Let's give it to the professionals...

Last week, I led a custom tour for a former Speakeasy participant, who is now ready to launch a wonderful new clothing enterprise. Having discussed this client's particular needs and interests before meeting, we did a visited a tight group of suitable stores and services that will produce the very specific results this designer is seeking.

Wonderfully ambitious and creative, as many new designers are, this particular venture will require some solid industry connections, to consistently achieve high quality results.  We explored tools, businesses, and services in the district, and had the pleasure of exploring the New York Embroidery Studio, which was a true visual delight!

Embroidery is part of the company name, but only addresses one of the many things they do. A full-service finishing business, they do things you didn't even know were services you could outsource.  One-offs or production. Yeah.

This company is available for touring and information by appointment only, and you need to be serious (not just curious) to really see the machinery, the experts at work, and closets (upon closets!) of beautiful samples of their work.  You could absolutely DROWN in ideas in this place!

What inspired me most, mind you, is the thought that you can adorn the simplest of shapes with embroidery, tucks, smocking, beads... that idea of simple clothing as a canvas... You can give them your own artwork to be interpreted into an embellishment that will blow your mind!  

Now, of course, the company works with many industry names you know, doing all sorts of fabulous creative techniques.  The machinery they use is very high quality and vital to the process, but the expertise of the employees who operate the machines and/or work with their ACTUAL hands is peerless.

If you want to know more, see their own description of their business here.

So, you can use them for a statement piece, a wedding gown, a home dec item, or any project you choose.  If you need large production, the process is outsourced overseas.

Just visit the NY Embroidery Studio blog to see more of what they do!

New York Embroidery Studio

327 West 36th Street

11th Floor

New York, NY 10018

(212) 971-9102

www.nyembroiderystudio.com

"You can't buy more time"

Paraphrasing Warren Buffet here:

You may have all the money in the world, but you can't buy more time. 

Amen to that, folks. Time is limited. Time is precious. Think about the value of your time. Spending all day looking for the "perfect" thing? 

Is that wise? 

Or practical? 

No.

This is how I imagine I would feel if I were shopping in the Garment District, had I not been here before.  If you are naturally curious and have lots of time on your hands, it can be an absolute adventure.  And lots of fun. Guaranteed.  Sure, it can be. You can also develop a pretty quick headache, if you've got a shopping list to check off.

This picture won't even fit on the page.  See all those dots? Fashion-related businesses in the district.

An example.  You may ask me, "Who has great buttons?"

Well, that depends.  How much do you want to spend?  What kind of buttons are you looking for?  What size, purpose, material? Want some names? Here are some choices...

M&J
Mood
Steinlauf & Stoller
SIL
Panda
Pacific
Botani
New York Elegant
Buttonology
Daytona
Fashion Design Bookstore
Top Trimmings
BT Button

Wanna try all those places?

Or, "Can you tell me where to find some beautiful silk?"

Sure, just try:

Elliott Berman
Metro
C&J
Mood
New York Elegant
Fabrics & Fabrics
Rosen & Chadick
B&J

Sure, just go ahead and enter any of those names in the search box of this blog and...

Do you see what I'm getting at?  I could give you a headache trying to answer just these "simple" questions.

Okay - way too much information, for sure.  Maybe you should just come along on a Speakeasy Tour, and let me show you where I've seen some great stuff, show you things to inspire you further, secrets I can't tell you here, and recommend specific places to you based on your questions.

Felted wool throw... or a great "lazy girl's quilt"

This felted wool throw just melts me.  Click through for a link to the faqs and how-to info.

Just look at it.

I really do crave such a throw.  Something you can make, elegant enough to toss on the sofa, while still looking stylish... sweet enough to still look adorable when snuggling up at an outdoor event.

And a true alternative to knitting one... which could probably be awesome (and a portable project), since you would only be creating squares of various colors and patterns...

But...

I'll never have enough old sweaters or scarves around to make this work, and I don't feel inclined to knit a bunch of squares.  I guess I could ask my family members if they have old sweaters they are ready to part with... or I could go to...

NY Elegant!  They have such a lovely collection of cut and sew knits, that I could do something awesome to fill in the rest of the throw with what that store has to offer, and they won't unravel on me!  Yes, it's a pricey way to do things... expect to spend in the vicinity of about $50/yd on this, but you won't need too many yards, and it will last you for the long haul!  I'm an extremist, I know... Would make a great gift, too!

Perpetual anything.... (Completely random thought...)

It only occurred to me last night (oddly enough, while driving), that my perpetual shirt idea need not be limited to the one shirt.  I can have a perpetual anything, as long as I make an appropriate patch for the item concerned.  

There will be a perpetual hoodie in my life this year.  

Now I'm moving into year two of wearing my shirt...

Based on history (as explained in my gambler's fallacy post), I guess it will be one more year before anyone else likes it!

Letters/numbers from Jonathan Embroidery, Velcro from Daytona Trimming.

Slightly wonky - it's been washed A LOT since!

Elliott Berman Textiles...

Buckle your seatbelts, folks...  

On my birthday, after attending the David Kelley Talk, I hopped over to the garment district to curate the goods available in the stores I wanted to recommend to my Speakeasy participants.  With the wonderful assistance of Eugenia (below), I found beautiful things at Elliott Berman Textiles. (I was also wearing one of my favorite tops that day!)

I looked at all they had to offer, as their beautiful selection of fabrics grows, and I found some truly exciting things!  Among them, a new collection of organic scarves.  Yes, you heard me correctly - scarves - you can simply wear them just as they are (and they are breathtaking), or you can use them as border yardage on other projects.  A perfect way to make a border for a skirt, tunic, or home dec project, these jacquard weaves are quite elegant, and unusual in color combinations and textures. This is a collection you need to see in person to truly appreciate.

