Thursday, July 11, 2013

Fabric is My Drug

And fabric.com is my latest dealer.

I took advantage of their big Independence Day sale and ordered several fabrics.

A cute Halloween fabric; black with black owls and yellow moons.
Moda Pumpkin Party Owl at the Moon

A black fabric with cats. This is a smaller print and more subtle than it looks in the sample.
Moda Pumpkin Party Scaredy Cats

Skeletons on an off-white ("bone") background. This one has an old parchment type of look.
Sleepy Hollow Skeletons

Goth cupcakes. This one was too kitschy to pass up.
Michael Miller Halloween Goth Cupcakes

A print of ravens, skulls, etc. on a dark red background. I didn't pay close attention to the ruler at the bottom of the sample, and the print is much larger than I expected. The raven in the center is 7.5" tall, for example. Makes for a very bold fabric!
After Dark (red has sold out)

A collage of Edgar Allen Poe-inspired images. I wasn't sure if I would really like this one because I'm not a fan of golds and browns, but turns out I love it! It's a big, detailed print, and the colors are much richer and more complex than they look in the sample. Michael Miller fabrics have a good reputation, and now I know why.
Michael Miller Nevermore Collage

An Edgar Allen Poe-inspired print on a script background. This one also looks much nicer in person. The sample appears almost monochromatic, but there are actually hints of purple, brown and gold. The print is very impressively detailed. I love this one!
Michael Miller Nevermore Old Script

A print with various scenes of odd characters. This one is so great, it makes me squeal with delight! 
Oddities Scenes

A print with the odd characters. I love this one!
Oddities Characters

I can't wait to get sewing! The question is... what should I make? There are so many options...
Skirt
Dress
Bloomers
Pillow cover
Window valance
Handbag
Tote bag
Others...

What do you think? If you were going to have something made in these fabrics, what would you want?

37 comments:

  1. Egads, what a great haul!

    I would make a little waist coat from the Edgar Poe image fabric XD

    In fact... that was on my to do and buy list, but I always find myself distracted by other projects and things to buy lol

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    1. I have the same problem. So many projects, it's hard to stay focused sometimes!

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  2. Both of the Poe fabrics are also in my stash (or already used), but I haven't seen the skeleton and the red raven print yet... But I have a hard time using fabrics with large prints... But they are so pretty... I'm not sure if I should buy them *sigh*

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    1. I rarely use large prints; in fact, I don't think I've ever used one as large as the red raven print. I'm a bit stumped as to what to do with it.

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    2. Depends on how much you have, but why not cover a wall or cut out a piece and frame it as a picture? Seat covers are also an option for larger prints, or is there enough to cover a piece of furniture like a footstool, or even a chair?

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    3. The collage fabric would look great framed. In fact, it almost looks like it was made for that very purpose. :) Seat covers are an interesting idea. I have dining chairs just waiting for new covers. The red won't work with my decor, but the script fabric could be a good option. Hmmm...

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    4. There's always the possibility of table/ mantle runners, drapes, and canopies, depending on how much of it there is.

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    5. Indeed. I think some home decor items would be fun to make. :)

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  3. the fabrics with small patterns would fit nice for a dress. the others for skirts or maybe for some interior projects. They are lovely all of them. The oddities fabrics reminds a lot of Alexander Henry's the Ghastlies, or is it perhaps an Alexander Henry design?

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    1. I, too, thought of the Ghastlies when I saw the Oddities fabric. The designer wasn't listed on fabric.com, so I checked the manufacturer's site and learned the designer is Andrew Pinder.

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  4. So many wonderful fabrics!!! I've seen the Michael Miller Nevermore fabric made into a dress and I thought that was darling. I know you've struggled with dresses, so perhaps a skirt or bloomers!

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    1. I think the white Nevermore fabric in particular would make a great summer dress. But yeah, I might stick with a skirt.

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  5. I have two other prints from that Nevermore collection that I've been meaning to make into a dress and bolero. My answer for Halloween fabric is almost always to turn it into a dress, but I bet those Nevermore prints would make nice curtains.

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    1. Good call. Curtains would be a good way to showcase the print without having to cut it up. :)

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  6. Must order those!!!!!! I can see skirts I'll make. Sadly the beautifull red after dark is gone :(

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    1. I have to admit, I think I'm to blame for that... The website showed just two yards of the red After Dark available when I placed my order. :/ I have seen it for sale on other sites, though, including etsy.

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  7. Ah poo! I missed their sale. :( I was going to order the goth cupcakes and the after dark, so sad it's sold out. Good snags, my friend. EXCELLENT.

