The Hidden Things

Oh Austin, I love you.

{Sign on Silk Road Fabrics.}

Something about this struck me as very typical Austin. That people here who don’t generally suffer from workaholism. That there are still places one has to find by accident, or in this case rely on word of mouth for opening hours.

Austin is one of those rare cities that has the kind of places one must stumble upon. Groovy restaurants that haven’t been Yelp-ed and mapped and Twittered to death. It’s got a fair share of the Secret South. (There’s an art collective literally hiding in a forest.) The sign might be spray-painted, the pedestrian traffic nil, but those homemade Mexican grandmama tortillas are the secret everyone loves to keep secret, or just recommend the old-fashioned way. It’s one of the reasons Derek and I gravitated here. We always call it a haven for creative people; it’s urban but incredibly easy to be an artist and live an artistic lifestyle without a competitive strain to prove oneself.

Silk Road used to be just a walk away from our neighborhood, in a lovely little cottage that was torn down a couple months ago. (Sigh, no more fabric sources for me that don’t require a driving haul through a labyrinth of Austin traffic.) Long before I got back into sewing I used to browse the exquisite silks and walk out with a couple glass buttons. They have gorgeous linens too–my first-ever fabric purchase in Austin eventually became the wide-leg trousers. Last year they moved deep into the East Side, still a source of hidden creativity despite upscale development. I had to turn around twice at the train tracks before I realized the store was inside the Flatbed coop.

Now here’s a place I’ve heard about but never visited. The closed doors of Silk Road sent me wandering instead around this heavenly mothership of all things printmaking.

All in all, a very Austin experience… where you end up when you were looking for something else.

Anyhow, this would’ve been the one local place I’d find some lovely lace trims for Sherry’s Ruby Slip. I’ll have to wait. I’m finding a bit of pleasure in that, too–the pleasure of the waiting, of finding the one thing that can’t be found by anyone else.

This is about lingerie, I guess, in a roundabout way. In lieu of a slip, I made a new bra over the weekend. I wanted to sew another one fairly soon after my first try, to refine fit and design changes while the experience was still fresh in my mind.

It’s still plain and super cutesy pink, but I wanted to use up the fabric and notions I got from Bramakers Supply to test my changes. I tried changing the pattern to a more vertical seam and went to a full-band bra. I also went down a cup size, which fit just perfectly despite my worries on the first bra. (My first was a modified 32C, which as it turns out was a bit of wishful thinking!)

My sewing will stop for two weeks as we travel abroad, but my first order of sewing business in the New Year will be a luxe version of the bra from this lace-like gilded lycra. It came all the way from Germany via e-lingeria.de and took almost two months, but I am so pleased. Gorgeous stuff.

Have a wonderful holiday, and I hope that true and meaningful secrets are revealed to you!

11 comments

  1. Silk Road is…gone? Where am I going to get quality brocade for party dresses? Sigh. Hopefully they will pop up again soon or else I’ll be a broken-hearted sewist.

    (Also, I love the sign. You’re right – so very Austin. The last time I visited SIlk Road I spent entirely too much time wandering through Flatbed. In every nook and cranny of the building, something amazing is happening.)

    • Amy says:

      Hi Mary–yay, how great to find another Austin blogger! I hope they aren’t closed permanently. The owner is so wonderful; she’s given me so many tips on where to shop fabrics in different cities.

    • Amy says:

      Hi Melizza – it’s hard not to miss it here when you move away… so soft and friendly! Merry Christmas to you!

  2. Amy says:

    Just this past week I got to visit my favorite fabric store when I was down in Santa Barbara visiting family for the holidays. It feels much the same as the pictures you posted above – a gem hidden amongst textiles and warehouses. They were having a great sale, so I bought a lot more than I was intending. The good news is that I’m now really, really excited for sewing this year. Happy new year to you!

    • Amy says:

      Hi Amy – is that Fine Fabrics? I love those little gems, too. Sounds like you got a nice Christmas present–and a great way to start the year!

  3. This bra is lovely! I love the pics, writing, and layout of your blog. It’s my first visit:) I’ll be back! And I’m telling my good friends who recently moved to Austin about Flatbed. Hope you’re having a great trip, and happy new year!

  4. Lavender says:

    I think I might cry! I can’t believe Silk Road is gone. Or moved. That the little house is no longer. Sigh… Austin has changed so much since we left. Yet we can’t wait to return.

    • Amy says:

      I know, such a bummer. I should’ve checked their FB page because they have indeed closed. Just like that! I got an email from Common Thread that they are now going to carry silks since they’ll be the only indie fabric store left in town! It is changing so much here but so many fun new things to explore. It’s still so Austin, though 😉

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