Fabricland, the Canadian generic fabric chain, was having one of their fairly regular sales this past weekend, with pretty much everything in store 50% off. This exciting news prompted me to finally (after many attempts and broken engagements on both sides) to get together with Funnygrrl of Falling Through Your Clothes. Astoundingly, we actually pulled it off.
Extra-grainy iPhone photo.
The sewing gods were feeling magnanimous, for we both managed to arrive at Fabricland, find parking (not a small feat!), and even recognize each other. It was also the warmest day of the year yet, to the point where my children were running around the back yard in their booty shorts (the daytime high reached 13C), so I actually got to wear my springy coat for the first time this year! Very non-creatively I wore this exact outfit. With these boots.
While Ms. Falling was remarkably restrained (peeps, her Fabricland membership had lapsed!) I, um, was not. Erm.
I’d like to maintain I was not whimsical or frivolous, but the fact is I was pretty darn excessive.
The boring (and sort of justifiable)
Dude. They had hair canvas. In the clearance. For $4/m. At 50% off. (original price was about $14/m) I bought 4m. In hindsight I should’ve bought the whole bolt. I also re-stocked my other typical interfacings, but that’s not quite as astounding as finding good interfacing in the clearance section.
Unnecessary (but practical!) stash-building
Hmm. I knew there was a reason why I don’t like fabric posts. Mine, that is. I buy boring fabric! I mean, how can I compete with this? I bought denim—red cotton twill (Tyo wants red jeans) and a couple of remnants of a really nice dark-wash. Where the heck was this colour denim when it was on the bolts? If I want to make jeans from them I’ll have to piece, but I’m thinking it might be worth it.) I splurged on some basic black athletic knit, the type of beefy cotton-lycra blend that’s normally over $20/m in these parts. Even at 50% off it’s still kinda pricey, but a) this stuff never goes on clearance and b) you never find it in thrift stores, either.
Prezzies!
Best of all was Funnygrrl’s contribution, though—aside from a pay-it-forward pattern, she offered me my choice of linens—black with white embroidered border, or white with black. The idea is something along the lines of she keeps the other piece and we make “twin” garments. There’s not a huge amount, but enough for a skirt or a slim dress, I think. Possibly from the pattern she gave me (also photographed) but there’s so many adorable dress patterns in my stash at the moment I may be paralyzed by indecision. This is the (much more interesting) kind of fabric I ogle but never actually jump on, so getting it as a present is AWESOME. I am now paging avidly through the dress patterns on my iPhone sewing app…
Tanit-Isis Sews 
I had such a great time. The afternoon flew by!
I should have been better prepared but with so much fabric at home I just couldn’t splurge.
My post is tomorrow and you can meet my new addition. We’ll have to do it again. 🙂
Yup, awesome time! We could always meet up for coffee or something that doesn’t require actual fabric purchases ;)… it’s not as if I needed any more fabric, either. 😀
Hair canvas at $4/m? You so totally should have bought the entire bolt 😛 Yay for new fabric! What app are you using?
Hush, you’ll give me non-buyer’s remorse! It’s the “Sewing Kit” app of 3-star, decidedly mixed reviews. Hmm, maybe I’ll do a more detailed overview of it someday if people are interested…
I still owe you some more awesomeness in fabrics, btw. I figured I’d wait until after you move.
Hmm, isn’t it more like I owe *you*? Plots are being formulated, by the way. 🙂
I love seeing other people’s fabric posts, even if it’s “boring” fabric. Knowing you, they’ll turn into non-boring outfits, even if it’s just from creative piecing!
Aww, thanks! Oh, no, the pressure! 😉
LOL! So those who can’t sew shop…https://tanitisis.wordpress.com/2012/03/03/those-who-cant-sew/ and those who can do too ;)?
Um, yes. Yes, I think you have me there.
But dude… SALE!!!
Ahh well doesn’t count then 😉 – it’s clearly in the same financial moral camp as “I took something back to the store, so the money I got back is basically FREE – so I might as well spend it again”… I personally like that reasoning a lot (just don’t tell my Hubby LOL!)
WOW! $4/m??? Wow! I pay $21 for it here and count myself lucky.
Ooooh! A meetup! What fun. 🙂 The Frozen North is on my list of places to go for that very reason….
I’ll hope that your $20/m hair canvas is at least 60″ wide or something… this stuff is quite narrow (36″ maybe?). But it’s definitely a steal—they appear to be carrying a slightly different type for the main stock now, which I guess is why it got clearanced, but it still seems like a really odd product to go on clearance. Not that I’m complaining!
Oh, and (not trying to give you a heart attack) but it was 50% off $4… it was $2/m.
Should by the whole roll + sell it for a mark-up on Etsy???? 😉
So glad you got to spend time with an adult who shares your avocation. Looks like lots of sewing is ahead for you this Spring.
I’d like for it to be, anyway… time may not agree 😛
great haul! I completely understand and support purchases of “boring” fabric. It is not so boring when it turns into something very useful.
but that link to oonaballooona’s haul made me weak in the knees.
Lordie.
I know, hey? But I’m really much better at using up boring fabric. /sigh.
I got back home this weekend and had waiting for me:
1) Fabricville flyer in french
2) Fabricville flyer in english
3) Fabricville flyer IN MY EMAIL.
I think they want my business. I may stop by today, after I take my toddler for vaccinations, just two doors down. It’s fate I tell ya.
(I have yet to graduate to real quality interfacing. I have lots of that cheap iron-in type that I got for practically nothing, or I use sew-in muslin. I need to find a good primer on what kind of interfacing to use where)
Gotta love it when the universe (or is it just massive marketing?) steers you towards something ;). I got the flyer on Monday, too… mais seulement en Anglais.
I find I like the “armo-weft” interfacing they carry—it’s my go to for most things, soft and flexible, doesn’t seem to shrink or bubble, although it’s a bit messy to fuse. I have really developed a hate-on for the super-cheap, non-woven fusibles. 😉
I just spent $100 on hair canvas; I got 8 meters and thought I got a bargain. Go you!
That sounds like more the price I’m used to paying, and this stuff is fairly narrow, maybe 36″ wide. I know Sunni of A Fashionable Stitch carries 60″ wide stuff for not much more than what you paid. But yeah, this was the most insane bargain I’ve ever seen.
Oh wow… I like boring fabric posts, the end product sure as hell won’t be boring and there is nothing boring about dark denim or red pants. And a meet up? That sounds like so much fun. My time at Fabricland is almost always solo. I don’t mind that because I spent a lot of time just walking around thinking, I don’t like feeling rushed. When Fabricland has a sale, they sure don’t hold back. Those buy 1 get 3 free deals have suckered me in more than I care to admit, but $2/m for horsehair? Wow… you have a good eye there for a bargain.
I tried to convince my Mom to come with me to that sale after her surgery before we headed out of town for the week, but no go. 😦 LOL. I’m a lovely daughter, trying to drag my post-op Mom shopping. 😀
Nice haul, though! I have such a hard time buying fabric basics. The pretty stuff is just…too pretty! 😀
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