I am impatient to try out a Hotpatterns, pattern. They all look so tempting. I have heard reports that the instructions are cryptic and sparse, so I am starting out with something simple. The Cabana T shirt Pattern. Having looked through the pattern I can report that at least this particular pattern does have pictures and the instructions seem to be straight forward and clear.
I like the cover picture very much, so I went into Cloth House in SoHo to buy some black and white striped jerey. Cloth House is amazing, but very different from fabric shops as I know them. For me, fabric shops are filled with old matrons and grannies and little girls in tow. If I head into the haberdashery department at John Lewis, I basically find the comforting old scene I know from childhood.
This is not the case at Cloth House or MacColluch & Wallis. The shoppers are of all ages and everyone looks so avant guard, you all but expect to bump into Vivienne Westwood! My very presence dilutes the hipness of the scene. However, the kids who work there (and they do look like kids to me even though they must be in their early 20s) are always charming and helpful.
