Garment District tour Speakeasy - Spring 2023

 

Speakeasy tour (in person)

Monday, April 10 (Easter Monday)

10AM-4PM

Psst... Walking tour of quality garment district stores and related services, appealing to both hobby and professional makers, seeking fabrics, notions, etc.  

The itinerary is below. This one includes a sit-down lunch, and is a definite "go", no matter how few or many attend, with no change in price. All conditions regarding cancellation or inability to attend below apply, and full refund or future tour if anything beyond my control prevents me from leading this tour (weather, illness, etc.), of course.

Itinerary:

10AM - 1PM - 

Shopping (Will include a specifically selected set of stores with a wide variety of offerings suitable for many different purposes/types of garments, appropriate for the theme of the day's tour. Relevant additional information, suggested additional resources and appropriate on-site expertise will be available.)

1PM-2PM

Lunch (local restaurant reservation for our group, already included in your fee.)

2PM - until end of business day

Armed with your "Secret Map" and your own interest in or desire to visit the many other stores you see or have learned about, you may visit more garment district stores if you wish, and give unique codes (that you'll get from me) to vendors who will give special assistance/discounts.

The cost of this guided, efficient tour is $90 per person. If you use this trip to shop and participate in what the NYC garment district has to offer, you will save at least as much as you are paying in supplies and education, and probably far more.

Wanna come? Click above, send payment, and the details on meeting time/place will be provided.

From outta town? If you need hotel and/or travel help, I will advise some of the BEST NYC secrets I know! Payment is only accepted via PayPal (you do not need a Paypal account), credit or debit card. No cash, personal checks, or additional payments will be accepted on the day of the tour. The trip will involve a good amount of walking, so come prepared in weather-appropriate gear, and healthy.

Regarding cancellations:

 If you have paid and wish to cancel 7 days or more before date - 100% refund

 Fewer than 7 days - 50% refund

 If you don't come on the scheduled date or cancel within 24 hours or less - you will forfeit your refund, but can switch reservation to a future tour date.

 If I cancel a tour for reasons not related to weather, newsworthy acts of God or other emergencies, you are entitled to your choice of a full refund, or a future tour.

NYC Garment District Maps

The Speakeasy map is constantly updated due to the changes the pandemic and economic differences in the garment district have brought us.

I can't pretend the district isn't changing daily now... While it is still a rich, lively and inspiring place to find tools, notions, services and supplies, it is also a treacherous labyrinth of drugged-out zombies, empty storefronts, screaming homeless, extremely tense professionals, and unpredictable business hours. Because it is still full of secrets, and non-street-level establishments, a plan, a map, and information are vital to an enjoyable, efficient trip.

Having said that...

The "Speakeasy map" is an ever-evolving map of garment district stores and services that I have found over many years of creating/designing, selling, buying, learning, and interacting with the many businesses here in NYC. The list is ever-changing, because the district is ever-changing as well!

* You do not need a PayPal account to pay via PayPal.  That is the secure service that allows electronic payments, using a debit or credit card.

The payment tab below is for a curated shopping map with descriptions of the best stores (and why I love them). It is $15, and can be purchased online via Paypal.  The map lists many of the places we have visited on various speakeasies, and is ever-evolving. The map will be sent to you as a link, generally within 24 hours of your order. 

You may purchase a map by using the payment button directly below.  Note: almost every order generates an edit these days, since I make sure the stores are still there, offering quality inventory, and still open before sending to to you. 

Garment District "Speakeasy" source Map:

Comment on this page to contact me if you want a custom map for your specific quest!

Baltimore, MD Association of Sewing and Design Professionals conference

  Heading off to meet with colleagues, my fellow Board Members, and friends in Baltimore, MD for a few days of conference, meetings, and events. I'll share my personal experience on Instagram! (@shopthegarmentdistrict)

A photo essay... the highlights of a garment district trip or two... or three, maybe?

There's more to these stories.  This is what the garment district looked like a few months ago (August). Go to my Insta for more...

 

Riding in an EMPTY subway car

Beautiful flower from Schmalberg

Gotta use some bleach to make these work...

Fabric pleated

A lumpy, bumpy, comfy Cotonacocoon

 2021

A zero waste shirt.

Unless you include time.

We can laugh. Why not?

The perpetual shirt - rest in peace, Jerry Lewis

(8/21/17) RIP Jerry Lewis

*Updated 3/8/15*

and again... 6/3/16... and still wearin' the shirt 1/31/18

and still... 2/13/21

Note: *On the evening of May 20 of this year (2016), I laid out my perpetual shirt to wear on May 21st.  On May 21st, I got up, got dressed, and forgot to put it on... Now, it is labelled JUL 01 16, and I had to give it an alarm on my calendar, so I will remember this time! Ha!

A exhibit at the Guggenheim Museum in New York takes this idea in a completely different, more conceptual, fascinating direction.

Originally posted 4/1/13

You may already know that I love humor in my clothing. (Not my photo - contact me if any problem.)

