NY Whirlwind

I finally made it to NY, NY earlier this month.  My awesome dad was in town and on a whim we decided to drive up to NY City for a day, get in whatever we could and drive back.  Some people (who shall not be named) thought we were nuts, but we did it anyway.

We did a little bit of planning ahead of time.  We knew we wanted to go to the theatre, so we bought tickets to see Phantom of the Opera.  We reserved a parking spot.  And we got in touch with my sweet cousin who lives there so we could meet up with her for dinner.

At my dad's insistence (I told you he was awesome, right?) we went to Mood.  Having never been to The City before I didn't know the proximity of the Garment District to Broadway, so when I found out, it was a no brainer.  And, of course, why should I go to just one fabric store, when there are so many others so close?  That's right, we squeezed in one more that always gets rave reviews in the blogosphere--B&J Fabrics.

My first time in a fabric store can be really overwhelming, especially when I'm not looking for something in particular, so I was a bit apprehensive at first.  But B&J is really great because of the way it is organized.  They hang about a half-yard of each fabric on a hanger with a label and grouped together based on some sort of logic.  This really helps make looking through the fabrics so much easier.

The Liberties

I knew ahead of time that they carry designer prints and, in particular, Liberty Fabrics.  So I went straight for those.  I've never owned any Liberty fabric before, so it was really lovely to get my hands on some.  I ended up buying a bit of this wonderful print (second one from the left below).  I'm a little surprised that I didn't go for a classic mini-flower print, but this purchase doesn't surprise me one bit--I'm drawn to fabric that has a painterly feel.  They also carry Liberty corduroy and knits.  I've always wanted some  Liberty cord, but I ended up deciding not to buy any (I have lots of corduroy in my stash that hasn't been used.  But I have lots of cotton lawn too, so I'm not sure that is a good reason.)... this time.

I also ended up buying some lovely Ikat, this cute quilting cotton print of kids playing dress up, and this AMH butterfly print I've been wanting to order for the back of Elena's quilt.

Then we braved the rain and made it over to Mood.  The first person I saw when I got off the elevator was Koon!  I wanted a picture, but chickened out, telling myself that he was busy working and it would have been rude.  Oh well.

That store sure has become a tourist destination (at least I assume it has) since Project Runway.  They have all sorts of memorabilia and they were buzzing.  I walked the aisles and took in all the fabric.  I shop fabric with my eyes but mostly my hands. There was a lot to touch in there.

I ended up buying this piece of navy eyelet (the picture is terrible and doesn't so the color well at all, but isn't the design cool?).  I love it because the shapes are non-traditional.  I also bought some navy gauze for lining and a zipper.  I really want to make a simple shift dress with unlined elbow-length sleeves, I think a simple design would show off this fabric nicely.  The staff there is so nice.  I was looking for lining and one woman insisted that striped shirting would be perfect.  I disagreed and told her I'd get lining elsewhere.  But then another person who cut my fabric recommended the gauze and I thought it was a great idea.

When we left Mood my dad surprised me with a book he picked up there, Tim Gunn's Fashion Bible, signed by Mr. Gunn himself.  To tell you the truth, I'm a little worried about reading the book--I might need to go out and buy a whole new wardrobe.

Dressforms--kinda creepy, that's why I had to take a picture.

Dad, waiting for me while I was upstairs at B & J.

I always say that all the best fabric stores have a good couch.  If you own a fabric store, listen up.  It gives the people accompanying the shopper (husbands, dads, friends...) a comfortable place to sit, which makes the shopping experience for the shopper all that better.  Less pressure.  These two shops were no exception, Mood had a table with chairs, but that makes perfect sense too, it's too busy for a couch.  B&J not only has a couch, there is a Starbucks downstairs too.

Well, on to the rest of the trip.  Phantom was awesome!  The sites were super cool.  And dinner at The Smith was delicious and all the better with some wonderful company.

Thanks Dad!  Let's do it again.