I'm totally crazy. Not sort of. Not a little bit. Like 110 per cent, completely loopy crazy.
To wit: I managed to buy 7.5 yards of Tencel fabric online today:
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| Dark Grey |
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| Sunny Yellow |
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| Slate Blue - my go-to neutral |
Yes, the girl who's only bought fabric online twice and both times vowed never again, has apparently done it again.
But I have a rationale.
Y'all
remember my last online fabric purchase moment. It
convinced me to just say no. But my memory is short. And the
fabric I purchased then - specifically the Modal I just used for yesterday's Coppelia wrap is of exceptional quality. Honestly, I'm wearing that wrap today -
which everyone seems to love, btw, despite my showing off all the fit flaws - and I am nuts about the
fabric.
So
I went back to fabric.com to get some more. It occurred that I might
just buy 3 yards in any and every colour and be done with it. No luck.
Instead, I found Tencel - a very nice knit when you get the good stuff. Flattering and drapey, but
not quite as firm as the Modal. It's less close-fitting, "fitness
wear" than the Modal - not that the Modal looks exercise-y.
(Hilarious
sidebar: The reason I couldn't find my modal at Fabric.com is cuz I originally
bought it at Fabric Mart. There is some modal left there.
Though only in one colour (acquamarine). BTW, this fabric is a bitch to find. If you find it, and you like the colour, buy in bulk.)
A propos of that (and you can trust me): When you want good jersey, it's nowhere to be found. And,
for what it's worth, just about any time is when you want a good jersey.
So it pays to think ahead.
Ahem,
but then there's the issue of shipping "internationally"... Last time it took weeks and
way too much time to shepherd 4 yards of fabric from point A to point B. And the shipping cost was high ($30.00).
I am seriously hopeful that fabric.com supplies good Tencel, because I've just
bought 7.5 yards of it in 3 colours. Um, shipping, you ask: $15.95. For 7.5 yards. Now, peeps, that's my kind of delivery charge.
On the topic of quantity: My new guideline (strangely - it's exactly what Tasia's talking about today) is 3 yards. Unless I've got a project in mind - and it'll take more than 3 yards - or it's super pricey, or kind of crazy (yellow tencel, for example) I'm going with 3. That way, I'll have enough for a muslin and a "real" garment in the same fabric. Or for a dress. Or if I make a mistake. Or enough to give away.
And, thought I, if I'm going to pay a crazy shipping fee, I might as well get the max fabric it will support. This philosophy kind of let me down, happily, since the shipping was way less expensive - despite volume - than I expected it would be. And it's USPS, my preferred shipping method. Sure, who knows if I'll be charged customs fees. But that's a risk I've got to take, now and again.
I just don't know what to do about the Modal now that I've bought Tencel to the tune of 7.5 yards. Fabric Mart shipping costs are a) much higher and b) unknowable until you buy and they cut and package. I've been told they can get 3 yards into a mailer, which will be under 40 bucks. I have to assume it will be about $20.00. The colour's not my first choice, but it will flatter me and I FREAKIN' love the hand of this stuff. And the price of the fabric, if not the shipping, is very reasonable.
I sense I'm talking myself into it...
Thoughts?
Posts
It's hard to tell from the colors (on my Mac) but I know you know your colors so I assume they're gorgeous, and after your raves about the modal fabric in your previous post, I say go for it!
ReplyDeleteWe're often stuck buying fabric online because the retail sources around here are not great.
I am SO glad your top worked out. I had a feeling people were going to love it.
The fabrics you gifted me were awesome, btw. I have enjoyed them so much. Thank you again!
DeleteI've ordered from Fabric.com quite a bit in the last couple of years (some huge disappoinments but some really great stuff too...) and I've never been charged customs when it arrived in TO. I think their shipping is the most reasonable when it comes to ordering fabric from the states. I would love to shop locally in TO more except I am intimidated by some of the stores on Queen St especially if things are unmarked!