One particular piece I just made was inspired by Jerry Lewis.  He was rumored to have never worn a pair of socks more than once, and I was struck by the sheer impracticality and wastefulness of that choice.  Unless, of course, he had a sock endorsement deal, and a free lifetime supply of new socks, which could then be laundered and donated to charity monthly.  Then, that kinda cleans it up. Right?

Every now and then I get truly obsessed with a clothing-related idea, and, when that happens, I feel the need to talk it out. With anyone who will listen. So, I told some friends I was designing a "perpetual" shirt.  Every time I explained it, it generated at least 10 follow-up questions, most of them starting with "But... how would you..." or "Why would anyone ever..." No one really understood why this idea was important or funny to me.

But guess what...

When you make your own stuff, the only person who needs to like it or understand it is you.

So there.

I've learned by watching cartoons, that when people or animated characters get an idea, they often experience that moment beneath a single, illuminated light bulb. Well, not in this case.

My idea hit me like this...

This image in my head helped me sort out a way to make this work.  Look at my other blog for sewing info, if you care.

Okay, so yes, I know what today's date is, and no, this isn't an "April Fool" idea.  Really now, why would you even say that to me?

(*clearing throat) Moving on...

So, since they say a picture is worth a thousand words, here it is.

The "perpetual shirt". It only looks impractical... 

Cotton stretch fabric from NY Elegant. Why that store?  Because I am only making this shirt once, I want it to last a long time, and their quality and variety when it comes to fashion stretch fabrics is stellar.

Velcro by the yard from Daytona Trimming. Why that store?  Because I know they sell it by the yard, the prices are wonderfully reasonable, I find the store very easy to navigate, and getting quick, courteous assistance is easy there.

Silver fusible letters from Jonathan Embroidery.  Why that store?  I happened to notice just the letters I wanted when I wandered in for another reason recently.  Easy, and they had what I needed. For something as simple as letters, I'm well aware that there are other great choices in the district too, though.

Background fabric for letters from an unused fancy black table linen given to me by my son's occupational therapist some years ago, because she "knew I sewed, and could use anything"... how random is that? And, how true is that??? Ha!

And, hey, if that isn't true about Jerry Lewis, don't tell me.  It's far more fun to believe it.

So how are you? I mean, really... how ARE you? How are YOU?

 Tough question to answer these days.  The default answer is "I'm fine... (giggle, sigh) and you?"

Well, I'm fine.

I think.

Yeah, I guess I'm fine.

Happy holidays, and enjoy your celebration!

I've made lots of masks now, you can click to buy what I've got left, or I can give you details nowhere to buy some really great ones from a vendor I love.

Let's talk...

 I've been interviewed by one of the greatest!  I don't have to say much here.

I suggest you go THERE...

www.patternreview.com

Feel free to express thoughts in the comments, if you so desire.

Mask making missive

Updated!

So. 

Want to buy a mask?

The cost is $25 per mask, shipping included.

Link below:

They are made like just the ones you see pictured, just a labor of love.  There are cheaper ones, and other styles/materials/kinds, and I take no offense if you prefer something else. Asking is free of charge! We'll discuss what colors/fabrics I have available, so you can choose what you'd like.

I've made lots of masks, gradually improving and rethinking over time. I now make double-stranded crocheted ear-loops for comfort. They are naturally elastic, and can be tightened by pulling through  grommets and tightening at the wearer's own comfort level.

I've made lots of them now.

For friends and family.

My awl and grommet press have gotten a workout.

To launder: I keep a glass mask bowl on the kitchen counter, and we drop our used mask in when we come in the door.  I boil water in the tea kettle, add a few drops of dish liquid and to submerge.  Later, when the water has cooled, I rinse and squeeze the masks, and hang to dry for the next use. Easier than always having to throw in the laundry.

People have asked about buying them, but I haven't felt feel comfortable charging friends and family for these. If I were to charge for the amount of labor and supplies these take, they would be on the expensive side.  So... here's what I'll do.  You have three choices you can make if you want to support my mask-making effort.

You can "support the cause" (simply contribute funds because you want to), buy a mask I've already made (because supplies are limited, and I may not always have the time or inclination to make them), or request a mask if you are a friend, associate, family or someone in need, and I will use the "support" funds to offset the cost. 

I've made a payment button for your request, and you can let me know if you are interested.

Which one?

Fashion Unraveled Symposium... A mountain of things I haven't told you... second post

In October of 2018 I wrote this...

She started quietly, and very slowly, describing her visit to a seemingly completely normal place, and being directed towards a small, simple, and quite unremarkable white dresser.  Inside its drawers, she explained, long protected from dust and light, were the impeccably folded clothing items which had belonged to, and were sewn by Frida Kalho.

Frida Kalho (photo from Wikipedia - click link to see details)

Michelle McVicker presented "The Traces of Use, A Case Study of Appearances Can be Deceiving: The Dresses of Frida Kalho and the Potentiality of Visibly Worn Dress" See more about this here...

