First Gift of the Season!

Yesterday was a busy one.

To backtrack, I had two shows last weekend.  One, on Saturday, was really slow (it rained, and even though Philadelphians should be able to tolerate weather -- it was 50 stinking degrees, after all -- they weren't coming out in it).  It was one of those sad days consisting mostly of vendors shopping from each other.

Sunday, on the other hand . . .  Sunday was five hours outside in mid-30 degree weather, and it passed in about an hour and a half.  It was that busy.

I also sold so much I officially don't have enough stock for this coming weekend.  Talk about first world problems!

So yesterday, I got up, made 15 Christmas stockings, did a 3 hour cashier shift at my local Arts League craft sale (almost no customers, lots of reading), went to Mario's office Christmas party, went to a holiday party at Philadelphia Independents, a local store that carries my work, did some food shopping at Trader Joe's and then came home and watched a movie.  (More on the movie later; I have a recommendation for everyone).

I met up with a crafting friend at Philadelphia Independents.  Danni Morinich doesn't sell through that shop (yet), but she will.  She brought some soap samples, and brought me a little present for encouraging her (otherwise known as being my usual pain-in-the-ass self).  Isn't it fabulous?  It completely covers my life at the moment -- teddy bear, scissors and sewing machine!

Here's a link to her Etsy shop and her wonderful soaps.  My favorite is Mrs. Patmore's Soap for Cooks.  How can you resist a Downton reference?  And I love Mrs. Patmore!

Day of the Dead Kitty Finds a New Home

Last week, my Day of the Dead Kitty pillow cover was purchased by a dear online friend, Maria Wulf, whose blog Full Moon Fiber Art, chronicles her journey as a talented fiber artist.

I was really touched that Maria would want to buy a piece of my work -- she makes wonderful things herself -- but I was also thrilled because I know how it feels to be touched by something and want it for your own.

Maria and her husband, Jon Katz, had some bad news these last couple of days.  Their barn cat, Minnie, had a run-in with an animal, possibly a raccoon, and had to have one of her legs amputated.

Maria posted on her blog today that my pillow cover arrived just in time.  She's spread it over the cage where Minnie will be living for the next 10 days, added a few crystals that she found recently, and is calling it "Minnie's Altar."

Whatever your beliefs, I think that's a lovely thing to do.  Doing something positive and beautiful instead of worrying and feeling negative; Minnie will get better all the quicker for having someone who cares enough to make something beautiful to help her get well.  Check out Maria's post on Minnie's altar here.

Better with friends

Well, not ALWAYS alone.
Meet Lily, sewing room supervisor

We work alone, hunched over our sewing machines, worrying about whether or not our project is going to turn out, if anyone will like it, if anyone will ever buy it.

We work alone.

But there are others out there like us.  We just need to find them.

I got found last week by an online friend, Maria Wulf, of Full Moon Fiber Arts.  She started an open group on Facebook and invited all her creative friends, both real and virtual, to join.  There are quilters and painters and potters writers and photographers and weavers and more.

It's only been a week, but I'm already feeling the benefit of a wonderful bunch of creative people, sharing their projects and talking about their plans.

It's better with friends.

PR Weekend - The Recap

I know there are variations on this photo on many blogs and Patternreview; Meg was kind enough to take a handful of cameras and keep us all in place until every photo was taken.  I think she now knows what it's like to herd cats, because we kept hearing the siren song of the fabric and starting to creep out of the frame.

Kenneth King - courtesy of Lisette

My train got into Penn Station at 8:10 a.m. on Friday.  I came up from Philadelphia with Mimi, who could only stay for Friday.  We got to the hotel in about 15 minutes and immediately ran into familiar faces.  Much squealing ensued (how is it we can still all revert to 13 that easily?) and I took my bag upstairs to the room.  Back down again, I threw back a coffee and we went shopping, which I've covered in my previous post.

