Shopping: Marshall Fabrics

In the continuing saga of posting old photos while I’m clearing off my computer, I have a super-quick post about Marshall Discount Fabrics in Edmonton.

Quick iPhone photo inside Marshalls

I was up there about a year ago, so who knows what it is like now, but I was actually kind of disapointed.  I had expected something like Dressew in Vancouver, but they had far less selection, and the prices weren’t nearly as good.  They also weren’t as well organized it seemed (which is saying a lot, since Dressew often seems to be a fabric-war-zone!).  Still, I did get some really pretty black and pink striped taffeta (which no, I STILL haven’t done anything with yet…)

Would I go there again – sure.  Would I make a POINT of going there if I wasn’t anywhere in the area or didn’t have a ride? No.  I can see the appeal for the costuming crowd though – lots of fun fur, spandex and other shiny things, though the price point wasn’t as fantastic as I would have hoped for a “discount” fabric store.

They also have Lethbridge and Winnipeg locations – if you’ve been to more than one, leave a comment about how they stack up against one another!

Marshall Fabrics
10003 63rd Ave
Edmonton, AB
T6E 4Z2

Shopping: Estee’s Fabrics and Notions

I have been on a bit of an old-photo binge – and here’s one more post that really should have been written AGES ago, but I never did get around to it.

When I was in Edmonton back last summer, I was checking out fabric stores, and while I was actually heading to a quilting store – we found ourself a block over at Estee’s Fabrics and Notions.

Super-quick interior shot of Estee’s on my iPhone.

They specialize in bridal and formalwear fabrics, but also have a nice selection of very high-end fashion fabrics as well.  With the price points and the quality, it’s not surprising that I found a lot of their fabrics seemed a bit ‘old’. (Not that the fabrics themselves were old or out of date, but rather that they would be more suitable for a more mature client…)

Super-quick button shot of Estee’s on my iPhone.

They also have a small selection of beautiful buttons – really high-quality notions – a bit beyond my price point frankly. (Most of the buttons pictured above are in the $10-20 PER BUTTON range…) I did however end up stalking their clearance/sale section which was actually fairly large considering – and bought some silk that was on sale…

Estee’s Fabrics and Notions
4443 99 Street NW
Edmonton, AB T6E5B6
(888) 468-7159

Millinery: attaching facinators with bridal elastic

Ok, so here’s a super-quick “I found these photos on my computer and haven’t posted them yet” post.  When I was talking to some folks about facinators, they were just going to sew their combs onto the hats.

Comb in the bridal elastic

Well, these plastic combs are .. cheap.  (And the good metal ones are hard to find.) Cheap combs tend to break over time, which means you’d have to unpick all of your sewing and then re-stitch a new comb in to wear your facinator.  Instead I recommended they get bridal elastic.  Bridal elastic is used for all of those insane little buttons on the back of formal dresses, so instead of having to make a whole bunch of little cord or fabric loops, you can just use this trim – with the added benefit of it being elastic to make doing those little buttons up and undoing them just a little bit easier.  It comes in white, off white, and black.  It might come in other colours, but I’ve never seen it.. (let me know in the comments if you have!).

So..you just cut a length of the trim, finish the edges with fray check and a few whip-stitches (the cheaper trim tends to unravel easier than the better quality stuff.. you’ll see as soon as you cut it…) and then sew the elastic trim onto the hat -then just slip the comb through all the loops!  If you wanted, you could even put elastic on more than one side, so you could change how the facinator sits…

Comb inside a hat with the bridal elastic

In case these hats look familiar….. they are the mini tricorns I made a while back in Red and Teal. Of course, there are lots of ways to attach facinators, this is just one of many!

Brown knit yardage cardigan

I keep looking out for nice knit yardage – it’s remarkably hard to find something I really like!  A while back I found some in a purple/brown (it looks purple in low lighting, and brown in bright lighting..) at Dressew in Vancouver, and made up a loose and casual cardigan.  It went together really quickly, and I also made a self-belt with the same fabric – which I’ve admittedly only used once.

Cardigan hanging up against a window

I used fusible knit interfacing to stabilize the fabric for the facings, and although the fabric looks rather open with the window behind it, the fusible really worked well and doesn’t show through.

facing

Not the most interesting post, or the best photos, I know.. but I wanted to show that I AM sewing too – not just being inspired, buying fabric, and planning things to sew! Haha!

Black bustle

Going through old photos reminds me of all the projects that I actually HAVE completed – but never got around to posting!  I actually made this black bustle before the Sari Fabric Bustle that I posted (almost a year ago!) but I never got around to posting this one!

Black bustle

The fabric is just plain black cotton broadcloth, and I used black twill tape and drapery rings to support the cording to create the bustled effect.  This means that I can undo the cording to wash the bustle, as well as re-loop it to create potentially different effects… The sides and hem are all trimmed with wide black lace, and the bustle is pleated into a waistband that has trouser hooks at a few places to make it a little bit adjustable.

Inside of the bustle – I’ve used white cord on the lower tier here, but then I traded that off for black twill tape like the top tier so it would be a bit more discreet, on the off chance it might be seen.

The one problem I had with this bustle (or rather, not a problem, just something I did differently with the sari fabric bustle) was that it lacks a lot of “poof”.  It isn’t lined at all (which I’m ok with… I don’t mind the cording/rings being ‘visible’ – since it will always be ‘behind me’ and not actually visible to anyone when I’m wearing the garment.) but if it were, there might be more body to the garment. It’s ok though – there’s a time for big bustles, and a time to just use what nature (and ice cream) gave you…

Close up of the rings creating the bustle.

I also made a draped front apron which I didn’t photograph.  I like it well enough, but it doesn’t photograph off the body well.