Friday 12 November 2010

Fabric, fabric, fabric


A friend asked me this week to make her a shoe bag for her friend for Christmas.  The friend walks to work in trainers and she wanted a nice shoe bag to keep her shoes in – fab idea for a Christmas present!  She specifically wanted a shoe print on the fabric which is surprisingly difficult to lay your hands on in the UK, unless you happen to be loaded, in which case you can treat yourself to some of the £26.95 a metre Manolo Blahnik designed shoe print fabric for Liberty.

I'm not loaded, so when I saw this I fell on it like a circling shark
Retro shoe fabric
It’s from a little fabric shop in Brighton called Ditto which stocks lovely, unusual fabrics, often with a retro feel.  While I was browsing their site I couldn’t help buying this

Springtime in Paris 
Don’t know what I’ll make with it but I couldn’t help myself.  I might just frame it and admire the frocks.  Also, if you’re reading this Marie, they have this print in stock, which I thought had your name on it! (Marie makes beautiful aprons from vintage patterns, just like the ones on the fabric)

Vintage aprons (sigh)

Another fellow sewer – Nathalie – very kindly sent me a link to these gorgeous Horrockses fabrics from the V & A.  





She’d read on my blog that I’d bought the fabric for my Ladylike dress from the V & A and thought I might like them.  Like them? I LOVE them, little did she know I have this book in my possession and flick through it all the time sighing at the prints.  


That’s one of the reasons why I’m really enjoying having a blog, meeting all the lovely like-minded people out there in the blogosphere. 

Will post pics of my shoe bag when it's made. x

6 comments:

  1. Oh well, from one enabler to another... I've just bought some of the Brighton print from Ditto's thanks to your blog!

    Looking forward to seeing the shoe bag (and what a lovely fabric!).

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  2. Hi Jane, how nice of you to think of me! So glad you've stumbled upon Ditto, I've been buying fabric from them for a while now. I do love the apron-print one, but I desperately wish they had it with a lighter coloured background.

    Could you share your link to the Horrockses fabrics from the V & A, they are gorgeous! The book is on my Xmas list ;o)

    Can't wait to see your shoe bag by the way, what an excellent idea!

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  3. Nathalie, we must have exactly the same fabrics in our stash, I've got the Brighton print as well! Marie, here's the link to the Horrockses fabrics: http://www.vandashop.com/product.php?xProd=7142&navlock=1. Happy shopping! x

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  4. I love the 50s top in the post above. Re. Ditto - if you're ever in Brighton, they're well worth a visit, with lots more in the shop than they have online. They are all really nice quality fabrics, and not insanely expensive either, with some lovely designer wools upstairs. Nice chatty and helpful staff too. ...Hence I am trying to avoid it in the run up to Christmas, or I will end up shopping for me...!

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  5. Hi Kitty, I lived in Brighton back in the early 90's and think I remember the shop, are they in the north Laines? Sadly, that was well before I became obsessed with sewing but I'm sure I ventured in a few times just because the fabrics looked so tempting! I have a lot of friends still there though so I'm sure it's time to pay a visit. x

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