Fabric Dreams

There are three places where I cannot control myself: bookstores, music stores and fabric stores.  Upon entering any one of these little shangri-las, I am immediately enraptured and enslaved - drooling and compelled to spend all kinds of money I don't have.  (And yet, there's a strange little plastic card in my wallet that tells me the sweet lies I'm dying to hear. "Go on" it says, "you have the money".  I try to fight: "But it's not real, actual money," I insist,  "I really shouldn't."  Then the little card gives me a wink and whispers those three deliciously evil  words: "It's real enough".)  These places embody the promise of something beautiful, something urgent and necessary that I haven't yet experienced, something that will make my life complete.  They are the aesthete's crack. My solution is simply to avoid these places altogether. After all, I have books that I haven't yet read, cds I've barely listened to, and  yards upon yards of untouched fabric;  I don't need more. But every once in a while, an opportunity arises that is too tempting.   Enter Marlene, Fabric Siren.

 Marlene is from Montreal but lives in England.  Her 93-year-old mother died recently, so Marlene is here selling her mother's house and belongings, and because her mother used to make clothing, there are entire trunks and  boxes of vintage fabric in the house.  A few weeks back,  Marlene heard me interviewed on the CBC  for a radio piece about selling handmade items online, looked up my blog and contacted me to see if I'd be interested in buying some of the fabric.
Interested?? Heaps of beautiful vintage lace, silk, cotton; I think you can guess how it all went down.  She very sweetly made me hot chocolate, opened the magic trunks, and gave me an incredibly good deal;  I left that sweet little house loaded down with bags of embroidered dreams.  Maybe I don't need it, but I'm so grateful to have it.  It's all of beautiful quality, and I love that it has a history.  Vintage fabric just feels different, both in the tactile and the woowoo senses of the word.  I think it will be perfect for the batch of Alice dolls in my head, demanding to be born.

(I'll post the interview, even though I sound like a man who's just woken up from a nap: Download Cbc interview)

Also a big thank you to everyone who attended and/ or commented on my recent shop update - I truly appreciate your support!  Thirteen of the little ladies were gone within two hours, which was heartwarming to see.  I just have to keep them from getting big heads - dolls are, by nature, quite vain.

Comments

[Sarah]

Oh I can totally sympathise with your addictions and love the fabric you have here! Can't wait to see the Alice dolls! I would add charity shops and other places selling old stuff-boot fairs, Greenwich market etc!
I think it is funny what you said about dolls being vain-they are quite demanding too I always find!

[monika viktoria]

sarah, wow... what an amazing story, to have been contacted in such a way! At first I thought you meant you had gone to a store and purchased some fabrics... but this is so much better. It fits with your... um...(I don't know the word) the feel and mood and stories of your dolls. Using something with a bit of a mysterious history to it is always so beautiful... you can hold it and imagine the life it has already lived, rather than having been recently churned out in a factory.

I think the Alice dolls will look marvelous, like a colourful silk masquerade!!

[Alex Mason]

What beautiful fabric, i love vintage fabric. I too have a problem with book shops, and craft shops and art shops and sweet shops....can't wait to see your Alice dolls.

xxx

[ashley]

Wonderful post. Marlene sounds like a sweet women. What gorgeous fabrics too! Also, whenever I'm close to a craft store I have to contain myself from going into a major shopping spree. I end up buy all kinds of goodies that end up sitting around not being used.

[Katie Boyer Clark]

Oh, perfect, beautiful vintage fabrics. I will join in the whispering. You could not have passed this up. Not ever.

[charis]

Aaaaggghhhh... gorgeous fabric... who could've resisted??! Love the Unhappy Bride, she's beautiful. And feel free to use my name if you want to (you left me an email & mentioned that you like it) it would be an honour to see one of your dolls with my name!

[Tamara]

Congratulations once again on much continued success with your beautiful dolls. I could easily fill my house with them all, it's always so hard to choose which ones I love most. Your newest post gave me goose bumps ... I too am a 'collector' of books, love thrift store treasures, buttons and love, love, love fabrics. (although I don't have your talent - so mine is merely 'collected'!) Your story of your latest purchase was like the holy grail, I was quite excited for you. Wished I could have been there to look over the fabrics myself. Can't wait to see all the majesty that is to come from your beautiful imagination!

[tracy x]

wow, wow, wow
what a haul of fabric - many congrats :)
looking forward to Alice even more now... if that was possible!
t x

[Yoli]

I am swooning over the fabric!!! I cannot wait to see your Alice line. You know how much I am waiting to see this line complete. You know I am bringing someone home!

[Christine]

Congrats on your sales! And lucky you getting all that fabric!My husbands aunt gave me heaps of vintage family lace over a year ago and I have barely touched it.Like you I'm not a shopper unless it involves art, paper,fabric or books (no longer frequent music stores sadly).I have way too much fabric but I buy what I think I'll use, of course my taste is always changing;/
Have fun with the fabrics~vintage does have that something special I agree~I just purchased some French ribbon from the 20's..cant wait to use it.
Have a good weekend ahead:)