NYC

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for. Yes, folks, that's right: pictures from the hottest weekend in NYC in, well, forever. I took the train from Baltimore Airport to Penn Station which allowed an early morning walk through the Garment District on my way to the hotel. Then, we took one of those double-decker tour buses around the city. My husband had never been to NYC and wanted to see as much as possible and it was just too hot to do it on foot. And you get to see the Vogue skirt in action. We traded photo shoots with another couple while we waited to leave from Battery Park. The next part of the tour took us through Brooklyn where we got to stop for ice cream and a nice photo in a quiet, older neighborhood. Amazingly I don't look nearly as hot and droopy as I felt. The cotton skirt was a great idea. It has pockets and was a cool as anything could be at 106 degrees in Central park. Ok, this picture is Madison Park, but whatever. It's still pretty interesting, no? The kid is asking the guy how he got the piano to the park. The answer was ......
The only fabric shopping I got to do was a quick run through the part of the fashion district while my husband cooled off in a local bar. But I really was just too hot to really get into it much. And a lot of the smaller store aren't air conditioned very well. I did find Paron's and rummaged through the annex and found these 3 fabrics. All are Italian: silk & cotton, rayon and cotton, and wool (from left to right). Prices were good and cuts were generous. The two bottom "things" are some novelty elastics from one of the trim stores. Just fun.
And finally, just to cool us all off after trudging through the scorching sun for hours:

Success!

After a couple of attempts last week using a Simplicity and a New Look pattern that gave me results that just hung off my shoulders, I went a different direction this weekend. I pulled out Vogue 1247 for a quick skirt. I'm going to New York for a quick weekend with my husband next Friday and wanted something cool but not so casual as shorts. This seemed to fit the bill. I used a 100% cotton from G Street that reminds me of that old stable, kettle cloth. Remember that fabric? I used to love it. But anyway, I found this 1.5 yard remnant a couple of months ago and immediately thought "summer skirt". And I realized yesterday that it wanted to be this Vogue pattern. I added about 7 inches to the bottom, as I'm no longer 17 and skinny. I needed a zipper for this (I realized how little red I sew when I looked for a zipper) and found this CUTE button for the back. I thought about using these (I have 2) on the pockets but decided not to when it came time to do the button holes. It just didn't feel right for the skirt. But I think it's quite nice on the back waistband. If you haven't looked at this pattern, you should. It goes together nicely, has those bitchin' front pockets and only takes about 1.5 yards of fabric after making it long enough for a real human. A bit of head scratching for a minute to figure out how to put the front together to make the pockets, but after that it went FAST. I didn't do the hong-kong finish in the interest of time and patience, but I did serge all the insides except around the pockets - sergers and curves don't mix. I just did a machine overcast there. Of course my Viking wouldn't do the buttonhole. It did the sample beautifully and then wouldn't feed the fabric for the real one. So after unpicking that mess I hauled out my Singer buttonholer and made it on my 201. THANK YOU SINGER, you RULE! One try and done.

You can also see the wonky stitches my serger started doing again. WHY? It was fine and then it wasn't. This was a test scrap for both serging and buttonholes. Buttonholes went better than serging.

In other news... my son and I went to the early-bird showing of the final Harry Potter this morning. It finally happened - I spent more on the food than on the show, the first showing in each of the theatres is only $6 and the popcorn, etc. was $19. Erg! But the movie was great - all the HP's have been. We didn't see the 3D version, but kind of wishing we had. We may go back in a couple of weeks - after NYC.

Well, I'm off to finish some laundry and think about what to take with me next weekend. I'm taking the train up to Penn Station and husband will be taking the train down from Connecticut. I don't suspect I'll get in any time for fabric shopping this trip - just can't convince my husband that it's fun. Must keep working on that.

ETA: Kuby, if you're still around, I'm not sure if you're asking about the shirt I'm wearing in the picture or the one included with the pattern. I DID make the shirt I'm wearing - it's a Kwik-Sew tee-shirt pattern. No, I didn't make the top incuded in the pattern - I'm not a huge fan of the huge shirts. HTH.

Sewn-day

I finally got a little time to sew today. It's been a looong time since I really sewed - not counting buttons or putting the hem back in a pair of pants. I mean sewed.

