Fabric and more...

... is an apt title for my vacation purchases, as well as the little shop where I made them. Online, dreaming instead of sewing, I found Mira's blog and discovered she has a little shop in Rostock, which was close to our holiday destination.

Mira's shop is a sewing mother's dream come true; click on the link to see lots of pictures. It's like a candy store in there, with a small but choice selection of the prettiest children's fabrics, borders, patterns and ready-made clothes from these ingedients. I particularly enjoyed my visit there because, while these fabrics etc. are very popular and widely available on the internet, I had never seen them in a brick-and-mortar store, only sometimes at fabric markets, and it's so much better to see and touch fabric before buying it! (And she has a playroom. And comfortable chairs for waiting, DH assures me.)

Isn't the fabric on top the cutest? It's by Westfalenstoffe, a company that produces their (mostly all-cotton) fabrics in Germany, and adheres to strict guidelines for pesticides and such. Costly, but worth it!

Mira also convinced me to broaden my horizons and try a pattern by the small, independent pattern company Farbenmix. I have read a lot of great reviews of their patterns online, but having sewn from magazines since my teens, I saw no need to change this - until I saw Mira's version of the Celina dress, which I plan to make from the flowered and teal corduroy. You may recognize the name Farbenmix from the cute ribbons I've been using, e.g. in the bag from my last post.

I haven't sewn a stitch since returning home. Today is the hottest day of the year, so I'm sitting inside eating ice cream. Am I turning into one of those grumpy old women who don't like that much sun, warmth, or for that matter, summer?! Fall seems so much more productive to me!

Instead of sewing, I have organized my fabrics and started a tentative fall sewing plan. I love planning. As for the following through... We'll see!