I was in.  Every word she spoke was fascinating to me, as she explained how signs of use and wear give garments a history, that pristine, unworn, or excessively "restored" garments cannot convey.  She talked about the word "patina", a concept usually reserved for durable antique items, but rarely used for signs of wear on clothing.

Now, in September of 2020, while I am no Frida Kahlo, I get it.

Cancer hit me like a cannonball.  Chemo, chemo-radiation, surgery, recovery... body changes.

I discovered a great use of my own skill.  Sewing for my own body changes and challenges.  Asymmetry, new needs...

I got this.

On privacy, anonymity, scarcity, and exclusivity

"The Garment Worker" by Judith Heller

Reposting from 10/1/16
Reposting again from 7/10/18
Now I need to add to it.

I've been particularly interested in unasked questions lately.  You know... those nagging issues that pop up in our heads, spawn interesting dinner conversation, and make us wonder how to even begin researching the answer(s), that is... assuming we can properly articulate the question.

This is an aside, but trust me... it helps me explain my point here. 

A friend of a friend has a Twitter account.  I didn't know this friend-once-removed well at all, and she didn't directly share her Twitter account info with me, but she told me a story that referenced a celebrity and the response she got to a tweet she'd made, which I later looked at, and then casually explored her other tweets.  I had no particular feeling about this person, not knowing her at all, but, after looking at the shrine to self absorption and profanity her Twitter account revealed, I now have a somewhat negative opinion of her.  Before I explored her Twitter account, this alter-ego would have been anonymous.  But now, she has a name, and a face. 

But she also has the right to semi-anonymously express herself, right?

In the USA, I can say with confidence that we all pretty much assume we have a general right to privacy.  But, do we also have a right to anonymity? If not, should we?

Sure we do, in my opinion, but... what is this anonymity spawning?

Anonymity creates new and imagined "people" with other agendas, lives, needs and ideas.  It takes the "human being" right out of humanness. That Twitter persona you create?  Is it you?  Is it uncensored you? Is it just a character?  Does it matter?

So here's where it all comes full circle.  Last week, a family member said to me, "Oh, I bought this great sweatshirt at Old Navy.  It was kinda pricey, you know, for Old Navy"  She pulled it from the bag and showed me  the pricey sweatshirt.  It was a good-looking sweatshirt, but I too, was surprised by the price.  "Where was that made?" I asked her.  "Hmmm... I dunno..." she said.  "Look at the tag," I pointed to it. "It will say." 

"Hmmm... Don't see it..."

"Hand it to me."

"Ok.  (tiny print) Cambodia."

She rolls her eyes, knowing what I am about to say.

"That's okay," I said. "You don't have to care who made your clothes, much like no one cared that your enslaved great-grandfather picked their cotton, or that your grandmother..."

Her hand goes up to me, protesting my objection.  

"Listen, I care.  But you don't have to. I can make a choice not to buy that sweatshirt.  I can also make a sweatshirt... but the reason you don't care, is that you don't know those people, those conditions, the situation that led you to buy THAT shirt. Who knows?  Maybe it was made by a Cambodian who is doing just fine, living well, and enjoying life! Or... Maybe I'm completely wrong, and that person is in tears... right now, wondering how long they can keep this up... right now."

Conversation done.  Now, that sweatshirt hangs, unworn, in her closet. I think I made my point. Am I being overly dramatic?  I don't think so.

But there are endless layers to this type of problem.  The biggest, and most important, is that we just DON'T know what we DON'T know.  Where does my fabric come from?  How was it dyed? And if I expand this line of questioning to ask where my handbag came from/Where did my dinner come from?/Where/How for most things I own... There are layers and layers of anonymous labor and resources.  We can cherry-pick causes until we're blue in the face... and to what end?

In the current media environment, everyone has an opinion.  Often with a profit motive. Some people scream their thoughts.  Loudly. Offensively. Mean-spirited thoughts people feel compelled to share. To that, I say, feel free to broadcast whatever you want to say, but you absolutely MUST OWN IT.  Show us who you are. Our activism is backward.  We need to work on the things that give voices to the voiceless. 

If you ask me, oppressors have no right to oppress anonymously. If asked who is making the clothes, specific answers should be required. Do I mean that people should be allowed to wander up to your doorstep and confront you?  Peer in your windows? 

Absolutely not.  That would be about privacy. But there should be space for everyone to express their thoughts, without being stifled... as well as a firmly protected right to publicly disagree with you.  

"Where was that shirt made?" Like it or not, this question has an answer. "Who made that shirt?" definitely has an answer.  Remember when you could open a package of underwear and see na inspector's number tag enclosed?

Frankly, I don't have time to make my whole wardrobe.  Nor do I have the time to make yours. Nor do I want to. Nor do I have time to research every step my clothing has taken before arriving at the store where I buy it.  The vast majority of us don't.

So what do we do about that?

Personally, for now, I plan to let my heart lead the way.  I'm gonna continue to seek the stories of the long established fabric shops in the district - places where the vendors have been deeply involved in the business in a very organic and true way, for a long time. I'll share those stories. I'll let you  know what I find.