Other than visiting my local shop here in Dubai, I allow myself to an international order from the UK; either with Minerva Crafts or Sew Over It.
Considering that I order online - under the rest of the world for shipping - it is important for me to know how much the shipping will cost. Unfortunately not many online shops display international shipping cost transparent. The majority of them display shipping costs for UK & Europe, however for the rest of the world I would have to place the order first and the shop will advise me later on. My biggest worry is a sudden huge cost for shipping so above mentioned online shops are transparent at time of purchase.
Minerva Crafts even ship free of charge if the amount is above a certain value.
This time I ordered with Minerva Crafts and concentrated to increase my paper pattern collection. Living abroad doesn't give me much access to paper patterns and I therefore mainly used PDF print outs at home.
Here are my purchases:
Colette Patterns: Zinnia Skirt and Dahlia Dress
I had my eye on these two for quite some time already and finally decided to get both. While a lot of my handmade garments, especially my dresses, are the Betty Dresses from Sew Over It; I really wanted something more versatile and every-day. So both patterns fit these points. For the Zinnia Skirt, I am planning to use a previously sewn garment which doesn't fit me anymore. It is a turquoise linen-look fabric.
Christine Haynes: Ellsworth Coat
Although I live in a warm country and own a bought coat, I am intrigued by the challenge of sewing my own coat one day. The difficulty will be sourcing the right fabric online without getting a feel for the fabric. So my plan is to have a look in Scotland in December (maybe some lovely Tartan wool ...), then the coat has to wait for another year to be sewn up.
Christine Haynes discontinued her paper pattern, so if you see one don't hesitate otherwise all her patterns are now only available in PDF.
Tilly & the Buttons: Bettine Dress
This pattern was on my list for a very long time. I have seen so many lovely versions on Instagram. I hesitated to purchase, as previously I didn't have much luck with the fit of other patterns from Tilly & the Buttons. I tried the Francoise dress, and perhaps it has the wrong choice of fabric, but overall the shape of the dress just didn't suit me and my curvy behind :) The Coco Dress also didn't suit my shape and I had to take it in around the hip area.
But I wanted a simple throw-on dress and I really hope that the Bettine Dress will suit me as good as I have seen it on others.
New Look: 6280 Stretch Knit Summer Dress
This was a rather spontaneous purchase thanks to a garment Megan from the @Kwirkykiwi on Instagram shared. I really like the maxi version with the flamingo fabric she made. I will make the shorter version of it as it will also be a great thrown-on dress and great for the weather here in Dubai.
I think I was lucky and got this pattern on a sale with 50% off :)
And at last, I also purchased some fabrics (only two!):
I am in love with fabrics of John Kaldor, and have been trying different types in the last months to get know more fabrics and how they feel and what I could use them for. This particular one is a Cotton Sateen with lots of floral and tropical print in blue (as described on the website) in real, it is dark purple or violet. Not sure which pattern to use just yet but for sure it will be a dress. Do you have any suggestions? Leave a comment below, I'd love to hear from you.
I also bought a Linen Blend Tweed, listed under Suiting Dress Fabric, in plum. I am looking to increase the garments for my work wardrobe and hoped I can use this fabric in combination with a white shirting cotton to make another Vintage Shirt Dress but the fabric doesn't have as much weight as the shirting cotton. I think this Linen Blend Tweed will make a lovely Colette Dahlia Dress - and of course I just got that pattern :)
Can't wait to get started on new projects (once the other ones are out of the way). Thanks for hanging out with me.
Maria xxx