First off, remember this? Aruba Waves? When last we saw it we'd decided it need a gecko. Not the insurance selling kind, but an Aruban gecko. I looked high and low on the 'net for an applique that I liked to no avail. Most were cartoonish, some were just ugly. None were right. Well, as it turned out I had the right one all along. He was hanging out in my closet on a tee shirt that I bought in (wait for it....) ARUBA! My BFF and I went down there a few years ago and I bought this shirt. Don't know why other than the adorable gecko and it's purple. I'm not really a tee-shirt girl but I'm a sucker for anything purple. So a little work later I had this: I basted on a layer of washaway stabilizer and then zig-zagged around the edges. Trimmed off the extra and there you have it. Cute as a gecko, eh? I mean as cute as they can be since lizards are probably the least cute of the animal kingdom. But I got the shirt out the closet where it hung because I couldn't bear to toss it and now I'm ready to quit this. And speaking of quilting - this little exercise taught me the wisdom of free-motion. Turning this puppy around and around to get the right angle was rather painful (literally a couple of times with some long sharp pins).

And I've had an obsession with Mondo's skirt form Project Runway since he won the Jackie O contest. Well as luck would have it (a good thing, this time, really) I actually had the fabric in my stash from FabricMart - yep, sure about that, they put tags on their fabric. And I was pretty sure I could find a pattern somewhere in my Burda collection (they don't get a link because they don't think that English speaking readers deserve a website). I was right - from February 2010, I found this one: (apparently, even the French don't get line drawings from past issues, anymore). You'll have to look at your own copy for now, I suppose. #124 - it's a petite sized pattern which does ok for my lower half. And I got a decent start. Actually got a little further than this, but this was where I took the picture to show you the godlet/insert at the waist: I have some black piping from my NYC shopping trip that I'm going to put in the front walking slits. It's solid black, very flexible and has a cord wrapping the cording. Narrower than the stuff you buy at Hancock's and much prettier. You can click on the photo I linked to and see it if you just can't stand it. I can make my own piping, but this was really pretty stuff.

And to do a bit of follow-up, we'll be moving the eastern side of Washington, near the Oregon border. We lived in western Washington for 2 years about 20 years ago - it's weird going back. But we loved it out there, so that part's ok.

Absolutely Thrilled

And scared spitless (as my mother would have said).

BWOF blouse is finished except buttonholes/buttons and a hem. Not scared about the hem, terrified of the buttonholes. I know this is fear from my old machine, but I've worked so hard, I like this fabric so much and it's turned out sooooo nice that I'm terrified the whole thing will be ruined at this last step. My machine picks buttonholes by default (I can change, it just a suggestion) and I like the choice for light woven - it's a rounded (not keyhole) on both ends style. I will iron on tearaway stabilizer before starting. And I don't think I'm going to put them above one above the bust. I would never button that high and I've seen a lot of RTW lately without the "extra" button holes. Which leads me to this: which buttons?

I am partial to the white ones, but don'e be afraid to tell me to go shopping. I'm a little afraid they're too big. Not sure how the colors are showing, but this is a true black/grey/barely cream fabric. Very true "no color", not shades of pink or blue or purple.... JUST black/grey. I bought this at Moods last August and the buttons are from Britex (ha! It could become the coastal blouse). It's a very very very nice 100% cotton. Soft, not too wrinkly. Tended to prick and pull a thread with the pins (there's a pull line in the - thank goodness - underside of the collar).

I'm quite proud of this: first collar in about 30 years and perhaps my first with a stand (not sure, but pretty sure), and the sleeves look great. AnnR would be pleased - I basted the sleeves in as they are kind of futzy at the top. No puckers! YEA! I think the hand basting was the key. I could fix each stitch before making it and then it held well. I started the seams at the shoulder - normally I start at the armpit. I didn't breathe for the entire process. I'm still a bit light headed. Unless I decide to go button shopping, I'll finish it tomorrow night. I also left out the elastic. It fits really well with just the pleats, so I just don't think it's necessary. I really like the way it fits.

I'm doing a very cautious happy dance, tonight.

Next up will be to trace off a couple of patterns on loan from Karent, then I'm going finish piecing my quilt. Who knows, I may even hem that dang pair of pants from, what, 2 months ago? And I really need to make some summer slacks. And I still want to make some more underpinnings. Shopping reminded me of why: $10/pair - yikes. I have the Kwik Sew book, now I just need some time.

It's been a beautiful few days here in DC. Not just warm, but hot and sunny. Rain's coming in, but that's okay. We need a mix and it is still spring. Just hope it holds off until after I take the dog for a walk in the morning.

