If you are a fabric-o-holic and just can’t stand being surrounded by fabrics and notions without buying them all, then the Stoffenbeurs is *NOT* for you! But the more I think of it, the Stoffenbeurs is for fabric-o-holics, it gives them a chance to indulge in their addiction!

This fair is most of the time held outside at the usual market place, but this time it was inside. Good thing, considering I got soaked biking on my way there (Dutch weather… ugh! ) Inside you could find all types of fabrics imaginable, from upholstery to lingerie! The prices are usually good; there are a few tables with bargains (from 2 to 5 euros per meter), and other with designer fabrics at higher prices. It’s still early in the season and the merchants aren’t so willing to give discounts… yet. I’ll probably pop by another ‘beurs’ (‘fair’ in Dutch) at the end of May, then it’s time for real bargain hunting! But it isn’t only about fabrics Notions of all shapes and sizes and colors are also available: when you’re looking for that special trim that would make your garment sing, you can surely find it there!

Coming back from the Stoffenbeurs is always an adventure. Because inevitably, you always end up buying more than you thought you would, and we all know that fabric isn’t light as a feather. I don’t own a car, so every time I go to one of these fairs, I have to use public transport or, like today, my bicycle. Nothing better than a Dutch bike to carry your fabrics home!

I came back with loads of fabrics, and I must say that I am pretty pleased with what I bought and with myself. I usually go a bit crazy and buy just about anything I find nice, but this time I made sure I wouldn’t stray too much from the colors of my SWAP. And with great success, me thinks! I love sewing knits (well… most of the time!) so I bought nice 4-way stretch ones with Lycra. They are really soft and they’ll work very well in the Burda WOF Plus twist top or the “twist top dress”. I also bought a nice olive stretch linnen mix, which doesn’t seem to wrinkle too much (hey… it’s still linnen, it does wrinkle!) At 2.50 euros/meter, it was a bargain. There was a catch though: the fabric fold has a slight discoloration. I’ll have to avoid cutting pieces on the fold! I also bought some stretch denim, to compensate for my miserable ”7 meters non-stretch denim” adventure earlier this week! Here’s an overview of what I bought:

 And let’s not forget our kitty cat Maya, the Chief Fabric Inspector, making sure all fabrics bought are “scent” approved… everything passed the test! :