After shopping, I went back to the hotel and put my feet up for a while.  Even though we hadn't walked that far, or carried that much (I love Kashi for shipping my fabric), I'd been up since 5:30 a.m. and was wiped.

One of the PR Weekend events most people were looking forward to was the Simplicity Patterns tour.  I have to say, I wasn't one of them.  I don't know why; I'm not anti-Simplicity, I just didn't feel up to it and I was conserving my energy for one of the true highlights of the weekend, which was the Schiaparelli / Prada exhibit at the Met.

Lunch at Crisp - photo by Bonnie, by way of Lisette

It's not the Alexander McQueen exhibit from last year, but other than that comparison, I have nothing negative to say.  I also realized I like Prada more than I thought, and I just adore Schiaparelli.  Sometimes it was hard to tell which was the vintage piece and which was the new; her things were so timeless.  Out of time, maybe.  Amazing pieces, though not as many as I would have liked.  I didn't get the book, but mainly because I didn't want to have to carry it.

Afterward, the seven of us (me, Elizabeth, Claudine, Connie, Lisette, Jeanette and Andrea) went to dinner and then gelato.  Thank you, Elizabeth, for finding a place that would take us all in and feed us.  And for pointing us toward gelato.

Pattern Exchange - courtesy of Kyle

Which is only topped by wine.  Our hotel had a lovely outdoor patio which our group commandeered every evening to sit and talk and drink wine.  I'm still surprised no one complained, but we really weren't out there that late; we were too tired.

Saturday was workshop day.  We managed to find a NYC cab driver who couldn't find Pace University, so we were a few minutes late, but thankfully Kenneth King can pack enough information and entertainment into a morning that I don't feel like we missed too much.  That man is amazing.  He did a "greatest hits" slideshow and talked about how he started his career, how he puts his pieces together, and generally got us all inspired.  Sometimes it's not what he tells us that gets me; he just puts my brain in a place where it starts spinning all on its own, and I know for certain I still haven't processed everything he told us.

Annoying the neighbors - courtesy of Kyle

Before lunch, we hit the pattern exchange.  I was good.  I brought about 25 patterns and only took home 10.  I wasn't planning on bring home any, but it's better than 25.  I guess.

After lunch (which was at Crisp, and was falafel, one of my favorites, followed by macaroons at Financier), we listened to Diana Rupp.  Though she's about as different as you can get from Kenneth King, parts of her story were remarkably similar.  I missed the last part of the presentation because a few of us wandered off at the break, walked down to the South Street Seaport and then went back to the hotel to change for dinner.

Dinner was at Tony DiNapolis up in Times Square. Great family style presentation and the space to take on 100 howling sewists who not only ate and drank like champs but also made speeches, took pictures, handed out prizes and loudly sang happy birthday to someone across the room.  Afterward we walked back to the hotel, stopping to drool over M&J Trims' window, and we ended the evening on the patio.  Again.

What, no night hours?  Photo courtesy of Kyle

Things start to break up on Sunday morning.  After breakfast, Lisette and Liz and I walked down the street to a flea market.  We each found a a few goodies (because obviously we didn't have enough souvenirs), and then we all headed our separate ways.

I love going to NY, and I'm always happy to get home.  The city starts to wear on me, the size, the noise, the people.  Add an extra 100 people and it's a little overwhelming, but in a good way.  I got home, kissed Mario, kissed the cats, unpacked my fabric and took a well-deserved nap.

Pattern Review Weekend - The Fabrics

I can't talk about a PR Weekend without talking about fabric.  It's as essential as the friendships that are made and the friends who are re-encountered year after year, having aged not a bit, but whose wardrobes have expanded exponentially.

Since I had just been to NYC recently (remember the trip with Mario, when I wasn't going to buy any fabric and Kashi basically knocked me over the head and when I woke up there was a UPS box on my doorstep full of goodies?), I didn't plan on buying much.

Except for a few specific things.

