Places to buy fabric in CNY

Syracuse area:
I've shopped at Mission Rose, they are a little pricey. If you are in the quilt guild they will give 10% off on the day the guild meets (Plank Rd--2nd. Wed. of the month). Mission Rose

There is Calico Gals which is in Fayetteville in the Canal Barn.
Calico Gals
They both sell quilting fabrics and lot of other stuff but not really fashion fabric.

Little Ladies & Lace in Camillus sells quilting and fashion fabric as well as heirloom type stuff so you can get cotton batiste and stuff like that there.
Little L&L

We are getting a Hobby Lobby on Rte. 31 next to the new Lowe's but I don't know what kind of fabric they sell-- I've never been in one. However, on email lists I have read of others who have bought fabric there. From the sound of the store, it seems like a Michaels.

There is a lady in our area --Peterson sewing school -- she teaches lessons out by Euclid/Westcott area in a church-- I think she also has a fabric business and I plan to find out more-- I've called about classes.

In Fulton there is Herron's fabric store-- they have been there forever but they mostly have cottons, however there is a room with some fashion fabric and they sell the full line of Kwik Sew. I purchased some bathing suit fabric, lining and elastic there. They are right off of 481N in the "plaza mall". Herron's

Linda Poore has Feminine Touch Fabrics on West Fayette in Syracuse and have Folkwear patterns as well as some Kwik Sew. I picked up some great knits last time I was there. They have a warehouse full of fabric and lots of home dec. Feminine Touch

There is also a quilting fabric store in Oswego too--The Quilter's Nook.
I haven't been there. quilter's nook

Patchwork Plus is in Skaneateles--very large selectionPatchwork plus


Cottons Etc. in Wampsville, NY, they have quilting cottons as well as other fabrics. The owner Paula Schultz is amazing, she has done some beautiful quilted wearables and runs some sewing clubs-- one is called Runway Fanatics where she gives the challenge and the members create the outfit similar to PR but without the time crunch. She also does a lot of teaching for our guild --as she is a charter member and will not take a dime. I haven't been to her new location yet.
Her website
Cottons ETc.

AGR Sewing Machines, they are in Brewerton/Central Square--they sell Janome but also have a small collection of cottons.
AGR

Poet's Blouse

I finally completed this blouse from Burda World of Fashion- 122 January 2008. I used a 100% quilting cotton from stash that I purchased at a local cotton shop. I cut a size 40 but ended up taking it in when muslining in the upper back.

. I had been stymied by the front packet as the directions were almost incomprehensible. However, I did get a tutorial at which was helpful with the graphics but for some reason, I just couldn't "get it". So on Friday, I took out the blouse and looked at it. The neckline and facing were problematic and it seemed like the hem would not lay as low as I would want it. I put bias binding on the hem, which was very fun and a breeze to do by machine utilizing Angry Chicken's Tutorial on You Tube,

Another problem was that I ran out of fabric and could not find any more at the shops around here (I went to three different quilt shops, no dice). Later, while checking out the Salvation Army, I found some vintage fabric and in there was peacock blue broadcloth. I washed, dried and pressed it and while the fold lines were faded and brownish, there was some useable fabric that matched the dark part of the flowers, and there was a bunch.


I got out the seam ripper and took out the seams of the neckline piece and facing. I then revisited the pattern and found I had added an insane amount of seam allowance so I painstakenly retraced the seam lines and then carefully cut about 3/8' seam allowance all around. Each piece was still entire (I didn't separate each piece) and there seemed to be a little extra at the top of each but I chose not to redo those and it was a very good thing. I also had to rip out some really horrid Pellon interfacing and apply some good fusible tricot stuff I purchased at Expo.

I also noticed that I had some raw edges at an angle at the top of my front pleats. This was my first pleated blouse so I may have done them wrong but the angle went too low so I could'nt really seam over them. I had some bias tape left so decided to sew that along the seam, and the darker thread would make a nice seam guide for when I seamed the neckline to the body of the top. This came in handy when I was pressing up the bottom seam of the facing.

When I attached both the neckline and the facing I found that I cam a bit short at the other end of the neckline, even with the extra 5/8 I had on the fold. To resolve this I had to adjust the placket on that side.

