BostonSewer

A Pantone Christmas

2011-12-04T19:31:00.000-08:00

There are so many things I'd like to do to commemorate Christmas, but I simply don't have time to do it all! However, I have started on my Christmas cards! I saw a box of 100 Pantone post cards in a gift shop on the Cape this summer. I knew they were a score, but I didn't have any idea about what I'd do with them. Then, one day inspiration hit, and I decided to use them to make my Christmas cards!

I decided to cut out Christmasy shapes with my Cricut and glue them on to the Pantone cards. I picked out the cards with traditional Christmasy colors like red and green. I pasted red, green, silver and gold metallic pointsettias on them. I also picked out the blues and greys for a wintry theme. I pasted silvery snowflakes on those. I really don't like pink in my Christmas colors, but I decided they would work if I pasted shapes cut out of green glitter paper on them. I am also using light green pantone cards with pink glitter paper shapes. I'm sending them in Paper Source's luxe cream envelopes.

Now, designing folks like you and me know what Pantone is, but not everyone does! I'm not sure everyone I send the card to will "get it," but everyone I know does have internet access, so hopefully they will Google Pantone!

By the way, there is one person who loves orange who is getting a unique card!

Bloggers' Quilt Festival

2011-10-29T09:58:00.000-07:00

I'm throwing my quilt in the ring! I've decided to enter "Kimonos in D Prime" in the Bloggers' Quilt Festival. (The name "Kimonos in D Prime" comes from the fact that I used darker versions of the primary colors, red, blue and yellow.) The BQF is a fun way to see what blogging quilters are doing out there in the world. I look forward to more adventures in the world of quilt blogs!

One summer, DH and I went to visit friends up in the NH Lakes region. We stayed at a B&B, Glynn House Inn (which I highly recommend, if you are in the area). During breakfast, I was reading the B&B's brochure which said something about Keepsake Quilting. I asked the owner about it and he said it was the "largest quilt shop in New England"! My husband was sitting behind me. Though I couldn't see him, I could feel his energy draining because he knew once I heard that, we were not leaving New Hampshire without a stop to Keepsake Quilting!

If you've ever been to Keepsake Quilting, you know that there are rocking chairs out front. My husband promptly plopped himself in one and I went inside. I must have spent about 40 minutes in the store. As I was walking to the register, I saw this kimono quilt pattern by Betty Blais of Embellishment Village. I fell in love with those kimonos! Well, I had to shop again for fabric for the kimonos! I went to the register with my purchases. The cashier asked me if I had ever done foundation piecing and advised that the pattern was not for a beginner. I replied no, but "I write code for a living -- it shouldn't be a problem." Famous last words. Another 30 minutes later, I was finished shopping and found my husband and another husband napping outside!

I immediately started working on the quilt when I got home. And boy, was I in for it with this foundation piecing pattern! It took me an entire day to figure out the first block -- the one in the top left corner of in the quilt. As you veterans of foundation piecing know, you are kind of doing it backwards. And, I was trying to make sure the directional fabric went the right way, etc. I had holes in my pattern by the time I was done. I was determined that this quilt was not going to become a UFO, however, so I soldiered on. By the time I got to the 6th or 7th kimono, I had gotten into a rhythm.

I learned that I will never tell anyone that I can do anything just because I write code (Um, did I really say that!!) and that skill does not prepare you for every endeavor you'll attempt! I was surprised that I ended up with darker colors but am very pleased with the result. I dared not put any quilting on those hard-earned kimonos, so I tied it by hand.

Blogging Your Way

2011-10-07T20:28:00.000-07:00

I've been saying for way too long now that I am going to get back into blogging. Well, now I've gone and done it. I've signed up for Holly Becker's class, Blogging Your Way. And, if you are wondering, yes, it's the same Holly Becker of decor8 fame!

Holly was in Boston in August at Anthropologie to promote her new book, Decorate. I signed up, but could not go because of my illustration class. Lo and behold, Holly was a keynote speaker at The Creative Connection in St. Paul so I got to meet her there at her book signing anyway! I walked up to her and she said, "Can I give you a hug?" LOL. I suppose I must have had an endearing (or maybe pitiful) look! I told Holly that I have been a reader of hers from way back in her Boston days. I love her blog. Love her new book -- that I got at TCC and had her sign.

I also took a class from Leslie Schewring, who is also a BYW teacher. Leslie's class was all about creating inspiration boards. I created a really nice one. I'll have to post that picture later. Leslie's blog is called A Creative Mint.

Here's hoping BYW gets me back into the swing of things! I am not allowed to say anything about the content of the class, naturally, since people are paying. I will say that I've read the introductory materials and I think it's off to a great start! The first official day is October 14th.

In preparation, I created an avatar (not unlike the one on my blog) using Gravatar and requested an account with Pinterest. I had heard of Pinterest, but not Gravatar. I'm signed up for both now. Off to a great start.

Pitch Slam!

2011-08-14T18:54:00.000-07:00

More news from The Creative Connection... I'll be attending! I was chosen (by random selection) to pitch my fabric designs at this year's conference! Can you believe it? As you might imagine, I'm working away on finalizing my designs. I will pitch them in front of five textile design heavyweights: Evie Ashworth, Kathy Miller, Lilla Rogers, Cindy Cloward and Jina Barnery. Round table participants include designers Heather Bailey, Suzy Ultman and Patty Young. You can read about their profiles and the pitch slam for textile designers on The Creative Connection website: Pitch to Become a Fabric Designer

I have met two of the seven mentioned above. Can you guess which two?

The Creative Connection

2011-07-27T21:02:00.000-07:00

Hello! It's been sooooo long! The desire to win tickets and hotel accommodations to The Creative Connection has inspired me to write! What is The Creative Connection, you say? It's a 3-day conference in which women from all over the U.S. and Canada convene to craft, cook, sew, and learn how to launch and maintain a creative business. Oh, and apparently, eating cupcakes is a big part, too!

I have been a crafter from a young age, thanks to my mom. I would love to go to the connection to attend the workshops on the business side of being crafty, learn some new crafty skills, see some friends and make some new ones!

Check out The Creative Connection here: The Creative Connection

Mood Fabrics Groupon

2011-03-15T18:07:00.001-07:00

Hello!

Thought you might be interested in a Mood Fabrics Groupon:

http://www.groupon.com/deals/mood-fabrics

Spend $15 for $30 worth of merchandise. Of course, I'm BostonSewer, but you know I spend a lot of time in NYC, so I will have plenty of opportunities to use my Groupon!

Vintage Coat

2010-11-13T16:35:00.000-08:00

In the spirit of Sandi's coat purchase, I got one of my own! From Modern Millie in the quaint seaside town of Newburyport, I present my Mustard Vintage Coat! I loved the asymmetry of it. The last button at the bottom is missing, but I found it in the pocket! Thankfully, because the buttons are irreplaceable.

BostonSewer at Fabric 2.0

2010-11-05T20:40:00.000-07:00

BostonSewer is back! I took a hiatus from blogging to work on my master’s thesis over on FlexAir. Are you wondering what my project was? Well, let’s just say it’s a mashup of my two worlds: quilting and technology. Let’s also say I hope you’ll see it at your favorite quilt shop and that you’ll be clamoring with thousands of other quilters to purchase it sometime in the near future.

It is fitting that I start my first post-hiatus blog post with a report from Quilt Market Fall 2010 in Houston. Yes, that’s right, as promised, I high-tailed it down to Texas again, in the hopes of signing a “record deal.” I was not able to sign such deal, but I met and reconnected with many textile design rock stars!

The first event I attended was Fabric 2.0, a mixer that is the brainchild of the dynamic Caroline Devoy, known to most of us as JCaroline. It was held at The Grove, a trendy restaurant in the shadow of the George R. Brown Convention Center, the hallowed site of Quilt Market. Caroline was the first person who greeted me when I entered the room in the back of the restaurant. I met her at Quilt Market in ’08 and she remembered me! Thank you for the warm welcome, J. Caroline!

So, what does one do upon entering a room full of textile rock stars and other people you don’t know? Head to the bar, naturally! I am not a drinker, so the strongest drink I had that night was H20. (The bartender was stoic the entire night but I got him to crack a smile when after requesting my third glass of water I said, “You’re going to have to cut me off pretty soon!”) Once I had my glass in my hand, what the heck was I going to do next? Everyone seemed engrossed in conversation. Thankfully, I saw my quilt teacher from Chicago, Bill Weeks, of FunQuilts! It was hilarious, because I had just seen him at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) in NYC this past May. (No, Bill, I swear I am not stalking, you!) Bill was chatting with the Grande Dame of quilting textile design, Jane Sassaman. You hard core BostonSewer fans will remember that in ’08, I made her husband erase pictures that he had taken of her quilts! Thankfully, Jane did not hold that against me. I had a wonderful conversation with them. I was happy to be able to break the ice!

Whew! Now what? Well, Miss Sandi Henderson, the Portabellopixie herself walked in and I was able to chat with her a bit. She was wearing a lovely coat that she blogged about. How weird is it to have random people coming up to you talking about the coat you bought and refashioned? I met Sandi in ’08, too. I approached her with my designs and she gave me some words of wisdom, despite the fact I wouldn’t let her use the ladies restroom closest to her booth! That was good! Two down. Now, what?

Well, I eat a (mostly) vegan diet and all the hors d’oeuvres that were passed around had either meat or cheese. There was nothing purely vegetable. One of the servers offered to fix a special vegetable appetizer for me. Texas hospitality at its best! Now I had some energy and decided to approach someone I hadn’t actually met yet – Kate Spain. I had corresponded with her on her blog and I’d seen her fabulous booth at Surtex, also in NYC (and at the same venue as the ICFF). I didn’t get a chance to speak to her then, though, because she was mobbed. She is such a nice person and a great talent. She gave me lots of encouragement when I told her of my plans to shop my designs around.

Others I saw include: fabric world luminaries such as Kim Kight of True Up, Lizzy House, Cherri House, Patty Young and Betz White. I spoke with Lizzy and introduced myself as one of the first people to download her e-book on quilt fabric design. I told her she is a great inspiration -- and she is! She apparently had a rough time at market, so hopefully, my words helped her a bit!

I also spoke with Michelle and Gina up on Cloud 9. They were both very fun and energetic. I love their super soft organic fabric! Everytime I think of Cloud 9, I think of that Temptations song. It will be in my head for awhile!

Last but not least, I spoke with the editor-in-chief of Stitch magazine, Tricia Waddell. She is tall, has a fantastic fashion sense and possesses a most quiet elegance. I recognized her from her picture in her magazine and so I trotted over to introduce myself. I asked her how Stitch came about and she said she pitched the idea and it was accepted! Now that takes guts! I suppose you’ll never know if you don’t ask, right? In case you are wondering, if you sew, you will love Stitch! It’s packed with fun and easy sewing projects and also has stories about people who sew.

The party was still going on, but it was time for me to leave. I had to meet my friend, Deborah, at Sample Spree. I’m sure you’re wondering what that is all about! I’ll fill you in with the next post!

This Little Piggy's Going to Market... Again!

2010-09-14T21:16:00.000-07:00

If there are any readers left out there... I'm heading to Quilt Market again this year. Woo Hoo! Full reports when I return! I will be twittering here, so you can read those for up-to-the minute reports!

(I have been working on my project over at FlexAIR and have had no time to post. I will post some of the things there I learned along the way!)

Sew, Mama, Sew! Thread Post Answers

2010-07-11T17:04:00.000-07:00

I'm writing this post to win Amy thread and Kaffe thread from SMS! It's too bad Meeting Time Gunn will no longer be my top post!

* How did you select colors for your personal thread collection?
* Do you always match the color perfectly to your project?
--- Yes.
* Do you ever use contrasting thread?
--- Yes, but it generally matches somewhere.
* Do you use the same color in the bobbin as the upper thread?
--- Yes. I haven't gotten that adventurous yet.
* What if a fabric has big areas of very different colors?
--- I just select the color I like best.
* Do you have any tips or suggestions about choosing thread?
--- I have learned the hard way that you should not buy a beautiful collection of thread in all colors of the rainbow for $10! Do not skimp on thread!!
* Can you show us a picture(s) of your thread collection?
--- Yes! I have old and new thread. Some is from my mom's stash from years ago!
* Do you ever buy thread because you fall in love with the color (without a particular project in mind)?
--- No, I've never done that.
* Do you "invest" in thread?
--- If it means buying the best thread for the job, yes!
* What types of thread do you have? (elastic, quilting, all-purpose, wool, etc.)
--- I use mostly all-purpose thread.

Meeting Tim Gunn

2010-04-14T21:05:00.000-07:00

This evening, Bostonians were treated to the fabulous Tim Gunn! When my friend, Susan, and I arrived, the small Kate Spade store on trendy Newbury Street was already packed with eager Tim Gunn followers. When I called the store last week to get information on the event, I was told that those who made a minimum purchase would be invited to take a picture with Tim. So, once I got there, I pressed my way through to the rear of the store, looking at clothing or accessories I might want to purchase, because I was determined to GET MY PICTURE!

Susan and I were maneuvering the sea of Tim fans, employees, merchandise and trays of champagne and hors d'oeuvres to get back to the front of the store. I noticed that people had formed a semi-circle in the middle of the store. I stopped, because I figured Tim would make his presentation there. I was right! I happened to stop at the top of the stairs (the Jack Spade store is downstairs) and Tim came up the stairs right where I was standing! He walked in and said, "Hi Everybody!" He said to me, "How are you!" and patted me on my arm! LOL.

Tim and his associate from Liz Claiborne introduced themselves and explained how the evening would play out. Some Kate Spade outfits would be modeled and Tim would take questions in between changes. There would be time for a few more questions after the modeling and then there would be time for shopping and picture taking!

The model, Adair (love that name!), presented four looks. In the first lesson, we were presented with ways to dress up a casual look for work. Adair wore jeans, flats, a t-shirt and a statement necklace along with a wicker bag. To dress up the look, Adair put on a short jacket. Tres chic! Kate Spade has a lot of what they are calling "shine" for spring. I believe the kids are still calling it "bling". Tim assured us that even though we are wearing a "shine-y" statement necklace and shoes, it is OK to put on a fun cocktail ring. And that ring was nothing but bling! Tim also advised that if you wear denim to work, make sure it's a dark wash.

