Fabric & Kindred Spirits: A Blogger Meet Up

One quarter of the 2nd floor of the Ottawa Street Fabricland.  Everything is on sale! (Yes, it's my personal Cheers.  Everyone knows my  name there - LOL!)

Have you ever had such a great day that you start writing your blog post in your head before you even get near your computer?  My day with Gillian yesterday was just like that. I have often sighed with envy over the fantastic blogger meet-ups I've seen floating around the community.  Bemoaning the fact that I am often too far away to join and have yet to discover many local bloggers, I had resigned myself to never really being able to meet fellow bloggers unless I won the lottery!  That is, until Gillian messaged me through Twitter.

After posting about my Ottawa Street Fabric Haul, lovely Gillian suggested our own blogger meet up and I jumped at the chance.  I got to know her through the first Sew Colette Sew-Along and was always delighted with her creations.  A chance to meet in person was too great to pass up!

Source: flickr.com via Sarah on Pinterest

I must confess to a slightly fitful sleep the night before (nervous, excited) filled with typical night before blogger meet-up nerves (what if she doesn't like me?!) which translated to a nervous stomach on the morning of the meet-up.  I needn't have worried at all! Gillian is perfectly lovely, talented, articulate, and as nerdy as I am! Whoopee!

Gillian looking for the right denim to use as her muslin. $4/metre!

We met at one of my favourite local restaurants and proceeded to do some damage to Ottawa Street's fabric shops!  Three (yes, three!) hours later, we took a refueling break at the same restaurant, and threw ourselves back into the fray for another two hours!

Our respective purchases.  Notice the matching green purses? Totally unplanned.  Kindred spirits, I tell you!

It's lucky that Fabricland was having an enormously crazy sale because Gillian and I were prepared to buy out the shop! Rayon challis, linen, shirting, cottons, and knits are on sale at cut-rate prices.  We did manage to be financially responsible, though, and amassed ourselves a respectable pile with the most expensive yardage (metreage?) we purchased being $7 for Gillian and $12.95 for me (ack!).

Gillian's fabric haul. I am drooling over the coral stretch denim!

After our epic day, we retired to a little parkette across the street and compared our purchases.  I am in love with Gillian's lightweight coral stretch denim and will definitely have to pick some up for myself.  Gillian's planning on turning this into a fabulous pair of trousers.  I also really love her linen/rayon blend print that will become a maxi dress.  It is so soft and has a heavenly drape!  I encouraged (read shoved into her hands) her to buy enough of the lovely navy/white floral print for a dress.  It looks lovely on her!

My fabric haul.  I will attempt to squeeze a  Sorbetto from the purple eyelet.

For me, I purchased quite a few different fabrics.  My most expensive purchase was the mermaid fabric ($12.95 per metre) for Miss Friday.   She is crazy for mermaids and the 1.5 m I bought should be plenty to make her a cute summer dress.  I also snapped up 1.5 m of an adorable hedgehog print flannel for a winter nightgown for her.

My favourite purchase is 4.8 m of that beautiful blue floral fabric that reminds me of Texas bluebells.  I snapped up the remainder of the bolt for $2.33 / metre! Booyah! That is going to become a full-skirted Pastille (which reminds me that I need to share with you the first one I've already made!).  The hot pink gingham seersucker was originally going to be a vintage summer top, but Gillian convinced me that 1.9 m would be enough to squeeze out a dress.  Perhaps my Summer Spark  dress?

All in all it was a completely marvellous day!  Gillian and I clicked immediately and I feel as though I've known her my entire life!  We have so many similarities (goosebumps, anyone?) and I definitely feel that I have met a wonderful kindred spirit and friend.. :)  The only downer?  My uncooperative bust darts that I spent so much time fitting the night before misbehaved all day! Argh!!

* * * * *

Gillian and I have already planned another meet up for July and I would like to extend the invitation to you!  If you are in the Hamilton/GTA or planning on being there in late July, let us know!  Fabric shopping and delectable food is definitely on the menu! Perhaps a fabric/pattern swap, too!  Come one, come all!