I led a private Speakeasy on Tuesday, helping a delightful repeat client who was seeking fabrics for some home dec projects and other creative endeavors. What a lovely day it was.
While the details of that particular Speakeasy were specific to her needs, I will share what we learned...
Here's the thing: You can shop and find absolutely awesome stuff, but in the home dec world, you probably need to swatch and check before committing to buy. You may find different things in different stores, and need to check and match between the stores. The frantic pace f the garment district requires you to ask the right questions, which are:
How much yardage of this fabric do you have? Can you get more of this fabric if I need more later? Do you think you will likely still have this fabric next week, if I need that much time to decide?
For this reason, don't go to the very small stores for home dec if you are still in the planning/designing phase. Go to the bigger stores, where they are more likely to be able to accommodate your needs.
I must give a shoutout to the wonderful staff at B&J Fabrics on this particular journey, since the salesperson made a special effort to verify that there was enough/could be reordered fabric in which my client showed a special interest.
On a related note, a catalog for FIT's professional development courses arrived in the mail yesterday. Wildly affordable, short courses for fashion and related businesses. Looking at the courses on home design, they really look like fun, and a very practical way to even use the information for your own non-professional projects!
The course offerings are wildly interesting this time around. Well worth taking a look. There is even a talk and tour section for trend-spotting, sourcing, and a "How a fashion designer works" course, for those embarking on a fashion career path.
Most classroom courses in this catalog are three hours on weekday evenings and/or Saturdays, and are just a few sessions. Can't get there? Some courses are offered ONLINE!
Honestly, I wanna take just about every one of the classes in this catalog. Call me crazy...
While the details of that particular Speakeasy were specific to her needs, I will share what we learned...
Here's the thing: You can shop and find absolutely awesome stuff, but in the home dec world, you probably need to swatch and check before committing to buy. You may find different things in different stores, and need to check and match between the stores. The frantic pace f the garment district requires you to ask the right questions, which are:
How much yardage of this fabric do you have? Can you get more of this fabric if I need more later? Do you think you will likely still have this fabric next week, if I need that much time to decide?
For this reason, don't go to the very small stores for home dec if you are still in the planning/designing phase. Go to the bigger stores, where they are more likely to be able to accommodate your needs.
I must give a shoutout to the wonderful staff at B&J Fabrics on this particular journey, since the salesperson made a special effort to verify that there was enough/could be reordered fabric in which my client showed a special interest.
On a related note, a catalog for FIT's professional development courses arrived in the mail yesterday. Wildly affordable, short courses for fashion and related businesses. Looking at the courses on home design, they really look like fun, and a very practical way to even use the information for your own non-professional projects!
The course offerings are wildly interesting this time around. Well worth taking a look. There is even a talk and tour section for trend-spotting, sourcing, and a "How a fashion designer works" course, for those embarking on a fashion career path.
Most classroom courses in this catalog are three hours on weekday evenings and/or Saturdays, and are just a few sessions. Can't get there? Some courses are offered ONLINE!
Honestly, I wanna take just about every one of the classes in this catalog. Call me crazy...
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