In the next lesson, Adair came out wearing a halter dress. The halter dress was two-toned (silvery gray on top and a muted orange on bottom with a pink bow) and looked like a skirt and top even though it was a single piece. I loved that its top had three buttons in the back. Tim stated that skirts 2" above the knee and shorter are only for those who are 27 and younger! Well! Oh, the passage of time can be so unfair. He did say that dress lengths should not hit below the knee, regardless of age. Thankfully, the dress I wore was at the right length!

The color yellow was featured in the following lesson. Adair wore a cute sleeveless top with yellow and white stripes with white shorts. The yellow stripes were ombre, as Tim pointed out. Good thing, because most may not have noticed that otherwise. It was paired with white shorts and a yellow cardigan. I loved the shorts. They were made of a horizontal, textured fabric. They were a little short for my taste, though.

The final look featured a garden theme that is a big part of Kate Spade this season. Adair wore a classic shift decorated with a large purple, yellow and green floral print on white with a yellow cardigan. The cardigan was worn open, belted with the thin belt that belonged to the dress and was patterned as the dress was.

All in all, Kate is presenting white with bright colors and lots of bling for spring.

I have never seen someone so comfortable in front of a room of people he'd never met before. That is one of the things I really like about Tim. He just makes you feel comfortable and he talks with you as though he's known you forever. A woman who'd recently had a baby asked about how she should dress during her transition phase. Women are so comfortable with him! LOL! Tim told her that she wanted to make sure she was comfortable and that she should wear light tops and dark bottoms.

When Adair came out with the yellow cardigan, many people cringed, because yellow is one color that not everyone can wear. Tim assured us that just about anyone could wear this shade of yellow (because it does not go green) and proceeded to try it on the shoulders of different women in the audience to prove his point. As he said, "I am not a fashion Svengali, I am a fashion therapist." Yes, he is! He also pointed out that to his mantra of fit, proportion and silhouette, he is adding coloring and pattern. One must consider her coloring and the patterns she wears when putting together an outfit. And on the subject of pattern, Tim suggests that one can mix patterns as long as the scales are different.

I finally raised my hand to ask a question. LK told me to be sure to state my name and that I was reporting for Blogging Project Runway. Well, I did as I was told. I said, "Hi, my name is Tina..." Tim said, "Oh, Tina! Laura told me you'd be here! It's great to meet you." LOL! Well, I was surprised by that! Tim Gunn already knew who I was! Good thing I hadn't had any of that champagne, or else I probably would have fallen over! He also said, "I thought it was you because you look exactly as Laura described you!" LOL, I'm sure he meant that in a good way!

I asked Tim about how he made his transition from Parsons to Liz Claiborne. Tim said that the then new CEO of Liz Claiborne came to visit him. Tim thought it was a routine visit but quickly found out that he was being recruited! The people at Liz Claiborne liked the changes he made at Parsons (though apparently they weren't well-received by everyone in the fashion community and some people were calling for his resignation). Can you believe Tim is coming up on his three-year anniversary at Liz Claiborne? My, how time flies! The next time I meet Tim, I would love to ask him about the changes he made at Parsons.

Someone asked if the television show "Tim Gunn's Guide to Style" will be returning. According to Tim, no, because it was a Bravo show and the people at Lifetime do not have an interesting in reviving it. Too bad! Hopefully, it will come out on DVD at some point. He did say he is now the stylist for Dr. Oz and that he loves that show. He has also done some styling on "Oprah." He told a story in which he was asked to style women without meeting them. He didn't like that idea! He had to meet them first. I liked that in "Guide to Style," Tim really wanted to understand a person's life and lifestyle. He'd never make anyone into someone they weren't. As he said, "You will look good no matter what you wear, as long as you are comfortable."

Well, the night was not yet over. I had to make my purchase and get my picture! I liked the bag that Adair modeled in her first outfit, so I bought that. When I went up to take my picture with Tim, he stated again that he was happy to meet me! He asked me how I knew Laura, and I told him through Blogging Project Runway. He said, "That's how I met her, too!" I also told him about how I won tickets to the Season 6 finale through the blog. Of course, I was a little nervous and couldn't remember which season it was. I had to say, "The one with Carol Hannah." LOL. I told him that we have the same initials, and that our last names both end in double N. He remarked, "We are kindred spirits!" Oh yes, we are! I also told him that I was at Martha's sewing show when he was a guest. LOL. (If it's not Project Runway I'm talking about, then it's Martha!) He remembered that Martha did very well in his draping lesson. (Of course she did!) I had to move along, because the next person was waiting to take her picture with Tim.

I had to just sit back and smile on my way home. I'd been waiting to meet Tim for so long. And when I finally did, he already knew who I was! Thank you, Laura! You and Tim really made my evening!

Well! I certainly have had enough excitement in the last couple of weeks. I am going to try and keep a low profile until my next trip to NYC in May. Stay tuned!

Christmas Stockings

2010-01-17T20:16:00.001-08:00

I have been a little busy with sewing projects here and there. I made Christmas stockings from fabric that I got at Quiltworks in Houston. Connie, the proprietor whom I met at Quilt Market in 2008 through my friend Deborah, gave me a handmade pattern, which I loved. It didn't come with instructions, but I managed to figure something out. I'll have to write down what I did before I forget.

What's next? Well, Hubby wants me to make curtains for our bedroom. That should be an adventure.

Easy Striped Table Runner

2010-01-12T16:48:00.000-08:00

Even though the blogposts have been few and far between, I have squeezed in some sewing projects here and there. I made a super EASY striped table runner using this pattern: Easy Stripe Table Runner. I got the fabric, pattern and the triangle template at one of my favorite quilt shops, Red Barn Sewing and Yarn Center. In the mosaic, there is a close-up of one of the ends, the top side, and the bottom side.

We met family at one of our favorite restaurants, Simon Pearce, in Quechee, VT. If you haven't been there, you should go! Simon Pearce also makes blown glassware. You can see the glassblowers at work in the basement.

We met for lunch and then took over the lobby as we exchanged Christmas gifts (I made the runner as a gift). Yeah, we were pretty obnoxious. Thankfully, the lunch crowd had gone and the dinner crowd had not yet arrived. Yes, I put the table runner on the table in the lobby at Simon Pearce to take a picture!!

Fabric Favorites of 2009

2010-01-07T19:55:00.000-08:00

I've finally broken my silence! I'm also working on my resolution to write in my blog regularly.

I'm entering Kim's contest on True Up, in which she asks her readers to submit their favorite things related to fabrics for 2009. This isn't completely altruistic! I'm hoping to win something!

Hi Kim! Here goes....

- Favorite Quilting Weight Cotton Collection
-- Meadowsweet in Pear by Sandi Henderson

- Favorite Home Decor Weight Fabric or Collection
-- Del Hi Home Dec/Valori Wells

- Biggest Fabric World Story/News
-- Printing your own fabric on demand, esp. Spoonflower!

- Favorite Overall Designer
-- Amy Butler

- Favorite New Designer
-- Lizzy House

- Favorite Novelty Print
-- The Monopoly Collection I just read about on True Up!

- Favorite Holiday Fabric or Collection
-- Michael Miller, esp. Holiday Damask
-- Moda's Figgy Pudding

- Favorite Solid/Nonprinted
-- Heather Bailey's Felts

- Favorite Fabric Shop(s) -- Yes, I spend way too much time in fabric stores!
-- Red Barn Quilting/Merrimac, MA & Candlelite Quilts/Chelmsford, MA
-- New England Quilt Museum/Lowell, MA
-- Quiltworks/Houston, TX
-- City Quilts/New York, NY
-- Mood Fabrics/New York, NY

- Favorite New Fabric You Worked With in 2009
-- The fabric I designed with Spoonflower!

- Favorite Fabric Blog (I had to add it...)
-- True Up

- All Time Favorite Design Houses
-- Marimekko
-- Henry Road

If you want to enter the contest, here is the link:

http://www.trueup.net/?p=8500

Hey, Y'all!

2009-10-27T20:00:00.000-07:00

The above is the proper greeting from someone who has been in Texas! Yup, that's right... Hubby and I high-tailed it down to Houston to the International Quilt Festival. For those of you who are in the know, yes, Festival... not Market. Market is the trade show I went to last year and met just about all of my textile design idols. Festival is for the general public and usually all the design houses have packed up and gone home to let the retailers in.

The retailers are quilt shops from all over the country and from other parts of the world. The venue (George R Brown Convention Center) is so huge that there is no way to see everything. I did get a program and mark off the things I wanted to see. I couldn't spend all my time there since I did want to explore H-town with Hubby. We both went to Preview Night, when show opens from 7-10 the night before the official opening. It was pretty crazy. I wanted Hubby to see what I had raved about so much last year. Preview Night was enough for him. I had to go it alone the other two days I was there :)

So, back to the retailers.... There are lots of small shops with their own patterns, vintage fabric vendors, yarn vendors, vintage and contemporary quilt vendors. I was amazed by the number of jewel vendors. If you like putting jewels or any kind of embellishment on your quilts, you could find it all there. Not only that, there was jewelry you could wear and items to make your own jewelry. Amazing! I was pretty good -- Everything I bought fit in a single bag -- and it's not a large bag, either!

-- Quilt-a-Card Kits from www.papercreations.com. They had a "make and take". I started a card, but I didn't complete it because Hubby was waiting for me.

-- A Few Pointers Quilt from Crooked Nickel Quilt Designs(http://www.crookednickel.com). They demonstrated a neat way to make quilts with sashing using a gridded fabric.

-- Notecards (from Home a la Mode -- http://www.homealamode.com) were super-cute -- I couldn't resist.

-- Purse Kit from Ellen Medlock (http://www.ellenmedlock.com). You buy the handle and make the fabric portion of the purse, which easily slips on and off. You can make several different bags and just reuse the handle.

-- Amy Butler's Softwares. I've been wanting this software, so when I saw it at the Electric Quilt booth, I couldn't resist.

-- Pashmina: There were lots of different vendors. These vendors claimed they were selling "real" pashminas from some remote place in Asia. I don't remember exactly where.

Vendors I didn't buy from but I liked...

-- Babylock Sashiko Sewing machine (http://www.babylock.com/quilting/sashiko/). I loved that, but for $1999, I had to let it go.

-- The Doll Loft (http://www.thedollloft.com). These are cute doll kits and clothing. I'm not into making dolls, but if I were, I would make these!

-- Felt Balls from (http://www.handbehg.com). This was such a fun booth. I just bought some felt balls, so I didn't get any, but the next time I need some, I'll order from them.

I have been designing some textiles. I did have some samples I sewed up in the event there would be some creative director types milling around Festival. I did meet Karen Smisek of Home a la Mode who promised to put me in touch with her Moda contact. Home a la Mode (mentioned above) does all things Moda for the home... hence the name. I am working here and there on more designs and samples. They are super cute and will make their BostonSewer debut soon!

I got to see my (former) bosses, Terri and Carol. It was like old times, only I wasn't working :) My roomie from last year, Deborah, invited us to stay with them. We spent our last night in Houston with Deborah and her husband, Geoff. I went to the big Moda party last year, with Deborah and her friend, Connie. Last year, Connie was at market, purchasing items for her new quilt shop. Well, her shop, , is up and running! Of course, I had to buy something. I ended up getting some fabric for Christmas stockings. I need very small projects, since I have a lot to do these days!

Debbie and Geoff were such great hosts. I told Deborah of my "veganism" before we got there. Little did I know she would go to such trouble. She made shish kabobs. Mine had veggies, of course. She also made corn on the cob, baked potatoes, vegan rolls and a vegan berry pie. I even has soy ice cream. OMG YUM YUM! I have never been so spoiled. They have a sprawling home on an acre of land north of Houston. Debbie has rooms for all her grown children, and they are decorated with all of her handiwork, as is the rest of her warm and inviting home. Deborah is a prolific quilter. She even made a darling wall quilt with the sashiko kit I gave her last year.

It was in the 70s and 80s there -- in October. We whiled the afternoon away sitting on the back porch with a view of a man made lake. It was absolutely gorgeous. What are we doing in Boston, again?

Last but not least, we stayed at the Four Seasons. I had a manicure there. If you go to Houston, please go see Carmen. She just set up the spa this summer. She does not mess around. My feet felt like a baby's bottom! She uses vegan products from SpaRitual (http://www.sparitual.com).

Connecticut

2009-09-01T20:59:00.000-07:00

We decided to take a weekend trip to Connecticut. We had only been through on our way to other places, so it seemed high time we did something about that!

We love the show, “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” on the Food Network. We went to a restaurant featured on the show called Wilson’s BBQ down in Fairfield. Hubby enjoyed the smoky flavor of the ribs and thought it had more of a smoky flavor than most. I no longer eat any animal product, so I didn’t have any! All the sides are vegetarian. That helped – a bit. I requested sides that were dairy-free and got the beans and rice and black-eyed pea salad. It turned out that the beans and rice had butter (why?) so I didn’t have that. I got a garden salad with lime-chipotle dressing and pecans instead. The black-eyed pea salad was nice and mildly spicy, but had too much oil in the dressing for my taste. The garden salad was good, though I expected more spice in the dressing. I finished it off with sweet tea, which was refreshing and delicious. Hubby also got coleslaw, which was non-dairy! It was tangy, sweet, and crunchy. I bet it was delicious with those ribs!!

Our next stop was our hotel, the Mystic Hilton. It is smaller than most Hiltons, naturally, but it was a nice little hotel. The food there was pretty good. I got the linguine and vegetables (without the Alfredo sauce and parmesan cheese) and hubby got the BBQ chicken sandwich. Hubby enjoyed his sandwich and the fries were deliciously crispy. I enjoyed my pasta dish. The pasta was a little more than al dente and they gave a lot of it. I would have been happy with just the veggies, which were yellow and green zucchini with sundried tomatoes.

The next day we drove downtown. It was great to find on-street parking! Hubby wanted to have coffee, so we found a little café called Bartleby’s. Wow, what a find! They have a delicious wrap on the menu called the Goddess. It has lettuce, tomato, red onion, tahini sauce and veggie burger chunks. YUM! I enjoyed each every last bite. I was also able to find a chocolate chip cookie from the Alternative Baking Company, which is headquartered in Sacramento. It was the best vegan cookie I’ve had. (Of course, I have not had Sharona’s yet.)

We walked around and found Mystic Pizza – yes, the one from the movie. I doubt they have vegan pizza, and we had just eaten, so we didn’t bother going in. I hope I can get something to eat there next time. We walked around the neighborhood a bit. It is so nice and quaint and quintessential New England. It’s quite hilly, too, so the walk was good to burn off some calories.

