Starting at the beginning

Hello, I am sunflora and I am a fabric junkie.

I cannot possibly walk past a fabric store without buying any fabric. Cotton is my material of choice but silk and rayon is acceptable too.

Although I am running short of space to store all my fabrics, I continue to buy more. I used to buy 2 m at a time but I have now resorted to Fat quarters instead.

My earliest fabric shopping was with my mum when I was younger. I think it was a monthly trip that my mum and I will make to Geylang Serai. We would go either on Sunday mornings or Saturday afternoons on bus no 24. I always hoped that we would get the air conditioned service. Sometimes I slept on the way there, sometimes we talked and sometimes I would read my book.

Upon arrival we would get something to eat there and something to take home. And then the fabric hunting will begin. Her favorite shops would be at Joo Chiat Complex. We would walk around and look for the fabrics that may catch our eyes. My mum would spend a lot of time bargaining with the fabric seller until they would come to a price they would agree on. She has walked out on shops before because the seller did not give her the price she was happy with.

The other favorite haunt is the Arab Street area. We would walk the length of the streets going into every fabric shop looking at fabrics.

So perhaps there is more about buying fabric for me. It reminded me of the mornings and afternoons I spent with my mom shopping. It was just the two of us because my dad had no patience to walk round the fabric store and my brother would rather stay home.

Most of the time, the fabrics became clothes we would wear to weddings or parties. But some of the fabrics remained as fabrics.

From then on, no matter where I went, be it Canada, Kyoto, Malaysia and even here, I'll always buy fabric as souvenir.

I had bought fabric way before I started quilting and since I started quilting my hording instinct has worsen.

So here I am, Sunflora, the fabric hoarder.