Sewing haul from the Mother Land

Whenever I'm visiting the mother land (Leeds) I make sure to go to B&M fabric stall in Kirkgate Market. It's a treasure trove of gorgeous fabrics with lovely and very knowledgable staff. Plus it's very reasonably priced. 

I absolutely could not refuse these fabrics. 

The aim of the game was to get some great stretch knits to make some practical everyday staples out of. I've inherited a serger (!!!) and am raring to get going with T-shirts, cardigans, skater dresses and leggings. 

However there weren't many knits that fit into my colour palette, so I came away with this lovely, drapey grey jersey to copy a favourite cardigan with, and a piece of 4-way stretch red and white striped knit for the grand sum of £1 (bargain bin find of the day). I split this piece with my lovely sister, and we're both planning a summer bandeau top. Mainly serger practice for me but we'll see if it ends up looking anything like decent!

...aaand I found some lovely cottons of course!

Red and white spots are just always a winner. These are the perfect size, and this cotton has such a soft finish and lovely drape. It's destined for an emery dress when my pattern arrives.

Then I spotted this awesome blue geometric print cotton. It reminds me of a painting of the sea, and I just adore it. It's in my colour palette of course (see my wardrobe architect post here) and is such a fun, jazzy print. I think it shall be another Anna dress. 

And finally, I fell for this Eiffel Tower fabric. Oh wow. How could I leave this on the roll? It's just so awesome. In fact there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. I actually adore it. My only regret is not buying more: I can see it in a dress, top, skirt, shorts... But I shall have to choose just one incarnation for this beautiful hunk of fabric. 

A tip-off for any Leeds-based seamstresses... The lady at B&M fabrics was telling me that she has just been to the fabric show, and ordered lots of amazing prints. She was telling me they're coming in in March. Keep an eye out! 

The haul of sewing loveliness did not stop there. My dad's attic yielded the most exciting of finds. We originally ventured up there to look for the serger lead and pedal. I love rummaging around in the attic anyway. We found old photographs, my school artwork, mum's childhood doll and teddy, our old Amiga computer, joystick & floppy disc games (hilarious that we kept them! Why?!) and some sewing gems. I thought I had already been through all of my mum's old patterns and separated out the ones I might want to use. I was wrong. 

When I happened upon two big boxes of vintage sewing patterns, an actual squeal escaped my lips. Some of these patterns are incredible and will definitely be getting made. Some of them are hilariously dated 80s flouncy creations, but there were so so many heart-quickening stylish ones. So me & my sister decamped to the kitchen table to go through them all over a cup of tea.

Two of my favourites from the attic stash

There were loads that my Nanna had ordered from the Sunday People Patterns on mail order, still in the envelopes they were posted in. Apparently she had good intentions but didn't sew any of them up. They're all still factory folded!

There was a hand-drafted-by-mum pattern labeled "Marie ballet tutu age 5". Maybe I can use it one day !

There was also a big tin full of lace, bias binding and trims, plus an ice cream tub full of zips. Patterns and notions and zips, oh my! 

Some of the notions I brought back with me... Bias binding, twill tape and sew-in boning

I journeyed back down to London with a heavier suitcase but a lighter soul. There are so many ideas whizzing around in my head, I absolutely cannot wait to get going on some more sewing. Any beginner serger tips are more than welcome (since we managed to find the lead and pedal but not the instruction manual...) so please do comment below! I'll share my serging journey of course. 

See you soon!