Button Love

I am a collector.

Actually,  let me correct that.  I am a hoarder.

I hoard fabric, zippers, shoes, food (remind me to show you my pantries some day), books, jewellery...Let me sum it up by saying that if a certain class of objects gives me pleasure, you can be sure that I will buy a wide assortment.

This holds true with buttons as well.  I love buttons.  I love the shapes, the colours and the simple (but powerful) utilitarian nature of buttons.  

My earliest and fondest memory of buttons is probably one that is not unique to me.  My maternal grandmother had a tin, full of buttons.  There were dozens of buttons that had been removed from discarded articles of clothing.  She often gave me this tin to play with - dumping out buttons, putting in buttons, organizing buttons into little piles, feeling the smoothness of some and the roughness of others.  I loved that button tin (and the late grandmother that is so intimately associated with that memory).  To this day the sound of buttons rattling around in a old tin evokes such strong emotion in me.

So, I hoard buttons.

I store all my buttons in small plastic bags.  Each plastic bag holds a different set of buttons.  I so enjoy going through these buttons to find just the perfect match for a new garment that is hot off the machines.  It stirs up fond memories every time I open the button drawer in my sewing room.

They Call me Karl

I have expressed my love for Cleaner's Supply in the past.  The prices are exceptional, the customer service is impeccable and the shipping is inexpensive (free, if you buy enough) and fast.  I normally buy all my thread from Cleaner's Supply - they have an excellent selection of Guterman and Maxi-Lock.  I have also purchased some other supplies, like chalk, snaps, a sleeve board and machine needles.

Recently, I received a $10 off a $100+ purchase coupon.  Not one to waste such an opportunity, I decided to buy myself something that I have wanted forever.  I have salivated over the  Fairgate Fashion Designer's Carry-All Kit for years.  It contains:

"Everything you need in a handsome briefcase. Kit includes tools for designing, measuring and finishing: Designer's L-square, Half size L-square, Curve Stick, Variform curve, Variform long curve, Straight edge, Cuff width marking rule, and pattern-making guide."

I cannot wait to get my hands on this fab kit!  I'm pretty sure that by simply owning these tools, I can officially be called a Fashion Designer.  Am I right?  So, effective immediately, I will dye my hair white, don leather driving gloves and dark sunglasses.  I will begin to speak in odd riddles and confound all those around me.  I will singlehandedly revitalize the house of Chanel (except I will rename it, "Shanel").  It's gonna be awesome!

I Won!

I found out yesterday that I was one of the Interfacing Bundle winners. I want to extend a huge thank you to Pam of Off the Cuff Style. I cannot wait to get my hot little hands on my prize! Woot!


In other news, I am still sewing and I have a bunch of new outfits to show off. I just need to get out the camera, slap on some make-up and snap some shots. Unfortunately today it is too cloudy (and unbearably, painfully hot and humid) and tomorrow I am heading over to the house of a friend to teach her teenage daughter how to sew up a skirt. So, I will see when I can squeeze it all in.

Ode to Thread

I love thread. There, I said it. I know that claiming to have a passion for thread is neither perverse nor earth shattering, but I do acknowledge that is is a little weird. I can't help it, though.

I love seeing all my spools of thread lined up in their storage drawer, like tiny soldiers, ready to be called into service at a moment's notice. The neat wrapping of the thread on the spool, creating a distinct crosshatch pattern is soothing to my eye. The colours entice me and cause me to dream of what could be.

I use 100% polyester Gutermann thread almost exclusively in my sewing machines. I know other sewists swear by Mettler or Coats & Clark, and I have tried both of those brands, but something about the Gutermann colours and the packaging spoke to me. I have never had any problems with Gutermann thread shredding or creating excess fuzz to gum up my machines, so I stick with this brand.

I used to buy my thread at my local chain fabric store, for an exorbitant price (100 m for $1.84 and 250 m for $3.75; or on sale, $1.00 and $2.00 respectively). Then, one day I discovered a better source.

Cleaner's Supply is an online store, specializing in all the products necessary to run a laundry and/or dry cleaning business. Although much of the inventory is of no interest to me (hangers, tags, packaging, etc), the Pressing and Tailoring sections are wonderful.

The Pressing section was where I found my sleeve board, which my husband has put through its paces with his dress shirt ironing. They also carry pressing mitts and vacuum boards (which is extremely drool worthy).

The Tailoring section, however, is where I spend most of my time. Here is the place for metal tailor's rulers, zippers, buttons, machine needles and exceptionally good seam rippers, among other things. My favourite notion in this section is (not surprisingly, based on the title of this post) the Gutermann thread. The price cannot be beat. See below for a comparison:

Local chain fabric store: $2.00 for 250 m or 0.800 cents per metre, if bought on sale
Cleaner's Supply: $3.63 for 1000 m or 0.363 cents per metre, no sale necessary

Based on the rate with which I go through thread, the savings are substantial. Not to mention, the larger spools are so much more convenient - I never run out of thread part way through a project anymore.

Unlike many online thread sources, this company sells to Canada (just be sure to click on the Canadian flag to get Canadian prices), not just the U.S. Additionally, they offer free shipping on any order over $100 and only charge $2.83 on any order under $100. The shipping times are reasonable - I have never waited more than three or four business days for any order. The customer service is great too, letting you know when the order has processed and is being shipped.

Cleaner's Supply carries 360 different colours of thread, in every shade of the rainbow. To facilitate my thread buying, I have purchased the Gutermann Real Thread Chart (which is a sturdy fold out booklet with actual samples of every thread available). This chart allows me to match thread to my fabric exactly.

At this point, I am the proud owner of 67 large spools of thread (see photo to the right). Ultimately, I would love to have almost every single colour they offer.