Anyway, I was able to stitch in the ditch to tack the facing down but used a fancy stitch that is similar to a blind hem stitch. I really like the way it came out. I also had to fuse and then lightly hand stitch a little patch on the inside for the gap my lack of facing made on the left side of the placket. I then decided it would look funny with just the binding and nothing on top so I made some bias binding with the vintage fabric and piped the neckline which worked out well because the purchased bias was a little lighter than my placket/piping fabric.

Then I got down to business on the placket. I will gloss over the details but I had to fuss quite a bit and ended up restitching the left side a couple of times, top stitching, then removing that and then getting futzy over the thick raw seams (note to self, do not interface the ENTIRE placket--just one side... oh, I used the tricot fusible again) I graded down each side and pinned the fashion fabric scraps but didn't like the added bulk so instead when with some organdy ribbon and bound the seams.

The buttonholes were new to me. I have placed them before, but only like one or two, never a whole row of them. I practiced the sensor buttonhole feature on my machine on some scraps and they worked pretty well. I also took an inordinate time trying to figure out how to line them up on the placket and after marking, remarking, thought I had it. I kind of did but some of them I didn't place too perfect and they are off by a hair here and there. When I got to the last buttonhold close to the end of my placket the sensor mechanism rebelled agains the extra bulk at the placket fold. I picked out the hot mess and tried again and still, disaster. I picked that out and tried the "automatic" buttonhole on some scraps carefully folded to add bulk to see if that would work. It kind of did. Actually the machine worked great, I just have poor timing. So I tried it again on my blouse and again, demonstrated poor timing but at that point, I wasn't going to pick it out again so I just handstitched any gaps and called it goodnight on the buttonholing. I had the buttons in stash culled from an old garment.

Would I make this blouse again? I might in a solid color (cream perhaps) but in a different type of fabic, lighter body.

I have to credit my sewing machine, Janome 6600 with it's accufeed foot for being a wonderful tool and enabling me to sew this blouse without losing my mind. I especially made use of the "Stitch in the Ditch" accufeed foot and had absolutely no problems with the bias tape. I also love the piping foot, I used it to make the piping and sew it on.

Violet's new bodice

I finally completed my first renny bodice. I made it for a friend who does piratical productions. It is sooo not period with the map print but it is reversible to plain black. Actually none of the boned all in one bodices with metal grommets that you see at Ren Faires are particularly period but people wear them anyway. The Faire in my area is Elizabethan but trends to a fantasy component (yeah, I know, it is all fantasy but they generally do try for some authenticity so it is as if you have stepped back in time and that time uses Mastercard).

For boning I used duct ties that I found at Home Depot. It can rain on her or perhaps, a wave may drench her but it will not rust like steel boning might.

I had a hard time with the binding. I was so looking for shortcuts because I have a whole mess of these to make and I kept screwing it up. So I ended up attaching and disattaching the binding about 3 or 4 times each (entirely). Also, I had tried to do a continuous binding that looks so easy in the books but ended up screwing it up so I had to buy more fabric at JoAnn's (thank the gods she purchased the material there) and redo it very very carefully.

That is the lesson folks, when dealing with bias binding be very very careful. Remeasure your markings, recheck your angles and line it up before you cut. It will save you headaches. Then I sewed the strips together and got the hang of it after a while. I used the bias binder maker and it worked very well. But sewing it on.... well, I handily stitched the first side on then flipped it over to.... end up making many many tiny stitches to the reverese as bodices have many curves and corners. I am going to practice doing a "faux binding" (basically cutting my strips wider and folding it in half, sewing raw edges to raw edges and then folding it over and sewing a patterned stich (like a feather stitch) along the ditch to catch each side as per Marsha of AGR Sewing Machines, my Janome dealer and amazing quilter. I have to find a way to turn these projects over more quickly, this had me stalled for a month. I am totally going to sew something very simple and quick like 4 or 5 pairs of pajama pants for my son next.

Violet loves her new bodice and has proclaimed herself the envy of the sea. Now she wants another.

My first foray into swimsuit fabrication. I have another in the hopper, hopefully my technique will improve.

This is the pattern:



It is from 1976.