You see, I had a few gift certificates.  Yes, a few.  Back at Christmastime, two of the lawyers I work with gave me gift certificates to Mood, always welcome because the stuff I generally fall for in Mood isn't the stuff I can afford, so other people's money is always welcome.

Also, at Secretary's Day or Administrative Professionals Day or whatever PC term we want to use these days for throwing a gift at the person who cleans up your messes all year long, Andrea convinced my lawyers to chip in for a gift certificate to Metro Textiles.  I'm only sorry I couldn't convince her bosses to do something that imaginative.

So I had other people's money to spend.  And on Friday, I chose to start out - where else - at Metro Textiles because I wanted to hit up Kashi while he was fresh and before the store turned into a total trash heap.  There were about 10 of us there right after he opened, and I think we did him proud.  I know I did.

I got 7 fabrics from Kashi, most of them 2 yard cuts.  The prize, at least to me, is the fabric at the top right.  The underside is fleecy, but the top feels almost like a close-cropped fake fur, and the leather texture is printed.  It's soft and cuddly and drapy and strange.  I love it.  It was the most expensive piece, and it's going to take up a crapload of space in the workroom, so I'd better decide what jacket it wants to be soon.

Other than that, I went knit happy, as I always do at Metro.  The second photo, left, is two knits, different prints but exactly the same colors.  I couldn't resist, and I'd love to find a way to mix the two that wouldn't make people dizzy.

Third, my loud purchase of the weekend.  I loved the orange/brown tones of the print, but the solid was the perfect contrast orange, so I had to have that as well.  I also had to have the wonderful faux tie-dye stripe, if that's what you call it.  Blues and greens and browns and ivory.  Mine.  Lastly, I got two yards of a black cable sweater knit, and four yards of a wonderful soft heathered gray knit that I intend to use for around-the-house clothes.  (My lounging clothes are just . . . beyond awful.  My flannels have lost their fluff, my sweatshirts have holes, and face it, sometimes I'd like to still look decent when I'm at home).

From there, we went to Mood, where Meg was a very gracious hostess and turned us loose on the store like a bunch of ravening wolves.  Having money to spend, do you know I wandered that entire store - three floors - and couldn't find something I wanted.  Or something I wanted enough to make me turn away from the other fabrics I considered.  Finally I went downstairs to their lowest level, where the leathers live, picked out a gorgeous supple olive green lambskin, and plunked the roll on the table. The Mood guy asked how many skins I wanted, and I said, "$125 worth."  Except then I saw the Persian lamb and had to have one of the honey-colored skins for a collar, so I scaled back on the green.  There's enough of it, that's all I care about.  And it's a less "sticky" color than pictured; it didn't photograph well with the flash.

After Mood, we broke for lunch.  After hitting Metro and Mood that quickly, and that hard, it's a wonder we weren't broken.  But after a restorative glass of wine and some fish and chips, we were off again.

I've lost track of the order here, but I know we hit up Pacific Trims, my favorite trim store in the Garment District.  I know there are others, and I've purchased from them, but there's something that keeps me coming back to Pacific.  But this time, all I got were two lengths of chain for two upcoming (eventually) jackets.

I haven't been to Paron's since they moved.  It's bizarre - it looks like they picked up the old store, gave it a good shake, changed the light bulbs and put it back down.  It doesn't have the narrow side Annex anymore, but there are a good selection of half price fabrics in the back  Of course I did not find a half price fabric.

One of the things I had been looking for at Mood was a moss or olive green boucle.  For yet another jacket.  At least count, I have three boucles which are still awaiting jackethood.  But I needed another.  And Mood didn't have the exact thing I pictured, which is how I ended up with leather.  Oh, the hardship.

But Paron's, they had the exact stinking green fabric that I wanted at Mood.  I waffled.  I showed it to every PR woman in the store, and everyone, everyone, said I should buy it.

