..and came back with t-w-e-n-t-y s-i-x m-e-t-r-e-s

(yes, that’s 28 yards)

of fabric she wasn’t looking for. Hmm.

Fabric gluttony? Or perhaps just someone whom experience has taught that if it’s in the market now, it won’t be when she’s looking for it?

Either way, aren’t they beautiful?

I haven’t been around for a little while because I’ve been terribly busy. My latest project is a special dress for Elodie. I’ve made a muslin for her to try on for size before I start cutting these silks. I’m really looking forward to this one!

The latest additions. Yum yum. Salivating. All Egyptian cotton.

Pyramids, palms and a camel. How perfect for an Egyptian thimble.

cotton sacks, originally uploaded by anna bananna blog.

I was wandering to the tentmaker’s area in Old Cairo and passed a small shop with piles and piles of cotton sitting outside. I have been wanting to buy some for years, but for some reason have been too shy! I stopped this time and a rather serious young man appeared and seemed surprised that I wanted cotton.

‘How much do you want?’ he asked.

‘Um, about this much.’ I indicated with my hands. All sorts of confusion started. It turned out that cotton is purchased by the kilo. I opted for seven. No particular reason, it just seemed like a good number.

‘Right,’ he said, ‘Follow me.’ Off we went down an alley from an alley and the throngs of people disappeared.

Just long far enough away that I began to wonder if I had made a bit of a mistake, we stopped at a little store on a corner with hundreds of kilos of cotton.

I sat down:

And he weighed the cotton with some help:

Actually, he said they were weighing the cotton, but I’m not sure that is what was happening. I think they just took out about the right amount. He saw me taking pictures and showed me a painting of his grandfather, then indicated that I should take a picture of the painting, so here it is:

And now I have this:

in the sitting room and need to make things with it before Mr S gets fed up of it being here and threatens to throw it out!!

The trouble is, that the more pressurised I feel to make something, the more the dehydrated desert of indecision encroaches and zaaaaaaps those creative juices.

Aaah!

Something will appear here sometime soon though, I promise!