Lizzy is in the House!

Last week I was lucky enough to get into the class Fabric Pattern Design and Printing with Lizzy House at gather here in Cambridge, MA.  It was nice to see Lizzy in my home state!  

The two-day class started off with Lizzy talking about how she entered the fabric design industry.  She also talked about elements that go into the design of a collection and taught how to make repeats by hand using tracing paper.  When you do it by hand, you really learn it!  We designed a three-piece collection and selected one for block printing.

The second day was reserved for block printing.  Lizzy majored in printmaking in school and it's something she really loves.  Her passion really shines through in her teaching.  Block printing takes quite a bit of time:  carving your block, getting the painting surfaces ready, preparing the fabric, preparing the paint and then finally printing the fabric with the blocks.  Oh, I forgot to mention cleaning the blocks!  I really like block printing.  It is a great way to experiment and develop new ideas.  I need to carve out some time and space to do it at home, though! (Ba-doom-pish!)

I was supposed to attend Lizzy's talk sponsored by the Boston Modern Quilt Guild and the Seacoast Modern Quilt Guild, which was held the morning on the same day our second class was held.  I had a quilting emergency that kept me up until very late the night before.  I knew I had Lizzy's 6-hour class later that day, so I decided to sleep in (and I was afraid to drive up to West Newbury on only a few hours' sleep).  What quilting emergency, you ask? I'll blog about that a little later.

Lizzy graciously agreed to pose with my PB-Complete quilt I made this summer.  This quilt has all the Pearl Bracelets that have been released to date.  We will have more Pearl Bracelets in early 2014, so I'll have bragging rights for a little while longer. 

See what everyone else is up to this WIP Wednesday!

QuiltCon: Denyse Schmidt

My friend, Deborah, who came up from Houston to see the quilts said, “I’m surprised you came.” She said that because I was just in Texas a few months ago for Fall Quilt Market. Even though I had just made a trip, how could I resist an event put on by the Modern Quilt Guild?

I’ve said before that I became a modern quilter once I picked up the Modern Quilt Workshop by Weeks Ringle and Bill Kerr. That was in 2005. I was so moved by what I saw in their book that I looked them up and took their class on quilt design. (Sorry, I don’t remember the name!) Seeing the work of Weeks and Bill, the work of Denyse Schmidt and seeing the exhibit, The Quilts of Gee’s Bend, made me feel as though I’d found my quilting home. My journey as a quilter started around the same time the modern movement started. That’s why I had to go to QuiltCon. And I’m so glad I did.

Many bloggers and tweeters have shared the pictures they took of the quilts. I will share mine later. But first, I want to talk about Denyse Schmidt and her class I took: String Pieced Zippy Purse. Yup. I got to take a class with one of my heroes. I was in awe. But I was also a bit frazzled as I had just flown into Austin and entered the class a bit late. She didn’t mind though. She just had me jump right in. Denyse is a great teacher. She is easy going and helpful. It felt as if I’d already known her!

If you are a fan of Denyse you know that she is known for her improvisational quilts. She had us use improvisational piecing to create a small purse with a zipper. We sewed strips of fabric of different sizes onto an oilcloth rectangle. We then put in a zipper, folded the rectangle and sewed up the sides. I have never tried improvisational piecing on my own, but I will certainly try it now. And the zippy purse is something you can whip up in no time and makes a great gift.

Denyse was also the keynote speaker for QuiltCon. She talked about her influences: her parents, who grew up during the depression, saved everything and made everything; her work at RISD, namely a stone cutting class; graphic design and eventually quilting. A few points really resonated with me. Denyse spoke of an assignment in one of her early classes.

She created a small book based on personality traits. The things we wanted people to think about us were on light pages. The things we really feel were on dark pages. The design came from the content.

She was introduced to Appalachian music and from it she learned the importance of cultivating your own style.

She spoke of Anna Williams, a woman who made beautiful improvisational quilts in a tiny room, not in a spacious studio. Work with what you’ve got.

Finally, Denyse peppered the slides that accompanied her talk with sayings from famous people. My favorites:

Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken. -- Oscar Wilde

You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club. -- Jack London

After all the eloquent words from Denyse, I feel bad subjecting you to my zippy purse, but here it is in all its glory.  I accidentally sliced through my bag with my rotary cutter.  Not to worry, a nice stitch on one of the Janome machines provided for the class fixed it right up!

PB Complete

I have finally completed my collection of Lizzy House's Pearl Bracelet fabric.  I am proud to say that I have some discontinued prints -- chocolate on orange (left side, top) and semi-sweet (left side, second from top)  from Guising, and galosh (left side, 5th from top) and feather (left side, 3rd from top) from Red Letter Day.

Some of the colors I was hoping for are: Cosmonaut (left side 4th from bottom), Tin Man (left side, 7th from bottom) and Bright Star (right side, bottom). Some pleasant surprises are Isolated Shower (left side, 2nd from bottom) and Juniper (right side, 6th from bottom).

I am designing a new project using my Electric Quilt software and hexagons courtesy of my AccuQuilt Go Baby.

BostonSewer at Fabric 2.0

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!

If only everything in life were so easy...

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!

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)

Seams to Me!

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

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

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

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!

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!

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!

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!

Pattern Review & Sawyer Brook

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! :)

NY Fashion Week -- Spring '09!

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. :)

Yves Saint Laurent

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.