fabric snob
Aug. 18th, 2008 10:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dragonlady7I just turned down ice cream. I know.
Well, OK, I said "Let's go get ice cream!" and Z said, "But I need to finish my drink," and I said, "OK," and an hour later when he stood up and said "OK" I'd forgotten what I'd asked him for. And I decided, since he was only going because I wanted to, that I didn't really want to go.
Now, of course, I wish I had, but it's just as well. I'm feeling rather out of shape, and eating more ice cream wouldn't help. Instead, I now have room for more booze! Right? Right?
Anyway. Just so my sole post of the day isn't a mercenary wish list, I'm going to natter on slightly about fabric. Because all I did today was sort of reread things I've written, write more scraps, and reflect a bit dully on things I want to write-- but I thought about it, which is better than nothing!
I mean, I did other stuff, I just didn't find anything else notable.
So. Fabric.
Ever since I started looking for things to sew for Pennsic, I've had this odd hard-on for 100% natural fibers. I don't know why. I mean, I know why I started out looking for them-- #1, natural fibers won't actually kill you in the heat. My Dad knew a guy who died of heatstroke wearing a poly-blend coat while everyone else was wearing wool, at a re-enactment event; no one else was suffering in the heat that badly, and they didn't realize what was different about the other guy. Polyester will kill you. Srsly.
#2 Synthetics look different. They're shinier, harder, stiffer, flimsier.
Somehow that aesthetic has ingrained itself, to the point that synthetics just don't even appeal to me. I walk through JoAnn's, absently trailing my hand along all the bolts of fabric, and almost never pause to actually look at them anymore.
So I've been wandering through fabrics-store.com looking at the linen, and dharmatradingcompany.com looking at the silks, and various sites looking at wool but I still have to find the perfect site to buy decent lightweight wool from. All these fabrics fill me with lust. But I've decided I have to have a garment in mind when I buy fabric henceforth, or else I wind up with these yards of fabric that I fall too much in love with to actually be able to bear to cut.
...
That wound up not really being interesting at all. I think it might have been sparked by my sudden interest in looking at people's photos of cosplay. I have realized that I love costumes, and I love looking at people's costumes, but the fabric that the clothing parts are made from affects me disproportionately. If the fabric is too flimsy and shiny-looking it takes me that much more effort to buy the impression the costume is generating. People work so hard to get the color matched properly, and then make their ballgown or suit or whatever out of polyester and it just doesn't drape right, catches the light funny... The wonderful details people bother copying don't have nearly as much weight for me if the shirt/dress/coat/pants are flimsy and shiny.
(Though I admit, I've seen a couple of costumes lately where either the fabric was right, or the rest of the outfit was so fucking stellar it really didn't matter. But a lot of times... I want colors and textures and the feeling that this is real clothing, not a costume. Obviously I'm on a different tangent than most people.)
Then again, natural fabric tends to be way more expensive. So it's not like I don't understand. But people who spend a hojillion dollars on just the right wig/necklace/boots...
Well, anyway. I think I'm heavily influenced by the linen I got at Pennsic, which I just like to sit and pet. It's so... drapey. So... reassuringly substantial to touch. I don't know. I'm getting all weird about it. I have a silk noil blouse that I hate, but I love the texture of it. I am consumed with the desire to buy like twelve yards of Dharma Trading Co's $5.85/yd raw silk and dye it midnight blue and make a dress out of it and wear it everywhere.
I don't know. I think I may be going crazy.
That and I just had like a whole bottle of wine. I made poached salmon for dinner because I felt bad that I haven't been cooking much lately. And you know. A glass of wine for the fish, a glass of wine for me, a glass of wine for me, a glass of wine for... what was I doing?
Dinner came out awesome, though. I poached two little frozen chunks of salmon steak in 2 c white wine, 2 c water, 10 peppercorns, a bay leaf, some coriander (just a little), and some fresh tarragon, a pinch of thyme, and a couple sliced cloves of garlic. Then I melted two tablespoons of butter, added a few sprigs of shredded fresh parsley, half a clove or so of sliced garlic, let that all melt and bubble a little, added a little white wine and some of the poaching liquid from the fish, let that all boil up, added more poaching liquid, added some salt and pepper, let it boil a bit and stirred the lumps out with a fork, and then added a little bit of heavy cream and some port so that it would be a nicer color.
Then I microwaved some frozen peas (I am fancy), and made slightly-ghetto garlic mashed potatoes (boiled potatoes, then while they drained, grated garlic into butter in saucepan, fried it a bit, added potatoes, more butter, some milk; mashed potatoes up with fork, then added dollops of sour cream until they were creamy, and some vinegar (like 2 Tbsp) until they were tangy.
Then I even put it all on a plate and put the sauce over it. And drank more wine. It was almost posh.
It's not that fancy, by Z's standards, but I've been hella slacking on the cooking, of late, so it was sort of worthy of comment. I guess.
This is a pretty boring entry, but at least I have something up besides a birthday wish list. Somehow those things make me uncomfortable. I think I just hate asking people for stuff. I'm awful at giving people stuff, anyway, so I suppose I ought to be awkward about getting it too.
Well, OK, I said "Let's go get ice cream!" and Z said, "But I need to finish my drink," and I said, "OK," and an hour later when he stood up and said "OK" I'd forgotten what I'd asked him for. And I decided, since he was only going because I wanted to, that I didn't really want to go.
Now, of course, I wish I had, but it's just as well. I'm feeling rather out of shape, and eating more ice cream wouldn't help. Instead, I now have room for more booze! Right? Right?