And, just in case you think YOUR dog is stupid: and yes, that's the Jalie Tee

Sew Little Humor

I stole this from "Death by Denim" http://deathbydenim.blogspot.com/ because I thought it was, well, funny. (her link is also on my ever-increasing Blog Roll). We all think we know what our acronyms stand for. Well, I'm here to tell you that you're thinking with the wrong part of your brain. Come on, gals (and guy?), but on your home sewn out of scraps thinking cap. Here's what they really mean:

BOM Block Of the Month

DSM Domestic Sewing Machine as in home sewing machine, not long arm

EQ Electric Quilt, marvelous software (also seen as EQ5 or EQ6)

FART Fabric Acquisition Road Trip

FLIMSY Finished top, not quilted

LA LongArmer, professional machine quilter

LQS Local Quilt Shop

PIG Project In a Grocery Sack

SABLE Stash Accumulation Beyond Life Expectancy

SEX Stash Enhancing Experience

STASH Special Treasure, All Secretly Hidden

TGIF Thank Goodness It’s Finished

UFO UnFinished Object

WHIMM Work Hidden In My Mind

WIP Work In Progress

WOMBAT Waste Of Material, Batting, And Time

HST Half-Square Triangle

QST Quarter Square Triangle

DWR Double Wedding Ring (quilt pattern)

GFG--Grandmother's Flower Garden

MAM Mile-A-Minute, modern version of crazy quilt block

SBS--Sunbonnet Sue

My personal favorites, probably because I'm not a quilter and I have a quirky sense of humor (yeah, quit rolling your eyes, I see you from here!) are FART - got one of those in the works, PIG - I should stick a couple of projects in a Grocery bag; I'd feel better about them, and WOMBAT - again I don't quilt, so the batting doesn't apply, but the rest SOOOO does. And I like Australian mammals.

My PJ shirt is coming along. The update on the sleeves is that I had to, of course, trace out the pattern, then cut out the fabric. Of course I didn't have enough fabric, the remnant was too short - wide enough, but too short. It stopped at the cuff. If it was going to stop, that was the place. So, I cut it out with what I had, cut the other sleeve to match, and made cuffs out of the same green polka-dot. I'd thought of doing that already, this made it a necessity. But it took a lot of time that I just don't have. So I'm still not finished on a very simple garment. And I shudder to think how close I came to cutting out a toddler tee-shirt from that 'left-over' fabric. Sorry, no pictures yes, because I'M STILL NOT FINISHED. I still have to hem and do the neck. I'm thinking about bias binding the neck out of the green (it's a woven, tee-shirt is knit). I've cut the binding and pressed it. Next step may be to put some clear elastic at the folded edge to help it keep it's shape and fit closer. I haven't used clear elastic before (though I have enough to go 'round the Earth - thanks to last summer's trip to NYC) so I'm a little afraid. Maybe I'll "Just do it" (remember Nike?) this afternoon, today's a short day. This shirt has turned out so well I'm afraid of messing it up at the end. And I still have the hem to do. EKES.

Since I have no sewing photos, I'll just give you this one. I think I knew this guy in college.

I hate being left out.

Sewing blog-land has moved from "how we starting sewing", and I did post my fascinating adventure, to "let's discuss our stash. And, like my title says, I have to be part of the crowd, here's my $0.02.

To start, since I've really only been sewing for a year, my stash is pretty small. I don't have it folded in closets, in boxes under the bed, in the attic or **gasp** in the barn. It fits tidily on my Ikea shelf, pretty much folded and even grouped together in some type of BeeBee-Random- self-imposed order that actually works for me most of the time. I did have a wake-up call just a couple of weeks ago, when I found some fabric I honestly didn't know I had or where I got it (I can guess and will probably be right, but that's not the point). And I found my long-lost waist band stabilizer at the same time (yea!) . But I was surprised to find the fabric and a little concerned that I no longer know what's crammed in those shelves (and yes, I am aware that just a few lines up this was folded tidily - times change, let it go). It did start me thinking about my fabric collection and buying habits. Then, this topic came around in such a timely manner.

