Les Parisiennes des Mamansnet: "You gotta have style. It helps you get down the stairs." - Diana Vreeland

[botemp]

Lovers of Parisian style and fashion with a conscious mindset and lots of chatter in between.

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Favoured Parisian addresses:

Second Hand Shops

Outlets

Favoured London addresses:

Charity Shops, Dress Agencies, and Outlets

Favoured NYC addresses:

Consignment shops, Vintage, and Restaurants

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Merch created in honour of our ten thread anniversary:

Les Parisiennes de Mamansnet shop

That looks like a great fabric mix, I wonder what the real colour of it is ...
I just clicked out of curiosity, not that I am a fellow sewer.
This last week the weather has definitely improved here and nice to see some of the bulbs I planted in October out, here is a purple and yellow combo (archbishop?) inspiration.

Just de lurking to give you some fabric info. Croft Mill is hit & miss as are Amo threads (who are closing down). Fabulous quality linen and linen/wool mix can be had from With This Cloth. Gabardine is a joy to sew with, so don’t be put off.

The Dormeuil fabric on eBay is lovely but will be itchy to wear close to your skin, so will need lining for trousers.

Thanks, PopTarts, I wasn't aware Amo threads were shutting down. Shame as it seemed a nice initiative. My general impression has been with those that sell discontinued/deadstock that it's hit and miss as a rule but the prices reflect it somewhat, in the long run you might be better off just buying once and right. Although, I hear people often saying Merchant &Mills linen are great but my local expensive fabric shop carries them and the quality varies wildly, I don't know if it's done to colour or batches and tbh it makes in comparison to quality Belgian linen. With the jobbers I used to just order loads of samples and ordered whatever looked good from that selection. Ah, well, it's pretty much closed off to me now thanks to Brexit.

I'm curious how you can tell it would be itchy, just from the fabric content or is it the weave?

Autocorrect had a field day, soz, hope it still makes sense.

Oh and on the gabardine front, I found attached in a book. Hope it's legible.

Plenty of other fabric shops stock deadstock fabric, fabric godmother, simply fabrics Brixton, New Craft House etc. You do need to be wary of the term ex designer as the definition of designer is used very loosely. I don’t rate Merchant and Mills for fabric either, overpriced for the quality.

It’s the wool content that is the itchy factor, it’s not always the case, but without feeling it I wouldn’t risk it. I’d question the book, I’ve sewn with wool gabardine and it really is a lovely fabric to work with, the attached pic made me doubt myself but a quick google confirms that it’s often described as an easy fabric to work with.

Thanks for the suggestions PopTarts.

I have a set of Merchant and Mills linen samples and they do feel a bit lightweight, but the colours are great and that's a consideration too.

Yes, I've been thinking about it and in the book from the couturier it's explained that in couture there's a lot of manipulation of wool by using steam by stretching it into shape and that would be really difficult to do with gabardine as it's water resistant so wouldn't respond to steam in the same way. So it probably depends on application, this is the confusing thing with sewing, I find.

Also the idea that something is lightweight, ergo not as good isn't always true either, it'll be good for certain applications and not for others. My brown linen dress I made last year could have been a bit lighter (but not the M&M weight, I think that's more lightweight blouses territory).

And I agree colour choices are a consideration too, I really need to contemplate experimenting with dyes but I'm fairly convinced I'm going to end ruining the fabric in the process...

Yeah that's true - I guess with linen I always prefer a bit of heft cos I think (maybe mistakenly?) that it'll be less likely to go saggy.

I dye things quite often but, unless you strip out the existing colour first, you never really know what you're going to end up with, which can be quite good fun but less so if the fabric's new and expensive.
Although you've got a better sense of how colours work than I have so maybe it wouldn't be such an adventure for you!

I'm sure it'll be potluck for me too, I think if you're doing it small scale the potential of error is probably quite big. It's just the whole setup of giant pots of boiling water and subsequent cleanup that puts me off. Doing it in the machine is probably only applicable for some fabrics like cotton. I hardly ever come across white wool so that's unlikely to happen anyhow, but reading up on dyeing silk just put me off.

@XingMing how was the ballet top from me + em?

On the creasing of linen, that seems to be less a weight thing and more a weaving thing. The lightest weight sample I have (and it's a large sample) creases the least and restores best, it's by Libeco (Belgian). Stonewashed seams to be the best medium, it's soft and wearable and it does crease but more in a pleasant rumpled way rather than harsh creasing. It can also go in the tumble dryer (keeps it soft) and doesn't really require ironing.

I just do hand dyeing in the sink. I don't find it that much harder than machine dyeing, just a bit tedious as you have to keep stirring. On the other hand, you get to watch the colour changing so that can be interesting, and if it's not turning out the way you wanted, you can throw a new colour in.

I have samples - and have bought some yardage - from Merchant & Mills, the fabrics I’ve chosen so far seem to be right for what I need and the few things I’ve made seem to be keeping OK so far. It’s early days yet.

Curious to hear how do you judge a fabric in terms of quality? For me it’s an instinct, the way it hangs and feels, I agree that being lightweight is neither here nor there, just whether it’s appropriate for the intended purpose. Oh and I also don’t go for any sort of polyester mix because the fabric won’t biodegrade eventually.

Ah right, thank you - so much to learn!

So much cross posting

Totally instinct for me regarding quality. I feel it, hold it up to the light, give it a pull and a scrunch if I remember, and that's about it. Unfortunately my instincts in all aspects of life are often wrong. What's annoying is they actually tried to teach this stuff at school but I wouldn't listen

Yeah, I'd say instinct atm, which probably is just built on fingering clothes in shops experience. But a tiny square can be deceiving, and I hate when they're not a decent size, it's really only good for checking colour. I need to get into some shops already

Yup, I sent off for a load of fabric samples early last year but, apart from colour, I didn't find them much help.
But to be honest, I don't always realise how good it is till I start sewing - e.g. that last shirt fabric was great but it was a complete fluke.
Same with clothes - I can't really begin to tell quality till I've worn it all day.

Yeah M&M are really mean with their samples, as well as Cloth House (who charge £4.50 for a set of 4 samples from a range, can’t choose just one). It gives you an idea of colour and texture but not enough to make a call on draping, creasing etc. I’ve been surprised how different a pattern (well, checks or stripes) looks over a large area compared to the sample.

@peachypetite, the ballet wrap top is good. It's a heavyweight modal jersey, so it drapes well, and the cross-over hits exactly right so that it's just modest enough, and doesn't gape or need pinning. If they do any other colours later in the year, I'd consider another... just not a black one.

@XingMing thanks! I’m busty too and always have to wear a vest top under anything wrap.

See that's why I rate Me and Em. Most retailers can't be arsed to think about where a wrap top should cross over - and it shows. But I can just imagine Clare Hornby faffing and fussing and being a pain in the arse until she got it right.

Sorry about double arsing.

Clare Hornby thinks through the small details, which is why Me&Em clothes can be bought online. It would be great to be able to try them first when we're allowed out. It's her tendency to put puffed sleeves into garments that I'd like her to curb!