A Cotton Education

I've proclaimed a bias against cotton yarn loudly and repeatedly on this blog, but as of late I've come to, at the very least, a neutral understanding, and at the very best, and joyful embrace.

See, knitting with cotton was a bad experience for me because
a) I chose the wrong sorts of cotton
and
b) I totally chose the wrong sorts of needles

My wrists are, rather unfortunately, sensitive to the extra strain knitting with cotton can put on them. So when I invested in my wood Knit Picks Options interchangeables, it transformed my relationship with this fibre.

And that's just the knitting story!

 

I've also been getting in to sewing lately (gee, can you tell?)
Woven cotton, in a sturdy quilting weight, makes for easier sewing as it holds its own and can be "sticky" rather than slick. The pieces sort of grip each other, so you can focus instead on learning how to use your machine and the mechanics of sewing tricky dress pieces together, rather than fighting with your fabric and getting all stabby-stabbed with pins.¹


The idea of sewing with knit fabric instills an odd mix of fear and laziness in my soul. I (currently) have no desire to engage in the visions created by my trepidatious mind of misshapen garments and sadface wasted time.

So instead I turn to COTTON, GLORIOUS COTTON!

Some quilting cotton, waiting for a purpose

Quilting cotton, to be exact. Sadly, though, this cotton education isn't particularly thorough: and as my desire for dresses and skirts and blouses in different styles progresses, I'm realizing the quilting cotton just isn't going to cut it.

But for now I've worked on amassing a fantastical stack of fabrics and patterns. The world is opening up to me, people!
I obsessively check Burda for new patterns, and jump around on Modcloth for inspiration, saved up for the day I feel brave enough to modify sewing patterns on my own.

This post is mostly because I am SO excited about all my new fabricsssessss and want to share the pics with you.
It's sewing season! To your machines!

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¹ Incidentally, I have an inordinate fear of getting stabbed with pins. A rather unusual, and definitely not helpful, attribute for the budding sewist!