Isn't it nice when your friends validate the choice you've already made?  So I bought 2 yards.  And in real light, without camera flash, it's beautiful with the Mood leather.  If I wore leather skirts, I would step back from the green leather jacket idea and make a leather skirt.  I'm still vaguely considering it; I just need to find a "me" skirt that would look good in leather.

Which means both boucle and leather will go into the stash, to marinate for however long it will take.  Maybe I'll take down one of those other boucles; I can hear them talking up there, on the high shelf.  They're plotting an avalanche, and I'm afraid the new one will just jump right in and help them.

So that's PR Weekend fabric.  There will be a full Weekend recap, but my camera died as soon as I walked into the workshops on Saturday, so I'm still waiting on a few photos from others, and I'm still digesting some of what I heard that day .

Moral of the story: if you have the opportunity to attend a PR Weekend, be it in your area or across the country, DO IT.  You'll get so much more from it than it could ever cost.

Sewing Saturday

Fits me better than Evelyn!

I was lucky enough to spend the day on Saturday surrounded by other sewing women, sewing machines, sewing projects and enough energy and creativity to run those machines.

Annette of Fabricate and Mira invited group of us to her house and we spent the day sewing, talking, trading fabric and pattern magazines, eating, and sewing. Annette and Mimi also wrapped each other in paper tape (which was probably less fun than it looked to someone not being wrapped in wet tape), and ended up with a Frida Kahlo-esque body cast to work from. I'm actually kind of intrigued, but if I ever do it, I think I may go the duct tape route instead. 

Noile showed off the jacket pattern she's making for her husband, and started working very efficiently at the head of the table.  Lee almost made me reconsider quilting.  Almost.  Pat couldn't stay long but it was great to see her and I believe she left with a few issues of Burda, circa 2006.  Valerie was a satin stitch assembly line across the table.  The fashionably late Andrea worked on a jacket that I can't wait to see finished. 


Stencil was meant for another
project, but I like it here.

Of course I didn't really have a project planned to bring along - I'm working on a dress but it's all done except for hems and a little tweaking. So instead I pulled together some production sewing, stuff I could work on and talk at the same time without risk of messing it up. When I finish a knit project and have a remnant left over, I cut out my standard KS 3338 tshirt from it and put it aside until some time when I have motivation but no projects on hand.

I took 3 tops with me, one heathered gray with a stencil, one solid red and one sweater knit that I picked up at Jomar last year (I think it was part of the Marc Jacobs' remnant haul that they got). All 3 tops were finished except for hems (and about 2" of a side seam on the red tee, because I ran out of bobbin thread and it was so close to the end of the day that I didn't want to bother winding a new one. I finished them up tonight.



Why does red photograph
so badly?

  So not only did I have a wonderful time with friends, I got a lot done. And ran out in the middle to get my hair cut, to boot. Now I no longer look like a sheepdog and I have 3 new tops to show for my fun Saturday.

And (almost) best of all, I took 2 big bags of fabrics that for one reason or another didn't make the cut to stay in the stash.  Almost all of them found new homes, and those that didn't, only made it as far as my downstairs hallway.  Off to the thrift store they went this morning.

The circle widens

Now that I have my head above water, I can mention the fact that the sewing world got just a little bigger last weekend. Gaylen of GMarieSews, was in town over the holiday weekend with her husband and we were able to meet up on Sunday morning for coffee (but alas, no fabric shopping; she did that on Monday).


Not surprisingly, she is another lovely, interesting woman whom I felt like I'd known for ages - about 5 minutes into the conversation. What is it about sewists? We're a very likable bunch. Her husband was also a good and patient man, tolerating sewing and other conversation with nary a sigh or an eyeroll. Sewists also apparently have likable husbands.

Another sign that she's one of my people - we were talking about knitting (which I'm still resisting, mostly for fear of another stash) and she showed me her very gorgeous socks that she had knit herself. And she let me touch them, and didn't think it was weird.

