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so, this morning i had the best shopping spree. it was a combination of shopping online, having a brilliant personal shopper and being on an exotic vacation all rolled into one. when my friend marc left for south africa in early may, i told him how i wished he could bring me back oodles of gorgeous african cottons and that i was jealous of all the amazing fabric that he would have such easy access to. well early this morning, as i was cleaning the kitchen, while the house was still, i got a text. marc was hitting the fabric district of cape town, and taking me along, via text. the next couple of hours there was a stampede of colorful photos coming to my phone. he went from store to store, going through rolls upon rolls of endless fabrics, searching the best deals, making sure they were 100% cotton, and sourcing the fabrics he thought i'd like the best. it was fast paced and such a rush. non-stop for hours. i was giddy through it all. and in the end over 50 metres of amazing fabric that i will cherish and use delightedly to bring a new level of flair to my quilts. all of these fabrics are produced in south africa, printed and dyed there as well. it's a good purchase on so many levels!
after the rush of the acquisition, the decisions, the movement and flow, had all settled and he was back at his house, he sent me a photo of the entire stash. and he said...."they smell heavenly. i hope the smell stays". i wondered if they smelled of incense. "no, soft smelling. it's hard to explain". and then he found a way to explain...."it smells like old jamaican mamas from toronto when i was a kid". an evocative scent and a beautiful story image to help me live it just a little.
Oh, how beautiful, such a treasure. My sister-in-law and I have been planning that same type of shopping trip. She lives in Florida, USA and I live in Missouri, USA. The family visited me in June with the new great grand baby and I've gotten the new grandma hooked on quilting. We found a wonderful quilt fabric store about 30 miles away. My sis-in-law has already been putting a list together for our long distance shopping. The selection will not be as interesting and exotic as yours but fun none-the-less.
ReplyDeleteBe sure to ID the quilts you add these treasures to. I love following your blog. Thanks for the great reading.......Lisa
thanks for reading my little stories, lisa. i'll definitely identify the fabrics when i use them.
Deletei hope you have great fun during your long distance shopping trip. one thing i learned......there were so many pictures to choose from. at first i tried to describe which ones i wanted. but i finally learned to just forward the picture i liked back to him.
have fun!!!
you just transported me, what a treat!
ReplyDeleteand laurie.....i should have added another photo....the brand of some of the fabrics is 'three cats'. the label is gorgeous. it ties in with your blog about international cat day yesterday :)
DeleteHow fantastic is that - shopping in South Africa via text. The fabrics look rich and vibrant. I can see your quilts travelling in a completely different direction when the material arrives.
ReplyDeleterosemary.....it was pretty fabulous....now i'm going to want to send all my travelling friends to fabric shop with me :)
DeleteWhat a wonderful experience--that must have been so much fun! I look forward to seeing what you do with the fabrics. I'm sure they will give you a burst of creative inspiration.
ReplyDeletejen.....just little squares will peek out like little windows in the quilts. but it will add a new and interesting verve
DeleteI am so happy you had fun on your "outing" with Marc. The fabrics look beautiful, can't wait to see what you do with them. I miss Marc, the whole Indigo crew actually but I've seen most of them more recently than Marc.
ReplyDeleteoh karen.....i miss everyone too. i've had several studio visits so that's great. it's been a busy summer. i hope you plan to come by soon.
DeleteAmazing! I can't wait to see what you do with them. What a great way to shop! They all look so beautiful.
ReplyDeleteit was really fun! the fabrics make me happy and i'm sure they'll make the quilts happy too. xoxo
ReplyDeleteoh this was really fun reading this post, what a delight it must have been to go on a virtual shopping spree in Cape Town. The fabrics looks so fun and funky!
ReplyDelete