We walked around some more and looked at shops. We found a Tim Horton’s, which we had seen only in Canada. Interesting that they are making their way stateside. Hubby thought the coffee wasn’t too bad there, so it will do when his beloved Dunkin Donuts is not around. I also found a store called, You’ve Got to be Beading, which sells beads and jewelry making supplies. Cute name and fabulous stuff inside. They also have kits, which I thought was a great idea! I bought a couple of things, but not as much as I would have liked. I don’t have too much time to start making jewelry again. When I do, however, I will get some things at that shop! I found Mystic Yarns, but they were closed! It looked like a fabulous store for yarn, supplies and books. I am looking for some yarn and I’m sure I could have found something there. Oh well. I have a reason to go back!

It’s September now. I can’t believe it! We only had a few weeks of summer this year. I am going to enjoy the bright, sparkling days we usually have this time of year and try not too think too much about the upcoming cold!

I'm Still Here...

2009-07-31T17:56:00.001-07:00

For those of you who are still reading or looking for things to read... I am still here. I have been working on my thesis project, so I haven't had much time for blogging, sewing, or trips to NYC (though I did make it to Montreal and the Midwest)! I do have a crafty project that I completed with my mom, who was visiting last week. I will be sharing that soon.

Stay cool. And for those of you in the East, try to stay dry.

Project Runway 7 Has Started Taping!

2009-06-17T19:10:00.001-07:00

Hey! I am sorry I've been so out of the loop. I've been working on my project that I've mentioned on my other blog, FlexAIR.

The big news is... PR7 is underway. I'm not sure when it will air, but wouldn't it be great to see it soon after PR6 finishes? :) PR6 is coming up sometime in August. Woooo Hoooo! I just ordered my Season 1 DVD. I waited patiently for it to go on sale. :) Season 5 DVDs will be available in August.

From Blogging Project Runway (where I get all my Project Runway info, by the way):

http://bloggingprojectrunway.blogspot.com/2009/06/project-runway-season-seven-taping.html

p.s. I will update a post on FlexAIR sometime in the near future, but I've got to get my proposal out!

Better Pic of the BBCQ and a Blurb

2009-05-08T18:47:00.001-07:00

I thought I'd share the blurb I wrote for the BBCQ for the arts and crafts show at work and a better picture. Oh, and the blocks on the table were blocks that didn't come out right. I put them on the table so people could take a look at the seams without actually touching the quilt. Of course, that did not stop them!

Ahem.

This quilt, my Bento Box Christmas Quilt, is a work-in-progress. The Bento Box pattern, created by Tracey Brookshier, is one of the most popular quilt patterns ever designed. It's a simple pattern that allows the quilter's imagination to run wild using an infinite number of color combinations. The original pattern design is made of blocks that look like checkerboards, as in the corner blocks of my quilt. I put my own twist on the pattern by changing the inside blocks to look like reflections instead of checkerboards. The middle block is made up of each of the eight fabrics used in the quilt.

The piecing, which was done by machine, is complete. However, I am still working on the quilting, which is sewing the front, batting and back of the quilt together. I plan to hand-tie the quilt using a knotting technique.

I created the accompanying image using a computer program called Electric Quilt. I scanned the fabrics into my computer and using Electric Quilt, I drew the quilt pattern and then "painted" the pieces using my scanned fabric swatches. I saved lots of time by using Electric Quilt before cutting a single piece of fabric.

I am not including a larger picture of the display board, because it shows how I put the quilt together. I'm sure Ms. Brookshier would not approve of my putting her pattern out on the internet!

BBCQ On Display

2009-05-07T18:39:00.000-07:00

Hello, anyone out there? It has been awhile -- I apologize. I have been keeping a low profile lately. A little too low, probably.

I showed the BBCQ at the Arts and Crafts fair held at my company May 1st. The theme was May Day and the training room was beautifully decorated. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures of the set up. I didn't even take pictures of my own table! I brought my camera, but I was busy talking to people about my quilt and forgot. Thankfully, I was able to get a few pictures from a friend.

Yes, it's only the quilt top. What can I say? No excuses. The good thing is I was getting tired of looking at it, so it was good to get so much positive feedback from my coworkers. I am encouraged to get it done now! What do you think of the quilt stand? Hubby made it. I'd been asking him for about a month, but naturally, he waited until about 8pm the night before the show to start on it. I must say, he did a great job! He always comes through!

In other news, "The Fashion Show" starring Isaac Mizrahi and Kelly Rowland premieres tonight!! I don't think I'll stay up for it. I am super duper tired so I hope to turn in early. Let's see how successful I am with that! :) Be sure to keep up with the show via the Blogging Project Runway gang's website: Blogging Bravo.

Project Runway is On! No Foolin'!

2009-04-01T18:29:00.000-07:00

April Fool's Day is ending on a happy note. Project Runway Season 6 will show on Lifetime this summer. The suit was settled for an undisclosed sum, and now life can go on for those of us in PR withdrawal.

Read this update from Blogging Project Runway:

Blogging Project Runway Update

And, read this from the LA Times:

LA Times Update

I love LA, but I hope they will film in New York, like they should!

If only everything in life were so easy...

2009-03-18T19:37:00.000-07:00

Did you get the clues I left in the last post? I met Anita Bradshaw at Quilt Market in October! Yes, there is another Quilt Market adventure that I didn't mention.

You might recall that I worked during Quilt Market. Well, since I was from out of town, my boss, Terri, found me a roommate. It turns out that I was assigned Deborah. If you have ever met anyone from Houston, you might know that their kindess spreads as far as the state of Texas! I met so many nice people there. Terri and Deborah were just two of them.

Deborah and I became fast friends. She took me under her wing and showed me the ropes when I needed showin'! A friend of Deborah's, Connie, was opening up a new fabric store in Houston, so she was at Market to buy supplies for her store. As it turned out, Connie was invited to a party given by Moda, the very large fabric manufacturer. In turn, they invited me! Deborah, her friend Connie, and Connie's sisters and I headed down to the grand ballroom, fashionably late, of course. I didn't know what to expect. I thought it might be an intimate gathering where we'd get to meet some representatives from Moda.

The ballroom was enormous. There were hundreds of people seated and eating dinner. I believe the entrees were chicken or fish. That really didn't matter, since there were no more tables. So, we were standing around kicking ourselves for taking our time getting to the ballroom. Before we knew it, the waiters rolled in big, round tables and set them with tablecloths and dishes. Voila! If only everything in life were so easy. Apparently they ran out of the chicken/fish and we ended up with filet mignon! I should have closed my eyes and asked for a waterfront condo!

We sat down and during dinner began chatting with two ladies, Anita Bradshaw of Another by Anita and Dianne Springer of Quilt in a Cup. They were two of the nicest, most talented and creative ladies. The following day at Market, I bought a few of Anita's patterns and one of Dianne's Quilt in a Mousepad designs. As if I didn't need more projects to work on... So, I am happy to share with Cathy!

After the delicious dinner, the real fun started. Those nice ladies I saw walking around the booths at Market turned into party animals! Deborah, Connie and the rest of the posse were satisfied with chatting and getting to know one another, and so was I.

Lucky Winner!

2009-03-17T18:45:00.000-07:00

The winner of the BostonSewer Bloggiversary Giveaway is Stampin Cathy! Cathy lost her job and picked up and moved from Missouri to Tennessee.

Cathy, send me a note at crimsonbruin at gmail dotcom and I will send you a brand new copy of the "Among the Leaves So Green" quilt pattern by Anita Bradshaw of Another by Anita.

I wish you and your family all the best in your new life in Tennessee. I hope you run in to Anna Maria out there! She's one of the nicest people I've ever met. Thanks so much for playing and reading!

So, how did I come about this pattern from Another by Anita? I'll explain in the next post. Meanwhile, check out her website, www.anotherbyanita.com, and see if you can guess where I met her.

(Picture courtesy of www.AnotherByAnita.com)

Happy Bloggiversary!

2009-03-13T04:30:00.000-07:00

Wow! I can't believe it's been an entire year since my first blog post! It has been quite an eventful and fun year. I'm glad I was able to record my memories via my blog. I will join the blogger anniversary giveaway bandwagon and offer some gifts for those who post. This blog focuses on sewing (or at least that was the original intention :) ) so, those are the types of things I will give away. Leave me a post and tell me about the most fun you had in the past year. The lucky winner(s) will receive fabric, patterns and the like. Looking forward to hearing from you!

DC Grub

2009-03-02T18:04:00.000-08:00

OK, I promised to write about how I ate my way through DC. Sorry it's a bit tardy, but here goes.....

I was in DC for only three days, but I managed to visit quite a few restaurants. The first one I went to was called Nam Viet. Can you guess what kind of food they had? I had the Lemongrass Beef and the egg rolls were to die for. I liked it so much we went back the second night!

After we watched the Inauguration, we were hungry (despite all the refreshments the Senators had for us). B suggested looking for a restaurant in the area. Within walking distance, we found The White Tiger. It was a madhouse -- packed with other hungry people who saw the Inauguration. it was also freezing out, despite my long wool coat and thick knit hat. Thankfully, the buffet of Indian fare was worth the wait. The meatballs were so delicious. There were a couple of other tasty dishes, but I didn't know what they were called. We left the restaurant fat and happy.... until the next grubfest.

For breakfast one day, we went to The Pancake House. I had the potato pancakes, which I have to say, were just OK. I was happy that I ordered the sugar-cured ham, because that was quite good. However, there is an interesting menu item called Dutch Baby that my friend, B, ordered. It was delicious. It looks like a pancake has exploded in your plate, but it's definitely worth it! It's quite a popular place. Many people were willing to wait for seating.

We managed to hit two delicious places in one afternoon. They were Dolcezza Gelato and Le Pain Quotidien. Dolcezza Gelato has the most interesting gelato flavors I've tasted: grapefruit, blood orange, pistachio, cinnamon. Yes, I made quite a nuisance of myself and tasted almost all the flavors. Hey! I was on vacation! :) I ended up getting grapefruit and pistachio. Strange, I know, but it was yummy!

As if we hadn't noshed enough, we headed down the a couple of doors to Le Pain Quotidien. This was my kind of place. We didn't sit down to eat, since we whiled away the afternoon at Dolcezza Gelato, but we did purchase some pastries. Le Pain Quotidien was busy as well. There are 3 parts to this establishment: restaurant, cafe, and to-go. You can buy pastries to go or one of the delicious spreads. They had savory spreads like olive, and sweet jams and jellies. I brought only one small bag that I planned to carry on the plane, so I had to be selective. I decided on the apricot tart and the oatmeal raisin cookies. Yummy! I will check out that restaurant on my next visit.

On the way home we stopped by Rodman's. This is my kind of store. You can get anything and everything there. It's like an old school supermarket and five and dime. Upstairs in the grocery store, there are so many international brands of food. I saw pasta in all different shapes and colors (like pink, green, lavender), coffees, teas, candies, all kinds of sauces and spices, too. Remember our Ad Hoc Christmas? Well, one of the spices Hubby needed was Fenugreek. I found that at Rodman's and brought some home. I also got one of my faves, the skinny breadsticks. There were several flavors. I bought the ones with rosemary in them. Yummmmeee!

Downstairs had anything and everything. There is a wall full of kitchen gadgets. You can buy plates, glasses, chairs, handbags, holiday cards and decorations, and any doo-dad you can think of. I escaped with a large tote bag. I knew I'd need one for the trip home -- I always do.

My last day in DC, I had lunch with my good friend, R, at Morton's. I very rarely eat hamburgers, but I decided to have one there. It was so yummy. It was large, too. I ate only half! If I didn't have to Metro to the airport, I probably would have taken it with me.

Good grub and Obama love. They made for a great mini-vacation!

In other news, I have finished the quilt top for the BBCQ. I've still got to put the sandwich together, quilt and bind. (I did the binding one night while watching PR videos.) I have a nice idea for the quilting. I will be doing it by hand. I'll share that soon!

Tavern on the Green

2009-02-27T19:20:00.000-08:00

Later Friday night, Laura K called to invite me to Saturday brunch at Tavern on the Green. Hmmm, let me think about this.... uh, yeah!

Saturday morning I got up to get ready for brunch. As I do at home, I turn the TV to Bravo, first thing, in the hopes that old PR episodes are playing. I was treated to some episodes of Season 5. Hooray! In case you are wondering, yes, I do know that I am obsessed with the show.

Thankfully, the day was clear and crisp yet much warmer than the previous day. It almost felt like spring time in Central Park. I was glad I arrived early so that I could walk around a bit with all the other New Yorkers. :) Laura K, Kaitlin, The Scarlett, and TBone soon arrived and we chatted until the restaurant opened. Once inside, we waited for the others since they don't seat you at "the Green" unless your entire party has arrived. I met the lovely Amanda Fields, PR model extraordinaire. She is pretty, tall and such a nice person. (I have to say during this adventure I met the most amount of nice people I ever have in a 24-hour period!)

Amanda walked during the finale show and looked beautiful. As I said in an earlier post, I thought that designer's clothes were the most wearable. She told us a bit of what Fashion Week was like this year, and the differences with Season 6. Sorry, kids, I'm not telling anything! (I must admit it was fun being privy to little details I otherwise would not have known.)

Joe Faris and his lovely wife, Kara, joined us as well as a friend of Kaitlin's. They, too, are super nice people. Unfortunately, TBone could not stay because had to leave because he had to catch his flight. (Later, TBone! We'll catch up soon!) We walked into the main dining area that was absolutely gorgeous. The dining room is a sunny, glassed in gazebo. The sunlight streamed in and the beautiful gardens surrounded the room.

We enjoyed a delicious lunch (I do recommend the lobster bisque) and lively conversation. We discussed more PR tidbits about seasons past, a little PR trivia and some reminiscing of Amanda's run in Season 3. She was a trooper! I sat next to Kara. She told me that Joe went to school in Boston at Mount Ida. If you are a PR fan, then you know that Joe won the drag queen challenge, "Queen for a Day". He dressed Varla in a pepto-pink, skin-tight, sequined, sailor-style jumpsuit and gave her an Ann-Margaret vibe. Kara said at the time of the first airing, she guessed the topic of the show because it was announced that RuPaul would be the guest judge. However, she had no idea that Joe won that challenge. She had invited a dozen friends over to watch the episode! I'm sure that was a pleasant surprise!!

My Project Runway weekend had come to a close. It was a blast. I had so much fun. Thanks again, BPR!! Until the next adventure.....

