Thread: Wild and Crazy Fabrics

Hello, my name is Diana, and I'm addicted to crazy fabrics. I'm not sure what exactly draws me to them, but the more unusual the better (so long as the colors are flattering to me). I think it all started with the two fabrics I'm wearing in my profile pics (the flowered purple and the loud blue & purple). No, that's a lie. One of my very first fabric purchases was a burgundy and cream snakeskin print on what I believe to be a latex-based fabric (very rubbery in feel). I have yet to actually use it, but I'd love some ideas (cab, not fusion)

Finds in the past few months (all stretch):
* Henna-ish colors and designs on white background. (pretty mild in comparison to other purchases) (Making a dress from this one.)
* Black pleather-look. (My intention is to eventually make a Morticia costume from this one.)
* Green, alligator print (yes, alligator).
* Brown on periwinkle shiny snakeskin print.
* Nude mesh covered with pieces of fabric that are sewn to it.

I know I'm not the only one with this weakness. Who else out there has some wild fabrics in their stock, and what have you done with it?

:-)

I've also collected some pretty wild fabric through the years. I'm coming out of my Tim Burton addicition now that I''ve used most of my black/white striped fabric. I still have alovely cotton fabric with leopard print. Colors of the fabric are yellow, blue, red and green with black leopard spots. It's absolutely to die for, I've got this from my mother's fabric stash and I've been thinking about what to do with it for years. Maybe a Tribal Fusion belt?

Oh, the stash...I love saris (I have three that need to be turned into costumes or coverups or something) and am a glitter whore. I've got about a dozen different glittery fabrics (five or six yards of each, wild colors) waiting...time is the major constraint...

Yes, it is an addiction.

I think of it as collecting art . . .

The fabric that is the background for my profile page is one of my favorites for the unusual stuff. When I bought it at Dancer The Unusual Store Home Page (and they still have it!) I couldn't figure out why I was drawn to it. Later I realized that it reminded me of something my Barbies would have worn in the 70's. Now I get to wear it as my "candy" costume. (Or "psychedelic cupcake"?)

I always tell myself that I'm going to finish all of my projects before I buy more fabric. You know how long that lasts! Until I see the next beautiful bolt ..l;, .

Originally Posted by kiyaana

Now I get to wear it as my "candy" costume. (Or "psychedelic cupcake"?)

That's a cool costume!Well done.

Originally Posted by maiaraqs

Oh, the stash...I love saris (I have three that need to be turned into costumes or coverups or something) and am a glitter whore. I've got about a dozen different glittery fabrics (five or six yards of each, wild colors) waiting...time is the major constraint...

Yes, it is an addiction.

I totally understand the "stash" and "addiction". I have soooo many wonderful fabrics and continue to acquire more almost daily. At night I dream of costumes but just don't have the time to make them all. Someday . . . . . . . . . So, do you think I have a serious addiction?.w.: What you can't see is a huge closet that is so full of fabrics that I had to start buying large plastic bins to stack that are full of fabrics - also in one pic there is a white storage closet that is also full - all dresser drawers are full. It is embarrassing - but believe it or not the rest of my house is very neat and organized!

I'm attaching what I affectionatley refer to as my "four corners of mad addiction" They are of the four corners of my sewing/dance room.,r:;
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t...d/DSC01315.jpg
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t...d/DSC01314.jpg
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t...d/DSC01313.jpg
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t...d/DSC01312.jpg

I also have plastic bins and I've stacked them on all available surfaces.The psychadelic fabric is fantastic, I have a different color variation of the same fabric in my stash somewhere ..g.:

Originally Posted by Surida

I
I'm attaching what I affectionatley refer to as my "four corners of mad addiction" They are of the four corners of my sewing/dance room.,r:;

Oh yay! It's not just me with a room that looks like that! ..l;,

That's why I decided to share and just "put it out there" since I know that I am not alone. Recently I had a bin failure. The bin on the bottom of one of the stacks all of the sudden the weight from above broke the plastic cover and everything went crashing down spilling into a huge heap in the middle of the room. That's when I decided to start selling off a few of my fabrics.

Surida - here's a suggestion from somebody else who has a rather similar substance abuse problem ;-) It could help if you tell yourself that you can only buy new things after the last purchases have been properly stowed away. I don't think you have all that much stuff, but having things still in shipping boxes and JoAnn shopping bags, that amounts to blasphemy ;-) ;-) ;-) (especially given that you said that the rest of your house quite neat). Blasphemy!!! Call in the belly dance costuming inquisitors!!! ;-)

Blashphemy? Ouch! I have bags upon bags myself. In fact, I live in an efficiency, and it much resembles that. I'm looking right now at my art horse, which is buried under costume pieces, a binfull of books, fiberfill, and fabric. Underneat it is a bin full of fabric (wit bags of fabric on top) and a bin full of patterns (most uncut...yikes!). In front of it is a wrapping paper bin holding three bolts of fabric. And that's just a measley 4x2 space next to the bathroom door!

I love that fabric. Thanks, ouroboros, for the nice comment. I made a skirt out of it, too, making it especially crazy. ..l;,

Originally Posted by mekyria

The psychadelic fabric is fantastic, I have a different color variation of the same fabric in my stash somewhere ..g.:

Is Sadiyya out there somewhere? She seems to like unique fabric, too. Here she has a costume from the psychadelic fabric (in a pink/purple version): http://www.sadiyyadance.com/images/CIMG0088_2.JPG

Great cut-outs on the skirt!


