Shopping Trip – Buying fabric for the bags

Finally a bit of time to go on a shopping trip to look for fabric for my bag project.

June and I drove to Newmarket right after we dropped off May. I was looking at getting some upholstery fabric for the bags because I wanted something sturdier than the quilting fabric that I usually get.

I have been to these shops before and the fabric selection is amazing. First stop Martha’s fabrics. It is a pretty big shop with a huge range.

I wasn’t exactly sure what I was looking for. I wanted something quite happy and summery but nothing too busy that will compete with my applique pieces. They had a lot of geometric type fabrics at the moment and I thought those would work quite well but nothing really caught my eye.

In the end I bought this lovely green linen with birds and birdcages on it. This one will be for mum’s present. Mum’s favourite colour is green and as I grow older I am also drawn to it more and more. There is something soothing and comforting in a nice dark green colour. I am planning to make her a bag in the style of the Harrods bag.

Harrod’s bag

She has had a bag of this style for as long as I can remember and her current one is beginning to look a little worn out. I’m also planning to make a semi circular coin purse with some of the remnant fabric.

Next I went to AB fabrics. Their selection is a bit more of the flowery and stripes variety but still lots of lovely pieces. If I was making a country style bag, I would probably find something here. They also have a nice children’s selection.

I almost left the shop empty handed when I came across a vibrant bright blue fabric. Perfect!

On the way back to the car we popped into the “Wise Cicada” organic food shop and bought a few items for dad’s father’s day present. Dad is a bit of a health fanatic which is great because come father’s day and birthdays, I just need to pop into an organic food shop and buy a selection of interesting organic things and he loves it!

I am so pleased with my finds today.

• Martha’s Furnishing Fabrics

12 Melrose Street
Newmarket
Auckland

• AB Fabrics

2/4 Eden St
Newmarket

• Wise Cicada

23 Crowhurst Street,
Newmarket, Auckland

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