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    1. It was a short sale that lasted only a few days. I shouldn't have bought anything, but it's very rare that their nice Halloween cottons are 25% off. (Of course, I had to spend $150.... but I'm trying not to think about that.)

      They almost always have some type of a coupon on their "Coupon Corner" page. Often it's a 10% off coupon.

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  8. I'm loving the Sleepy Hollow Skeletons! And I have 10 yards of the Nevermore Collage - it's my favourite! I'm hoarding it for something special, although I don't quite know what that will be yet. I just met Mme. Polaire in Vancouver over the weekend and she was wearing a dress made from the Nevermore Script. It really looked fantastic.

    I think the cupcake fabric would make a great apron and potholders in your nice new black kitchen. The icing goes with your purple toaster!!

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    1. The Collage fabric is so nice, I could see just framing it as wall art. Alas, it doesn't match anything in my entirely cool color-decorated house.

      Maybe an apron and potholders would encourage me to actually do some cooking. Nah... probably not. :P But they would look fantastic!

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  9. Oooh, I love the skeleton print and the Poe one with bats.
    In answer to your question, you should make many, many things for Natalie (hahaha)
    How about trying to make a fabric pencil/makeup case?

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    1. Haha! Best suggestion yet! ;)
      I might try my hand at a case. I have some zippers in my stash.

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  10. I love the skeleton one and the After Dark one and I still kinda want the Nevermore fabrics, I guess I can save up for some more. Noooo Posts like this are so bad for me, I am addicted to fabric too! I have a couple of shelves full already!!!

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    1. When I got the email alerting me to the fabric.com sale, I simultaneously thought "Yay, a sale worth taking advantage of!" and "Oh, no, temptation!" In this case, the first thought won. ;)

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  11. Love the nevermore and skeletons. I am thinking napkins since mine are like 20 years old. The oddities are adorable.

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    1. Ooh, that's a good idea. The skeletons would make a cool table setting with napkins and placemats.

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    2. Just ordered the nevermore old script! Can't wait to make new napkins!

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  12. I'd never heard of fabric.com until I started following this blog. I'm really, really glad I have, though. It's an hour drive to the nearest store that carries fabric and they don't have near the selection. (I think I'm the definition of "isolated Goth.")


    I think the cupcakes would make cute scrubs or PJ pants.

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    1. Fabric.com is great! Their prices are a little better than other sites, and their service is excellent. They usually ship my order within one day. :)

      And they price their fabric by the yard, not by the half yard like some annoying shops do. Maybe I'm a cynical old grump, but I think half-yard pricing is just a gimmick to trick people into buying what they think is discount fabric.

      I had a friend who was a chef, and it was fun to use all the crazy novelty prints for his chef pants. :)

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  13. If you have access to Joann Fabrics, they're starting to receive their Halloween prints, which will get discounted to 30% off on Sunday (I had some coupons I used today...) True, they're not always the best quality, but there are some nice prints this year (and my local store had a few of last year's prints left in the clearance section...) All this year's prints are in the Halloween section of the Joann site now, too. (No, I'm not being compensated by Joann fabric, just spreading the word...) When I was getting my cloth cut today, the fellow at the cutting table commented on how some the Halloween prints sell out fast each year. "Well, yeahhhh," I thought.

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    1. Dammit! Now I have to go to JoAnn today! ;) They didn't have their new Halloween fabrics in the last time I was there (about a week ago).

      I have easy access to JoAnn... maybe too easy. There are two stores within a 15-minute drive from my house. One stocks the basic Halloween fabrics year-round.

      The quality of their cottons varies, but I've been satisfied with probably 90% of what I've bought. I have at least a dozen skirts made of fabric from JoAnn, and they have held up to wearing and laundering. :)

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  14. i think you should use the cupcake material to make a cute little apron:)

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  15. I would try making a vest. Maybe a table cover.

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    1. I've never made a vest, so that could be a fun project to try. :)

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  16. Oh! That parchmenty skelly print! I am in LOVE!!! I have GOT to get to my stash and practice practice practice!!!

    I picked up "One Yard Wonders" at garage sale a bit ago. Maybe between that, youtube, my other "how to" book, and frantic calls to Mum I can get to the point where I able to snag some lovely fabric like that and make something presentable!!

    Your stash has GOT to be awesome to behold.

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    1. It's all about practice and patience. I've also learned a lot from various "how to" books that I checked out from the library.

      My stash is not that big. (Do I smell denial?) It is, however, ridiculously tidy and organized... rolled, folded, and labeled within an inch of its life. I can't help it. ;)

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