Losing JoAnn's

JoAnn's, the last of the big chain fabric stores, is closing its doors permanently. 

I wandered through my local store yesterday in search of buttons that I could make into sleeve buttons. 

I'd already braved the crowds once and gone through their button racks, but I was out running errands and stopped by. Glad I did.

JoAnn's will be missed. It met the needs of a big segment of the sewing community at large and has been a place where many beginning sewists came as they started out. 

Their fabrics were inexpensive and allowed a new sewist to learn without the worry about the investment that better quality fabrics are.

For experienced sewists, it was a good place to go for notions, patterns, and craft supplies, and I will miss being able to pop into the store, grab what I needed, and then returning home without losing too much sewing time.

So, what's left around town for sewists?

~ Hobby Lobby has a small fabric section. Their fabric quality is on par with JoAnn's and not what I would use, but I can get my notions and things there. 

~ I checked out Michaels a few weeks ago and was not impressed with the selection or the quality. 

~ Walmart? Nope. Never. They have a brand of thread whose name is VERY close to a major brand name thread. I fell for their ploy and discovered that the Walmart imitation thread was awful quality. It broke constantly as I tried to use it and finally I threw it away.

~ We do have a locally owned quilt shop but I refuse to go there. A few years ago I took one of my sewing machines in for a repair, and they lost my machine. A three week repair turned into MONTHS! They lied several times to me about where it was and finally quit returning my phone calls as I tried to get my machine back. That finally happened when I showed up in person, told them who I was and that I wanted my sewing machine back NOW. It took a while, but they finally found it. I will never, ever return to that store again. 

There was a time when we had more options for sewing supplies here in town. Sadly, JoAnn's put them all out of business.

Hancocks was one of them,

as was So-Fro Fabrics. 

Saddest of all was when Neuwelts closed. It was a two story, locally owned fabric shop here on the downtown square in Lafayette. It was chock full of all kinds of quality fabrics.

People came from out of state just to shop there. It was such an icon that I saved two bags that I found in my mother's fabric stash after she passed away.

A note pinned to a Neuwelt's bag from my mother. She was making chemises, too!

Since I buy better quality fabric than JoAnn's sells, my sources are not changing either for Horsiemama's Haversacks or for Jolis Chevaux. I already have some online sources plus there are sources for 18th century fabrics at events. 

In fact, Leslie came over yesterday and together we put together a big block print order from one of those online sources.

The Feast may be seven months away, but we are both sewing things now in preparation for it. (The obligatory sister selfie.)

Still, I will miss the opportunity to run over to JoAnn's and snag something I needed NOW and then be home and back at the sewing machine in less than an hour.

I sure hope that new sewists find another resource for inexpensive fabrics to learn on. For that, JoAnn's was unsurpassed.

Fabrics Afire! A Sobering Learning Experience

It's June and that means that my sewing thoughts turn to The Feast of the Hunters' Moon. "Ahhh! I only have four months to stitch a new stock of 18th century clothing, make that new Caraco jacket for myself, pour 100 or so beeswax ornaments, replenish the stock of maple cakes..." and so on.

Seriously, I wake up in the middle of the night thinking these things! 

Stress thoughts aside, I am actually in good shape. I just finished four new chemises and had time to attend a Feast Sewing Circle, a gathering of folks who share ideas and learn how 18th century clothing was constructed so that we can implement those techniques into our own Feast sewing.

Such as the use of sleeve buttons (the precursor to cufflinks)  

and how they were used in both men and women's clothing. (Source of sleeve button photos unknown and found on social media.)

Or the technique of hand sewing a gusset (the triangular piece) between the collar and the sleeve to give a shirt more give and movement.

Natural fabrics were used during the Feast time period - linens, cottons, wools, and silks. Polyesters and nylons were not invented in the 18th century and we want to avoid using those in our garments. I brought some fabrics from my mom's stash with me to the Feast Sewing Circle and asked for opinions. Just what were these fabrics?

The group consensus immediately was that the green was linen so we set it aside to look at the others. The group thought the other three fabrics were silks but no one was sure.