And here are two crazy fabrics together for her butterfly costume: http://www.sadiyyadance.com/ddl_yhy_07_296.jpg

ok..when the Halloween stuff went on sale at Joanns...I bought 6 yards of a very strange gold lame on black back ground that has an odd radioactive melted hole look to it. I reminds me of some sort of post apocolypse Marilyn Monroe wierdness. I was gonna finish melting some of the holes all the way thru with a bic..outside...with a garden hose handy...and then making some kind of one arm tight sheath dress with it...

The Joann here still has some of this! I saw Dana Beaufait (who made & sells the Voi DVD) perform a couple weeks ago wearing some pants out of this interesting fabric.

Originally Posted by anala

ok..when the Halloween stuff went on sale at Joanns...I bought 6 yards of a very strange gold lame on black back ground that has an odd radioactive melted hole look to it. I reminds me of some sort of post apocolypse Marilyn Monroe wierdness. I was gonna finish melting some of the holes all the way thru with a bic..outside...with a garden hose handy...and then making some kind of one arm tight sheath dress with it...

Mad Max does belly dance...look out Tina T!!! Comin to get ya, girl!

haha...buying fabric is my weakness, but at least I'm cheap. I always go for the sale priced fabrics, but you can find the funky-est fabrics that no one wants there! Hahaha. You should see my lime green flare pants...they are lime green and black checkered!

I agree with gothique. The biggest fear for me is using the fabric (since its unique) I don't want to cut it and mess up a soon to be really great project....so it ends up sitting in a pile for a really long time!

Originally Posted by anala

ok..when the Halloween stuff went on sale at Joanns...I bought 6 yards of a very strange gold lame on black back ground that has an odd radioactive melted hole look to it. I reminds me of some sort of post apocolypse Marilyn Monroe wierdness. I was gonna finish melting some of the holes all the way thru with a bic..outside...with a garden hose handy...and then making some kind of one arm tight sheath dress with it...

I have some of that too in a couple colors. I could be wrong but I think that Amartia had an Eman costume made out of this type of fabric for sale at one time.

A really interesting fabric I found on ebay is black with gold chains printed on it. I thought it would make a great skirt top and then went to the hardware store and purchased a bunch of gold chain to make a belt. Figuring it would be cool to have the chain on the skirt stay still while the chains on the belt moved. Worked on the belt but never finished. Now I'm wondering if the chain fabric might be more interesting as the bottom leg part on faux Melodias.

Originally Posted by ThespiSis

Blashphemy? Ouch! I have bags upon bags myself. In fact, I live in an efficiency, and it much resembles that. I'm looking right now at my art horse, which is buried under costume pieces, a binfull of books, fiberfill, and fabric. Underneat it is a bin full of fabric (wit bags of fabric on top) and a bin full of patterns (most uncut...yikes!). In front of it is a wrapping paper bin holding three bolts of fabric. And that's just a measley 4x2 space next to the bathroom door!

I so hear ya' on the small place - we used to live in a small 1BR, with a crafty, sewing bellydancer and a husband who has problems throwing things out. (He has a moving box in the basement that has not been opened for close to 20 years.) They should make a TV series out of situations like that.

Anyways, my experience is: Keeping fabric in JoAnn bags is very space in-efficient, things get bunched up, you don't see what's in it, and those things have a aggrevating tendency to tumble around and bury one when you search for something (not painful, but frustrating - the attack of the JoAnn bag). The smaller the space, and the larger the fabric collection, the more beneficial transparent plastic bins tend to become ;-) And, I firmly believe that one's fabric collection deserves to be admired and loved, and not become a nuissance ;-) ;-) ;-)

Originally Posted by steffib

Anyways, my experience is: Keeping fabric in JoAnn bags is very space in-efficient, things get bunched up, you don't see what's in it, and those things have a aggrevating tendency to tumble around and bury one when you search for something (not painful, but frustrating - the attack of the JoAnn bag). The smaller the space, and the larger the fabric collection, the more beneficial transparent plastic bins tend to become ;-) And, I firmly believe that one's fabric collection deserves to be admired and loved, and not become a nuissance ;-) ;-) ;-)

Total agreement here. After I took those pics (for my sister in Florida) I got busy and gave away 3 huge garbage bags of fabric and got everything into bins. It is so much easier to be able to see what you have. I even have a little floor space now to dance..g.:

Sorry to have taken this thread off topic a bit.

Originally Posted by Surida

Total agreement here. After I took those pics (for my sister in Florida) I got busy and gave away 3 huge garbage bags of fabric and got everything into bins. It is so much easier to be able to see what you have. I even have a little floor space now to dance..g.:

Sorry to have taken this thread off topic a bit.

agreed! I actually put all of mine in ziplock bags with a piece of paper that shows how much yardage is there...
it works out great so you don't have to keep measuring stuff over and over again. Then I put the ziplocks into the bins!

Originally Posted by jenlindseys

agreed! I actually put all of mine in ziplock bags with a piece of paper that shows how much yardage is there...
it works out great so you don't have to keep measuring stuff over and over again. Then I put the ziplocks into the bins!

Even better are those space saver bags that you fill, then vacuum out the air, you can fit a lot of fabric in one of those, and it instantly shrinks to about 1/3rd of the size, along with your guilt.
Okay, I admit it, I'm a fabric buying animal too.

Just remember. . . Who ever has the most fabric when they die WINS!

Souzan

Originally Posted by firefly5

Even better are those space saver bags that you fill, then vacuum out the air, you can fit a lot of fabric in one of those, and it instantly shrinks to about 1/3rd of the size, along with your guilt.
Okay, I admit it, I'm a fabric buying animal too.

that's a great idea! are they expensive? just curious....seems like they'd cost more and rip easily ...at least now I only spend 1$ for 50 bags! haha