Blogging Vacation

Oh boy, it's been such a long time since my last blog post - if only I'd been on holiday for all that time!(it was only 3 weeks of it sadly). Life has been pretty hectic since I got back so not much time for blogging or even much sewing for that matter.

I'm pleased to say that I packed quite a number of me made garments to wear which was really nice and I whipped up a couple of new things to take with me just before I left.

I used a mixture of Gertie patterns to make these highwaisted shorts. In her new book "Gertie Sews Vintage Casual" she has a pattern for cigarette pants that she converts to shorts. I didn't really have the time or inclination to toile the pants and then adapt them so I took Butterick 5895 which I had already made before and applied the changes to that which was really just shortening them and widening the legs slightly.

I also whipped up this denim skirt using Vogue 8603 which I've made a few times before so it was quick and easy. This is such a comfortable, versatile skirt that I wore constantly. This is the best photo I have of it - but you get the idea.

I had an amazing time on my trip to the US - it was mostly holiday (with a little bit of work) but I also managed to fit in a few sewing related activities - yay!

In New York I got to meet up with the lovely Sonja from Ginger Makes. We didn't get to go fabric shop together but Sonja very kindly gave me a list of her favourite stores in the Garment District which was just as well because I really would not have known where to start otherwise. Even with the list I was totally overwhelmed by every store that I went into and only came away with one piece of fabric in the end. I still enjoyed the experience though and next time I'll know what to expect.

My last stop was Hawaii which is one place I wasn't really expecting to do much shopping but I did discover Waikiki's Fabric Mart. This store had lots of lovely craft fabric and oriental prints but really, being in Hawaii it just didn't seem right to be looking at anything other than the amazing selection of Hawaiian prints that they had on offer - for me, it was like Christmas!

I did have to be a little restrained as our suitcases were getting close to bursting point by this stage but but I think I did pretty well and came away very happy with my purchases. I love holiday fabric shopping, it's like having a wearable souvenir to bring back those great memories.

Now, to dust off my sewing machine ...

Holiday Fabric Shopping in Lisbon and London

I've just got back from a wonderful holiday in the UK and Portugal, and whilst the trip was packed with eating, drinking, sightseeing and catching up with friends, of course I managed to slip a bit of fabric shopping into the mix.

We spent 4 nights in Lisbon, a fabulous place to visit with it’s winding cobbled streets, rattling 100 year old trams and crazy mosaic pavements, it’s full of charm and history.

Try walking on that after a few drinks!

While our other halves went in search of vinyl records, my friend Marylou and I went to check out what the local fabric stores had to offer. There are a number of old traditional haberdashery shops in the Baixa area on Rua da Conceicao. Unfortunately, they didn't really do it for me, most of the stock is behind the counter so you can't get a really good look at it and what I could see wasn't all that inspiring. It’s nice to have a look at the old shops though, and Retrosaria Bijou at number 91 is worth a look, purely for it’s art nouveau design.

Art Nouveau Retrosaria Bijou

If you want something a bit more funky and interesting head up to Retrosaria at 61 ria do loreto, 2nd floor, for Japanese fabrics, Michael Miller prints etc and a nice selection of yarns - not many bargains to be had though.

There is also Feira dos Tecidos, Avenida da Boavista Nº 280. This is more of a chain store like Spotlight (in Australia), two floors of fabric and a lot of 1 metre remnants in the sale bins, once again though, nothing really grabbed me.

 

Feira dos Tecidos

We stumbled on another little fabric store with a good selection of floral and other prints. I didnt get the name of it but it's right across the road from the Pollux Department Store on Rua dos Fanqueuros in Baixa  and while you're there, go up to the top floor terrace cafe of the Pollux Department Store for cheap drinks and one of the best views in town!

A few doors up from Pollux on the same side of the road is a big yarn shop called Casa Justo but as with the haberdashery stores, it's all kept behind the counters and the signs are too far away to read what they are. Unless you know exactly what you want and can speak Portuguese you probably won't have much luck in there I'm afraid.

Casa Justo

It was fun to have a look what was there but I left Portugal empty handed and by all accounts, the record stores weren't all that either!

I did however manage to pick up a few goodies back in London where the lovely and oh so glamorous Nicole from Nicole Needles kindly gave me and Marylou a guided tour of the fabric shops on the Goldhawk Road. 

I have read with envy about these shops on many a sewing blog and it was just as overwhelming as I was expecting – so many shops each filled with so much fabric! I was pretty restrained but totally happy with my purchases.

 

We all bought the flamingo fabric - Can't wait to see what we all end up making out of it.

Nicole then took us to see the Fashion Collection at the V&A Museum which was really inspiring. A relaxing drink in the stunning tea rooms there made a wonderful end to a fun day. 

It was lovely to meet a fellow blogger and fabric fanatic on the other side of the world. Thanks Nicole for a great day, next time you can take us to Abakhans! :)