The stash has grown again, although I really ought to be reducing it. It’s all Elizabeth‘s fault really. She was in London this week and so a few of us met up to go round Liberty of London and have a drink. It was a really great afternoon! We oohed and aahed over the gorgeous but very expensive fabrics in Liberty (have a look at their website – the prints are amazing) then checked out the Berwick Street fabric shops. While talking nineteen to the dozen about sewing, fabrics, and patterns of course. It’s so nice to talk to other people who sew.
So many thanks to Elizabeth, Helen, Eugenia, Claire, Karen and Melissa, stashing enablers and really fun people to be around 🙂
So on to trying to reduce the stash. I have a long list of projects lined up which will take care of a lot of it, but it requires a bit of effort to get started because cutting out fabric is one of my least favourite parts of sewing. Especially when you need to cut a wide fabric in a single layer and end up trying to cut it on the living room floor. The scissors catch on the carpet, the fabric clings to it, little bits of fabric and thread end up all over the room, and you get sore knees too.
Well I think I have found the solution to everything except the sore knees and the threads. (Maybe some sort of kneepads?) A while ago I acquired an enormous roll of tracing paper from Morplan for tracing patterns.
I have barely made a dent in the roll, so I decided to use some of it to cover the carpet before laying out my fabric and pattern. It makes a surprising difference. Things don’t stick to the paper so the fabric lays flat much more easily than if you put it directly on the carpet, and you can cut it without worrying about catching anything but the paper.
The paper didn’t survive the experience unscathed, but it will last a few more goes. And it’s not as if I’m short of the stuff. Or fabric. Or patterns. I’d better get back to the sewing room…
Catherine Daze's Blog 
Oh wow, I thought Liberty fabric was all about small floral prints, which are very nice but not my thing, but there are lots of seriously amazing prints on the website. Could you also break up a large cardboard box to use on the floor for cutting?
Beautiful fabric. I’ll be interested to see what you make of it.
Sounds like a good time all around, I wish more sewests and floggers lived closer to me (or vis versa). As it is though I think im over 500 miles from any I know of.
Super fun. Your plaid dress is even more beautiful in person. I wish the world were smaller and less expensive. I would come to London more often. 😉
Looks like you all had fun on your shopping spree! I might follow your example for cutting out – I feel your pain re sore knees!
You’re lucky, you have carpet – I only have wooden floors!!
Love the look of your fabric…
It was a really fun day, wasn’t it?! I also do all my cutting out on the living room floor, although we have laminate which is a little easier to work on than carpet. I have one of those garden kneeler pads to help my knees (they are £1.50 in cheap homeware-type shops like Wilkinsons, maybe more in a proper garden centre). I’m seriously considering getting one of these cardboard cutting mats. My local fabric shop has them but Amazon is way cheaper: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wrights-Pattern-Cutting-Board-36-X60/dp/B004BOXZAI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1312208999&sr=8-2
Catherine it was great to meet you – and your dress was simply stunning :)!
I think Helen’s suggestion re: cutting board sounds v. good! I know that SuzySewing also uses a similar folding board on her floor quite succesfully 🙂
I have ceramic tiled floors and the grooves where the tiles joined were driving me mad while tracing and cutting. I bought a cheap 2m piece of lino which i now put down and it smooths everything out nicely. I can also roll all my pattern pieces up into it to keep them flat (and hidden away) until my next sewing session.
ooh that’s a good idea! But in my case it’d be more to stop the cat hair from getting all over my fabric. 😉
It was really nice to meet you in person, too!