Of course, a year ago (December, actually) I owned no stash. Nothing, not even a remnent of an old Halloween print. Well, that's not quite true, but I was in Washington, D.C. and the black-cat fabric was in Detroit. I bought my new machine in mid-December in Woodbridge, VA and there was (**sniff** past tense, WAS) a G Street in the same area. So that I would have something to start with on my new machine and because I hadn't sewn a stitch in about 10 years (a little bad home-dec aside) and because I'd heard the G Street was good and because I wanted to check out Bernina's before making a final purchasing decision, I wandered in. And much to my amazement, surprise, extreme delight and downfall, I discover it: the $2.97/yard wall of glory. Just right up my alley. Variety and price. I bought 2 patterns from the Kwik-sew rack (I was out of practice enough to be intimidated by the books, how bad it that!) and about 10 yards of various fabrics from THE WALL. Including my very first ever knit in an awful plum heather (oddly, I loved the shirt I made from that stuff, though). And thus began, THE STASH.

Next stop was Hancock's, only about a mile from our Townhouse and and easy run to grab thread, needles, sewing basket, pins, pin catcher, pressing ham..... AND a clearance table. Ta-da! And even closer way to find cheap fabric to use. And THE STASH grew. And grew.

The next step involved my BFF. She came up in February and discovered a new concept in fabric purchasing and a whole new world of fabric. Oh my oh my. This was going to be good. And dangerous and more than just a tad scary. We hit G Street and while we did spend some time at THE WALL, my BFF has a much better eye for "the good stuff" and we spend some time combing through the tweeds, linens and wools. Yes, they let you touch that stuff! She spent some dough there, but I still mostly drug off the THE WALL. Next day we went to A Fabric Place (http://www.michaelsfabrics.com/ this is the on line store link) and it was like walking into a different world. One I didn't know was out there. Having spent my childhood at The Piece-Goods store and Grant's, I didn't know you could buy Valentino fabric. Period. I was way to intimidated to buy much (I do have a very nice Zegna wool that I'm eying for a pair of slacks) , my skills just didn't rate this kind of purchase (BFF had no qualms, however and is now on a first-name basis with Sherri) . But now I knew it was out there.

And the last piece was a trip to NYC last summer. HOLY WOVEN COW! Not only was this stuff great, there was a ton (or 20) of it, and it was cheap. MECCA! I broke out of my "I'm afraid to buy" mode and did. It was fun and I got some nice stuff and I've really enjoyed sewing and wearing it. We (me and BFF, again) hit around 10 stores, plus some trim/notions places and a bookstore or two. Woo-hoo! I have enough clear elastic to last a lifetime (if I can find the stuff).
And that's how I got THE STASH.

And now, how do I organize it? Like I said in a kind of randomness that sort of works. Starting with putting all the "WTF?" stuff in a banker box. This includes some on-line purchases (did I mention I discovered Internet fabric shopping??? No??? I left part out??? hmmmm), some free-bees (mostly FabricMart http://fabricmartfabrics.com/controller/index.php ) that is just odd, and some junk from Hancock's and G Street that I just don't know what I was thinking. Plus some cheap stuff that is SOOO cheap that it falls into the WTF pile. Mostly purchased early on and sometimes used for trials, though is sometimes too bad even for that. Then I have my "winter fabric" and my "summer fabric" and the "stuff I bought at G Street last week fabric" and the "NYC purchases fabric" and the "where should I put this fabric" and maybe I'm beginning to see how I loose things.... I should work on this.

And finally, how do I feel about THE STASH and stashing in general. Well, I'm starting to like THE STASH more and more. I'm refining and curbing my buying habits so that I am buying better fabric and fabric I am more likely to use. Acknowledging that some of my favorites will likely never get sewn, but I still like them and take them out from time-to-time and pet them and look at them. Maybe I should make them into a blanket and carry around like a little kid? It's a thought.

And I see the absolute need for a stash. I love Love LOVE spending time in my sewing room pulling the stuff out and matching up with patterns (um, a discussion for another day, I think). Sometimes it happens and sometimes it all gets put back. Not the point. I rarely pick out a pattern and then purchase the fabric/notions for it, though that is how we did it at my house as a kid. I pull out a pattern and see what I have that will work. Or pull out a fabric and see what pattern I can use. So you can see that buying what I use is important. Both color and makeup-wise. When I shop, now, I keep this in mind and do fairly well. The downside is that it is boring. In the sewing, shopping and wearing worlds. I'm not sure how to remedy this without buying a bunch of bizarre (to me) stuff that I will either never use or never wear. But maybe it's just the winter talking? Spring will be here and I can sew color again, right?

