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Wednesday 10 April 2013

COTTON STREET

Good Morning to you,

Do you love material?

Do you love scouring shops for that perfect piece of material?

You do.....well I have a treat for you today.

My favourite place, in the whole wide world for material....now that is quite a statement, is Cotton Street in Chennai....and I was taken there by Natasha for my Mother's Day treat.... I was in heaven....let me show you why.


There are so many fabulous material stalls, standing shoulder to shoulder along Cotton Street. They set up at about 2 o'clock in the afternoon, when the sun has past, as this allows the stall holders to sit in the shade. It also makes it a much more comfortable experience whilst browsing, although we did carry umbrellas to protect ourselves from the sun.....just in case.

Can you feel my excitement.
  



I could not begin to count how many stalls there were.  The stall holders in this photograph had finished laying out their materials and were just waiting for their customers to arrive......us!




As you can see, there is nothing fancy about these stalls, but what they are, is jam-packed with different sorts of materials.  There are silks and cottons. There are beautiful upholstery materials. There are patterned materials and plain materials. You could buy material by the bolt or by the yard.....the stall holders preferred you to buy by the bolt, but I had to think about the weight of my suitcase when flying home.

I think I shall let you into a little secret.  Natasha has a large box which she has labelled "Mum's Box", so that anything which I cannot pack into my suitcase is left in this box, either for Natasha to bring to England or for me to collect when we return.  I think if I remember correctly, I left a lot of clothes and fitted in the material....well you would do the same wouldn't you???

......and no there is not a "Dad's Box", as he shares my box, except he never puts anything in it! I think I shall leave it at that!




The one thing we had to learn how to do, was to haggle.

As we were walking along the street, a lady who had been at a previous stall buying material, walked up to us and whispered, yes whispered, that whatever the stall holder quoted as a price, you halved the price and added 20 per cent.  It was very kind of her to help us and this was a useful piece of advice, but I have to say we were both more than happy with the prices on offer.


Here is Natasha buying material. She is holding on to her own handbag, as well as mine, I was supposed to be browsing at another stall, as Natasha had taken my handbag, to allow me to look more freely, but I crept up behind her and took this photograph.

Are you counting the carrier bags in the photograph?

You are aren't you. 

You will never guess how much material we bought, as the bags were filled with different types of material and they were also lined up in front of Natasha..... I know.....exciting!

Would you like to see a couple of pieces of material which I bought?




Well, this material did have my name on it.....didn't it.



......and this piece was just calling out to me. You know my love affair with hearts.


The plan had been to stroll down Cotton Street, to look at each of the stalls and then to decide what we would buy.  We were very good, we passed Stall number one, mmm, yes very nice, then onto Stall number two.....yes extremely nice, by the time we had reached Stall number three.....well we were bursting at the seams to buy some material.... no I have to be truthful....I WAS BURSTING AT THE SEAMS TO BUY SOME MATERIAL.  I know, I know, I should have stuck to the plan, but honestly I couldn't, the excitement was just welling up inside of me.


I was like a child in a sweet shop. 


Do you know, this was only about the 8th stall, there were so many more further along the road, but we were so happy with the material that we had bought, we decided not to go any further.

We could not wait to take the materials from the carrier bags to "show and tell". 

We did not even stop for a coffee, we drove straight home. Trust me, we were so excited about our purchases, we discussed each piece of material in the back of the car on our way home.

When we arrived home, we showed George and do you know he just rolled his eyes and said "Oh no, not more material!"

I just don't know what he means!

This week I shall be joining,



and

(I think I should mention, this is not my daughter, Natasha)

Take care and I will see you later in the week.








30 comments:

  1. Oh Daphne how lucky are you?! I picked out at LEAST 20 bolts I would have purchased. What a treat! I probably would have had to hire my own plane to go home, I would have bought so much! Enjoy your new material .... I cannot wait to see what you make with it and I hope your Mum box arrives soon! Have a wonderful day.

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  2. Oh my goodness, what a treat for the eyes! Aren't all those fabrics just gorgeous!

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  3. Wow I sure wish I were there with you shopping and seeing all that wonderful material, I just bought some fabric, I sure did not have that huge selection, the pictures are just so wonderful, I picked out a few I sure wish I had...Thank you for the wonderful post, I am now a follower of yours and can't wait till the next post...

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  4. wow, that's a lot of choices...I would not do well, as I would want to buy more than needed.

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  5. Wow, look at all the beautiful colors and patterns. I was thinking you must feel like a kid in a candy store...and sure enough. How exciting! Thanks for sharing your shopping adventure and purchases.

