You Can Never Have Enough Fabric, Can You? Part 1

Hi everyone:

Don't you think there's room for a few more fabrics in this cupboard?

I was recently perusing my fabric and realized that I could use a few more wool fabrics. Some cottons as well and perhaps a linen or two. 

Some of the items in my embellishment bin

I then moved on to the trim bin. Buttons - yes, I had some, but these could always be supplemented. Lace? Well, I really could use a bit more in a narrower width. 

Am I stocking a store? No, just my own "I have to have more of this in case I need it someday" stash. Thankfully, the annual Ujamaa Grandmas' sale was happening in Calgary and I knew that I'd be able to find a few (!) things to top up my cupboards.

And did I! I decided to go on Friday afternoon (they are open from 4:30 to 7:30) rather than Saturday morning just in case the good stuff would be picked over by then. Besides, it was supposed to snow on Saturday (which it did!) and I didn't want to be standing out in the snow waiting to get in to the sale. 

Yes, Spring in Calgary means snow

Good thing I went Friday! I could hardly find anywhere to park, but managed to abandon the Zoocrew about two blocks away. I ran into a quilting buddy, so I had someone to chat with while waiting 40 minutes in line. They were only allowing a certain number of people into the building (it's held in a church) at one time. Apparently the Fire Department was a bit concerned at the number of people crammed in the building at previous years' sales - I can't imagine why. But I digress… 

After getting into the sale, I had a tough decision to make: go downstairs where the fabrics, notions and yarns were or go upstairs where the books and patterns were. I decided to go downstairs: it would be easier to go upstairs with fabric later than to go downstairs and drag around books while I fabric shopped. A good choice I thought. 

First I went into the Notions room where I managed to find some bags of buttons. Just a few.

Vintage button love

I also noticed some lace trim, which I tucked into my shopping bag. 

Ooh, Battenburg Lace trim

And there were even some embroidery hoops. Couldn't leave them.

Love the little oval hoop

I passed on the large bag of shoulder pads (one of the parents at my school scooped these up after the sale - can you believe that nobody bought these?) and the many sewing machines that were available at $10.00 or $15.00 - that's Canadian, eh? Prices are a bit cheaper than that if I was talking American $$$. I then proceeded to the quilt room.

This year there were actually two quilt rooms and then the books and patterns were upstairs. I only bought a few pieces of cotton. 

Gotta love cat fabric

Really, it's so cute

And look - there's a Featherweight in part of the fabric

I know, hard to believe, but I had just purchased lots a bit of fabric while at the Central Alberta Quilters' Guild show a few weeks previous. (If you haven't seen what I purchased there, you must check out my recent post). 

Yup, only four cuts of cotton

I wanted to check out the wool fabrics, so I stuffed the cotton in one of my shopping bags (I had brought three of these) and made my way out to the main room.

Luscious woollen fabric

The main room had fabrics sorted by colour and size of cut and then these fabrics were folded and piled up on tables. I mean, piled up! There were volunteers available to add purchases to your tally sheet and also pull fabric out for you - an almost impossible task if you were already hauling around a bag or two of buttons and trims, like I was. Thank goodness there was a volunteer to point out the wool that matched the plaid that I already had in hand and managed to find more fabric that would coordinate. At $3.00 for a 2-3 metre piece of fabric (again Canadian measurements, so that's 3" more per metre than a yard), I couldn't, and didn't, pass up these gems. 

Wool fabric and linen-type fabric

Love the colours in this wool

I also found a brown Harris Tweed type fabric and purchased the 3-4 metres for $4.00. I almost feel guilty that I won't be using these for garment construction - almost. More fabric to feed my shopping bag.

See the Harris Tweed type fabric on the left?
I have lots of it

By now I was loaded up with two bags full of buttons, lace and fabric (sounds like Baa, Baa, Black Sheep, doesn't it?) and I still hadn't checked out the books, the other quilt room or the fancy fabrics. While cottons aren't too heavy, wool fabric is and this was what one of my bags was completely stuffed with. But there was more fabric to be inspected and those patterns and books upstairs. On I went. 

Wow, I'm starting to feel as hot and tired as I was getting at the sale just writing about it. I need to take a break and put away some of my purchases. In my next post, I'll continue  the Ujamaa Grandma's sale saga. 

Did you go to the Ujamaa Grandma's sale this year or have you ever been to a similar sale? Post your story in the comments. I'd love to hear about your experience.