The Project Runway Experience, Part Deux

2009-02-26T19:53:00.000-08:00

I happened to sit next to another PR fan, Marcia, who won a ticket. Marcia is a seamstress who makes doll clothes. We were looking around for former PR contestants. Marcia saw Chris March from Season 4 and said, "Oh, he's my favorite!" She wanted to get a picture, but was shy to ask. I said, "Let's go!" LOL. So unlike me. We went down and took pictures with Chris! I don't have the picture, though. I'm waiting for Marcia to send me that one.

After the show ended, I walked around and met some of the designers. I wasn't as bold when it came to asking for pictures for myself! However, I was able to get pictures with Malan and Jerrell. Malan is the sweetest person and he has the nice, deep voice and sinister laugh! He kept me smiling the entire time. I said hi to Jerrell and gave him a big hug. LOL. He is tall and gorgeous! How strange it must be to have complete strangers know who you are. He was a good sport. I also spoke with Korto and Jay. I asked Jay if he remembered who I was. He looked at me like, "Who _are_ you?" LOL. I said, "I know, that's a terrible thing to ask." I was kidding, really. I reminded him that we met in Houston. He said, "Oh yeah, you interviewed me for BPR." Yeah! He remembered me and BPR!

Laura K invited me to have brunch at the Roosevelt Hotel. Well, was I going to say "no" to that? Uh, no! A bunch of us went over. Marcia went along and I also met other fans, Lynn "Miss Penn" out of Pennsylvania and Trish "Jersey Girl". We all shared a table. The brunch at the Roosevelt was delicious, in case you're wondering. I recommend it!

The brunch turned out to be a Season 5 reunion of sorts (again, due to the legal issues, the Season 5 designers did not get the usual reunion show). Joe was there along with Stella and Blayne-licious, Kelli, Jennifer, Daniel Feld, Wesley, and Leanne, Project Runway 5 winner!! Surprisingly, I didn't hear Blaine say "licious" the entire time. :)

I met Stella, who is a riot. She is gorgeous and naturally funny and can work a high, high heel! I was telling Kaitlin whenever I say "leather" or "weather" I say it the way Stella does! Jerrell and Kenley were so gracious and funny. Jerrell and Kenley have really distinct voices, so I marveled at hearing them. It was so weird to hear voices that I heard on TV in real life! Kenley is lovely and I loved her personality. She was the one you loved to hate during the season, but I have a new respect for her. Jerrell is so funny and a sharp wit. I can see that they all were chosen for their personalities as well as their talent!

I got a chance to talk more with TBone and The Scarlett, Laura K and her daughter Kaitlin, and John C, who is from Houston. I asked John if he'd heard of the International Quilt Festival in Houston. Of course he had, since he lives near the George R. Brown Convention Center where it's held. Shout out to you John C! I will look you up if I make it to Houston again in October! As it turns out, John C and I are "neighbors," since his family is originally from the Boston area. :)

Afterward, Marcia, Lynn and I headed off to Mood Fabrics. It was apropos, considering the reason we were in New York that day! We met Marcia's husband, who is quite supportive of her craft. He even found a trim for her that would look like a metalllic belt for a doll. After Mood, we went our separate ways.

Tavern on the Green in my next post!!

New York City... Bryant Park... Project Runway!

2009-02-23T18:47:00.000-08:00

Firstly, I must thank the Blogging Project Runway gang, Laura K, Scarlett and T-Bone! These three are the very kind, generous and dedicated folks who keep us informed on all things Project Runway. I met them for the first time and they made me feel as though we'd been friends forever. They are the best!

I got to the tents around 8 am. It was freezing out and they were not yet letting anyone in. I grabbed a tea at Cafe Duke and waited a few minutes. When I went back, the steps to the tent were crowded with people. I scanned the crowd and saw Korto and Jerrell from Season 5 and Carmen and Chris from Season 4! I was surprised to see them outside with the rest of us!

Laura K and I spoke via cell phone and found each other inside the tent. Laura is so sweet and really takes care of people. All I had to do was follow her and I didn't have to wait in line! We got in the tent and waited to go in. While we waited, I met Laura's daughter, Kaitlin, and Scarlett. Laura was on her phone, now and then, making sure people had their tickets.

I had been in the tents a couple of times before (to see Peter Som, Zac Posen and Carmen Marc Valvo) but this was my first time seeing Project Runway! I was so excited to see other former contestants. I saw also saw Jack and Blayne from Season 5, Kara from Season 2, and of course, Jay McCarroll. my old friend from Season 1. I was hoping to meet Nick Verreos from Season 2, but he was in LA to cover the Oscars! Oh well, maybe next time!

I was sitting in the last row, but I was in the closest section to the stage. Also, I was sitting opposite of Heidi, Michael, and Nina! Michael and Nina looked pretty much the same in person. Heidi, however, looks much taller and thinner in person than she does on TV. I hope that's good news, Heidi!

Those of us who were lucky enough to get tickets were a bit starstruck. Well, why not? We were in the midst of Project Runway royalty! I was really excited to be there and to see the show.

You might recall that PR Season 6 has not aired because of legal battles, so it's amazing that so many people are still interested. If you've seen PR at all, then you know what to expect at a finale show. You see fashions from the designers, and perhaps some decoy collections as well. Things were different this time. Because no episodes have aired, we did get to see collections, but we did not get to see the designers! Also, since no one has seen any episodes, there was no need for decoy collections.

Heidi spoke to the crowd a bit and lamented that the designers would not be recognized. As usual, she started it all off with her familiar, "Let's start the show." The best thing about the first collection, in my opinion, were the hairstyles. The hair was in a messy 60s ponytail with wide black headbands. If you cannot wait for TV (or radio, as Harvey Weinstein joked with Ryan Seacrest), take a look at them here.

The second collection, in my opinion, seemed wearable -- things that I might actually buy. There were some drapey numbers, reminiscent of Rami Kashou, Season 4 finalist. Take a look here. If I'm not mistaken, this was the designer who used the same background music that is used during the PR episodes!

The third collection, appeared to be the best one, but I wouldn't call it wearable. At least not for me. I felt it had a Mad Max vibe, but it had the most detailed workmanship of all three. I thought the final look was amazing. You can see the collection here. Links to collections courtesy of BPR!

It is too bad that these designers were not recognized, after all the work they put in. They did get to show at Bryant Park, as promised, but no one got to see who they were! I am hopeful that all will be settled and the show will go on.
There is more to tell... brunch at The Roosevelt and Tavern on the Green!

I'm IN!

2009-02-19T09:24:00.000-08:00

Hello! I apologize -- I have been remiss in my blogging duties. However, I have good news and will have lots to share in the coming days. I entered this contest and won a coveted ticket to the taping of the Project Runway 6 finale in Bryant Park! How cool is that? I'm heading off to NYC this afternoon so I can be there for the 9 am start Friday morning. Look for fun stories and pictures next! Many thanks to Laura and everyone at Blogging Project Runway!

It's an Obama Nation!

2009-01-24T10:11:00.000-08:00

DC was a blast. The town is full of Obama love. It was amazing to witness how people of all ages and races expressed their joy for our new Commander-in-Chief. It was electric and I'm happy to have been a part of it.

My friends and I tried desperately to get tickets to the swearing-in or the parade, but there was absolutely no luck on that front. I sent notes to both my senators, Senator Kennedy and Senator Kerry, to no avail. However, because of those notes, I was invited to attend a reception they sponsored in a Senate hearing room near the Mall. How cool was that? We got the best of both worlds. We rode the Metro over and got to be a part of the huge crowds... without having to be in the huge crowds! The temperatures were in the 20s, so we definitely got the better end of that deal!

Naturally, we didn't see the Senators -- they were up close and personal to the swearing-in. However, their staff made sure that we were well taken care of. We were in a room with comfortable chairs, 3 large-screen televisions, plenty of refreshments and most importantly, clean bathrooms down the hall! No port-a-potties for us!

We arrived around 8 am, even though the invitation suggested we get there by 10 am. That was a good move, as there was already a good amount of people when we got there. We were able to go downstairs to the cafeteria before the staffers set up the coffee, soft drinks, sandwiches and pastries.

We saw the ceremony via closed-circuit TV. We watched the guests arrive without commentary, so it was fun to make our own. I loved Madame Obama's outfit and I love how she dressed her girls -- in J. Crew, no less. So chic! I appreciate that Madame Obama celebrates American style and American designers. Dr. Biden, Vice President Biden's wife, is going to give Madame Obama a run for her money fashion-wise! She is quite fashionable herself. I love that she wore those boots!

We were able to purchase tickets to an unofficial luau, in honor of President Obama's home state. We took the Metro to the luau at the Hotel Monaco. DC was dressed to the nines Inaguration Night! There is a large military presence there (obviously). I was impressed to see the soldiers in their dressy uniforms escorting elegant ladies in velvet! The civillians were dressed as well. I've never seen so many tuxedos on a subway!

We didn't see President Obama at the luau, but we were feeling lots of Hawaii love and eating delicious luau fare. My favorite was the chicken long rice. Be sure to get some of that if you make it to the islands!

The only souvenir I managed to get was the commemorative Metro card pictured above (which I purchased on-line before I left for DC). I tried to purchase souvenirs the day after the Inauguration, but the lines were too long. I hope I can visit DC later in the year and purchase a few things for my family.

On the way back to Boston, Governor Patrick, who attened the Inauguration with his wife and daughter, was on the plane -- riding coach, in case any Massachusetts taxpayers are wondering. I couldn't think of anything clever to say, so I decided to leave him alone. He was intensely tapping away on his Blackberry, no doubt attending to important state business.

There were several people who had connecting flights, so Governor Patrick and his family stayed on the plane so that they could get off. After he walked out, he greeted several youngsters. He seems like a really nice person. He had a few moments to himself, but soon after he got off the plane, reporters were there, with bright lights and camera crews, ready to interview him about the Inauguration.

It was a terrific time to be in DC. I'm so glad I was there! I visited some delicious eating establishments as well. I'll share those in a later post.

BostonSewer Goes To Washington

2009-01-16T18:05:00.000-08:00

That's right! I'm off to DC this weekend to celebrate the new administration. I will bunk with a friend of mine who has been living in DC since '05. She has another friend who is coming from CA. DC won't be the same once the Cali girls are there! We don't have tickets to the Inauguration, but we do hope to attend a viewing and take part in any other invitations that might come our way.

I was hoping to get a break from the cold, but it appears that DC is just as cold as Boston. Oh well. I'm looking forward to the celebration and spending time with my friends!

Mandarin Collar Coat Slide Show

2008-12-30T19:30:00.000-08:00

Check out the slideshow on the making of my mandarin collar coat.

I used the slideshow creation tool at Big Huge Labs.

Be careful when doing this slideshow. Make sure you have all your pictures and captions ready before starting. I found it's best to create a photo set in flickr first. I'm not sure if there is a way to update a slideshow you've created.

On the last page, instead of clicking the create button, I decided to view the slideshow. When I was done and tried to go back, I got a page expired message. Grrrrr.

Ad Hoc Christmas

2008-12-29T18:34:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas! Hubby and I always get our tree on Christmas Eve. I ended up getting home late on Christmas Eve, so by the time we got started, all the tree places were closed. :( We did find a place that was closed but had trees that were not behind barbed wire. So, we took one! We did leave a note to let them know we'd be back to pay.

We got the tree home. Hubby had to do some cutting so it would fit in the stand, but he got it done and we got the tree in. I don't like our ornaments. They're a mish mash mostly of hand me downs and a few we've purchased. So, we put the white lights on and left it at that. The plan was to go and find some ornaments on sale the day after Christmas.

Christmas morning, we exchanged gifts and we both loved what we got and what we gave and had a great day together. Hubby did quite well and gave me three outfits and a matching hat, gloves and scarf.

The next plan was that Hubby would make Christmas dinner and that we would have chicken tikka masala. Christmas morning, he reread the directions and noticed that the chicken needed to marinate overnight!! LOL. Well, Chinese restaurants are always open on the holidays, so we headed over to SuChang in Peabody, our favorite. It's a little bit of a drive, but definitely worth it. The food was delicious, as always. The salt and pepper scallops were divine.

After dinner, we drove around to look at Christmas lights. We happened to be driving by Blockbuster, and surprisingly, it was open! LOL. So, we rented movies... This Christmas, Hancock, and The Dark Knight.

I didn't manage to get to the stores on Friday. I caught a cold, somehow, so I've been in bed since then! I am feeling better today, thankfully. Isn't it nice that I am spending my vacation in bed? The tree still has no ornaments. All the blocks of the BBCQ are complete, but I missed Christmas! Oh well. I will still display it proudly once it's quilted. I am also working on a little slideshow of the pieces used to make the project for my patternmaking class.

Everything didn't go exactly as we'd planned, so Hubby and I have been calling it the "ad hoc Christmas," but we have been enjoying our time together. That's what it's all about, right?

I hope all of you out there are enjoying your holidays!

There's No Place Like Home

2008-12-11T19:53:00.000-08:00

I am back from California -- Sacramento to be exact. It was good to see family and friends and visit my old haunts. My favorite restaurants to visit are In and Out Burger, Frank Fat's, and El Novillero. Treats I like to bring back from Sactown are See's Candy, Blue Diamond Almonds and Chili Cheese Fritos. Yes, believe it or not, those Fritos are hard to find in New England!

Visiting during Christmastime, but not necessarily on Christmas is a good idea. The Holiday Season of fun, shopping and cheer has begun, but there aren't as many people in the airports. Hubby and I visited NYC in January of this year, and we were pleasantly surprised. All the beautiful decorations were still up, but the holiday crowds were gone.

I know the picture is not great. I need to work on my photography... in my spare time!

By the way BBCQ block #2 -- row 1, column 3 -- is complete!

Christmastime is Here!

2008-12-03T19:10:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe it's Christmastime already. I am way behind schedule on the Christmas cards. Speaking of Christmas cards, the picture for this post is the Christmas tree I made last year from the Christmas cards we received. It was a fun way to liven up a bare wall!

The BBCQ is coming along. I have one block out of the nine complete (first block, second row of the picture). Woo Hoo! I probably won't really get going on it until after my patternmaking class is over on the 16th.

I'll be in California for a few days, visiting family. I have to say, this time of year, the airfares are not too bad! Happy Holidays and get going with those Christmas cards!

Bento Box Christmas Quilt and EQ6

2008-11-21T21:04:00.000-08:00

You might recall my Bento Box Christmas Quilt posts from this summer. I assumed the BBCQ would be complete by now. Well, I had a visit from family, trips to Montreal, Portland, New York, and Houston, and two classes (Flash and Pattern Drafting) at Massachusetts College of Art and Design (which I have yet to write about)... Oh and let's not forget about work.... November 1st rolled around and I realized I had not started my quilt! Well, I have been working on it. I washed and ironed the fabric... good...