As for using it up? Maybe because I don't have SABLE (stash beyond life expectancy), I don't see the point in "using it up". Making something just to "get it off the shelf" or from under the bed or out of the barn (still, **gasp!**). Or changing pattern views because view B uses 4 yards and view C only uses 3. Or making dog beds out of wool or whatever. Now making for charity is completely different. That's a valid use to both the fabric and the time spent. But shelter dogs can sleep on old bathroom rugs and I don't need (any more - see below, yikes) skirts that take 5 yards for the circle. I have some fabric (remember the WTF box) that I would like to be rid of, but I'm sure as heck not going to spend my precious sewing time on it. I'm thinking local drama group or something. Collecting and hanging on to stuff I don't want just isn't in my nature - my MIL's nature, yes - mine, no. If I'm not going to use, not matter how much I paid for it, I don't want it anymore. Flip side? Can't throw it away. Maybe my dog would like a nice Anna Sui bed?

Now I did panic for a while last summer when I had no summer fabric. Fortunately, the Internet was still there. Unfortunately, I ran out of time to sew it. Fortunately, summer will come again.

Zipper reflections

Sew Passionista pointed me toward a fly zipper tutorial: http://www.threadsmagazine.com/item/3831/video-an-easy-flat-fly-front-zipper

Honestly, Sandra makes it look so freakin' easy! Now I can't wait to go home, rip the front right outta those pants (again) and put that zipper in the right way. BUT, it may be too late for these. Too much handling, too many seam rippers and too many trimmed seam allowances. But I may be up for the next pair of slacks sooner than expected. Seriously, this zipper thing just freaked me out! I have SB's book, don't know why it didn't occur to me to look there. Or in Reader's Digest. Or in Singer circa 1945 - okay, maybe not there, zippers were still a novelty, but you get the idea. I had a number of resources available to me other than the Butterick enlarged picture pinned to my bulletin board that obviously isn't worth the paper it's copied on. But hopefully, this: will never happen again. This just should not be. Nope, nope, nope.

This spawns 2 questions: (1) why do I forget to use the resources available? They're on the shelf right behind me. (2) why do spend good stash money on books if I'm not going to use them?

Ah well, back to work and dreaming of a week of fabric shopping, etc. in NYC in warmer weather.

Edited to correct my abysmal spelling. Did I spell that right?

Back to sewing....

My wine arrived today via UPS from our San Francisco trip, so this closes the chapter, I suppose. Most of these bottles need to be layed down for a few years (yeah, right, that's just going to happen. But I can pretend), so they'll go on the wine rack for a while. HAHAHAHA! Well, at least until the weekend.

I STILL haven't finished my Burda pants. They have become the bain (bane?) of my very existence. Haunting me, taunting me from my sewing room. You can hear them if you listen closely: "You can't finish me, you can't finish me" I'm out of thread. No brown anywhere but a little on a bobbin. My machine decided to turn these into a hot home-sewn mess. The bar tacks at the pockets won't sew, just won't move back & forth right. I tried one of the 6 SIX 6 freakin' times. That was right before I threw the empty thread spool across the room - not a very long throw actually, but still satisfying in its way. The waist band isn't lining but when I put it together. So there is sits. A big, fat, ugly, smelly, stupid, beautifully fitting UFO.

Sew, in order to regain my sewing mojo and not just abandon a hobby I like, I cut out this: The view in the upper right, but I drafted long sleeves (first time I've done this, cross your fingers it comes together) because I really want this for this fall/winter. I bought this brown stretch velvet last winter at Hancock's to make a top and just didn't get it done. I wanted a crossover top, until I realized that everyone I found self lined the front & that was just too much fabric and would stretch the front. Then it was early spring and brown velvet just lost its appeal. Well, it's back and now it's cut. I really didn't pay that much for this, but I do like it and really want this top. So it's sitting on top of the Burda pants in my sewing room, also waiting for brown thread. Yes, there is a theme here.

I was going to cut a couple of other items but, I didn't have enough fabric for the dress I wanted. I'm going to use the fabric from Spandex House & I have exactly 2 yards. The pattern I started with needed 2 1/2. I ordered a couple new patterns from McCall's today while they were on sale, and I think one of those will work better, so I'll just have to hold out. (I even got one for free! yea, me!)