Brooke Sauter, leader of the Feast Sewing Circle (and the new director of the Feast itself) said she'd show us how to identify the content in those fabrics, asking if I minded if she snipped a corner off the edge of each one.

We trooped outside and Brooke pulled out a tin containing tweezers and a lighter.

Showing us that she was holding the snippet of fabric with the tweezers for safety,

Brooke lit the first sample of fabric on fire and we watched it melt, curling in on itself as it did so. Not silk at all - it was polyester!

She burned the other two pieces plus a wool sample and pointed out the different reactions. The wool smelled like sheep and was very burn-resistant. The silk burned slowly and also had an animal smell. 

The natural fiber samples had charring that would easily break into ashes if touched. Not the man-made - it just melted.

I put them into my sewing notebook and labeled them to help me remember.

But does the fabric content that we use in sewing our 18th century garments really matter? Usually the natural weave fabrics are far more expensive than the blends or the 100% man-made fabrics. Why not go for the cheaper fabrics, especially when those blends may look like the real deal? (We were all fooled by that turquoise "silk" that turned out to be polyester.)

Absolutely yes. Fabric content really does matter. 

Think about working near a campfire and catching some of your clothing on fire. Would you rather be wearing the burn-resistant wool or the melt-on-contact polyester? Cotten and linens will burn, that's true, but they will not melt onto your skin like the man-made fabrics do. (That melting makes for a horrific and painful recovery.)

Photo retrieved from Google Images. Credited to Rurification | Robert Edmundson.

Re-enactors are around fires all the time, many of us 24/7, when we are at an event. Of course we are aware of the dangers of the camp or cooking fires and we are careful. But it just takes a trip, a turned ankle, a quick turn that causes your petticoat to brush the flames, and you are in trouble. 

I was going to make something to sell at the Feast out of that turquoise "silk" that I'd brought. Not any more. After watching it melt as it did, I may just throw it away.

And while burning those fabric samples was fun, it was sobering to realize that our fabric choices as sewists could endanger someone or help protect them.

Needless to say, my fabric choices will now be better informed with safety the priority.

More Haversacks

Despite all the clothes I sold at Kalamazoo, I have not yet stitched up one item to replace them. Why? It's show season and haversack orders have been rolling in.  Not that I mind - I love to sew, and enjoy both sewing businesses. But with haversack orders, the fabric I use is almost always horsey, and that's an added bonus over the 18th century sewing.

Here's a look at some haversacks from an order I just completed.

An XLT (Extra Long Traditional) in Girls Playing Model Horses (Chocolate.) I love the girl who is playing guitar for her models and how they are "listening" to her!

I always take photos for the buyer to show who will fit into the haversack. (It looks like the tail would hang out on this one; I just didn't center the Cleveland Bay on the haversack well. He does fit.)

Two Traditional, one in Dragon Hearts, the other in Girls Playing Model Horses (White.)

Models to show fit.

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner fabric.

A Traditional and two Stablemate haversacks.

This was my last haversack order and I'd planned to begin some 18th century sewing when it was completed, but as that day I finished, I got another large order for haversacks.

Not that I mind - I'm happy to sew more of them!

Tornado Update

Craig and I went to Indianapolis yesterday and were appalled at the damage we saw from last Friday's tornados. There was over an hour delay on I-65 at one point because crews are still cleaning debris off of it. At another place, a farmer's field was completely covered with debris - so much so, you could not see the ground, only the rubble of what had once been a home and barn. I had heard the destruction was bad, but not realized just how much so. Those poor people.

Horsiemama's Mercantile - Some Unusual Fabrics

I got a very interesting response last night to yesterday's blog post about my odd PAS. I don't have permission yet to post it, but I'm pretty sure she will agree to letting me share her thoughts. (She's a long time friend.) I'll check with her today and hopefully will share it here tomorrow.

In the meantime, check out some unusual fabrics I was able to get ahold of for the Mercantile!

Not only do I like the design theme of this fabric, but that shade of blue is gorgeous!

The stark white contrast of the dog against the horse really makes it pop.

