Fabrication in Aiken

Sometimes you gotta hide behind a skirt, even if the skirt is on a mannequin

Biscotti, the shop dog, is having a rough day. She came to work today expecting the usual—hang around, beg for biscuits, maybe mount charm offensives on ladies who shop. Instead, she's had to endure a MAN in her shop. A MAN with sticks, and drills, and a certain amount of noise. But oh my goodness, that man has left behind some marvelous improvements, including a door that actually works. Do come see.

Some Days, You Just Need an Accessory

We're thrilled to be partnering with Island Creations, a jewelry and clothing manufacturer from Antigua, West Indes, with an Aiken-and-horses connection. Their clothes are perfect for this climate--Aiken for much of the year bears a resemblance to the Caribbean, you may have noticed.The dresses in this line run from a saucy little slip of a sundress to a demure sleeved shift your grandmother would have called a Church Dress.

And they do jewelry and shawls, too! Lovely beaded creations that will over-winter very well. Just the thing to refresh last year's ensemble. The bracelet i the photo retails for $18--and that's no typo.

You've inquired about the sewing classes, and progress thereof. We've mastered the fly-front zipper and the drawstring; aren't you impressed? Keep in mind that some of us couldn't thread our machines when we first started. Now we're moving on to drafting patterns. Seriously! We'll certainly be repeating this class series.

Learning to sew (again)!

Laura Fults is running a 6-week sewing bootcamp at Fabrication, and it's a trip down memory lane. We're all remembering—a grandmother's sewing box, that long-suffering junior high (sic, some of us pre-date the middle school era) home ec teacher, and the infamous red polka-dot dress with the crooked seams and the meandering zipper.

In our first session, we made coasters, and there were revelations, to wit:
•It's a bad idea to use one machine needle for 20 years
•Re bobbin tension, righty tighty, lefty loosey
•Linen is the earth-friendliest of fabrics
•Read the manual
•It's possible to control which way the stitches are landing on the fabric

Let's hear it for Red, White, and Blue

I was alarmed, befuddled, and fiberglasted earlier in the week when one of my grammar-nerd familiars said that Oxford University had abandoned the Oxford comma. Say it ain't so, oh ye font of adherence to the Mother Tongue!

Turns out, it isn't so--or not entirely. They've abandoned the serial comma in their style guide for press releases. But they retain it in the style guide for scholarly work. Is this part of the trend of elites pandering to the ill-informed masses? I suspect that it is. So sad.

http://www.economist.com/blogs/johnson/2011/06/commas

Fabrication Kurta Spotted in Milan!

If every vacationing American dressed as stylishly, and behaved as graciously, as our fab customer, Marsi, that Ugly American myth would bite the dust. Here she is in the fashion district in Milan, exuding chic.

Marsi reports, by the way, that the kurta washed beautifully in some ingenuity-required laundry situations.

Who Knew the Plural is "Kurti"?

A so-sophisticated customer told us about the new style guide, "Parisian Chic," by Ines de la Fressange. Read the Effortless Style chapter, she said. The chapter that starts off, "Effortless style often takes, as it says, very little effort."

On page 21, there's this tip: "Have your traveling friends bring back kurti shirts from India in a host of colors. Wear them under a cardigan, with pearls, preppy meets ethnic chic."

Effortless indeed! Fabrication has a friend in India, and we have the host of colors nailed. It's a little hot just now for that cardigan, but a kurta over white pants is perfect for a trip to the lake.

Whatcha Gonna Wear When You Get Out?

Hey good-lookin', you there, floating around the deep end on a noodle! What are you wearing poolside? May we suggest a cool cotton top? They look great as coverups and can also be dressed up if you get an impromptu invitation for dinner. Just sayin'.

Happy Memorial Day!

Come see us next week--we have a lot of new, cool, cotton tops in stock. We're open Tuesday Wednesday, and Friday from noon to 5:00; Thursday from noon to 7:00; and Saturday from noon to 3:00.

At Thursday's sewing circle, we'll have a tutorial on I-cord. Bring an odd ball of yarn and a set of double-point needles (actually, you only need 2 needles, not the whole set) in the size specified for the yarn.

The Aiken Garden Show

We teamed up with Marti Healy (http://www.martihealybooks.com/) at the Aiken Garden Show (http://www.aikengardenshow.org/) this weekend. It was a great show at Banksia, so superbly organized that we vendors felt like honored guests. Thanks to all of you who dropped by our booth to say hello!

Ladders are not Just for Orchards

We have this fabulous piece of functionality, a cherry picker, in the shop. Its rough-hewn wood is stained by cherry juice, and the rungs are worn smooth from countless bare feet. No mannequin ever looked better.