We have been working on the basement, tearing out all the paneling, drywall, carpet etc. that has been water damaged and is just stinky and old. The original owners of the house finished the basement in the 1970's. They used whatever scrap wood and garbage they could find. See all those boards nailed to the concrete? That is where they put the paneling on, backwards (and this was chip board paneling). I did this last month, Mike got really mad at me about it. Then last week, (after I bought some new furniture for the livingroom as the futon we were using became totally inoperable), he saw it for the first time as we were bringing a loveseat downstairs to store, he said, "let's tear it all down!". On Monday, we rented the dumpster and got to work. On Tuesday I was miserable with my neck/shoulder issue and couldn't help so much, just did some mild housecleaning. Mike worked down there all week, doing stuff himself (the nasty carpet, scraping the gross black glued down foam, taking down the ceiling which was a thin drywall) and bringing all this debris upstairs and out into the dumpster. He even has pried all the boards off the walls.

Big applause and oohs and ahhs.

Our goal is to rectify the water leaking problems that prevented the house's sale last year, redo it into a pleasant studio for me and a corner where our son can play his video games. Then we can get the dining room and front livingroom back to a civilized usable room rather than a sew stuido/gameroom/office. I'll be able to bring my stuff down from the guest room too.

Some other big deal things we will do is get a new gutter system up on the house and probably replace the windows and doors. I don't think we will be putting up new walls in the basement, mostly get the waterproofing with a basement system, patch the walls where the big concrete nails were and then get some kind of industrial surface epoxy laid down as well as painting the walls and rewire the whole thing.

This is a very positive thing that affects our home and our marriage. I have happy tingles thinking about it.

Health and general welfare

IMG_0832.JPG
Originally uploaded by scarlettquilts

I have to blog and found a random picture to post as I am very guilty if I post without pic. This is a picture of a zipper corset I made for my swap partner on Craftster. The idea came from Burda WOF Jan. 1. Since she has received it, I can post it to the BurdaStyle and other favorite haunts.

What's going on?

Let's see, I am nursing my left neck/shoulder as my C5 disc got all bruised and pushing on the nerve root. I've seen the chiro x2 and gotten reiki on it x2 and I can now actually turn my head to the left a bit more. The pain no longer travels down my arm although it does like to sit on my left upper arm --anterior deltoid area now and then.

I've come to the realization that I am getting older and totally feel like I'm 25 in my brain. I need to take care of this body. I'm a mess. I have rounded shoulders, forward neck, weak overstretched back muscles, contracted weak pecs. I need an overhaul.

Positive notes: I started yoga and Lurve it. It is so cool. I also have thrice weekly dates at the gym with a friend of mine (and maybe a third). I feel very moved to, well, move now. I still feel very creative which is what I am going to touch on next.

Usually, I tend to do very well when I am focusing or hyperfocusing on something. By "well" I mean, I get positive measureable amazing results. Unfortunately, I can't do anything else and the rest of my life just gets neglected and messy. This time, I really have confidence that I can keep all the plates spinning at once. I don't feel so overwhelmed that I have to cut everything else out in order to learn, practice, etc.

For example: diet. I would have to read, make lists, shop and buy too much and spend too much money using the lists provided. I don't need to do that anymore. Things have just evolved and I am being more experimental and the result is pretty good. I have a goal of using up my pantry, restocking only as I need to. Mike has enjoyed this too and when in the past, he would be my biggest barrier because he had very fixed ideas about food, what is good, what isn't , etc. He has opened his palate so to speak. We are eating much more fresh vegetables, frozen veg, fruits and whole grains as well as fruit and OMG-- beans! He tends to get very rigid with diet and thus is much stricter than I am but I have a love for flexibility that I won't give up, plus I just don't see the benefits/results like he does (I also have less to lose than him).

I think this going slowly, picking up from here and there is what is going to ultimately make permanent positive changes. This week I have had strong urgings to take care of my body--in the form of physical movement and have been so frustrated by the limitations my neck/shoulder has provided. I am trying to raise my vibration and I think that this "body" part of the "Mind*Body*Spirit" is calling out for some work.

Why do I suck so bad at taking pictures of myself?

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Originally uploaded by scarlettquilts

This is one of a series of pics from ones I tried to take of myself for a swap. I am getting discouraged.