Higgs & Higgs

Photo: Higgs & Higgs

To continue my fabric shopping series, I'm taking you into a wonderful sewing shop in Gloucester. I first discovered Higgs & Higgs when I went to the Great British Sewing Bee Live, back in September. Their stall was one of my favourites, and needless to say I have been looking forward to visiting their warehouse shop ever since! The great thing about this fabric shop is that it is a warehouse, meaning that the shelves are brimming with gorgeous fabrics ready to be sent off via their online shop. Their warehouse is open to the public, and it really feels like walking into fabric wonderland! Although the actual premises is small, there are unique fabrics to find wherever you look. I knew that I wanted to focus on jersey and knit fabrics, which helped to narrow down my choice making. I do love a pretty floral cotton, but the reality is snuggly sweatshirt-knits are just going to get a lot more wear in my life!



My Mum and I agreed that one of the best aspects of Higgs & Higgs is that the fabric they stock isn't available in many other places. The designs are often unique, which makes the fabric shopping all the more exciting. After spending a long time trawling through their website beforehand I knew that I wanted to try and find a cable knit, which I would say is on of their 'specialities'. They have a few different designs available and in many different colours, but my favourite is this thicker cable pattern which I bought in light grey. I am planning on making a slightly cropped version of the Tilly and the Buttons Stella Hoodie from Stretch! and at the last minute I spied this pink and grey striped jersey to line the hood in. You might recognise it as the same fabric that I lined my Kelly Anorak in, just in a different colour way. I'm so pleased with this combination, I expect it'll be one of the first items to get made!



My Mum (who is my favourite companion to bring fabric shopping with me as she doesn't complain when I spend hours gazing longingly at fabric!) selected this lovely textured marl rib jersey and has asked me to make her a top out of it. It has a really nice structure to it, and although she hasn't chosen the pattern yet, I think it would work really nicely as a Linden top, which I've made for her twice before (here and here).



And because I loved the fabric that my mum chose so much I bought some too! Not the exact same pattern, as I think that might be pushing it a little too far. The textured marl rib jersey is also available with a trellis pattern which I love. It's a lovely shade of grey too, not too dark and gloomy like greys can sometimes be. I also purchased a dusky pink ribbing because I am apparently going for the pink and grey combination this spring! I'd love to make another Linden top similar to my mustard Linden that I made last year. I'm planning on using the ribbing around the neck and at the bottom of the sleeves. I love making my clothes my own with personalised touches like this so I'm excited about this one.



Finally, I've bought some of what might seem an incredibly basic and boring fabric but I think will become a staple top in my wardrobe. I've wanted a simple black t-shirt for a while, so I grabbed some of this black ribbing to make one. This is actually the first time I've bought ribbing. It's something I have been wanting to buy for a while though, as I'd like to give sewing with ribbing a go. I'm planning on self-drafting a basic short sleeved top, which I'm sure will be very simple to sew. To add a bit more interest to the top, I also bought some of this very cool and slightly crazy pleated trim. It's called 'pleated trim picot edging' on their website, but really reminds me of a cupcake case! I'm planning on putting it around the sleeve hems, hopefully it won't look too crazy in a small about paired with a plain black fabric.

Overall I would class this as an extremely successful fabric shopping outing! Buying fabric is always expensive, but I think that the Higgs & Higgs prices are extremely reasonable considering the quality of the fabric. I can't wait to start sewing all of these, the fabrics are already pre-washed and ready to go!