Thankfully, I have EQ6 to help me design the quilt before I start cutting the fabric. I scanned the fabrics and imported them into EQ6. I then drew the bento box block by hand. From there, I colored in blocks and then created a 3x3 quilt. After creating a quilt, you can go in and color any of the shapes or replace entire blocks. Above is one of the many permutations I generated using EQ6. Whatcha think? I like this. It's more orderly than the random ones I've done.

A couple of drawbacks are that the larger print (bottom row, middle) didn't scale so well. I wasn't patient enough to make it look good with the other fabrics. Also, several of the fabrics are metallic, but that doesn't show through at all. So, the quilt should look much more vibrant in person.

Seams to Me!

2008-11-13T16:31:00.000-08:00

No, that is not a misspelling! That is the title of Anna Maria Horner's new book, "Seams to Me: 24 New Reasons to Love Sewing", that I forgot to mention in my last post. Silly moi!

I forgot to mention that there were a ton of Anna's books in her booth. I asked if I could purchase one, and she gave me an enthusiastic "Yes!" I was told that because it was Quilt Market (trade only) and not Quilt Festival (general public), that I wouldn't be able to buy anything. So, I was both surprised and quite pleased when I found out I could purchase the book. Just between us, it was discounted. Of course, I had to buy a ticket to Houston and share a room at the Hilton to get that discount!! Anna signed it for me, so that is, of course, priceless!

I read Anna's book on the plane on the way home. New reasons to love sewing is right! The book is full of fun crafty ideas to wear and for around the home -- some of which I have not seen in other books.

I am looking forward to making the pin cushion caddy. Imagine a bread bowl made of fabric. You can stick pins in it like a pincusion and put sewing notions in the middle. What a novel idea! I would like to make one of those for my mom.

There are also instructions on how to make a garment bag, cleverly entitled "The Great Dress Escape". I bought some fabric awhile back that I have been meaning to make a garment bag with. It is to die for! Can't wait to share that!

The other project that caught my eye is called "Fabric Is Fine Art." It shows you how to take an "inspirational image," as Anna calls it, and reproduce it with fabric!

Lastly, I really like the purses, entitled "Taxi Tote" and "I'll Have One of Everything Bag." I cannot wait to get started!

Anna Maria Horner

2008-11-12T17:52:00.000-08:00

No, the star sightings from Quilt Market are not yet over! I found Anna Maria Horner sitting in her beautifully decorated booth. Naturally, it was decorated with fabrics from her new line. Be sure to check out Anna's fabrics. She is a genius with color. Her color choices and design choices are unexpected, vintage and fresh, all at the same time. Her blog is full of stories of her home life in Tennessee with her husband and five -- yes five -- children. And apparently, another is on the way!

I had corresponded with her in email before Market, so I already knew she was a really warm and sweet person. Yes, that came through even in email! I showed my portfolio to Anna, too. I was pleased that she really took the time to look through my book and really see and understand what I was doing. She really liked my color sense and gave me some great advice on color and scale.

It was such a pleasure to meet Anna Maria in person. Check out her blog and let the sunshine in!

Guarding Jane Sassaman's Quilt

2008-11-09T19:19:00.000-08:00

Quilt Market was full of fun and funny incidents, as you've read. Another funny incident occurred when I was working as a quilt guardian. Little did I know what I was in for when I selected to guard the art quilts. This set of quilts was particulary hard to guard because they were not to be photgraphed! Naturally, I didn't find out about this until I reached the area. The area wasn't too big, but for one person, it was a challenge. It was a mini-maze of sorts, with pictures on the outside and inside. If I was telling someone outside that they couldn't take pictures, there could very well be someone inside that I wouldn't catch! After being there awhile, I was told that I had to ask people to delete pictures if they took any. The things we do to be part of Market!

Thankfully, most people were cooperative. There were a few who were taking pictures when they knew they shouldn't have. Shame on you! :) There was a reporter with a camera man in the area. I watched them start setting up near the art quilts. I was thinking to myself, "Are they serious? They are going to start filming right here?" LOL. This was even more surprising, because these people appeared to be working for the show! So, I had to go up and tell them that they couldn't film in the area. Whew!

I went back to the inside of the maze to find another gentleman about to take a picture of one of Jane Sassaman's quilts. I went up to him and told him the quilts were not to be photographed, and that he'd have to delete any pictures he took. (Wow, how did I get so assertive?) He told me it was his wife's quilt! LOL. He deleted the picture, though. We had a friendly chat. I told him that I love his wife's work -- which was true! Sunday, during my travels through Market, I happened upon Mr. Sassaman in a booth -- his wife's. He said to Jane, "Hey, there's the lady who made me delete my picture of your quilt!" Gee, thanks. What a nice way to meet Jane. Oh well. Maybe we'll meet under better circumstances in the future. Be sure to check out Jane's website. You'll see why I like her work so much!

Amy Butler

2008-11-05T19:52:00.000-08:00

Can you believe I met Amy Butler at Quilt Market? I gotta say, how cool is it when you can find all your heroines in the same place at the same time? I didn't even have to try too hard to find these people. I'd just walk around and run into them!

Amy is the nicest person. I told her of my desire to be a textile designer. She suggested I be sure and get a non-disclosure agreement before showing my completed line. I didn't think of that at all, so of course I was grateful for that information. I purchased Amy's new book, Amy Butler's Little Stitches for Little Ones and she signed it! I told her that I had a copy of Midwest Modern (thanks to the giveaway by Lisa of U-Handblog), but I didn't have it with me. Well, Amy had a solution to that problem. She said I could send an email to her assistant, who would make sure I get a signed bookplate to put in my copy! Hooray!

Of course, Amy's booth was beautifully decorated with her fabrics and items made from them. Her dapper father was there to help her, too! It's wonderful seeing family members helping out in such endeavors.

For some reason, Amy called me Linda. It was funny because she caught herself, and said, "Linda? You don't even look like a Linda!" So that was the joke for the few minutes I was in her booth. Of course, Lots of people wanted to talk with Amy, so I didn't get to show her my designs. But, I was thankful for her kindness, her time, and her advice.

Sandi Henderson, the Portabellopixie!

2008-11-01T21:31:00.001-07:00

Quilt Market is a trade show, which generally speaking, means mere mortals such as myself are not allowed to attend. I did attend, however, because I signed up to work at the show. My first job was to be hanging quilts. I was reassigned to security duty, if you can believe that. For nearly 8 hours, I sat in a chair and told people that they couldn't use the washroom that was closest to me. GRB management wanted to keep the area clear of non-convention center personnel because of the heavy equipment in the area.

Well, I stuck it out like the trooper I am. Sometime during Friday evening, while vendors were setting up their stalls, a woman came by, headed to the bathroom. I stopped her and told her she had to use the other washroom that was much further away. I then realized it was Sandi Henderson! I said, "Sandi!" She looked at me with surprise, because of course, she didn't know who I was! I said, "I read your blog!" LOL. She asked if that meant she could use the closer washroom. Sadly, I had to tell her no. LOL.

I did tell her a funny story about the Lei print of her Ginger Blossom line. At the Lowell Quilt Festival, I saw that one of the vendors had the Lei print there. I asked her if they happened to have the corduroy version. The woman, visibly irritated, said, "This is a _quilt_ show. No one sells corduroy here!" Well! Sandi and I both laughed at that one.

Sandi asked why I was at Market and not Festival (which is for the general public), I told Sandi I wanted to be home for Halloween. She understood, unlike most people who gave me a strange look when I said that.

I think I was introduced to Sandi's work a year or so ago, via Heather Bailey's website. I believe Sandi initially made children's clothing using Heather's Freshcut line. Sandi branched out and created two lines of her own, Ginger Blossom and Farmer's Market. They are both bright, fun and colorful fabric lines.

Sunday, I found Sandi's booth, part of the bright and beautifully decorated Michael Miller aisle. I had corresponded with Sandi via email before. I said that to her when I re-introduced myself. The first thing she said was, "Did I write you back?" LOL. I know she is crazy busy and she was concerned that perhaps she didn't get to me, but of course she had returned my notes. (She told the others who were there that I didn't let her use the washroom the night before. There is a similar story involving Jane Sassaman!)

I showed Sandi my portfolio. She really liked it and had positive things to say. I'm glad she was the first person I showed my portfolio to, because her encouragement really steeled me for the rest of the contacts I made that day!

Sandi's husband was there, also, and he was very nice as well. I asked Sandi how the kiddies were doing, and she said she missed them terribly. I'm sure they missed her, too, but how lucky are they to have such a mom. And she's a cool mom, too, because she makes the most awesome Halloween costumes!

Sandi is one of my textile heroines. I'm looking forward to what she'll think of next!

Worlds are Colliding!

2008-10-27T18:34:00.001-07:00

I've returned from International Quilt Market/Houston (http://www.quilts.com/)! My first report is on Jay McCarroll, winner of Project Runway, season one!!

You may have heard that Jay McCarroll has designed a line of fabrics for Free Spirit. I had already planned to go to Market when I heard that Jay had designed a line and was going to be there! Of course, as a quilter, up-and-coming textile designer, and Project Runway fanatic, I knew I had to go and meet Jay.

International Quilt Market, for those of you who don't know, is the main convention for quilt shops, fabric houses, and designers -- basically, anyone who has anything to do with the world of quilting. Fall Market is always held in Houston, while Spring Market is held in other cities. If you think this is not a big deal, think again. Each season, there are two shows in one -- Market for the trade, and Festival for the general public. In 2007, there were 54,000 people at Quilt Festival alone in four days. Yup, quilting is a big thing.

Thankfully, two of my favorite worlds, fashion and quilting have converged in the form of Woodland Wonderland and Garden Friends, Jay's new fabric lines! Jay was the first person I sought out when I hit the market floor full of fabric and sewing machine vendors. I was surprised to find that he had an entire corner booth to himself, but not surprised to see that there were several people who wanted to talk with him and take pictures. When it was my turn, Jay was so nice and so personable and easy to talk to. I told him that I loved his finale collection on PR and that I noticed that some of the pieces were quilted. He thanked me and told me that he grew up with quilting. He said that he found everyone in the quilting world to be really friendly. Jay was only too happy to take a picture with me and give me an autographed picture. He also offered me some button pins, made up of the lovable little creatures in his line.

My time with Jay was short, as a Free Spirit representative came up to talk with Jay about what sounded like a new fabric line or a twist on the current ones. It is a trade show, after all, and I wasn't buying, so I had to step aside.

I hope Jay's new endeavor does well and that we'll see new lines soon. Read about Jay and see his new line here: http://www.freespiritfabric.com/core-pages/designer_detail.php?des_id=56

(The title of this post comes from George Costanza on a Seinfeld episode... one in which I think Elaine and George's fiancee were becoming friends. George didn't want his worlds to collide, but I am only too happy to have mine do so!)

This Little Piggy's Going to Market!

2008-10-21T19:54:00.000-07:00

I'm sure that phrase has been over-used, but I couldn't resist. Yup, that's right. I'll be heading to Houston for 3 wonderful days of the International Quilt Market! I will be working at the show and meeting all my heroines: Heather Bailey, Anna Maria Horner, Gina (of Quilter's Buzz), Cherri House, Amy Butler and more!

Lot 8, the store owned by Chloe Dao, winner of Project Runway season 2, is in Houston. Also, Jay McCarroll, who won Project Runway season 1 will be there as well, since he's created a new line of fabric designs for Free Spirit. Let's hope I run into them while I'm there!

Portland

2008-10-05T18:39:00.001-07:00

I apologize for the long time between posts! Life has been super busy lately, but I wanted to share the fun Hubby and I had in Portland, ME.

A couple of weekends ago, Hubby and I traveled to Portland, Maine via Amtrak. We headed up to meet Sharona and her beau.

It was a rainy, rainy weekend, thanks to Hurricane Kyle. We can't seem to escape rain this year! Anyway, despite the rain, we all had a great time. Sharona drove down all the way from New Brunswick! We didn't realize how far they drove -- it was only a two-hour trip for us. We stayed at the La Quinta Inn. It's not a bad place if you don't want to spend too much. You help yourself to breakfast, but you can make waffles or have pastries, cereal, yogurt, hard-boiled eggs, coffee, juice, etc. Not bad at all.

We did not have a car (the hotel provided transportation to and from the train station), so Sharona and her beau came to pick us up for dinner once we got into Portland. Due to some oddities with the streets in Portland, we drove around a bit (in a few circles) looking for the Italian restaurant, Espo's Trattoria, that Sharona picked out. It was really funny once we found out that they had already been to the restaurant before they came to pick us up! The restaurant had a warm, homey atmosphere and the waitress was very nice. We ended the night early, but I had plenty of work to do at the hotel. I schlepped my pattern drafting homework up there so I could get it done during the downtime.

Saturday, we hit the shops of downtown Portland. Hubby and I did some damage at one of my favorites, Stonewall Kitchen. They have awesome dried soups, relishes, sauces and kitchen utensils. They also have a sweet little kitchen inside the store. I wanted to take a picture, but the staff didn't allow it. Well! The boys went to Starbuck's while the girls visited a bookstore, Books, Etc.. I bought two books: Asian Art and Sew and Stow. We also stopped in a boutique, Bliss, which is one of my Portland favorites. It's on the pricey side, but I did see a fabulous coat and dress that I would have liked to take home. Another shop I like to visit in Portland is Simply Scandinavian. It's a nice shop if you're looking for typical Scandinavian crafts, especially Christmas ornaments. Simply Scandinavian also sells clothing, jewerly, toys and books. Of course, they have a few Marimekko items: aprons, notecards and even fabric.

The biggest surprise was Portland's Whole Foods. Sharona hadn't been there before. She looked it up online and wanted to check it out. Little did we know, Portland's Whole Foods is a city within a store. There are a few Whole Foods stores in Boston, but they all pale in comparison to the Portland store. It is cavernous. It has all the things you'd expect: fruits and veggies with a large selection of organic offerings, cheeses, meats, grains, nuts. This one has a restaurant inside and a sushi bar. I could spend an entire day in that store. I met an older couple who was offering free samples of ice cream, called Sherbetter. I tried the lemon flavor and the rainbow. They were both delicious. As it turns out, Jack and Helen were helping their son, Jim, launch his product. Jack and Helen live in Boston, so it was fun meeting them in Portland. I will look for Sherbetter the next time I'm in Whole Foods here at home. If you're ever in Portland, be sure to visit Whole Foods.