Here's a close up of it so you can see it better.

This fabric is kind of a flip of colors for the horse and dog from the previous fabric.

A much more detailed dog. Orange is my favorite color so I may put some of this fabric aside and make something for me out of it.

Primitive ponies against a background of flowers and mountains.

I've been asked where I get my fabrics and the best advice I can give people is to do a Google search for local fabric stores. Go state by state with your search and you will be surprised as to what is out there. If prices are more than you want to pay but you see something you like, bookmark it and check back occasionally. Or, sign up to get notifications of sales, new fabrics etc.

And don't be afraid to look internationally, either. Many of the fabrics I use for my 18th century living history business are actually from out of the country.

Check back later this morning - this is a two blog post day!

Stay 'tooned!

 

New Fabrics

Believe it or not, I am in my third year of Horsiemama's Haversacks & Mercantile. I never intended to go into business; it just sort of happened. Same with Jolis Chevaux, my 18th century clothing business. Yet here I am, sewing away four to five days a week.

During those three years, I've learned that online sales drop off as the show season wraps up at the end of the year. That's also a time when fabric goes on sale for some really good prices so it's a good time to stock up for when sales begin to ramp up again in February. 

And I have been buying.

Balloon Horses - such a unique fabric!

I had a student from South Africa whose hobby was making balloon animals, and he once made me a balloon horse in orange, my favorite color.

Purple is very popular (especially with the Pony Pals!) I also have this fabric in mint green and black.

Dressage horses in pink with touches of green and black.

I'm thinking ahead to BreyerFest so I have been searching for fabrics with horse drawn vehicles. That has been harder than I anticipated.

Pop art race horses - I showed this to two customers, got two custom orders, and had to reorder it because I had used all I had!

Burros on blue. I may make myself a haversack from this.

Pink zebras - I love the little bit of sass I spy on their faces!

Dala horses are very popular with my customer base. This is my fourth or fifth dala fabric and I think it is my favorite of them all.

Anyone else reminded of Breyer's Balking Mule by this fabric?

See what I mean?

This last fabric looks pretty unremarkable, but in-hand it makes me smile. There is a joyfulness among those cartoon horses!

Believe it or not, I have another stack of fabrics waiting to be photographed. 

Stay 'tooned!

Christmas Card of the Day

Sewing Up (and In) a Storm

The view from my upstairs sewing room allows me to see storms roll in and yesterday, although the sun was shining and it was in the high eighties, I glanced out the window to see this approaching:

A cold front was coming through with a severe thunderstorm in its wake. Naturally I went downstairs to snap some pics and as I stood on the patio, something really awesome happened.

I suddenly felt the cold front sweep right over me with a very sharp, cold wind. It was like there was a line between that hot and cold air, and I felt  that line as it crossed over my home. Never have I actually felt the boundary between two air masses - it was amazing.

Shortly after that boundary passed over, it began to pour. 

I retreated into the house and went back upstairs - I was almost done with a shirt for Ian to wear to the Feast (the kids are going in period clothing) and wanted to finish it.

It's a voyageur's shirt and made from a hand block printed cotton fabric from India. The pattern replicates fabrics found during the 18th century.

I think that shirt will fit him, but if it doesn't, I have a larger one on hand just in case.

This one is for Lukie. Like the other two, it was block printed by hand and you can see evidence of that if you look closely. Look to the left by the V neck - see how the pattern is not quite matched up just under the cream stripe? That's it.

I'm taking the shirts out for the boys to try on after they get home from school today, and I will also take Mila's pattern to show her. It just arrived in the mail yesterday so she hasn't seen what I have in mind for her yet.

I will have to go through my fabric stash and see if I can bring her some choices for it.

I've also got some new fabrics in for the Mercantile. Next year's BreyerFest theme is Driving Forward, so I have been looking for horses and ponies in harness.

I've found a couple so far but I am concentrating on sewing 18th century items right now.

I'll start stitching these as soon as the Feast is over.

This is just the first batch of new haversack fabric - I got another batch in the mail yesterday that I haven't even opened yet.

Stay 'tooned!