That's what I'm talking about.

That's what friends are for

Last May, for the Philly PR Weekend, a few sewing friends stayed at my house.  Elizabeth brought a great hostess gift - wine and fabric.  The fabric was beautiful, a gray, pink and black plaid, pictured here.

Unlike the wine, which didn't last long enough to have its pictuer taken, the fabric has been aging ever since.  But this past weekend, I finally decided what it wanted to be, and I pulled it off the shelf.  And there wasn't enough.

Normally, 2 yards is plenty for most projects.  Because of the complexity of what I have in mind, I needed more like 4 yards.  I knew where the fabric came from, and I tried there.  No luck - sold out. 

I mentioned to Elizabeth by email that I was looking for more of the fabric, and she said casuallly, "I have 2 pieces at home.  I'll put them in the mail for you tomorrow."

She's getting a thank you in the form of something from my stash, and my gratitude for helping a fellow sewist out of a tight spot.

This is why I love this community. 

PR Weekend Chicago



The Bean

I'm home.  I'm still exhausted, my voice is coming and going due to having talked enough for 3 weeks instead of 3 days, and I had a fabulous time.

PR Weekend in 3 words: friends, fabric and . . . fog.  Chicago had the most inconsistent weather I've ever experienced.  I spent most of the trip shivering and with wet feet, and had to buy a fleece throw for my bed in the dorms, but I had a great time nonetheless and had 3 of the best women for roommates, Connie, Touran and Andrea. 



Lace trimmed jacket

 There's something to be said for sharing space with like-minded women who shower efficiently, don't spend hours in front of the mirror and are ready and raring to go for coffee in the morning when I am.

My plane got in late on Friday so I missed the first half of the shopping day at Vogue Fabrics.  Not a hardship, as it turned out - there were plenty more fabrics at Fishman's, the other Vogue and a small shop called New Rainbow where I found a great cotton print for a summer skirt.  And Andrea picked up a knit for me at Vogue to make up for my missing out - and to keep me from stealing her identical fabric in a different color.  She knows me well.

My roommates

Instead of shopping on Friday a.m., I walked down to the lake and nursed a large coffee.  After dealing with airport delays, security lines (and too many people who just won't calm down and walk through the damn scanner already), having my deodorant confiscated as being 1/4 oz. over the legal limit of dangerous liquids, a trio of howling babies, turbulence and a late arrival, sitting down by the water, listening to the gulls, watching the boats and the joggers, was just what I needed.  I had a leisurely lunch on my own and met up with everyone at Fishman's in the afternoon.

This was the biggest PR Weekend ever - over 100 attendees.  This was both good and bad - I got to meet people I'd never met, and wanted to, but I also didn't get to spend enough time with others who I know and wanted to talk to (sorry, Sherril!).  



View from the room

 Saturday dawned bright and dreary.  Friday's chilly, then warm, then chilly weather turned, well, chillier.  We all went to breakfast and then back to the conference center for the first part of Angela Wolf's presentation.  I admit, I was a little iffy at first about being in the same room all day, listening to the same person - it didn't matter who, or what she was talking about; I was in a new place and wanted to explore.  But the first half of the presentation was so interesting, and Angela was so inspiring to listen to, that I started to reconsider abandoning her for the Art Institute and the Bean.  She's self-taught, so she has no "rules" that you have to follow; she's figured out her way of doing things for herself and listening to her talk about how she learned to deal with silks (by abusing them in the washer and dryer - why not?) and how to make Chanel jackets really had me wanting to run home to my machine.

We broke for lunch, and a few of us walked up to another fabric store on Wabash Avenue for a quickie purchase.  I got 2 yards of wool there, and when we came out, it was colder, and raining pretty hard.  We sprinted back to the University Center, had lunch there (one free daily meal with registration) and traipsed back downstairs. 



