working with two new outdoor fabrics today. One, a lady bug pattern, looks to be poly, cute, thin enough to sew easy but for the extreme crispness. I never thought I'd say something had too firm a hand, but this is a challenge.

The other is this adorable dotted swiss outdoor cloth, firm, yes, but this is so thick I cannot use cord. The base cloth is open weave and the dots are fuzzy squares.

It's remarkable how many new sunbrella fabrics are out there, and Calico is promoting them for indoor use as well. The prices are way above the cotton equivalents, and the hand while improved is still not cotton. If they are fade resistant, then that's key to the choice.

Meanwhile, I am challenged, and it's a bizzare kind of fun.