Next, I was going to use this: from Vogue fabrics, but I really just don't know what to do with it. I LOVE it, it's soft and crisp at the same time. A little crinkly and I love the colors. I just stumped for a pattern. I went thru my stash about 10 times pulling out skirts and shoving them back in. There are 3 repeats of the border on the fabric and it's a wide enough repeat to easily make a skirt. But what pattern!?!?!?!? I'm SOOO open to suggestions. Please help! I want this for fall. The colors are pretty true: olives and wines.

Well that's all the sewing and whining, um wining for now. Let me know if you have recommendations for the Vogue. I'm going to hit Hancock's for brown thread and can easily pick up a pattern.

Me and Burda, we're not done

Not by a long shot. I actually cut then next pair yesterday. What a difference wider fabric makes in this layout: There was plenty to lay it out side-by-side. This is fabric I got on our GREAT ADVENTURE to New York. This was from Metro Fabrics, (Thanks, Kashi!). Karen got the same piece in brown and also in green (I think??? maybe grey????) . I washed and dried it and it didn't really change hands much. It's pretty stiff, and stayed that way. Takes a crease nicely, though, and doesn't ravel. I hope it isn't too stiff in the final piece.

Anyway... on to what I've learned in time to fix it on this one.

Um there's a dart AND a pleat on the front. Hmmm. I made it into one larger pleat last time and this explains why I had some fitting problems. Both on me and with the waistband/top. Hmmm. Live and learn, eh? So I can do this right.

I cut my waistband going wrong on the grain. It should be perpendicular to the grain of the slacks. Hmmmm. I guess wrong may not be the right word, but I may recut. I have enough fabric.

There are marks on the sides for the pockets. I just missed some markings in all the busyness of the Burda layout. At least I cut all the same size! Now how could I have missed a couple of little tick marks on all this? Just careless, I suppose.

I've been back to Ebay. And my 14 back issues of Threads showed up today. YooHoo! Only one's a repeat of what I have. And these are older, good issues. Lots of good reading ahead!

So, what do y'all think about this jacket? Love it? Hate it? Want to knock it off or rub it out? I bought and returned it this weekend. Tell me whether you like or not, then I'll tell you where it came from (and went back to)

Carolyn: thanks for you comments on my sewing room. I love it. It's small, but works and is ALL MINE! And yes, I have a lot of lights: I'm old and can't see and there is no overhead lighting, so I had to add it all. Someday, I want to make a wall hanging for it, but for now, the walls are plain.

My dog helped me cut out on Sunday. Primarily by laying in the same spot long enough for her sun to move.

The Haul Y'all.

Here it is, the haul from NYC. Now keep in mind that I'm no where as aggressive with this as Karen, but I feel pretty darn good about this whole thing. Unfortunately, the colors aren't very true all along, but you can still feel free to live vicariously thru this stack of stash. Yes, feel free to be as green with envy as the House of Spandex/Project Runway fabric.

Starting with the beginning - Mood Fabrics - where I found Karen pawing thru piles of rubish to dig out the gold. And where I had to spend about 1/2 an hour on a really unecessary conference call. **sigh** But I did come out with these:

The colors are a little "off", the blue is really a true navy - very dark with a cross hatch (?) ish pattern. The print is a polished cotton in greys. Both are nice, but don't belong together. I'm thinking knit dress with the blue? Top for the grey, someday. (ha! I rhymed). I was ok with their prices until we moved on down the road. But for sheer volume and variety, you just can't beat Mood's. Three floors, floor to ceiling, stacked in the aisles. Everywhere. Not badly organized, really. There are signs that tell you generally what's in that area.

Next in line was Metro Textiles. Actually, we peeked in a few others here and there, but they just didn't stick. Metro was the next shop we really "hit". You had to sign-in at the lobby & show ID. Then take the elevator up. Sorry, don't remember the floor, but it's on the directory. Then follow the signs to the walking in closet that is Metro textiles entire store. Stuff piled EVERYWHERE!! On racks, in front of racks, on top of rolls in front of racks. Kashi will haul it all out for you, then show you other things he think's you'll like based on what you're eyeing. My favorite is a linen embrodiered eyelet I will say that I no idea what to do with this, but I love it. Maybe just carry it around? It's pretty heavy for that, actually. It's pretty open, so you could put a color under it and it would show well. I also bought the same brown slack fabric as Karen. We just won't wear them together.