Angela Wolf's jacket

 The Art Institute was defeated by a deadly combination of inspiration and bad weather.  The afternoon session was more about fabric dyeing, which I have to say doesn't interest me that much, but there was enough other information tossed in, and enough questions asked, that I didn't regret attending at all.  After that was over, and before dinner, I retreated upstairs to read for an hour and warm my feet in my fleece blanket.

The last group dinner was downstairs in the conference center again.  We had salad and pizza and cake, and there was an absolute swarm at the pattern swap counter.  I thought I had pretty sharp elbows, but these ladies are professionals. 



How cool is this?

 On Sunday, Deepika was being honored with a proclamation for her work with Patternreview by the lieutenant governor of Illinois, Sheila Simon, herself a sewist.  I wanted to go, but the flight schedule wasn't cooperative - I'd booked my flights before the Sunday activity was announced, and airlines are remarkably cranky (and expensive) about last-minute changes of plan.  Bah.  But a good time was had by all, Deepika was honored for what she's done (and deserves every bit of it), and I got home in one piece with my fabric, tired but happy.

This was supposed to be a really short post with a "more later" at the bottom, but apparently I can't stop even when I'm tired. 

I'll stop now.  More later.  Probably.

Why?

Why, when something cool happens, do I never remember that I have a camera in my bag? Riddle me that one, dear readers.

Monday night, I was fortunate enough to have cocktails with Melissa (and her new husband James), who are in the States, and at that point in Philadelphia, on their honeymoon. We met near my office and talked for an easy 2 hours before they went off to dinner and I went home for mine.

As our kind are known to do, I admired her Vogue 8576 dress and Patrones jacket, and Melissa remarked on my BWOF September turtleneck. It's so nice to be among my own kind. James more than held up his end of the conversation - the man can talk shirting fabric with the best of us. Melissa showed me a few of the professional photos from their wedding; make sure you check out her blog when they're posted because they are fabulous.

In other happy news, I'm an almost-auntie! The baby for whom I sewed all that ridiculous pinkness was born last Thursday, more than 2 weeks ahead of the doctor's due date, a week ahead of Dad's best estimate, and right on time as far as Mom was concerned. I'm hoping to meet her this weekend.

There's some sewing being done, but it's more craft show stuff. I'm trying to knock a bunch of it out before vacation, which is coming up shortly. A hint of our vacation destination is attached. Where in the world am I off to?

PR NYC Shopping Day - August 28, 2010

Look at all those happy faces. Is it something in the fabric, do you think, or is it the fabric itself? Or is it the camaraderie, the sharing of ideas, projects past and future, the creative boost I always get from one of these get-togethers?

How about all of the above.

And I bought fabric, too. (More on that later - it's just out of the dryer and I need to fold it and pet it a little, introduce it to the rest of the stash).

Escape from New York

I had other titles for this post, but I decided to stick with the one that felt most like the situation we were in yesterday.

Was it only yesterday?

Last weekend, when it was spring, we got the bright idea to go to New York on Saturday. And bought the bus tickets online. We didn't buy round trip tickets because we weren't sure when we wanted to come back. We decided we'd take the train home.

The day didn't start off well: leaving the house at 6:30 a.m. when it's bucketing down rain is a Bad Idea. Then the bus was late, apparently due to the first bus breaking down. I think, "Well, at least we weren't on it when it broke down." At this point, I'm still wishing we'd slept in.

We got to NY on time and had late breakfast with Elizabeth and a young man named Jack who was sporting a very dashing mustache. I also got to meet Elizabeth's blue trenchcoat. We went to Paron's, where this lovely silk panel print followed me out. I also got some lining fabric. So far, so good.

Elizabeth and Jack had to leave, but Mario and I continued on. A brief stop at Pacific Trims got me some bamboo bag handles and a zipper (on the list). We stopped in at the FIT Museum to see their exhibits: American Beauty, which reminded me of the Isabel Toledo exhibit because it made me want to go home and sew, and Night & Day, which had a lot of beautiful pieces. I only set off the alarm once by leaning too close to a vintage Dior day dress. Take a walk through the exhibit. Try not to drool on your keyboard.

