Spotlight shopping spree...

Since I missed out on visiting Spotlight during my summer trip to Australia and New Zealand, I have been looking for an opportunity to browse their fabric collection. Their website does not have an online shop for fabric and haberdashery, but during my search I discovered that there was a branch of Spotlight in Singapore. Low and behold, I already had my flight booked for October half term to visit Singapore! 

I went with a few things in mind that I wanted to shop for. Although Hong Kong is brilliant for so many sewing supplies, there are just some items that are illusive. My list was as follows:-

- Coverable buttons (various sizes)

- Hemming tape

- Colour saver (to remove dying accidents!)

I managed to find these 3 items and more! I got 2 different sizes of coverable buttons. They come with the tool and seem fairly robust. I'm hoping to use them on the Mimi blouse (another Tilly and the Buttons pattern) that I am planning. In addition to this, I managed to get some 1.5cm width hemming tape that comes with the paper backing (excellent for sticking jersey hems). I also found the colour saver! Other than that, I also bought two sets of press studs (with tool) that I can use on the male shirts I'm planning to make, a bobbin box (to organise my sewing area further) and some lovely chevron printed cotton jersey. 

I was a little overwhelmed by the fabric, purely because there was a vast range of great and not so great fabrics. I had to have a thorough look around to see what I liked and also fabrics that I can't get in Hong Kong. They had a small selection of cotton jerseys (compared with the large selection of woven fabrics) and because this is something that is not too common in Hong Kong and is also something that I need to add to my capsule wardrobe, It was my main focus. I went for a lovely red and white narrow chevron pattern (I will blog the garment I made from it soon). The quality of the fabric was lovely and I didn't notice any shrinkage from the washing process, which was a pleasant surprise. 

Overall, I was pretty pleased with my purchases and the price wasn't too bad either - especially when I got a discount for joining their member's club. So if you're ever in Singapore, it's certainly worth a quick visit!  

Too many Knitted fabric choices?!

I finally made the trip to Sham Shui Po to look at my knitted fabric options for the various projects that I have in mind. There are far too many choices and I went to two shops I had seen on a previous trip. The first shop was Kam Fung Trading Company, which stocks so many different knitted fabrics. This includes sweatshirt knits and t-shirt weight jersey's, which are on my list to buy. I'm primarily looking for stripes as you can see from my photographs, but I was drawn in by the cotton, quilted sweatshirt fabrics. I love this one below, which is a plaited effect!

The other fabric shop I went to was 'Bowa', which was next door to the other knitted shop on Yu Chau Street. This shop stocks lots of knitted jerseys that are primarily plain. They also sell a lot of different ribbed jerseys, which is also on my 'to buy' list.  The ones below are a mix of cotton(95%) and spandex(5%) and have a nice width of rib suitable for collars and cuffs of sweatshirts (ideal for my Linden!). 

Fashionary in action!

After two lovely public holidays and a weekend, it's back to a full week of work. No need to be down though because i'm accompanied by my trusty Fashionary! 

I have just downloaded the ever-so cool 'Coco' pattern by Tilly and the Buttons to expand my me-made wardrobe to include knitted jersey items. Also on Friday in a small fabric shopping spree in Sham Shui Po I picked up 2 yards of cream and navy interlock jersey for $20! A total bargain and perfect for my first Coco.

My job now is to plan which design of the Coco I'm going to make... I like the idea of 3/4 length sleeves as it will be more suitable for the Hong Kong weather and I always tend to roll up my sleeves anyway. Why waste precious fabric on long sleeves?! Turn-up or no turn-up, that is the question! Also, do I go for the straight forward boat neckline, or the sixties classic of the funnel neck? Argh... too many decisions!!! Ok, breathe... maybe i'll start plain and then move forward to a more complicated garment once I've got back into the groove of sewing knitted jersey fabrics. After all, the Coco could make up a significant number of items in a capsule wardrobe. 

There, the plan is formed. It's always better to talk things through before making a decision. Thank you blog! Watch this space for my Coco update.