Lest I forget, there was one fabric store that we could find in Portland: Z Fabrics. The owner, Mary, said she opened the shop out of sheer frustration, because there were no good places for fabric in Portland! The shop is tiny, but is stocked with colorful, large scale prints. I bought some for my Halloween costume, that I will of course share later. I am encouraged to see an up and comer in the fabric world. I hope she does well.

Just down a couple of blocks and across the street from Z Fabrics is Angela Adams. I visited her store years ago in Portland before she had all the press and before her rugs were featured on The Apprentice! I own two bags from her store. I was eager to go back to see what she had in store. Unfortunately, there were no bags! She now sells a few laptop bags, small housewards and journals. There were also a few simple garments made with fabric she designed. If you are in the market for a modern wool or cotton rugs, however, it is the place to be. There is an amazing undersea rug behind the counter, similar to the photo above. Of course, seeing it online doesn't do it justice. The rug is huge -- at least 8'x10', and it's full of vibrant colors and texture. (Note: There are some bags are on her website, but nothing like the leather ones I have!)

We worked up an appetite after all that shopping! We dined at a Greek restaurant that Sharona found, Greek Corner. Sharona is a vegan, so we didn't mind her doing the restaurant searches. Of course, she did well. The food was delicious and so fresh. Greek is one of my favoirtes (sans the feta). As it turns out, the restaurant is within walking distance of where we started at Stonewall Kitchen! There is also an Indian restaurant next door, that I'm looking forward to trying.

After dinner, we said goodbye to our Canadian friends, but not before Sharona gave me two issues of Clin d'oeil, a Quebecois fashion magazine. As you know, the language of fashion knows no boundaries! Sharona and I met a year ago, thanks to Martha's sewing show. Now that our respective significant others have met, we plan to meet up a few more places together. Montreal and Bar Harbor are the next spots on our list.

Boston Globe Article on Fabric Place

2008-09-25T19:47:00.000-07:00

Another article on the demise of Fabric Place. :( As one interviewee put it: "Where will we go?"

Boston Globe Article on Fabric Place

Sawyer Brook Pictures

2008-09-22T19:24:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from the day at Sawyer Brook:

Row 1:
The old mill building the houses Sawyer Brook
Antique baby carriage
Antique bicycle

Row 2:
Robert J Rodgers, a carpenter in the building
The Sawyer Brook sign
Inside Sawyer Brook

Row 3:
The willows in front of Meadowbrook Orchards
Meadowbrook Orchards restaurant
Inside the restaurant; old stove in the background

Row 4:
Rows of jams and jellies
Potbellied stove
Old cash register

Pattern Review & Sawyer Brook

2008-09-21T17:12:00.000-07:00

If you are a sewer, check out the PatternReview website. PatternReview was started by Deepika out of her frustration with sewing. She said she wondered why the garments came out so nicely in the pictures, but when she made them they never did. So, she reached out to the online community and PatternReview was born. I have been a member of PatternReview for a couple of years, but I have not been a full-fledged participant. One of the monthly emails mentioned a trip to Sawyer Brook (SB) Fabrics. With the demise of Fabric Place, I thought it would be a great chance to check out a new fabric source. A PatternReview member offered her mini van for carpooling out to Sawyer Brook, which is in Clinton in Central Massachusetts. How could I resist?

Hubby dropped me off in Arlington for the carpool. Five of us, who had never met before, headed off to SB. We rode out Route 2 to Route 495. The weather was beautiful. It was a crisp, clear, sunny New England day. There is no better place than New England when the weather is great! We drove past deep green trees and rolling hills. There were many roadside shops that are full of bright orange, milky white, and dark green pumpkins. The mums were in brilliant colors of orange, purple, red, yellow, and white. The scarecrows are out already, too! With all the rain, we had a cruel summer. I'm not quite ready to let it go, but I am enjoying early Fall.

We arrived in Clinton after almost an hour. Clinton is an old mill town, complete with brick buildings and railroad tracks. SB is in one of those old buildings. On the way up the worn wooden staircase, there were antiques such as a wicker baby carriage and an old school desk complete with a hole for an inkwell!). SB shares the second floor with an antique dealer so we saw lots of furniture pieces as we made our way to SB.

The SB space is made up of two rooms. We were set up in the anteroom. We were treated to pastries and apple juice as we waited for the trunk show. Barb, SB's owner, showed us their newest arrivals. SB sells fabrics of the highest quality for garments. I was impressed with how soft each piece was. Some of the fabric pieces were:

Liberty of London fine wale corduroy
Diane von Furstenberg double knit
Marc Jacobs rib knit
Jones of NY blends
Anne Klein blends
Anna Sui viscose -- colorful print
Oscar de la Renta tweed
Herr Wolle herringbone
Loro Piana (Italian makers of fine cashmere)
Nicole Miller metal blend (not metallic thread, but metal!)

Barb also explained some things about fabric. Viscose is a method of producing rayon and, most of the time, is a fabric that was made in Europe. Viscose can be considered a high-end rayon and is washable in most cases. Quality knit is harder to find in the states. It's very difficult to find high-end natural fibers.

After the trunk show, we were allowed to shop in the back room. The Sawyer Brook inventory is relatively small, but each roll of fabric is of the highest quality. The prices range from $12 - $30 a yard, 58"-60" in width. You will buy fewer yards because the fabric is wide. They have the softest denims and wools. They have any type of lining you might need in any color. The same goes for YKK zippers. They also have a button matching service. Yes, button matching! Barb explained that after working with a customer for awhile, based on the garment, they know what kinds of buttons to suggest. They also have a swatch subscription you can sign up for (at a cost).

I bought one of those soft denims and a cute, delicate conversational print decorated with dressforms. There were about 30 of us. I believe each one of us walked out with a little something in a green bag! In the email, Deepika asked each of us to bring the oldest garment we'd sewn. I didn't bring anything, since my oldest item is probably somewhere in California. However, many women did! One woman brought a wedding dress she'd made. Another brought a shirt she'd made for her son when he was little. There were dresses, christening gowns, aprons and even coats! The ladies of Sawyer Brook were so kind to let us come in and take over for a few hours. They opened the shop especially for us on Saturday -- they are not open on the weekends. Thanks so much, Barb!

After fabric shopping, we went to Meadowbrook Orchards in neighboring Sterling for lunch. There was much more than lunch going on there! I absolutely loved this place! There was a beautiful apple orchard behind the building and two gorgeous willows in front. The restaurant was full of people who'd gone apple picking. The restaurant was decorated like a country kitchen. There was an old farm stove, a potbelly stove heater, and an old-fashioned cash register. (These are all non-functioning, by the way.) We placed our orders before we left SB, so we gathered around and chatted while we waited for our food.

The food was delicious. I had a tomato and cheese sandwich on wheat and Thai chicken soup. Yummy! They make the bread and pastries on site. They also make pies that you can take home and bake! It would have been nice to soak in more of the surroundings, but it was already after 3pm and time to get back home.

All in all, it was a fun day of fabric shopping, sharing, good food and meeting new fabroholic friends. PatternReview will be going to NYC on October 11! If you are looking for the finer fabrics for garments, don't hesitate to check out the Sawyer Brook website! :)

BPR Linked to Me!

2008-09-15T19:46:00.000-07:00

Hello!

You all know how much I love Project Runway. My go-to site for all things PR is Blogging Project Runway. I've been in touch with Laura K via email since I went to Martha's show (Tim Gunn was the special guest). I told her that I was at Fashion Week, too, so she's linked to my Fashion Week Post. Hurrah! Thanks Laura! Thanks to BPR, too, for all you do to keep us informed on all the PR happenings and designers. BPR is a home away from home for PR designers.

Here is a link to the BPR post that links to me. It's somewhat of an infinite loop, for all you programmer types who might happen to be reading. :)

BPR at the AMEX Skybox during Fashion Week!

NY Fashion Week -- Spring '09!

2008-09-14T11:32:00.000-07:00

I'm back from Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in NYC! Hubby and I attended the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fundraiser for emerging designers, which was sponsored by American Express. The featured designer was none other than Zac Posen! Thank you, American Express, for the opportunity to attend a show under the tent at Bryant Park!

The atmosphere inside the tent was festive. There were several vendor booths, including iGoogle, Judith Ripka, Havaianas and Office Max, believe it or not. Amex puts on a good show, I must say. Servers passed around drinks and hors d'oerves while we waited for the runway to open. The DJ played an array of R&B tunes from the early 80's. There's nothing like old-school funk to get a party started!

When the runway opened, there was a lot of pushing a jockeying for position! I saw Malan Breton, designer from Season 3 of Project Runway, as I was going in. I said, "Hi Malan!" He responded, "Hello, Daaahling, how are you?" It was as if we'd known each other forever! Malan was eliminated from Project Runway early on, but he is a truly talented designer and has shown during Fashion Week since then. I am glad to see that he looks happy and is doing well in the industry despite his early departure from Project Runway.

We were given green wristbands upon entering the tent. Once we got to the runway, we were happy to discover that the green wristbands had the better seats. The runway looked just as it does on TV. All the chairs and walls are black. The runway and the backdrop from which the models enter are white. For the Zac Posen show, the runway backdrop was decorated with dozens of clear chairs that looked like the Phillipe Starck Ghost Chair. They looked as though they were just randomly thrown up on the wall and they stuck. The chairs were a great effect. They provided an interesting back drop without taking away from the presentation.

Andre Leon Talley, Vogue's editor-at-large, was sitting in the front row. Zac had already shown earlier in the week. This show was a re-do and a fundraiser for the CFDA, as I mentioned. Thus, I knew the "real" fashionistas had already seen Zac's "real" show earlier, so, I was surprised to see Mr. Talley there. As it turned out, he was the emcee. Those of us fashionista wannabees were giddy with excitement and self-importance, since we were in the exclusive runway at Bryant Park! We were of all ages, sizes, and colors. We all had a fashion for passion (except for maybe, Hubby). There were those who were dressed to impress and looking around to see and be seen. Several people were taking pictures and having people take pictures of them on the runway. How fun! Eventually, production assistants pulled the protective plastic off the runway and lights went down. The show was about to begin!

The show started with five models wearing shimmery, lingerie-like pastel dresses and handbags. They were beautiful and powerful in full makeup and flowy big hair. They were robotic in a way, but not completely. They reminded me of the fembots in the Austin Powers movie. The collection was absolutely beautiful. There were lots of gorgeous, floaty, pastel fabrics. I am not a fan of animal prints, but I do like the way Zac did them. There were leopard prints that were enlarged and faded on flowy dresses. There were slim fitting dressses that were cleverly decorated with paillete "stripes". Other dresses were billowy, ruffly and seemed to glide across the runway. There were lots of jewels on the garments, which I found surprising on outfits for spring. One can see that Zac is a true artist. It was amazing to see Zac's vision and artistry come to life.

Andre Leon Talley interviewed Zac for a few minutes after the show. Zac explained that he had been working in the industry since he was 17. He went to London at that young age, as well. His family is a huge part of his company and thus his success! Zac did seem to be exhausted. It was probably near 11 pm at that time, so that is understandable. He is thoughtful person who really cares about his customers. The sheer volume of garments was impressive. Zac Posen is one of my big three, along with Carolina Herrera and Michael Kors, so I am glad I got to see him!

Hubby and I were pretty tired ourselves, after our whirlwind NYC trip. Before we went to Bryant Park, we did manage to visit the Magazine Cafe (I'd received a flyer earlier in the day). I liked Magazine Cafe. It's got just about any type of fashion magazine you'd want, from countries such as Canada, Italy, France and Australia. There are also home decorating magazines and finance magazines. I'm kicking myself that I didn't buy that YSL collector's edition magazine, which featured looks from each of his collections. Looks like I can order it online, so maybe I'll do that, if I don't visit sometime soon. :) It's a little light on the "cafe" side. I saw only a small area up front that you could have a coffee. However, they do sell a nice cup of coffee. It's also a good place for inexpensive "I heart NY" tchotchkes.

We were in the mood for steak, and so we went to Keen's Steakhouse, as suggested by the concierge at the Marriott (we didn't stay there by the way, but concierges are usually happy to make a recommendation to anyone). Keen's is an old New York steakhouse. The waitstaff was quite helpful and the steak was delicious. We chose potato leek soup and Caesar salad as appetizers. The soup had a nice flavor, but it was not thick -- the way I like my potato soup. The Caesar salad was very good. We had crispy fries and glazed carrots as sides. Delish! The ceiling is decorated with hundreds of old pipes. They look as though they were old enough to be smoked by the native Americans who sold Manhattan! I do like Keen's, but a few of the patrons seemed to have had a little too much to drink. I'd probably refrain from staying there too late at night. I love finding "spots" -- places I know I can return to when I visit the city again. Magazine Cafe and Keen's are definitely spots when I'm in the Garment District.

I've attended a couple of Fashion Week shows now. Let's hope I actually get to work one, next time. Behind the scenes, of course. :)

Farewell, Fabric Place :(

2008-09-05T10:38:00.000-07:00

Anyone who reads this blog knows how much I shop at Fabric Place! Well, they are going out of business in a few months. Waaaah! Careful when you click on that link, by the way. You get the horrible flyer I got in the mail the other day... the death knell of Fabric Place.

I loved having a place near me where I could browse, look for something specific or dash out at 9pm for the last minute item needed to finish a project. Oh, I am so sad. I knew something was up when I got a yellow one-color flyer instead of a glossy mini-catalog for July and August.

Emmett McCarthy, of Project Runway season 2, was supposed to be featured at an event at the Framingham store in October. I suppose that's no longer on.

There are probably more articles out there on the demise of Fabric Place, but I found this one:

WickedLocal.com: Fabric Place is closing

Hopefully, one of the local quilt shops will take up the slack. I will be compiling a list of fabric shops in the Boston area and posting it soon.

BostonSewer and NastyWench (aka Sharon-Lizette)

2008-08-31T11:56:00.000-07:00

I'd like to share with you the story of Tina and Sharona. We met in September of 2007, thanks to Purl Bee's blog and the Martha Stewart Show! Last Labor Day Weekend, Purl Bee posted that the Martha Stewart Show was looking for sewers for its sewing show. I didn't turn my computer on all weekend long, so I missed being one of the lucky ones who was chosen for the show. I did post a response in which I asked Purl Bee if they had any extra tickets. Sharona saw my post and offered me a ticket. Sharona lives in New Brunswick, Canada, and had never been to New York. She had a ticket and I knew how to get around the city, so it turned out to be a perfect match! Sharona drove down to Boston and we took Amtrak and went to the Martha Stewart Show! Sharona blogged all about it here. Needless to say, we have been friends since. In fact, we are going to meet up in Portland, Maine in September. I am looking forward to that!