For Ralph Rucci fans, the American Beauty exhibit is a must - you can lean and see all the wonderful detail that doesn't always come through in photographs. Carolyn and LindsayT, I'm talking to you!

After that, we went to the Chelsea Flea Market, where some vintage buttons and a couple of Bakelite buckles insisted on coming home with me. Late lunch at a little French restaurant recommended by Mario's co-worker, and we were ready to go home. The play I helped costume was closing last night and we were invited to the stage strike and closing party.

All the while, it's been raining. The wind is so bad walking back to the station that I gave up on my umbrella and got soaked, because we'd be home in a few hours. Or not, as it turned out.

Because apparently this wasn't a rain storm. This storm was freaking biblical.

We left Penn Station on the 3:52 p.m. express to Trenton. Because of flooded switches, it took us almost 2 hours to get to Newark. For those who don't know their East Coast geography, that's spitting distance from New York. From there, it took another hour to get to Rahway, NJ, where the train suddenly stopped making train noises and started to coast into the station, and the female conductor's voice came over the speaker saying, "Oh, no . . . ."

Oh, yes. New Jersey Transit had lost power. Electric trains go nowhere without electricity, you see. So we were stuck there. Still wet, growing crankier by the minute. It's going on 7:00 p.m. by this point. We comment that we might be late to the party.

Two hours later, we're still sitting there. They've promised us a diesel train - to take people back to NY - or some shuttle buses, to take us on to the rest of the station stops. But the buses haven't arrived. All of a sudden, everyone gets up. It's like watching an entire flock of birds take flight at the same time. We all get up and go downstairs to look for the buses. When they come, it's like something out of a disaster movie, pushing, shoving, screaming, one poor transit cop trying to keep order.

We end up on the second bus out. The driver, who came down from NY after a full work day, had been told he was bringing people back to NY. The transit cop and station personnel informed him otherwise, and about 100 wet, angry, frustrated travelers were more than he could argue with. Besides, he needed our help to find the stations, because he wasn't familiar with New Jersey, and half the roads he needed were (a) flooded out, (b) had trees lying across them, or (c) were flooded out and had trees lying across them. We were also driving in pitch dark, because hardly anywhere had power.

We made it to Trenton at 12:30 a.m. The last train to Philadelphia left at 1:00 a.m. Trust me, we were on it. We got home at 2:00, which promptly became 3:00 a.m., because the clocks went forward.

All I could think of, as I finally got into dry socks, dry clothes, and my bed, was if I spent 10 hours cramped into an uncomfortable seat, I should have been getting off a plane in Paris.

Know what, though? I think I had a good time yesterday. But like labor, I think the memory of the pain needs to fade before I can really appreciate it.

Where to Start?

What do you get when you take friends, both old and new, add a hefty dose of fabric shopping, lots of conversation and a few good meals? One heck of a weekend, that's what!

It all started on Friday: first Elizabeth appeared, followed shortly by Connie, all the way from snow Canada (and she brought us some snow) and then, after we trooped across the street for coffee, we were joined by Trena and Renee.

No time to waste - we all crammed into Renee's car and were off to Jomar. Jomar is my favorite fabric store - even more favorite than Metro Textiles (sorry, Kashi!) - and it was as much fun watching everyone else's reactions as it was to hunt and gather for myself. I scored at Jomar - fusible interfacing and linings which I desperately needed, at $1 and $1.50 per yard, a 3 yard remnant of gray doubleknit, some beefy blue-gray jersey - probably going to be some form of workout wear, and much, much more. Once the pre-washing is finished, I'll take pictures.

