A Stash of a Different Kind

Just what I needed. Weaving has given me the opportunity to start a yarn stash as well as a fabric stash.

A table full of warp yarns

The Victorian Handweavers and Spinners Guild had their biannual (I think) yarn sale last weekend. I went along and brought home a couple of cones of yarn for warps (one pure wool, one a blend), an unwanted chain of cotton warp for a rag rug and some soft and blue knitting wool for a scarf weft. It was all extremely well priced so I felt I could take some risks. A friendly shopper next to me passed on a couple of tips on what not to buy, as did the lady who took my money.

What not to buy is cones of light coloured wool that have dirt or stains on top. I was told the marks often won’t wash out. I see it in the same terms as not eating the yellow snow. [Frank Zappa had something to teach us all.]

My First Warp

In weaving class we’re using Bendigo Woollen Mills 3-ply for our warps. I was one of the last to pick from the yarns available to the class and I ended up with some blue, some pink and some white. These would not have been my first choices but as this is just a learning piece it probably won’t matter that it’s ugly. In fact it probably would have been ugly with or without more appealing warp colours. It’s my first weaving project after all.

My class loom isn’t fully dressed yet. That should happen next week and I expect it will be hard work to get that done. After that I’m looking forward to seeing what can be accomplished with a four shaft loom. At home I’ll be practising using my two shaft loom. The working yarn blog has given me some inspiration about the possibilities.

The Bento Box Quilt is ready to Bind

My seven year old niece will be receiving a bento box quilt as a gift for Christmas. I hope she likes it. I chose a girly heart motif for the quilting, which was done by Pam Hammer.

I had to go shopping to find the right red fabric for the binding

The red binding fabric is a Kona cotton, a new fabric that’s new to me but which I’ve seen used by a number of modern quilters. It came from GJs Discount Fabrics in Brunswick East, courtesy of a $10 gift voucher that came along with my enrolment in the AQS Symposium. At $14 a metre, the Kona is roughly twice the price of the Prisma plains that Spotlight stock, with no discernible quality difference. GJ’s has a wall of Kona fabrics in a huge range of tones and it’s possible that Kona offers a wider selection of colours than Prisma do.

GJ’s Discount Fabrics is easily reached on either the Number 1 or the Number 8 tram, probably my favourite Melbourne tram routes because they both pass through some lovely parts of town. Both trams conveniently take you to stop 126, right outside the door on Lygon St.

GJ’s Discount Fabrics

Brunswick East isn’t a part of town I would describe as lovely, but rather as gritty. It’s semi-industrial but appears to be in the process of gentrification as I passed two massive building projects on my walk down Lygon St. GJ’s is worth a visit as they have a huge range of 100% cotton fabric for patchwork. I saw some dance and specialty fabrics but not a whole lot of dress fabrics. The ‘discount’ in their name seems to be more a marketing claim than a reality, at least when I visited. Their $2 fat quarters are a good buy but I didn’t spot any other bargains. The staff were very friendly and while I was there one of them was on the phone to one of her suppliers, trying to track down a particular fabric for a customer.

Bento Box is the Answer

The question was what to do with my Gypsy Bandana pink fat quarter bundle.

I’ve been thinking about that one for a while and I finally got my answer from Bundles of Fun: Quilts From Fat Quarters by Karen Snyder.

The book cost a massive $5 at one of those remainders book sales, the kind where they temporarily fill a vacant retail space with a whole lot of (mostly crappy) books. At that bargain price I felt it was worth the risk and I’m confident I’ll get my money’s worth.

Bundles of Fun has only a handful of reviews on Amazon, but they’re mostly positive. The patterns seem OK but I’m a little frustrated by the layout and organisation of the book. I’m also amazed that the author found a way to sneak in a photo of her wedding day. I wish her well but when I publish my book there certainly won’t be any wedding snaps in it.

The Bento Box quilt pattern was described in two variations – one made with a single fat quarter bundle and the other made with two. I’m going for the larger sized quilt but may reduce it by one row of blocks as the recipient is still only seven years old and not that tall. I bought Prisma plains to complement the fat quarter colours.

One of the Prisma fabrics was double the price of the others. I asked why and was told it was organic cotton because, “some of our customers prefer more ethical choices.”

Can you spot the Ethical Choice?

Hmmm. I assume the cotton was still grown in a mono-culture, mechanically harvested and chemically processed, before it was dyed the poisonous lime green colour I purchased. I wonder what the levels of carbon emissions and waste generation were in that process. Was I really making an ethical choice or was just supporting the latest trend in consumer products marketing? I don’t know.

The lime green bled colour like you wouldn’t believe in the pre-wash stage, too.

Buying Pattern Making Supplies in Hong Kong

Before I left home I created pictorial shopping list of pattern making supplies I wanted to bring home, including a grading ruler and a needle pointed tracing wheel.

Pictures speak a thousand words, especially when you speak only English and the person you are attempting to communicate with speaks only Cantonese. A very long time ago I lived for a while in Japan and my experience there taught me to just keep asking, and eventually you will find someone who knows where you need to go, or even better, is willing to lead you there. That matters in Japan, where house numbers are assigned to buildings in the order of construction (!)

Exit A2

After exiting Hong Kong’s wonderful underground train system, the MTR, at Sham Shui Po station, using exit A2, I found my way to Li Kung St. Walking from the station I first passed an area with jewellery findings (clasps, elastic, pliers etc), then bead shops (where you scoop out what you want and then pay by weight), then ribbon shops and finally the wholesale fabric shops. It was crafter heaven.

Along the way I showed shopkeepers my pictorial shopping list which got responses that ranged from, “No have,” to “Try there.” One shop keeper, who specialised in metallic sewing threads, and spoke excellent English told me to keep walking down Nam Cheong Street until I found the shop with sewing machines in the window.

Can you see the Sewing Machine?

I followed those excellent directions and found myself at the wonderful Tung Shing Sewing Machine Co Ltd who were happy to have my business and asked their best English speaker to help me communicate my order to the sales assistants. They would not allow me to take a photo inside the store so you’ll have to take my word for it that this place has everything a dressmaker or pattern designer might ever need.

I bought a tracing wheel, a retractable tape measure, some sewing machine needles and a Norray grading ruler. Grand total HKD 100. That’s the equivalent of AUD 12 or the price of a sandwich and a cup of coffee in inner Melbourne.

I considered getting a dressmaker’s mannequin but decided it would be too tricky to bring home. I do have their price list for mannequins so feel free to leave a comment if you would like me to scan it for you.

I could have gone directly to Norray to get the ruler as I had their address in my notebook but that would have required me to take the MTR to Admiralty station, cutting in to my total shopping time.

If you need dressmaking or pattern making supplies and you happen to be in Hong Kong I heartily recommend the Tung Shing Sewing Machine Co but suggest you work out ahead of time what you need. The merchandise is kept under glass or plastic and you need to point out what you want to the sales assistant, rather than gathering up your items as you might do in a conventional retail outlet.

It’s an adventure that rewards the effort.