Anyway. Just so my sole post of the day isn't a mercenary wish list, I'm going to natter on slightly about fabric. Because all I did today was sort of reread things I've written, write more scraps, and reflect a bit dully on things I want to write-- but I thought about it, which is better than nothing!
I mean, I did other stuff, I just didn't find anything else notable.
So. Fabric.
Ever since I started looking for things to sew for Pennsic, I've had this odd hard-on for 100% natural fibers. I don't know why. I mean, I know why I started out looking for them-- #1, natural fibers won't actually kill you in the heat. My Dad knew a guy who died of heatstroke wearing a poly-blend coat while everyone else was wearing wool, at a re-enactment event; no one else was suffering in the heat that badly, and they didn't realize what was different about the other guy. Polyester will kill you. Srsly.
#2 Synthetics look different. They're shinier, harder, stiffer, flimsier.
Somehow that aesthetic has ingrained itself, to the point that synthetics just don't even appeal to me. I walk through JoAnn's, absently trailing my hand along all the bolts of fabric, and almost never pause to actually look at them anymore.
So I've been wandering through fabrics-store.com looking at the linen, and dharmatradingcompany.com looking at the silks, and various sites looking at wool but I still have to find the perfect site to buy decent lightweight wool from. All these fabrics fill me with lust. But I've decided I have to have a garment in mind when I buy fabric henceforth, or else I wind up with these yards of fabric that I fall too much in love with to actually be able to bear to cut.
...
That wound up not really being interesting at all. I think it might have been sparked by my sudden interest in looking at people's photos of cosplay. I have realized that I love costumes, and I love looking at people's costumes, but the fabric that the clothing parts are made from affects me disproportionately. If the fabric is too flimsy and shiny-looking it takes me that much more effort to buy the impression the costume is generating. People work so hard to get the color matched properly, and then make their ballgown or suit or whatever out of polyester and it just doesn't drape right, catches the light funny... The wonderful details people bother copying don't have nearly as much weight for me if the shirt/dress/coat/pants are flimsy and shiny.
(Though I admit, I've seen a couple of costumes lately where either the fabric was right, or the rest of the outfit was so fucking stellar it really didn't matter. But a lot of times... I want colors and textures and the feeling that this is real clothing, not a costume. Obviously I'm on a different tangent than most people.)
Then again, natural fabric tends to be way more expensive. So it's not like I don't understand. But people who spend a hojillion dollars on just the right wig/necklace/boots...
Well, anyway. I think I'm heavily influenced by the linen I got at Pennsic, which I just like to sit and pet. It's so... drapey. So... reassuringly substantial to touch. I don't know. I'm getting all weird about it. I have a silk noil blouse that I hate, but I love the texture of it. I am consumed with the desire to buy like twelve yards of Dharma Trading Co's $5.85/yd raw silk and dye it midnight blue and make a dress out of it and wear it everywhere.
I don't know. I think I may be going crazy.
That and I just had like a whole bottle of wine. I made poached salmon for dinner because I felt bad that I haven't been cooking much lately. And you know. A glass of wine for the fish, a glass of wine for me, a glass of wine for me, a glass of wine for... what was I doing?
Dinner came out awesome, though. I poached two little frozen chunks of salmon steak in 2 c white wine, 2 c water, 10 peppercorns, a bay leaf, some coriander (just a little), and some fresh tarragon, a pinch of thyme, and a couple sliced cloves of garlic. Then I melted two tablespoons of butter, added a few sprigs of shredded fresh parsley, half a clove or so of sliced garlic, let that all melt and bubble a little, added a little white wine and some of the poaching liquid from the fish, let that all boil up, added more poaching liquid, added some salt and pepper, let it boil a bit and stirred the lumps out with a fork, and then added a little bit of heavy cream and some port so that it would be a nicer color.
Then I microwaved some frozen peas (I am fancy), and made slightly-ghetto garlic mashed potatoes (boiled potatoes, then while they drained, grated garlic into butter in saucepan, fried it a bit, added potatoes, more butter, some milk; mashed potatoes up with fork, then added dollops of sour cream until they were creamy, and some vinegar (like 2 Tbsp) until they were tangy.
Then I even put it all on a plate and put the sauce over it. And drank more wine. It was almost posh.
It's not that fancy, by Z's standards, but I've been hella slacking on the cooking, of late, so it was sort of worthy of comment. I guess.
This is a pretty boring entry, but at least I have something up besides a birthday wish list. Somehow those things make me uncomfortable. I think I just hate asking people for stuff. I'm awful at giving people stuff, anyway, so I suppose I ought to be awkward about getting it too.
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no subject
Date: 2008-08-19 12:44 pm (UTC)The only place I've been getting lightweight wool from is the Pendleton outlet store outside of Portland, OR. We usually end up getting lots of stuff for $3 a yard. :)
no subject
Date: 2008-08-19 07:04 pm (UTC)I have no good outlet stores nearby. Phooey!
no subject
Date: 2008-08-19 12:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-08-19 07:06 pm (UTC)Silk twills-- I had actually bookmarked the page on dharmatradingco that explained the different kinds of silk, and the silk twill was the one I was drooling over, but I wasn't sure how it would be.
Damn it, I actually dreamed about this stuff last night. I really think I need to get sewing, so I can sleep again. :)
no subject
Date: 2008-08-20 07:13 am (UTC)Just wait though- once you start getting into natural fibers for period costuming it will only be a matter of time before you start getting into dyes. It's a slippery slope!