FABLE

I think I have mentioned FABLE before?  It's related to SABLE and BABLE, and here at chez moi, we have all of it.

FABLE is Fabric Acquired Beyond Life Expectancy. SABLE is Stash, or yarn, and BABLE is Books. I'm sure there are other acronyms that work and judging from the state of the mess here, I have probably reached it.

Can we talk about my FABLE for a minute? I like the high-end stuff apparently, no polyester, no acrylic, s'il vous plait. Worse, I like the high-end stuff to be, well, inexpensive. Luckily, I discovered Fabric Mart which has some good sales sometimes. I get stuff from Mood Fabrics now and again as well.

It's cashmere. It's not 100% cashmere, but it's something like  30%, and the rest is wool. It's navy, 50-some odd inches wide, and I have 3 yards of it. I considered making my Cape Coat from it but decided I wanted something simpler and more classic. I could go with an outer wear coat or a jacket. We'll see. Suggestions and ideas are welcomed.

Here is a close up picture for texture.

It's so hard to get a decent photograph of fabric! At least it's not red, I guess. Even Fabric Mart didn't have a great image--I just went on faith. I mean, cashmere!

The next thing I want to show you is this rose tulle stuff. I got at either Fabric Mart or Mood--FM I think. On sale of course, last year. It was all the rage for a while, but I really don't know what to do with it. I have used it as background for photos, but that is about it. If it were a brighter color, like purple, I might make something for one of my younger nieces, but it's black.

Again, 50-ish inches wide, 2 or so yards. I really like it, but have no ideas about what to do with it.

Lest you think I only buy fabric in black or navy, or to make clothing for myself, here are a couple of pieces I got to do home dec stuff with.  Prints!

 This is a cotton I purchased at a fabric store in Portsmouth, NH about a month ago to cover a feather duvet thing we have.

Okay, so it's not exactly a color, but it's not solid black either.

After the cape coat, this may be my next thing. The nights are already getting cool and that feather thing is very warm.

The last thing I have to show for today is this piece of linen I got at the same fabric store. I am going to make a couple of pillows for the library (remember our BABLE?) The writing is Italian and it looks like some kind of ledger or inventory, not literature. But it's really cool and the fabric has a nice hand.

Friends, that's all I will subject you to today. In parting, I just want to say, I do actually have colors in my life!

Cape-along-ing. Longing for a Cape?

Recently, I joined the Great Cape Along over at the Monthly Stitch. I'd been looking for something cool like that to do online, and I do love a cape.

Of course, I don't actually need one, having made one a couple of years ago from Burda Pattern 7619 in a beautiful blue plaid wool I scored from Mood Fabrics. A Carolina Herrara fabric and it's still there.

It has a beautiful navy blue satin lining (from either Mood or Fabric Mart) and some silver buttons that I may have lucked out on at Joann's, but probably came from a yarn store somewhere.

But, it occurs to me that I probably need a Sherlock cape coat. You know, the type that is a coat with a little shoulder cape.

Papercut patterns down under in New Zealand has something really cute and I have some cotton velveteen that I think will suit perfectly. It's supposed to be a chocolate brown, but is more of a mauve-y dark taupe. I made up a mood board over at Pinterest.

I really like the old Vogue pattern--so witchy!  I found the image just the other day. I found the image of the green plaid one a few years ago--it looks like it is made from the Vogue pattern doesn't it? I love these little instances of coming-together!

Right now my plan is to add a shoulder cape to a double-breasted jacket pattern I already have, dye (urp!) the cotton velveteen, find some lining and go from there. But, if I can get my hands on that Vogue cape pattern, plans will change!

Style and wardrobe rubric

I have decided that as I try and mange my wardrobe (see previous post's book recommendations) I am going to apply this simple rubric (that's a schmancy bit of jargon of the edumacation trade); Would I wear it in Paris? I did not make this up, I found it in my wanderings of the web and style blogs. But I don't remember where exactly.

Simple though this little test is, it has already proved problematic.  I don't really know what to do with this.

The fabric is so beautiful. It's this fine cotton voile with an interesting Art Deco print, and the lining is a soft, drapey ecru batiste. I just love the fabric, but...what was I thinking to make a shirt dress?  I was thinking that I was about 20 pounds thinner, I guess. As it is, I'm neither curvy enough nor thin enough for it, and it is both overly sweet and frumpy on me.

It is a McCall's pattern 4769 and I added a neat waist detail kind of on the fly because I think I am too good to read pattern directions these days. (I mean, I learned to sew when I was 9 and now I am 46 so that means---yikes! Never mind.)

It's sort of like a sans-a-belt that pants in the '70's had, except less '70's-ish. I dunno, maybe I will try it on again before I deem it a wadder.

Now, I live in a Very Cold Place which has reached about 80 degrees today. But in 6 short months, it could be well below zero, which means that my simple rubric gains an added layer of troublesomeness. I will have to ask myself, Would I wear this in Paris or outside in the snow? But that's 6 months from now, also known as Never.

Till next time, mes amis:

My Little Addiction

Well, one of them anyway. I have lots of little, even tiny, addictions. Many come and go like the New England weather, some slowly build over the months and years. None are dangerous. Really. And altogether, I get to say that I don't have an Addictive Personality. (Really!)

This brings you to one of my boards

Mostly I use it to look at, and re-pin, nice images. I stay away from memes, thinsperation nonsense, and Disney princess stuff. But I do use it for some handy and organizational purposes. I have "Patterns I own" board where I pin the sewing patterns I, well, own.

Also, I just made a "FABLE" board. FABLE= Fabric Acquired Beyond Life Expectancy. I am not actually there yet, but I'm on my way. There are also SABLE and BABLE, but those are other blog posts. 

I will sometimes put comments to note what fabric I have used with one of my patterns or try to plan a sewing project. It would be handier to use this way if you could move and re-order the images on a board--maybe someday. There are other sites more useful for this and one day I may migrate some of my stuff. but for now, Pinterest. Ugh.