Did someone say fabric shopping?!

The excitement is building - a shopping trip to Goldhawk Road is in the diary for next Friday and this time I will be taking some of my lovely sewing friends with me. I am a big planner (lists, Pintrest inspo, patterns at the ready - you get the idea!) so I thought I would share with you how I organise my head for a big fabric shopping trip. I find the sheer number of shops amount of fabric on the Goldhawk Road quite overwhelming and the first few times I visited I just

wandered up and down a bit aimlessly, not sure what to buy and if I'm honest, I came home with some regrets of things I didn't purchase. If you're more of a 'fly by the seat of your pants, shop as the mood takes you' then that's great too. There is no 'right answer' to life or fabric shopping (what do you mean - of course they're of the same magnitude!!)

The first thing I do, is think about gaps in my wardrobe. I've just come back from a lovely sunny holiday in Portugal and the main gap I identified there was some light but dressy evening tops. So I am now thinking about my continued hunt for the perfect camisole / sleeveless top pattern. I hate my upper arms - but sometimes you just want to be as comfortable as possible. One of my favourite shops sells a vast array of silks of various types (sandwashed, charmeuse, georgette, crepe de chine etc etc) and I think I will be on the hunt for a black or navy silk plus one or two colours (I might be able to squeeze a top out of a metre but if the price is good then I might get some more and add to my knicker stash as there's nothing worse than realising you've bought just a little less than you need). This shop also sells some amazing silk velvets - perfect for that slip on evening jacket.

I am now starting to think about Autumn / Winter too (sorry) and will have my eyes peeled for some lovely warm, soft jerseys. The Boden catalogue dropped through my door yesterday - and I was inspired by the sweatshirt pictured left- which reminded me of the IAM Patterns Zebre sweatshirt (right)- which might now be added to the list. A medium sweatshirting or french terry would be lovely for this style of top. When I have a pattern in mind, I will take a screenshot of the fabric requirements from the back of the pattern on my phone - so that I have an easy reference.

I also have some home plans and will be looking for some sulphur coloured upholstery velvet (I am very specific on this but will probably find something gorgeous on the day in a completely different colour!) as I want to cover the tired looking footstool in my living room. It's currently covered in a heavy grey linen but is now looking rather grotty after 7 years of family life. I have seen lots of lovely footstools in this bright yellowy-green but want to save money and recycle so will be DIY'ing.

I will make sure that I have worked out the dimensions of the fabric I need for this project and may possibly get a little extra for a couple of cushions too.

I have a class coming up for an everyday jersey dress - the ideal thing to slip on for work or school run. So I will be looking for a structured jersey fabric (probably a ponte roma) to showcase this project for my students. I would love a bold design - but will see what there is available. This style looks equally good in a bold colour or classic black.

I usually bring a carry on wheelie case with me because experience has taught me that I always find more that I think I will and my arms give out before my desire to shop! I used to bring my lovely husband fabric shopping with me - but then he could see how much I'd bought and would bring the voice of reason to my happy expedition (and nobody needs that kind of judgement on such a lovely day out!).

Happy sewing,

P.S. this shopping trip is Friday 20th July - and we are meeting at Chelmsford Station at around 9.15am. You are very welcome to join. There is no charge and no obligation to buy.

My next trip will probably be on 5th October.