I've written about Sharona before. You must check out her blog. She is a true crafty gal and is super-talented and super-nice. Two of her crafts even appeared on Martha's website. Check out the post on her Easter crafts here. Sharona encouraged me to start blogging. It took me awhile, but eventually, BostonSewer was born!

Hopefully, Sharona and I will make it to see Martha Stewart again, soon and share our story with her! I am a Martha fan from way back. I knew she was destined for greatness. I have the first issue of Martha Stewart Living... I'm hoping I can have Martha sign it.

NEQM Car Cover

2008-08-25T18:38:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of the car cover quilt I promised in the Lowell Quilt Festival post! How cool is this? It takes me awhile to do things, but I get around to them, eventually!

Wordies

2008-08-18T14:19:00.000-07:00

Love this new, fun tool: Wordies! I got this from Parsiri a little while ago. How cool is this? I love that fabric and quilt are the biggest tags! :) You feed it text or a link to a blog with an RSS feed, and it produces a tag cloud. Keep in mind, if you give it your blog post, it works for only your latest post. So, I cut and pasted all my previous blog posts (removing dates and Blogspot links). I'm acting like I have nothing to do! I'm going back to chores as soon as I post this blog!

Red Barn Sewing and Yarn

2008-08-15T15:27:00.000-07:00

Surprise, surprise. It's raining again in Boston. This is definitely the rainiest summer I've experienced in my 15 years here. I don't know what else to say about it. Grin and bear it, I guess.

Another booth I visited at the Lowell Quilt Festival is Red Barn Sewing and Yarn! How cool is that rhyme? I have visited them every year I've been to the festival. I must admit that I already know the owners, Helen and Linda, so I would visit them anyway. They always have a great set up at the quilt festival.

I have been to their shop as well. It's in Merrimac, MA. It's a bit of a hike, but definitely worth it! They have converted a red barn into a quaint and fabric-packed quilt shop. They also have a great selection of Japanese fabrics as well as sashiko supplies. Linda, Helen, and the other staff members are always very friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. I bought some of my fabric there for my Bento Box Christmas Quilt. I hope to take the quilt to the shop for their opinion as I'm putting it together.

I must say that I know Helen and Linda through Danielle (Linda's daughter and Helen's niece. Oh, did I mention Linda and Helen are sisters?). Danielle was our wedding coordinator. I got really lucky when I found her... online! Danielle is the owner of Details Within, a premier wedding planning service. Danielle is a true professional. She knows how to handle the stresses of a wedding day and make it look effortless. She leaves no detail unanswered. She helped my wedding day go off without a hitch. I also helped her at a wedding once upon a time, so I've seen her on both sides! If you are looking for a wedding planner, I highly recommend Danielle.

Lowell Quilt Festival

2008-08-10T18:26:00.000-07:00

Hello!

Yes, it's been awhile, as I was reminded by one of my readers last week. Hi DW! :) I've been busy this summer. Since I'm waiting for a thesis director to be assigned to me, I decided to take a Flash class at Massachusetts Collge of Art and Design (MassArt). I made a prototype of my thesis project. Hooray! The project is more concrete in my brain. I suppose I'll have more information on all that later. But basically, it's the reason for my other blog, FlexAIR (which I have not updated for months, by the way). I think I should rename it FlashAIR, since it doesn't look like I'll be using Flex. Anyway.... I finished that and started painting my upstairs bathrom. I thought I would paint it in a day. Hubby used to do this kind of work in another life and had other plans for me, like sanding the walls down first. Oy to the vey. Let's just say I've been doing it for a week and I'm not done yet. I have just the door to do, though, and I'll be finished. I could have finished it today, but I went to the....

Lowell Quilt Festival. There were some really nice quilts there. However, I have to say that the quilts of the 2006 and 2004 festivals were much better. I took so many pictures those years. In fact, in 2004, I went back the second day to get more pictures. I was not too heartbroken that my camera battery died today. I did happen to get the picture of the quilted car cover! How cool is that? It was quilted to advertise the New England Quilt Museum. I got a few pictures of quilts on my cell phone that I will have to figure out how to get on the computer. I don't currently subscribe to the email option on my cell phone, so I'll have to work something out. I took a picture of a really cool double wedding ring quilt. I was surprised it didn't get any awards, as was one woman who also admired the quilt.

There are also lots of vendors at the show. There aren't as many as have been in years past. I think the transportation costs has prevented people from far away from coming. I like to patronize the vendors who've come from so far. I also like finding out about local shops that I can visit.

I will talk about the vendors I visited in upcoming posts. The first vendor I'll share is Fabric Peddlers of Nederland, CO. They are a husband and wife team who have a great rapport. The husband is a bit of a jokester, which keeps things interesting between them, I'm sure. I bought a beautiful Asian fabric. They have some other beautiful Asian fabrics that I'd never seen before. I could have done some damage there, but I bought just one fabric. (I went to the show with a $50 bill and promised myself that I would not spend more than that -- including the $12 admission and $5 parking). They also had beautiful Aboriginal Australian fabric and batiks. I guess the Aboriginal fabrics are becoming popular or I'm behind the times. Lots of vendors had them, so the latter is probably true.

Note... I will post the picture of the car cover after charging the camera!

Good Old-Fashioned 4th of July

2008-07-19T11:34:00.000-07:00

We spent the 4th of July with family in Vermont and went to a small-town 4th of July parade. In case you're wondering, that is a real working shower (bottom left)!

Ingenuity in New Hampshire

2008-07-16T20:55:00.000-07:00

I have to share this picture of a homemade WOODEN truck bed we saw on the way up to Montreal. Hubby was driving and I was having a hilarious time trying to take the picture without the guy on the passenger side seeing me. I am sure he did. The creator gets points for ingenuity but none for completeness. What about a coat of paint or at least a stain? (That was actually from Hubby the former contractor.)

Christmas Quilt Fabric

2008-07-13T19:27:00.000-07:00

OK, lovers of fabric...

We left Montreal and drove all the way to Keepsake Quilting in Center Harbor, NH. Hubby took advantage of my shopping spree and took a nap. There are so many great fabrics there. I didn't go overboard there, as I usually do, because I need to start using some of my stash! I bought a new pattern, Quilting Girl socks and a new quilt hanger set.

I also purchased my last piece of fabric for my Christmas Bento Box quilt. It's the light green, second from the right. The quilt calls for sets of light and dark fabrics. I'm feeling that the last two fabrics on the right don't quite fit in. I do like them, though. What do you think?

Essence du Papier

2008-07-12T14:23:00.000-07:00

I stumbled upon a fabulous stationery store in Montreal. It's called Essence du Papier, and it's one of my new favorites. They have notebooks, greeting card holders, stationery, wrapping paper, gift bags, note cards, and greeting cards. They also sell gifts to go along with the cards! It would be a nice place to find a hostess gift or a last-minute wedding or engagement gift. They print invitations as well. Unfortunately, I had only 15 minutes to shop before we left, but I managed to find a few things as pictured. Hubby was afraid I'd be gone for hours, but I was mindful of the time and managed to get a neat little lined notebook and a business card holder. There are also stores in Toronto, Broussard, and Vancouver -- only in Canada, sorry! I am not doing the store justice here, so be sure to check out the website.

Yves Saint Laurent

2008-07-08T17:02:00.000-07:00

When I travel to a city, I like to go to at least one museum. When I'm in Montreal, I always check out the Musee des Beaux-Arts de Montreal. Luckily, this visit to Montreal, we were able to see the Yves Saint Laurent exhibit. If you visit Montreal before the end of September, be sure to check out the exhibit. I mostly knew of Yves Saint Laurent from YSL perfume fame. I didn't really know of his work as a designer. He designed the trapeze dress. It seems so simple now, but to the "nipped in" waist of the 1950s, it was genius! He was also the first to dress women in tuxedos. He designed women's suits based on men's styles -- he was influenced by Marlene Dietrich for that. He took inspiration from many different countries, including Spain, Russia, India, and China. His fashions were also inspired by the continent of Africa. YSL was also the first designer to use black models in his shows. And who can forget the famous Mondrian dress?

He retired in 2002 and passed away this past June. I'm thankful that this exhibit was created. I now know there was more to YSL than perfume!

The exhibit will be featured at the de Young museum in San Francisco from November 2008 - March 2009. If you can't make it to Montreal, hopefully, you can see the exhibit in San Francisco.

Road Trip!

2008-07-03T05:00:00.000-07:00

Hubby and I are off to Montreal for a few days to take in some jazz, food, and museums. I am taking along my Quilter's Travel Companion so we can check out quilt shops along the way. Won't Hubby be excited about that? On the way home, we will definitely swing by the hallowed Keepsake Quilting in Center Harbor, NH. I am still searching for fabric for the Bento Box quilt. I hope to find the rest of them there! I'll give a full report upon our return.

Fun New Game!

2008-06-17T20:37:00.000-07:00

Check out this fun game I got from Hollabee.... http://hollabee.blogspot.com/2008/06/flickr-game.html

1. Tina Turner!, 2. Creamy Three Cheese Macaroni, 3. Public Domain: President Kennedy at the Wheel of the Coast Guard Yacht "Manitou" by Robert L. Knudsen, 1962 (NARA), 4. Green Wonders, Take 2, 5. Maroon 5 - Adam Levine I, 6. lychee martini why not?, 7. Parc Güell - Barcelona, 8. Banana cream cheesecake, 9. Fabric Designers, 10. Toothbrush Tryst (Day 119), 11. The Shape of My Heart, 12. #11 ranked ucla in a sea of utah crimson red (CrimsonBruin)

How to do it:
a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into big hug labs mosaic maker and make a lovely mosaic to put on your blog or flickr! Simple pimple!

The questions:
1. What is your first name? (Tina)
2. What is your favorite food? (Macaroni and Cheese/Comfort Food)
3. What high school did you go to? (John F. Kennedy)
4. What is your favorite color? (Green)
5. Who is your celebrity crush? (Adam Levine)
6. Favorite drink? (Lychee Martini)
7. Dream vacation? (Barcelona)
8. Favorite dessert? (Cheesecake Factory's Fresh Banana Cheesecake)
9. What you want to be when you grow up? (Fabric Designer)
10. What do you love most in life? (Hubby!)
11. One Word to describe you. (Creative)
12. Your flickr name. (CrimsonBruin)

Your turn!

Candlelite Quilts

2008-06-14T14:29:00.000-07:00

I've been searching high and low for fabric for my Bento Box Christmas Quilt (BBCQ). I went to the New England Quilt Museum this afternoon in search of a print or two. I asked the ladies there if they had any Christmas fabric. Not yet! However, I did manage to get the "Quilter's Travel Companion". It's like a "yellow pages" for quilt shops in the US and Canada. It also has listings of quilt shows, too. It's new for 2008. How cool is this? I bought it so I can look for new shops, because I'm having a hard time finding fabric. I was really only looking for shops in Massachusetts, but this can't hurt, right? I also have an idea for a little project. More on that later.

While I was there, I also purchased "The Quilter's Catalog - A Comprehensive Resource Guide". It is full of information on everything quilting. It has information on tools, fabric, notions, collecting quilts, quilt photography, quilt shows -- the works!

I was telling the ladies at the NEQM that I was having trouble finding fabric. They suggested I go to Candlelite Quilts in Chelmsford. Chelmsford! Where is that? She mentioned 495, and passing Route 3 and then Route 110. Quite foreign to me. Anyway, Hubby is out golfing today, so I figured, "why not?" I am quite glad I did. Candlelite Quilts makes its home in a cute little cottage surrounded by a white picket fence. Candlelite Quilts has a great selection of fabric. The pinks, browns, blues, and reds, florals, polka dots, and prints are fabulous! The staff is really nice and they didn't hesitate at all when I asked for their opinion on fabric choices. I bought two fabrics for the BBCQ, two other fabrics I liked and two Candlelite Quilt mugs.

They also feature designs for wool applique, redwork, and rug punching. There was a class on using a new type of quilting ruler going on when I arrived. Too bad I didn't make it there earlier! Candlelite Quilts is definitely a keeper! I'll return the next time I'm shopping for a project.

Christmas Quilt

2008-06-08T19:49:00.000-07:00

image from www.traceybrookshier.com

I found my Christmas quilt pattern! I was surfing the web last night and found the classic Bento Box quilt by Tracey Brookshier. I've seen several versions of this pattern and I fell in love with it instantly. It's not really a Christmas design, but making it in Christmas fabrics will work. Also, I need something I can whip up right away. I went to FP today and bought three fabrics. I think altogether I need 8-10 different fabrics for the quilt. I will be making a wall hanging. I have a place all set in my living room.

Eggceptional Potholder!

2008-05-27T17:42:00.000-07:00

How cute is this little potholder? It's like a mitten for cooking! I found the pattern at one of my favorite haunts, the New England Quilt Museum. The pattern is called Potholder Ladybug by EmmaCreation Arts and Crafts. I didn't use the fabric that came with it, though. The part with the eggs was supposed to be sashiko instead. Though sashiko is one of my favorite pasttimes, I wasn't super fond of the pattern. How could I resist the new twist, anyway, after seeing the egg fabric at Fabric Place?

The bottom right is a little wonky. I doubled the thermal batting and it made the laters a little too thick. I am glad for the extra batting, though. No heat gets through this baby! Next time, I'll trim that. I will do a pattern review at some point. It's fairly easy. I whipped this up in a couple of hours. There is a loop at the very top that came out surprisingly well. I hope I can duplicate that!

Yes, I spend way too much time at Fabric Place. I was there last weekend because hubby wanted to go to a sports store in the same mall. How convenient! I was good, though. I didn't buy anything. My next quilt project will be a Christmas quilt. I am not going to buy anymore fabric unless it's for that project. We'll just see about that!

Craft, Inc.

2008-05-18T19:12:00.000-07:00

image from mateoilasco.com

If you saw sharon-lizette's comment on my last post, she mentions a book I sent her. A few days ago, I went to my local Paper Source and found the book Craft, Inc by Meg Mateo Ilasco. I love this book! Anyone who wants to pursue making a living via crafting should read this book. The book is not only cleverly designed, but it is easy to read and packed full of valuable information. sharon-lizette is truly a talented crafter and is enthusiastic about it as well. When I started reading the book, it made me think of her. I sent her a copy, since she didn't already have one. By the way, sharon-lizette, did you notice the font? :)

I Crochet, Too!!

