Dressew is a sewing supply store, here in Vancouver, that is sort of a combination of Alladin’s Cave and a TARDIS. It is situated on East Hastings, on the block east of the Scientology Centre – you know, right before it starts to get really dodgy.
One enters the store and is greeted by a smell that I always imagine to be a sort of universal ‘grandma’s attic’ smell. Probably from the years and years worth of musty fabrics which pile high onto shelves that reach up to the ceiling. Seriously, some of the material in there looks as if it hasn’t budged since 1963. It’s two levels of all the sewing supplies you could ever want. And lots of it stuff you would NEVER want! EEE! Well, except for black raw silk, which is what I went for today and which they were out of, much to my chagrin. Dang it. They DID have buckram, though, which I am pretty pleased about – I have been in before looking for it and was told they were out. Hmm. In retrospect, I think that the crotchety old lady (almost all the ladies who work there are crotchety and old) told me that they had sold out, just because she didn’t want to be bothered to find the bolt and cut me some. Anyway, today’s trip resulted in victory! I only bought half a meter because I I have never used buckram and I want to experiment with just a little to begin with. My goal is to fashion a sturdy little cocktail hat base. On with the experiment!