Zakkaya, if for no other reason than for those rubber stamps. The AB and the Lecien fabric work really well together too. Looking forward to your next visit to Melbourne.
Posted by:Jo | February 20, 2007 at 11:00 PM
love your fabrics, I can't wait to see what you're gonna make with them !
zakka shops ? pfff I am SO jealous ...;o)
Posted by:karen in toronto | February 21, 2007 at 03:24 AM
You're killin' me -those fabrics, and those stamps...(which you didn't mention at all!) and that shop....which looks like it will have an online version soon -oh no.
Posted by:martha | February 21, 2007 at 06:27 AM
sounds like so much fun... and you picked out dooseys. super jealous.... can't wait to see what you make!
Posted by:lisa | February 21, 2007 at 09:20 AM
lovely fabrics...whooee! they're great!
Posted by:austen gilliland | February 21, 2007 at 11:14 AM
Gosh sounds like so much fun!
I love the little stamp as well as your fabric choices.
Posted by:abby | February 21, 2007 at 01:56 PM
Beautiful fabrics. I like the reds with the gray/neutrals.
Posted by:Emily S. | February 21, 2007 at 04:21 PM
It was a blast and I loved hanging out with my new best friend Pia :) she's a joy!
Posted by:Nicole | February 21, 2007 at 07:50 PM
how fun! and look at all that fabric--
Posted by:joyce | February 22, 2007 at 03:08 AM
the meetup sounds like so much fun! and your new fabrics... ahhhh... love them all. the liberty prints, the wools. serious stash envy here.
Posted by:amisha | February 22, 2007 at 05:38 AM
You've got a great eye! Those are some beautiful finds.
Posted by:Kelli | February 22, 2007 at 09:11 AM
just wanted to say how inspirational i found your blog. i am also an architect, home with 2 young children, love to do sewing and other craft-type stuff and it was lovely to find other people out there doing things that i like (and that i am not so very odd because of that!). i am giving the blog thing a little go to see if it will help me make more time to do craft things as i always feel under extreme time pressure... so, anyway, just wanted to say thank you for the inspiration.
Posted by:Kirsten | February 22, 2007 at 01:30 PM
sorry, struggling with the whole typepad/typekey thing - my blog is on this connection... not sure you want to look anyway but hey. Kirsten
Posted by:assemblage | February 22, 2007 at 02:31 PM
I love it... How much fabric can 15 women buy?
Made me laugh out loud.
Posted by:cally | February 23, 2007 at 08:04 AM
sounds like a blast! I LOVE the red white and gray combos. I've been looking all over for gray fabric. It's my new obsession. :)
Posted by:Dacia | February 24, 2007 at 08:52 AM