More fabric - imagine that

Okay, call me crazy. Yesterday, I wanted to get my hair cut which meant biking over to Merivale Road. Since I was already all the way over there and I had the bike, I thought, "why not continue on to see what Fabricland might have for sale?" I had just got the green wool and am only halfway through making the suit but I thought I would toddle over there anyway. When I got there, I remembered that my stamp-and-save card was full and so whatever I might buy might not cost that much.

I looked at the Butterick patterns which were on sale for only $3.49 that week (every week, one of the pattern manufacturers is on sale) but I didn't find any that turned my crank. Then I wandered back to the "get rid of it fast" tables at the back, where the fabric is piled and you have to dig to find anything. Right away, I found a bolt of peach coloured cotton with 3% Lycra and I snatched it up in a hurry. I have been thinking I would like to have more solid coloured shirts because all the patterns I have are too hard to match to the patterned skirts and things. And then I saw this other, funny-looking fabric. Initially, I didn't realize that it was the wrong side of the fabric but something drew me to it anyway. I looked at the label on the bolt and it said "80% silk" and I couldn't recall ever having seen this fabric in the store before. I unfolded it and looked at the right side and it spoke to me. It was marked down to $5 per meter and I glanced from side to side to see if anyone else was interested in it. No one was. I took it to the cutting table, together with the peach cotton. It was 140 cm (55 inches) wide and when measured, came to 2 meters in length. I smelled it and it smelled like raw silk. I took what was left on the bolt. (I also bought the 2 meters of cotton left on that bolt.)

The when I got it home, I washed it. Yes! Raw silk, into the washing machine on the delicate cycle. When it was finished, I took it out and it looked a little "fluffier" but still good. I hung it on the rack to dry and later, put it into the dryer for only ten minutes. It still looked okay. When I took it upstairs to iron it today, I discovered that it had shrunk mightily, and just from the washing. Where it had been 55 inches wide, it was now only 45 inches wide! That's what I call shrinkage. But now I can cut a suit out of it (or at least a jacket) and clean it very carefully but not with the fear that it will be ruined.

I got 2 m of cotton, 2 m of silk, 2 m of lining and 2 zippers and 2 threads, all for $21.45. Because of all the stamp-and-save points, the whole thing cost me $1.45. Amazing.