I have a couple others from Metro, but the colors are so off that I don't want to post them (blues came out out yellow!) Sorry. I may try again sometime.

I loved Pacific trims and regret my self restraint. The right trim make the garment and they had so much! I just didn't know what to buy. I wish I'd bought yards and yards and yards. The pleated trim will edge a skirt. The others will just get used as wanted. Next trip will definately involve Pacific trim in a big way.

I found this at House of Spandex - a site not to be missed. I want to find the Jalie T-shirt pattern for it. I also found this: The green and black. I picked it out as the ugliest fabric in a house of tacky. They had it in other colors, but green was the best. Seriously. I just about fell off my sofa when I saw it PR that same week. It was too darn funny.And finally, THE WHOLE NINE (or so....) YARDS:

Road trip continued

I'm feeling especially slow after reading karent's account of our trip, so I'm catching up a bit.

Early Monday morning we caught the Subway uptown for our special purpose - FABRIC SHOPPING!!! A quick breakfast and off we went. I made a pit stop and immediately lost Karen. Not the first time this has happened, sure it won't be the last. I found her, of course, at Moods. Shoulda looked there first, but I was low on caffine. I had a conference call I had to make while we were there, but still managed to do some credit card damage and brouse around while on the phone. I got a little carried away and stashed my stash before I photographed. I'll try to get them up tomorrow. The store is overwhelming! To imagine the PR folks running around this place with $50 and 30 minutes is mind-boggling! Even with a plan and a map, there's so much to see and it covers so much ground. 3 floors (I believe), floor to ceiling.

From there we headed to Metro Fabrics. Much better prices and Kashi, of course, was wonderful. He found stuff for us stashed everywhere. No clue how he found it. To add another yard into that place would require a shoe horn and oil can. But he just flitted around and pulled stuff out the piles. And even smiled for the photo-op.

After that, it kind of starts to get fuzzy. Maybe it's the lint... I loved Pacific trims and I already regret my self restraint there. They have lovely stuff. And so much of it! I'm used to white eyelet ruffles at Hancock. I think I just went into shock somewhere. Karen held up much better, other than being weighed down with purchases. I toted a giant IKEA bag and she bought the last rolling suitcase from a tourist junk store. Then she just drug it along, bumbing up curbs. It took 2 of us at the subway stairs, but it made it!

Well, I'm off for dinner now. More later.

ROAD TRIP!!!!

Just finished a road trip vaca with karent, BFF (yeah, third grade) and I went to NYC and Mass on a fiberous adventure. KT got a late start out of her place last Saturday, so she missed the Sushi (we went back last night, yummm) but we got some to go for her and we had wine (a recurring theme here) at home. Took off from DC mid Sunday morning and we were off. Like a herd of turtles. Just north of Columbia, MD we decided we were hungry. VERY hungry. Told K2 (the Garmin voice, also named "karen", so became K2) to find us a Five Guys. I don't remember signing a "No heathly Food Pact", but there must have been one. Yep, pretty sure 'bout that. After driving the same 7 miles of road back and forth and a bridge outage, we determined the fates must have been warning us about 5 Guys and just went to Burger King. It's no 5 Guys, but they do have onion rings. Glad we stopped and took care of biological needs, as we weren't back on the road 5 minutes when we hit the first traffic jam. About an hour for 3 miles or so. Not sure, I may have lost consciencenous for a few minutes...



For the next adventure, I blame K2, afterall it's an electronic devise and can't defend itself. Reality is that we put the wrong addy into it. Whatever. Either way we ended up in Statten Island, not Manhatten. Some one asked me "Where in Statten Island were you?" My only response was "the bad part". YIKES! Back across the bridge (which one????), back to Jersy, and finally into Manhatten. WOO-HOO!




The hotel was right across from Ground Zero - in fact it was closed for 20 months for repairs. Guess they never got around to the Internet service. ERRRRRG! And next to Trinity Church. Other than a plethora of guys selling knock-off hand bags - yeah, I'm sportin' myself a Pierre Cardin - not much was going on. A throng of commuters to/from PATH was the next best. We were next to a Subway station, though.

Next entry will be the FABRIC SHOPPING!! le raison d'etre. Or at least raison da be in NYC.

For now, I will leave you with this picture. It was in a square just outside the PATH station. Do any of you native lurkers (do I have any of those???) know what the heck it is???? I think it's a giant balloon animal gone bad.