Wow! What an experience that was! My shoulders are still aching from that heavy backpack! Seriously.
Oh! And I haven’t even said “Hi” yet. So… Hi! How are you doing? I hope you have been having a great week. Our week has been extremely busy, settling into school routines and extra-curricular activities all over again. Life with 3 certainly keeps me on my toes. If you have any kids, be it 1, 5 or 12, you can surely picture exactly what I mean!
And while this week’s *secret password* is “Stoffmarkt Overload” I am not referring to the fully loaded family schedule I have been presiding over. No, I am speaking about the (felt like) tons of goodies I brought home with me after a shopping spree this weekend.
So, what were those goodies you ask?!?
The magic answer is: Fabrics!
Winter is Coming (no reference whatsoever to a certain popular book/TV series)
Yes, the seasons are a-changin’. Summer ended with a bang precisely on the 31st August and since then the temperatures have plummeted at least 10 degrees during the day. This means we are all hastily digging through our clothes to find something warm enough to be able to leave the house so early in the mornings.
Seeing as how children tend to keep growing- What is that anyway?!? How is it they can shoot up 10 centimetres in less than a year?!?- I need to sort out a replacement wardrobe for each of them with this imminent onset of winter. Schnell!
The easiest way to sort them out in a set of new winter clothes is to go shopping at the range of chain stores in town. C&A, H&M… anything with an “&” apparently 😉. But the trick with that is, is that every other kid in town gets their clothes from those stores too. So you can look at the other children at kindergarten or school and think to yourself “Yep, we’ve got that pullover… yup, that beanie… yep that shirt too… and that…”. And where’s the fun in that?!?
Not only is that no fun to have everyone marching around town in matching outfits. But why take the easy way out by purchasing clothes for my family members when I could make life harder for myself by actually making the clothes at home?!? LOL
I do love sewing. It has been one of my favourite hobbies for a couple of years now since I (mostly) taught myself through trials and (more than a couple of) errors. And all 3 of our kids still love it when, together, we choose out materials for me to create a new item of clothing for them. I know this appreciation of home-sewn won’t last forever. At some point it will be soooo totally uncool. So for now, I’m going to run with it and enjoy their admiration!
The Shopping Spree
My super mega-lucky family (they will not be permitted to confirm nor deny this 😉) joined me at one of those huge markets that travel all around Germany, the Netherlands and even Belgium, selling everything you ever wanted (and plenty that you never did) for every type of sewing project. I am talking EVERY type of project. From shirts to jeans and stuffed animals, handbags to curtains and sequined gowns. And everything in between.
All of the big name markets that I know of in Germany such as Stoffmarkt Holland, Stoffmarkt Expo and Stoffencircus all originate from the Netherlands and are a big deal if you are a hobby sewer. I don’t know whether there are any markets like that in other countries. Hmm… Nevertheless, I can highly recommend seeking out and visiting one if you are into creating clothing or homewares!
Like I said, my family
were oh-so-lucky to accompany me and actually choose out their own fabrics for
me to produce into pieces of art, er, clothing for them. “Aha!” I hear
someone say. “But did she use her own Ultimate Sewing Supplies Shopping Planner?”.
And to that I would respond: “Yes, of course I did!”.
If you have no idea what I am talking about or haven’t yet gotten your hands on it, you can get your own Planner, gratis, right here. You’re welcome! 😊
Man, were those sheets of paper invaluable!! There is no way I could have sought out and located all those bundles of fabric and goodies we lugged jauntily carried home in our 2 overflowing backpacks.
What’s really funny, is that afterwards I noticed how my Planner notes kept fluctuating between English and German. One moment I’ve noted that I need stretch jersey in denim blue and the next moment I’ve written that I need fleecy fabric in blau. And sometimes both languages intertwine in the one sentence. Ha! Life of a bilingual expat I guess.
Now that the fun shopping spree is taken care of, the grind starts. The materials have to be washed. Patterns have to be drawn up and cut out. The sewing machine has to prove its worth. And I have to make sure I don’t break any (more) machine needles… 😉
With the help of my Planner, I planned and bought enough material for at least 10 sewing projects. Not one of which is for me, by the way. But Hubby and our 3 kids will all be tickled pink in a few weeks when they get to model their new outfits! My brain is buzzing with plans of what to start with first and when I am going to get the next load of washing into the machine to prepare…
And with that, I am gonna sign off because quite frankly. I am exhausted. So much fun, so little time. Have a great week and see you next weekend 😊.
Do you know of any big travelling markets like this near where you live? Have you ever been to one? What did you think? Tell us all about it in the comments section below!