Hi to everybody from the UK. Its really depressing weather here, dull,wet and sometimes quite cold. And its supposed to be summer! Just dont feel like sewing summer things and have just finished a load of alterations for a customer. She likes sleeveless tops all the time so I’ve had to take all her sleeves off and, some of her husbands shirts too! Quite nice cotton ones,stripes and plain made into a sleeveless loose shirt which she’s more than happy with despite its buttoning the wrong way! Not a bad idea if you’re a laid back soul like this friend.
I did want to pick your brains though! When we go on holiday I love to check out the local fabric shops,( in fact its a holiday highlight as I’m sure you agree) But what about abroad? We would like to go to Egypt for instance, is there a directory on-line of fabric retailers in places like Cairo for instance. I would love to be able to browse and imagine myself there one day, or anywhere else in the world for that matter.
Bye for now Winifred (busybee)
Replies
I have never been to Egypt but I was also wondering about a World Wide list of fabric stores. I have shopped for fabric in France Spain and Italy. I always look for fabric when I travel. Have you tried looking in guide books? I find that if they have at least one listing then you have found the area where the fabric shops are. Now a question for you. We are going to England this fall, Do you have a list of fabric shops in Endland. We will be in London the south for a week or so. marg
Hallo Marg, Thanks for your reply. Can you tell me exactly where you will be staying and I,ll make up a list for you. I used to live in Croydon - thats where I learned to sew!!
Bye for now Winifred ( Busybee )
busybee: Do you think the Egyptian Embassy could direct you to someone who would know the answer? Just a thought.
mimi
I was in Egypt years ago, and the fabric stores I saw were in the souks, or market. It's not like in the UK or US--you might find a stall selling only shirting, and another stall selling fine woolens, etc. It's a "bazaar" experience. When living in Saudi Arabia we had the same type of fabric shopping experience--rows and rows of stalls, each with varied selections, but none having the full service of our fabric stores. It's fun, but very different for shopping. You also have to bargain--don't pay the first price quoted.
This isn't exactly what you asked for, but for inspiration, you might also like a book like African Fabrics, by Ronke Luke-Boone (Krause Publishers). She had an article in Threads some years back on how to use mudcloth in fashionable clothes. The book has more of that -- and information on fabric shopping, including some information on shopping for fabric at markets in various countries.
Marijke
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