Fabric shopping

The local fabric market is rather poor if you compare to the various printed cottons available online, all over the world.

Nevertheless you do not really hear me complain. Scouting the local market sometimes results in finding real treasures.

Also treasure hunting in Ajman –an Emirate about 20 kilometers away from our habitat- is mostly a thrilling experience.

Most fabrics are plain, but there is a lot of cotton; even jersey and interlock. Usually cheap stuff, good quality, but only sold per roll. Consequently I have an overload of overstock wondering around in the house. A fabric might be really nice, but a whole roll is mostly just impossible to finish, even for me.

At Bengali market the fabric warehouses are full to bursting.

If you happen to wish to purchase a roll from the bottom of the pile of fabric rolls you will need to be very charming and look the Bengali salesman in the eyes as otherwise you end up going home without your desired roll.

Luckily they know me already, if they do not want to take the roll I want I do start moving the whole pile myself until they take over.

This picture was taken, sitting on top of the mountain of fabric rolls.

Also haberdashery is sold per roll, so bias binding, elastic with button holes, webbing (the roles in the pictures are about 40 yards and the price of a roll is about 5 euro – disadvantage it regards satin and not cotton).

Other haberdashery such as buttons, metal buckles and so on, can be bought in bags of minimum 50 pieces. Although I usually do not use 50 I do not hesitate buying these wholesale quantities, because in the local quilters shop I probably pay the same price for only 2 pieces!

One day I will have to organize a massive overstock sale at our house.

And yes I am not only interested in fabric, this bicycle shop –Islam Bicycle Trading- got some attention to!

The working room

Lets take you on a virtual sewing-room-tour, 360° of fabric, sewing machines and haberdashery:

A computer corner to stay tuned with the world.

Next to the computer, we installed the ‘normal sewing machine’.

At the opposite side of the room, there is a table with a serger, a cover stitch machine and a cutting mat.

Next to it you can find an embroidery machine.

As you can see fabrics are not the only things we like from Sweden; we also love their storage systems and tables; I am one of the favorite customers in the local Ikea branch.

All the walls in the room are ‘decorated’ with shelves filled with kilometers of fabric, lace, rope, as well as containers filled with buttons, labels, and pins.

Even the drawers under the guest bed are filled with sewing room supplies.

It might look chaotic, as I do not tend to lock anything behind closet doors. Nevertheless, I prefer it this way, as I only take full advantage of all my fabric and haberdashery when I can properly see the material I have; the colors and the prints give me the necessary inspiration.

Shopping as distraction

After barely a week, the broken collar bone still hurts! It is more or less impossible to handle patterns and pieces of fabric one-handed; so the sewing machine is getting a little dusty! To forget my misery I decided to go shopping, not like usual a quick run to the supermarket but the real thing, in a proper mall.

Nevertheless even an innocent shopping trip always leads a sewing freak to find fabric, lint or in this case BUTTONS.

Not very useful for a dress; but for a passionate sewer this may be the ideal service.

Not only plates and cups were available but the whole caboodle (milk can, sugar bowl, gravy boat, …), all decorated with buttons.