I always find it incredibly inspiring to see what the best and brightest minds in fashion are doing to fabric.  How many ways can you be creative with a bolt of fabric?
Let’s see…

You can distress it, embroider, embellish, applique, fold, tuck, stitch and fray – just to start!

Check out some of the amazing ways the designers have altered fabric for their runway shows:

Lanvin covered every inch of their clothing with hand-stitched beads, sequins and embellishments.  I can’t image how many hours of work are in that one outfit – that’s a whole lot of skilled seamstresses all working for many, many hours!

This jacket from Issey Miyake isn’t printed, or even quilted – those blocks of color have all been finished and then woven together – and then stitched into a garment.

Japanese designer Atsuro Tayama has stitched layers of fabric together, and then roughly slashed them apart to create the layer details on this dress.

images: Zuma Press

Post from: Blisstree

Lush, Embellished Fabric from Paris

And besides, dyeing fabric is messy!

I’d much rather end up with a little extra dye and water on my lawn than in my bathtub…

My favorite method of dyeing fabric is a low water immersion process.  I stuff my fabric into heavy-duty plastic bags, dribble the dyes on top and let them brew.  You can end up with some amazing colors and patterns that way.

I’ve also soaked my fabric in the setting solution (whatever kind is required for your dye) and then sprinkled the dye powder on top.  The dye “blooms” onto the fabric and turns into streaky polka-dots.

Here’s a basic tie-dyeing method using knots, thread and marbles to act as resists.  The areas that are knotted will stay white, or whatever color your base fabric is.

Remember that dye powders are not good things to breathe, so use the appropriate safety precautions!

image: C Findlay-Harder

Post from: Blisstree

Summer Fun – Dyeing Your Own Fabric

So why go to that trouble?  It looks nice and clean, right?

Well, there are a few reasons why I like to wash my fabric before it gets used…

• Lots of fabrics will shrink in the washer and dryer.  I’d much rather shrink my fabric first, than end up with a garment that shrinks itself into too small of a size afterwards.
• Fabric is generally treated with a “sizing”, a chemical bath to make it feel nice and crisp on the bolt.  Depending where the fabric is manufactured, there can be some nasty chemicals on it that you don’t want to wear.  I’m actually allergic to sizing, so pre-washing is a must.
• You don’t know how many people have handled the fabric, sneezed on it or dropped it on the floor.  Gross, right?  I like my fabric to be nice and clean, not dusty from the floor.
• Some fabric may have even been dusted with rat or mouse poison or been sprayed with an insecticide.  Again, it depends on where it was manufactured – but why take the risk?

image: Stock.xchg

Post from: Blisstree

Why Wash Fabric?

Iraqi Bundles of Love is a project set up by a soldier who is deployed in Iraq right now.  He’s seen the need for so many different little daily necessities and wants to help.

What does he want people to send?

Fabric and sewing notions!

image: C Findlay-Harder

The “bundles of love” will be donated to local women to use to benefit their families and their community.  Think about how much good some basic sewing supplies and fabric can do for a family that essentially has nothing?  We can drive down to our local fabric shop if we need a new needle, thread or more fabric – they can’t!

There are specific restrictions on how to pack a bundle of love, and you’re asked to use their instructions.

The end goal is to produce a securely-wrapped bundle of fabric that can be removed easily from the packaging and handed out

Post from: Blisstree

Bundles of Love for Iraq

In fact, most quilts shops now have an extensive selection of very pricey batik prints to choose from!

But why is batik so expensive?

Well, for one thing – it can be a very labor-intensive process.  The dye and wax must be layered on for each color, which takes time to do, set and cure.  The fabric is usually quite a high-thread count quilting cotton as well, which adds to the price.

But you can also make your own batik fabric as well…

I’ve made my own batik prints using a commercially-available batik medium (from my local fabric store).  It doesn’t give the same control as the traditional wax, but for a simple hand-painted design it works nicely.

You can also batik with soy wax, Elmer’s glue or go with the traditional method, used to make the batik pillow shown here.

image: HGTV

Post from: Blisstree

DIY Batik

Image: sxc.hu

How to disguise the fabric as they bring it into the house and then where to store it once it’s there becomes a challenge.  What are your techniques and where do you store your fabrics?

My cousin uses some of her fabric (that which overflows the sewing room/office) in the living room as part of the decor.  When I walked into her home, my eyes immediately focused on the fabric and quilts stacked on shelves.  Even though she couldn’t display all of this so you saw the full design, the colorful fabrics were very appealing on shelves.

Penny Halgren, at How to Quilt, has some interesting suggestions about Storing Fabric for Quilting that might help you.  Most of these also would apply to storing fabric for any type of sewing. 

If you wonder how to sneak your fabric into the house, check out Penny’s Clever Fabric Hideaways.

Do you have any suggestions?

Post from: Blisstree

Storing Your Fabric Stash

Well I’ve got a doozy for you!

Fabric.com is having a big online sale today only, with 30 – 65% off all sorts of goodies like craft and quilting cottons – even pricey upholstery material!

You don’t need any coupons, but the sale does end tonight at midnight – so hurry if you want to snag some fabric    They also have free shipping on any order over $35 – and you don’t need a coupon for it either.

image: Fabric.com

Post from: Blisstree

Memorial Day Fabric Sale

Let’s take a look at the unwashed fabric first:

The unwashed fabric

And now let’s see how the washed and dried fabric fared:

The washed fabric

The edges have a slightly pink tinge, but other than that – the fabric looks just fine.  I didn’t do anything different, just washed it on warm with detergent and rinsed on cold.

The result?  Fabric that I can handle without sneezing or causing rashes

images: C Findlay-Harder

Post from: Blisstree

And The Results Are In…

It’s inevitable that fabric gets pushed down to the bottom of a box, or to the back of the closet.  Reorganizing my fabric has given me a chance to “find” different fabrics that, I must admit – I had totally forgotten about

image: C Findlay-Harder

I’ve got fresh ideas for clothing, decorating and crafts – and all without stepping foot into a fabric store (which is probably sensible…)

So when was the last time you “rediscovered” your stash?

Now if I could only remember which box my scissors and pins are in…

Post from: Blisstree

Wordy Wednesday

Image: sxc.hu

The early quilters used mainly cotton, wool or linsey-woolsey fabrics because that’s what was available.  In the latter part of the 1900s, polyester and poly/cotton fabrics became available and were popular.  However, the traditional quilters looked with horror upon this new innovation and felt to be a “purist,” you must use solely cotton.

Many quilters still prefer cotton, so much so that it’s difficult to find in some quilt fabric stores, I’ve been told.  Others like a combination and still others prefer simply poly/cotton fabrics for their work.

Here are some comments I received:

Cyndi says: The more options, the better! Bring it on!  Seriously though, although I tend to prefer pure cotton (many of my fabrics are plain muslin that I paint or dye), I love variety. I agree with your assessment that cotton was used because that’s what was available. Now, however…

According to Gina: I made a quilt with the theme being the very beautiful colors that appear in the high desert behind the Sandias in New Mexico in the late summer and early fall. To find the colors I needed, I had to use synthetic blends. I think one should be free to use whatever is needed, but I would also say that some synthetics tend to fray more than the pure cotton. Watch out for some that also will not stand up to wear as well as neighboring pieces.

What has been your experience with various fabrics?  Do you have any preferences?

Post from: Blisstree

Cotton vs. Other Fabrics for Quilts