fabric & flowers: Behind the scenes::: an unwitting learner!

There are times (usually early in a Project) when my opinion is actively sought. Fabric swatches, colour palettes, patterns have all at some time or another been wafted under my nose for me to comment on.

Mrs F&F thrusts five different swatches of fabric at me: “Do these go together?”

Me: “Err, yes? Is this a test, or are you genuinely unsure?”

Mrs F&F: “Hmm. What about if I swap one out for this one instead?”

Me: “Can’t you just use all six of them?”

Mrs F&F: “No, stop being silly, this is important”

Now apart from the relatively short term anguish of navigating my way through these minefields, you could be forgiven for thinking that this has no lasting impact on my day to day living. You would be wrong. So very wrong.

I first noticed something was up 3 years ago, whilst attending a work conference. There were 200 or so colleagues attending a day long off-site series of presentations and rousing calls to arms by various members of the management team. Listening intently, sitting in the auditorium, I became distracted by a lady two rows away – not in *that* way – shame on you. No, I noticed this lady had on her lap a rather fetching tote bag made in Cath Kidston waxed fabric. I became quite concerned with how I knew not only the style of bag, but also the type and designer of the fabric used. I felt a bit light headed, and completely zoned out of the rest of the presentation.

Nowadays I regularly find myself well versed in fabrics and patterns, fat quarters, jelly rolls, bag designs, cut and fit of clothes. I even got into a conversation with work colleagues (female) regarding the position and use of bust darts in dresses. All of this has been absorbed via some sort of osmosis over years of having snippets explained to me before being asked for an opinion. As a gentleman of advancing years I am frightened that I may be losing key bloke-knowledge to make room for the continuing onslaught of sewing related data.

What if I lose the ability to list the Iron Maiden albums in chronological order, with year of release, so that I can classify the various feet which fit a Janome sewing machine, with their respective purpose? I suspect my new found knowledge would be of limited use in the pub with friends. I’d better go and revise, perhaps I’ll start with album number 4: Piece Of Mind (1984).

Hee hee, I have to say that I think this is my favourite of Mr f&f's observations so far - I will even confess to reading this through tears of laughter! - although I think he's going to have to absorb a lot more sewing info before he looses any music knowledge (seriously, he has hundreds of CDs, alphabetised too!)