The Good Grab Bin Buying Guide ft. the True Bias Nikko
Monday, November 26, 2018
Can you make a bad fabric good? When I'm not sewing leftovers, I'm a keen rescuer of the questionable fabrics that I'm sometimes drawn to - mainly the grab bin variety. This textured black velour is a prime example of one of those weird need to haves. It's sort of ugly and full of imperfections, but something about it just begged to be liberated from the bottom of the pile in Manchester Abakhan. A luxe True Bias Nikko Dress sprung to mind, working with the vertical stripe texture of the velour.
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| Luxe True Bias Nikko Dress in bargain garb bin velour |
When I pulled the length of fabric from the grab bin, I realised that the stripe (and with it, the main stretch) ran horizontally rather than vertically as I'd hoped. It had a few faults too, where the texture looked squashed out of shape. Whilst I'm not one to promote over buying, in some cases it's good to have spare fabric, particularly if you're buying 'seconds' or worried about quality. In this case, I took home just over 3m for £8 - enough to 'work around' the dodgy bits and to try something else if my plans for a vertical stripe Nikko were scuppered by the stretch.
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I used the fabric stretch guide on the Nikko, and although it didn't quite reach the recommended 75% (it was probably closer to 50%), I thought it was worth the risk of cutting on the cross grain. As with my previous Nikko, I cut a size 6, grading to a 2 at the waist and out to a 4 again at the hips. Knowing there would be tears if I couldn't fit it over my head (this has definitely happened before with some of my Nikko Tops made from stretchier fabric!) I cut the neckband on the less-risky straight grain, meaning the stripes run horizontally.
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| Side shot |
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| Back view |
In the end, I found that the fabric had enough stretch to fit (I was a bit worried it would turn out tiny!). It was actually the lack of bounce back/recovery that presented more of an issue in getting the right fit. I had to take the dress in a couple of times to get the perfect comfortable-yet-close fit around the waist and hips.
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| Spot the fabric faults! |
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I've always been quite restrained in my fabric buying, but even more so recently. Despite the low price of this length of fabric, I asked myself a lot of questions before committing to buying it. Here's a little guide for good grab bin buying for anyone else who feels like they need to check themselves before sticking the bargains in their basket:
I'm really interested to hear people's thoughts on this. Do you find it easy to be restrained when bargains present themselves, or are you the first to put them in your basket?
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| Feeling luxe and fancy in my <£5 dress |
Stay in touch!
7 comments
Haha, I know this feeling well. I also can't resist a slightly 'weird fabric (stretch lace curtain panel from Barry's comes to mind). I think the challenge of making something useful & wearable from something a but unloved is the appeal. Absolutely love this dress, the fabric looks like it was supposed to be a Nikki. x
ReplyDeleteHahaha, it's a good job I don't live near Barry's - I'd end up with some really strange creations! Thanks so much Charlotte :) xx
DeleteI have the opposite problem - bargains, sales, really any sense of false scarcity makes me panic a little and then I leave without buying anything (including what I went into the store for!).
ReplyDeleteSometimes I regret being so restrained when I come home and think back to what was in the shops! Maybe it's all about finding the balance x
DeleteYour dress is fabulous!!! I love it!!
ReplyDeleteThank you Lynne :)
Deletethis dress is amazing, where did you buy this fabric
ReplyDelete