ReplyDeleteJ: I hope that this falls into the good fabric category! Really good to know about the customs to TO. I hope your experience is the norm. Don't be intimidated by Queen St. - a lot of the time the sellers don't exactly know what's on the bolt (when it's not marked). That's a sign that they need to be better at what they do.
DeleteGood point. I should just get more comfortable asking questions! I was in an unnamed store last night (moved from Queen West to Queen East last year-ish) and they didn't have any of the five things on my list! Boo.
DeleteAre you aiming to keep it unnamed, or do you really not know the name (cuz I do). It's not a great store, fyi. There are others that are quite good. Are you coming to the blog meet up this weekend (that Gillian is organizing)?
DeleteHa! I bought from fabric.com this month too. My first order with them but my mom says it is very good quality, enough that she placed a second order herself (granted neither of us bought knits). The modal just makes you want to smother yourself in the softness I can see why you want more. I am still scared to cut mine.
ReplyDeleteWeird! Don't be scared to cut your modal, as soon as you find the right thing. It's a BEAUTIFUL fabric to work with.
DeleteMan oh man, I am so done with Fabric Mart. I've been finding that the last few orders I've made have been wickedly off grain, and the shipping has become exorbitant (Almost $50 to Edmonton on my last order!)
ReplyDeleteNeedless to say, I need to find a new online fabric haunt. You're Copella top is super cute btw. I just made the Miss Chalmers skirt and although I love the style, reading your previous post has me thinking about the pattern drafting now. The front hem was miles longer than the back!
Lara - Seriously, I just had the most unpleasant exchange with the shipping manager. I don't think I'll be ordering from there again... (But I did buy the modal from there I was on the fence about.)
DeleteI think your skirt looks great, btw. I can't really see the excess front hem length. I take it you fixed it when you hemmed.
Haha, yes, I did fix the hem. Unfortunately, it's still not perfect by any stretch. I caught a glimpse of myself at work the other day and the front was much longer than the back. Perhaps if I stand still it'll work? Ha, not likely! :)
DeleteI always feel better about not being able to sew when I read about the emotional ups and downs of your sewing. And I can always tell myself that buying seven bras in two weeks is cheaper than learning to sew, lol. (This is probably not true, but whatever.) As someone who will have to move yet again in a few weeks, I'm also glad I don't have that particular hobby's accoutrements. It's bad enough I have actual paper books.
ReplyDeleteYour sleeve/armhole issue mentioned a few days ago doesn't seem to apply, but I saw an interesting post about something similar at Fashion Incubator:
http://fashion-incubator.com/archive/a-treatise-on-sleeve-drafting/
The whole thing was, of course, way over my head. But the folks at that blog seriously geek out about making clothes, just like you.
Ha! It is definitely cheaper to buy 7 bras in 2 weeks than it is to learn how to sew. And it takes up tons of space.
DeleteI've read that post, thanks! I should go back and re-review it. It's so hard to take in that kind of technicality.
I leap when I find good jersey! (I'll just buy a yard or two for a project but if it's nice I turn around and buy a bunch more for the future).
ReplyDeleteOne of my fave sources for knits is marcytilton.com. I don't know about her international shipping, but I have been very pleased with the quality of every single order. The colors are usually muted but she always carries some lovely staples... sometimes there's a few wool jerseys.
fwiw, if I had to choose between modal and Tencel, I'd pick Tencel any day if I could find it! Modal is uber soft but always seems prone to pilling. I know that could be due to quality but I've gotten it from a few sources and it consistently pills, so maybe it's a fiber issue, too.
So interesting to hear about your preference for Tencel. BTW, I think the darker colours of the Fabric.com offerings are good (not awesome, but very usable, if on the slender side). I agree that Modal can start to pill, but I find that the better quality stuff holds off. Here's hoping the stuff I got fits into that category (I sense it does). I just LOVE the drape of the stuff. I find it flatters curves excellently.
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