Once we staggered out of Jomar and stuffed our big yellow bags into the trunk, we were off to Fourth Street. It used to be called Fabric Row, and it's a real shadow of its former self these days, but there are still treasures to be found. But first, we stopped at Jim's Steaks for lunch. Can't have people visit Philly and not introduce them to our cholesterol-and-fat-laden claim to culinary fame. Adequately refueled, we hit Kincus (pretty, pretty and pricy) and Pennsylvania Fabric Outlet (good buttons and interfacing). Finally we stopped at two stores run by the Baldwins, one where Renee fell in love with a plaid, and the second, where Connie bought leather like a drunken sailor and Renee charmed Mr. Baldwin into giving her a deal on said plaid.

We headed back toward my house, but stopped on South Street at two cute little stores called Spool and Loop, dedicated to quilting fabrics (mostly Amy Butler) and knitting. I don't quilt or knit, but it's always interesting to browse, and I'm happy to see any sewing-related stores opening instead of closing.

A brief stop at the house to rest and catch our breath, and then we went for dinner at my favorite Italian BYOB restaurant, La Locanda del Ghiottone, which roughly translates to The Place of the Gluttons. I love this restaurant, I've been going for over 10 years and taken loads of people with me. Most of them love it, though some find the abrasively personal attentions of the staff a little overwhelming. But then the food usually wins them over. Lee was able to join us for dinner, so she got a head start on Saturday.

By the time we got back to West Philly, everyone was falling-down tired and I took Trena and Renee over to a friend's house - she was kind enough to offer an allergen-free bed for the night to the cat allergic member of our group.

Saturday, Connie and I were up early. Lee arrived soon after, and Kisha picked us up and drove to NYC like the wind. And speaking of wind, it was COLD in NY. Cold as in if there weren't fabric on the menu, I wouldnl't have gotten out of the car.

When I started planning this weekend, I called Kashi at Metro Textiles and asked him if he could open for a few hours for us. He called me back to say that he was going to be out of town visiting his parents, but he would have his son open for us from 10-12. I promised we would make it worth his while, and I'm pretty sure we did. I could barely lift my big blue bag, and one lucky lady actually had two bags.

After that, we met up with LindsayT for lunch and more shopping - Pacific Trims, Paron's and Mood. She introduced me to the wonderful (and affordable) interfacings at Mood, and I was thrilled to find a rayon/cotton jersey that I had received in a remnant bundle from Emmaonesock and bought a yard to replace the top I had worn to shreds. LindsayT had to head home before we were finished, but it was great to meet her and to see in person her absolutely fabulous coat. If it looks good online, it looks even better in person, trust me!

Photo by LindsayT.

A few last stops: M&J Trim, because Connie needed wedding gown trim for one of her five blondes, and I managed to find a few goodies myself. Kisha deprived herself of M&J and stopped in a discount jewelry store, and I have to admit that I joined her there for a few minutes and picked up a few necklaces to go with some of the new tops I've made.

Sunday was spent going through issues of Patrones and BWOF, and many thanks to Connie for helping me to determine which jacket to make for my next leather jacket. And even bigger thanks for her hostess gift of an issue of La Mia Boutique - which looks like fun.

Connie left at 4:00 p.m. for the airport, and about 5 minutes later, my friend Jennifer showed up with her boyfriend, Kyle, and about 6 hangers-on to do a photo shoot in my bedroom. She's in a production of Angels in America next January, and they wanted a Victorian bedroom for the shoot. I was sort of volunteered, and somehow or other I didn't stop this from happening . . . though I nearly fell asleep in the middle. And even though I didn't really feel up for this happening at the end of my weekend, I have to admit it's a pretty cool pic. And you can't see the dust and the cat hair, so that's a plus.

Photo by Kyle Cassidy

Today I had off to recover from my fun weekend. So what did I do? I block fused 4 yards of wool, pre-washed 2 loads of fabric, and for a change of pace, helped Mario demolish the downstairs bathroom at his house. All in a day's work.

Tomorrow is Tuesday. In other words, a day of rest.