2008-04-30T16:08:00.001-07:00

I wanted to share a really easy but beautiful crocheted baby blanket. I love this pattern. I've used it several times over the years. It was on the back of a yarn label. I have taken creative license this time -- I changed the number of rows to suit my mood. I also used blue-n-gold to represent my alma mater -- UCLA. The blanket was for the newborn of a fellow Bruin. I used Plymouth Yarn's Dreambaby DK for this blanket. The directions were from a label from a Caron's yarn.

If you want the directions, leave me a comment and I'll send it to you. I don't have permission to reproduce it online.

In the Mood

2008-04-24T18:18:00.000-07:00

Mood Fabrics is a place I always visit when I go to NYC. You may already know that the designers of Project Runway shop there. I've been to NYC a couple of times during the taping of PR, but I have yet to be there when the designers are there! That would be fab. Meeting Tim would be fab, too. I was watching PR reruns the other night and I saw a couple of employees that I had just seen when I was there. I'm such a geek.

I can't even say how much fabric I've bought there. I have bought Marc Jacobs fabric and Oscar de la Renta fabric there, too. I know that only because one of the employees have told me so. I was also complimented on my fabric choices as well. What can I say? I am a Material Girl. That is so overused, I know, but that really does describe me.

One of the cool things about it is that you get to the 3rd floor of 225 W. 37th Street via an old-fashioned elevator with elevator operators. How often does that happen? They used to have them at the old Ritz-Carlton on Arlington Street (which is now Taj Boston), but I don't know if they still do that. For those of you who are shocked that there is no longer a Ritz in Boston, not to worry: Ritz-Carlton Boston Common.

If you love fabric, Mood really is the place to go. You can get denim, knits, silk, leather, tweed, wool, upholstery -- you name it. I can't do the selection justice here. During the last trip I saw a sign that read "No more samples of Pucci fabric"!! Pucci? See, this place is cool. I am a woven cotton girl, myself. I have yet to venture into the world of knit or silk. I will one of these days. I want to order this book so I can start practicing.

So, what did I get at Mood? I was intrigued by the polka dot print. I love how the polka dots are randomly scattered. You don't see that too often. I think it would be cute for a handbag or a summer top. How about the Ann Taylor top below in that print with the bow in a solid? The picture is from the Harper's Bazaar (Smart shopping). I was unable to find the top on AnnTaylor.com, however

I thought the black fabric would make nice pillows for my guest room. It is not done yet, but it's working on a French theme.

The last PR season, I saw for a quick second Christian carrying around a canvas Mood shopping bag. You notice minutiae like that when you've seen the episodes as many times as I have. I asked if they had any and they did! They even had one with the LA store's address. I had to have NYC, of course. You can order them online.

I will share more Mood acquisitions in later posts!

Direction - The International Textile Design Show

2008-04-19T05:25:00.000-07:00

In a previous post, I mentioned that I am starting my textile design business. I met the artist and clothing designer, Sigrid Olsen, at a talk she gave at the Peabody Essex Museum awhile back. I told her about my plans, and she suggested I attend Direction, which is exactly what I did this week. Hubby and I got up super early so I could catch the 6:20 am (!!) Acela out of Back Bay Station. I arrived at Penn Station at around 9:45 or so.

The show was held at the Penn Plaza Pavilion, which is just across 7th Avenue from Madison Square Garden and Penn Station. Upon first glance, the show was smaller than I'd expected. But, I wasn't disappointed. I got my badge and went upstairs to the booths. Each booth housed a design shop that presented its wares to buyers. Basically, the buyers walk around, choose a booth, introduce themselves and have a seat. Design shop reps show them their fabric designs one-by-one. The buyers choose the ones they like and the reps set them aside. I saw some people taking orders, which is the ultimate goal, of course. I do hear that the textile design business is a tough one, but just about everyone was really nice.

I talked with a few people and showed them my portfolio from my U4ia class at MassArt (Massachusetts Collge of Art and Design). I got kudos from everyone on the presentation :) and I got some good critique on my work as well. Of course, they were not there to help me get started, they were there to do busines for themselves, so I do appreciate those who took the time to talk with me.

There were so many beautiful designs. There are truly talented artists out there who are doing this work. I am not an artist, per se, but I do have an eye for design, and I think I can do well. I talked with a few students from FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology) in NYC. They were part of the "Forward Leap" section of the show, in which students from several schools displayed their work. The FIT students were all in a one-year textile design program. I'd already read about that program and have been wanting to do it since I found out about it! It was interesting to see their work. There are so many people who want to do this work, I've discovered. Still, I'm not deterred just yet.

There were forecasters as well. Forecasters do a lot of research to determine what the "in" thing will be the next season. They forecast style, motifs, themes, and colors, among other things. This must be a big business, because although they were out-numbered by the design houses, they were well represented. There was also a booth on fashion inspiration, Studio C Vintage. Reps from such companies travel the world to gather vintage clothing and fabric and sell them to fashion and design houses. They do insure that their items are in the public domain, so if you do base something on an item, you are safe legally. The idea is to use these pieces as inspiration, not to directly copy them. The rep there was so nice and helpful. She looked at my book, carefully, and really gave me some good points. She is a Cali girl, like myself. We have to stick together! Should I need some vintage inspiration, I will definitely use their service.

I attended a seminar given by Steve Greenberg of Pointcarre. Pointcarre is a textile design software package. He demonstrated what to do with a print once you've purchased it. If you own a print, you can manipulate it in anyway you wish, by removing or adding motifs or changing colors, for example. I used U4ia, as I mentioned, which took some getting used to (and that's putting it mildly). Pointcarre is much more intuitive.

I spoke with Steve after his talk. He told me that U4ia is no longer being distributed. (It looks like Lectra, the U4ia vendor, now markets a product called Kaledo.) Well! I was told a U4ia license costs thousands of dollars, so that doesn't surprise me. The FIT students all used Adobe Illustrator for their work, which is much less expensive, comparatively speaking. Of course, Illustrator can be used for all types of design, so there are limitations when using it for textile design. Pointcarre is specifically for textile design. I got the impression that it is quite expensive as well. Being a programmer myself, I have an idea of what goes into writing such a package, and I can't say I blame them at all.

What is a visit to NYC without a visit to Mood? More on that in the next post!

Views from the Stash #1

2008-04-13T17:27:00.000-07:00

Hello! I have a lot of fabric in my stash, as Sharona and my husband can attest to. This is the first post of many in which I will share some of my favorites from my stash. If you've been reading along, you know I shop at Fabric Place. It's the closest fabric store to me that has a wide selection. They also have seconds of fashion and upholstery. The fabric I'm featuring this post is Carmen from Alexander Henry (circa 2004) that I bought on sale :) . The designers at Alexander Henry are among the best! I bought 3 yards of Carmen. It has a very large repeat. The longest Carmen is about 13" and there are four of them! It was a sentimental purchase -- it reminds me of a bedspread I had as a child that featured a conversational print with old Hollywood stars like Carmen Miranda, Laurel and Hardy, Marilyn Monroe, etc. You'll see that I love conversational prints.

Any ideas on what I should do with this fabric?

Original Sewing and Quilt Expo

2008-04-09T06:39:00.001-07:00

I can't believe it's been so long since my last post. Where does the time go? Thought I'd write about the Original Sewing and Quilt Expo, which takes place every year in several cities across the U.S. I have known about this for years, but have yet to attend for one reason or another. How dare the BostonSewer not attend the event of the year! This year, the reason I won't be going is due to the work on my project over on FlexAIR. If I were to attend, I'd be packing up and heading out to Worcester, MA for the weekend. I really hope I can attend next year.

I do have news. I will be attending a different kind of show in NYC! More about that later...

I've been tagged!

2008-03-30T17:07:00.001-07:00

Hello!

I have not blogged because I've been working on my project, some of which I discuss on my other blog, FlexAIR. Anyway, thank you, Cherri, for tagging me!! Here are 7 things about me:

1. I am originally from California. I grew up in Sacramento and went to UCLA for undergrad. When I think of my childhood in Sacramento, I think of warm weather, taking our boat on on the river, visiting cousins in Santa Cruz, backyard barbeques, road trips to visit family in Wichita, and Christmas Eve with my best friends. I had so much fun in Los Angeles and made the best friends anyone could have.

2. I moved to Boston all by myself 15 years ago. I originally visited Boston on an invitation from a friend. Once I saw the place, I knew I had to be here! I met my husband in Boston. Our courtship (there is no modern word for that, is there?) took place in Boston so it will always be very special. We took our wedding pictures in the Public Garden. Boston is such a great city. It's most enjoyable from May through October. And those of you who've been here November through April know what I'm talking about. Okay, Okay, November, December and April aren't so bad. But it's still too cold wear strappy sandals (see #6).

3. I love, love, love fabric! So much so that I am now starting my textile design business. If I had buckets of money (as Cherri says) I would do it full time. I will be continuing my day job (software development), however!

4. I love sewing and quilting. I don't get to do as much as I want with my day job and my current schoolwork. Once I am finished with school, I will devote more time to it. I talk about my work on my school project on this blog: FlexAIR

5. I love visiting NYC. I've been there twice already this year. Once to attend FASHION WEEK(!!!) and once as an impromptu trip with my hubby. I also went on a Martha trip with Sharona last September. I want to work behind the scenes at Fashion Week next year. If I had buckets of money I'd own an apartment in NYC. On the East Side, with George and Weezie, of course.

6. I love clothes and shoes and fashion. I like wearing chic, flirty, lady-like designs and strappy sandals and wedges. Of course, living in Boston, I don't always dress this way. Especially this winter.

7. I wish I could be on Project Runway. I am not a designer (nor have I had the training) and I can't sew well enough for the challenges, however. What if they developed a show called Project Stylist? Project Textile? These probably aren't strong enough concepts to build a show around.

My 7 Favorite Blogs are... Oh wait, this is way more than 7! I am not going to tag them, however, because they have been tagged multiple times. I've been reading most of them for quite awhile, and I already know a lot about them. Forgive me for not adding the links. I have to get back to work on my project, so I don't have time to put all the links in. I'll update them next time -- maybe. A quick Google search will help you find them!

Anna Maria Horner
Amy Tangerine
Blogging Project Runway
Cherry House Quilts
Crazy Mom Quilts
decor8
disdressed
Heather Bailey
Kirin and Co.
The Martha Blog
Nasty Wench's All Things Crafty
Portabello Pixie
The Purl Bee
Quilters' Buzz
Satsuma Press
Sew, Mama, Sew
U-handblog
Whip Up

Thank you, Cherry House!

2008-03-22T07:13:00.000-07:00

I won a cute bundle of black and white fabric by participating in a giveaway on one of my favorite blogs, Cherry House. I love the quilts they make and their patterns. Thank you!!

Notes on "Super Quick + Easy Baby Quilt"

2008-03-20T17:34:00.000-07:00

(Photo from PurlSoho.com.)

I promised a few notes on the "Super Quick + Easy Baby Quilt" from Joelle Hoverson's "Last-Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts" . The link will take you to a listing of two of Joelle's books that she sells on her website, PurlSoho.com. More on PurlSoho later. But for now, definitely check it out. It's one of my regular NYC haunts. Hi, Joelle!!

I thought I could square the fabric by folding it, but it doesn't work! Open out the entire piece of fabric before squaring.

When you are sewing the two pieces of fabric (right sides) together, do not start at a corner. Start in the middle of one of the sides. You will then turn it right-side out through the opening.

Joelle suggested tacking the quilt by machine by sewing the tacks in a row, without cutting the thread until you reach the end of a row. This works, but be sure to leave plenty of slack in the thread in between tacks. I did not do this initially. There was too much tension and the tacks didn't come out as I liked. I was using an oval shaped satin stitch. In some places, the tacks were smaller than they should have been. I had to take them all out and do them over!

Use a contrasting fabric pen or pencil to mark ties. Practice on scrap fabric before doing this on the quilt. You want to make sure your stitching covers the mark... even though it will eventually wash out.

Speaking of washing, I like washing my fabric first. I use a tiny bit of detergent and no fabric softener. I don't let the fabric dry completely -- it's easier to press the wrinkles out. I read online (in About.com, I think) that you can make a diagonal cut on the corners to prevent fraying. Seems to work. Just don't cut too much off! The smaller your fabric, the smaller your quilt!

Check the quilting distance on the batting package. The batting I used suggested tacking every 2"-4", so I tacked every 4". It is quite a bit even though the quilt is small. I used Poly-fil Extra Loft Batting, even though that was not in the supply list! I love thick batting on quilts.

I enjoyed the pattern. It doesn't take too long, but all those tacks! Did I mention that I had to do 81 tacks, twice?? The quilt came out really cute, though! It's best for newborns, since it's not that big. I hope to make another one for another little boy who just came into the world.

You can see a picture of the quilt here.

Quilt for a Cure

2008-03-15T14:20:00.001-07:00

Today I participated in "Quilt for a Cure," sponsored by Fabric Place. Each year, Fabric Place sponsors this event in which sewers volunteer to put together a quilt. The quilt is later raffled off and the funds go to supporting breast cancer research. They usually have us make blocks for two quilts, but this year, we made one quilt and tote bags with matching pillows for chemotherapy patients to use when they go on their appointments. I think that was a great and thoughtful idea. What's even better, is that they can be used right away. The quilt tops are finished the same day, but getting them quilted takes awhile.

This was my 5th year participating. Attending this event in 2004 is what got my quilting juices jumpstarted. I had always wanted to quilt, but just hadn't done it. I'd been sewing off and on for years, but this event got me back on track. Thanks, Fabric Place!

First Post

2008-03-13T19:46:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to BostonSewer! The first sewing project I'd like to share with you is a little quilt I made for my friend, Beth, who had a baby boy in Februray. I used the "Super Quick + Easy Baby Quilt" pattern found in Joelle Hoverson's book "Last Minute Patchwork and Quilted Gifts". Soon, I'll tell a little story of how I purchased that book! Hi Sharona!! :)

The quilt is fairly easy. I'd say the hardest part was doing the tying. I put in 81 machine-sewed ties. And I had to do all 81 twice, because I didn't like the way I did them the first time. I'll post my notes on making this quilt to make it easier for anyone who might like to try it.

I love Joelle's book, by the way. The photography is beautiful, but I wish there were diagrams to go along with the instructions. Until the next post, here is the blanket.