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  6. I do not sew Daphne but have a great love for material. I would have been excited by that much fabric stacked that tall too. I get excited when I find vintage fabric at estate sales. xo, Olive

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  7. Yes. I love fabric! There were some beautiful one's in that shop!
    Now...are you going to show us what you made...there's nothing like pressure! ha

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  8. Talk about eye candy! Thanks for following - I've followed back :)
    Autumn greetings from Australia♥ ~Pernilla

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  9. Well, if that isn't overwhelming, I don't know what is! How could you ever choose? What a delightful way to spend the day.

    XOXO,
    Meredith

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  10. Hi Daphne!!!

    WOW!!!!

    My sister who is the sewer in the family, would have gone nuts at that market!! That is a lot of material!!

    So beautiful and bright...I love color!!!

    Pam
    xox

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  11. Hallo Daphne!!So many materials!!I realy like those you bought!!I'll be waiting to show us what are you going to made!!Hope you have a wonderful week!
    Dimi..

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  12. Oh my, I would be there for hours, Daphne! I love looking at fabric! I used to go to a place by us {a hidden gem} and buy fabric and trim. Half the time I had no real need for it, it was just pieces that caught my eye. I'm trying to work through my fabric stash now to get those piles down a little bit before I bring anymore into the house! I love that red and white fabric.

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  13. what a fabulous day and a chance to purchase that yummy material , how on earth did you decide which pieces to buy?
    I seen lots of stacks I would like to have , wouldn't a room in our house with material on the walls and ceilings ? be fabulous

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  14. Oh dear! All of that fabric would drive me nuts! It would take me days and days to see it all, which I would want to do. I would be there every day of my vacations!!!!

    Thank you Daphne for your nice compliment on my ankles. I got them from my sweet Momma! Thank you! (hug)

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  15. What an incredible post - loved it ( we are fabric agents here in Montreal - representing mills in Europe and Asia ) so this was a real treat for me!
    Big hugs,
    Suzan

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  16. Que lugar encantador. Esse é um sonho de consumo para as mulheres.
    Amei.
    Tenha uma ótima semana.
    Anajá Schmitz

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  17. Daphne,
    My sister would fall in love with this place! She sews, crochets, knits, you name it. Look at all the different types and colors of material. I love the one with the hearts.

    Thank you for your comment today on my "son" post. I know how you feel, dear friend, as my girls live out of town also. I try to see them every couple of months. It's hard when our children leave the nest, isn't it?

    Love,
    ~Sheri at Red Rose Alley

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  18. OMG!...would I be in material heaven!! I love materials, for so many things, specially those gorgeous Indian ones, wow! I always have things made here, like tablecloths, etc...so thank you for this great post! Thank you for your wonderful visit, you made my day! I'm also your newest follower as well! Enjoy your weekend.
    FABBY

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  19. Amazing! I'd never be able to decide, I'd want it all!
    What a fun day!
    Hugs,
    Patti

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  20. Thank you for stopping in today! I am glad you enjoyed the pictures of Yorkshire. If I were independently wealthy (lol) I'd definitely have a second home in Yorkshire! :-)

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  21. Thank you for such a fantastic tour through the fabric stalls. I would have been running from stall to stall shouting "LOOK!" The fabrics are a beautiful sight all stacked and displayed. I love the one that resembles a Union Jack.

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  22. So much gorgeous fabric! Loved reading about your adventures out shopping in the stalls, and great pics! Mary

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  23. I LOVE fabric! Like you, it is something that I struggle to resist. I'm not much of a seamstress, but I do enjoy making napkins, placemats and table runners. I would have had a ton of fun here.

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  24. This looks just amazing!! Please never let me go there ;-)
    Esther

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  25. Oh my oh my oh my. What fun!! I would have been just like you Daphne! I wouldn't have been able to resist either. Yes, just like a kid in a candy shop. I think it's a sickness. :) I'm sure you'll be showing us the rest of your selections at some point, won't you? I can't wait to see what you do with them!

    Debbie

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  26. I would be just like you on Cotton Street. It reminds me of the markets in Kingston when we lived in Jamaica. My friend was looking for fabric to redo things in the Great House she had rented. We went to the market where you bought fabric by the pound. You really had to search, but you could get great deals.

    Thanks for my colorful stroll down Cotton Street.

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  27. Oh my, I would have been overwhelmed by all that beautiful material for sale, and I don't even sew! You chose wisely!

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  28. I would have been first in the queue! What amazing variety of fabrics. You could not leave those behind!

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  29. How funny, "Oh no, not more material." Priceless. Love the photos and love all the fabric. Thank you for sharing this at the Anything Blue Friday party at The Dedicated House. Hope to see you again at the bash! Toodles, Kathryn @TheDedicatedHouse

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  30. OMG...being an Indian i have never seen such a place with beautiful cotton fabric...sadly it is miles and miles away from my place...but i'm sure it is worth visiting

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Dear Friends,

It is so wonderful to know you enjoy reading Ivy, Phyllis and Me! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave me a comment. I really do appreciate it.

Best wishes to you.

Daphne

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