The prevailing themes at E.B. right now are double-faced fabrics, really exciting COLORS and prints, and rich textures.  The wools are out of this world (don't wait until Fall to buy them), and the knits are wildly exciting, too.  Go see them. The quality and resilience of their knits is particularly stellar.

The pictures below (my personal favorites) represent a mere sampling of what beautiful fabrics await you at Elliott Berman right now...

So... there's this black and white basketweave (above) that just sings when seen in a wide expanse or yardage.

I imagine it becoming something like this... (Simplicity 2444 photo below, with edging in a bright, very saturated pop of color).

What colors... oh the colors!

More exciting colors!

blah, blah, blah (meaning, who cares what words I can put to this... the pictures tell you all you need to know!)

Double faced knit

This double faced knit came home with me...

Inspired by this photo (below - can you picture it?) - a contradiction of a casual shirt - using the reverse as a tuxedo-like "dickie" on a very plain shape. i'll have to show the finished product for you to see what I mean, I think...

blah blah blah - who cares?  Again, no words do them justice - just Look at these pictures!

A shimmery denim you really have to feel and see for yourself to know its magic...

A double-faced denim... hmmm....

This (above) could be a two-tone reversible denim jacket for Fall - (I have a unique design idea for reversible pockets in mind for this one) with flat-fell seaming, to make it all flow.

Basic idea,  a masculine looking men's jacket, but for  for me... a woman!

So, all in all, found some great things at Elliott Berman, and I suggest you go there, too!  They are open Monday through Friday only, and are located in an office building.  Take the elevator to the 7th floor and go to your right.  Read this primer before your visit, because the setup is unusual, and it is best to be prepared...

Elliott Berman Textiles

225 W. 35th Street, 7th floor

New York, NYC

Not in New York?  Visit the website! And... be sure to tell us what you found there!

Speakeasy testimonials

I really love it when people tell me what a great time they had on a Speakeasy tour.  They are truly fun to lead, and, as time goes on, far more interactive, since I can now shift on the fly, according to the interests and vibe of the group. I love that I know the backstory on so many of the businesses in the district, can introduce people to each other in a way that is genuine and warm, share stories, and make friends.  The tours give me much more than they take outta me.  And believe me, we are ALL tired at the end of a Speakeasy tour! I particularly love it when we have my touring partner Cindy along, because she just has a wealth of experience, stories, and ideas that are always endlessly helpful to our participants.

Here are some words some past participants have shared with me after their tours...

You know, it was nice connecting with other sewists on the speakeasy. There doesn’t seem to be that many around!Now that I’ve started sewing again, my friends keep asking… did you make that? And I’ve started to say “yes!”. Kind of cool.
I had picked up a white swirl on black background, kind of a loud print- made golf pants out of it- fantastic.I won’t see anyone else dressed like me!

C.L. (2012 tour participant)

Again- I cannot tell you what that first tour meant. To be able to go back to those people and place orders via phone, be extended the courtesy of periodic swatch deliveries etc. has been amazing.  

T.R. - (2013 tour participant - manufacturer, sourcing in NYC!) 

Thanks for the fun on Saturday! I got a lot out of the day and am looking forward to sewing up some things and planning another trip down! 

M.R. (May 17, 2014 tour participant) 

And thank you for the fabulous speakeasy map! I had a total blast in the Garment District. 

C.R. (May 17, 2014 tour participant)

I had a wonderful time in the Garment District with you and the gang on Sat. Just wish I could do that a bit more often.....

C.C. - (May 17, 2014 tour participant)


 At this point, I have one more Speakeasy tour on the schedule this year.  I will happily add more, if my schedule allows, and interest merits it.  Updated Speakeasy tour schedules and map ordering information can be found here on the blog, and individual, special group, or themed tours can always be requested, using the contact information found on that page.

I wish you all a very creative day!

Kids, creative activities, and the "forgotten groups"

My daughter made this purse, using soda can tabs (we got ours from Ebay, dirt cheap!) - She guesses she used about 400 tabs to make this one.

Yes, my daughter made this purse. On her own.  No help from me to find the instructions, understand them, or source the supplies.  100% her own effort.  It is incredibly light and strong, and required only soda (pop, depending on where you're from) can tabs, yarn, and a crochet needle.  The instructions can be found here.

As the parent of a 12 year old girl, who is quickly approaching her tween-hood (eek!), in size, appearance, and interests, I am looking for more opportunities for her to explore her creative side.  For those of you with young girls, grandchildren, or young girls in your neighborhood/life, maybe you can sympathize with me when I  say that I am finding she is part of a "forgotten group" in many industries.  Recently, we were very happy to find facial and skin products from a wonderful company, Ottille & Lulu, who I found on a random excursion to FAO Schwarz this winter.  Okay, but that's just one area so far...

But what's up with creative fashion? Yes, we've been to the mall... and yes, there's plenty of stuff there.  But what about the truly creative kid who marches to the beat of a different drummer?  I've looked at the patterns offered by the major pattern companies, and, just like my own mother did, asked my daughter to go through the sites and choose things she would like to make together.  She came up empty.  Completely empty and uninspired. We have put a few things on my Pinterest tween fashion page, as we come up with more ideas.

When I was employed by a major pattern company years ago, I learned a very important piece of information that I never forgot.  Pattern companies don't sell patterns; they sell dreams.  75% of patterns purchased never even get opened by the person who purchased them.  Look in your own storage, and tell me I'm not wrong on this... right?  But you need the inspiration!  Let's see some really artistic stuff in those pattern advertisements.  It's fine if we can't tell what age the model might be, but I would love to see them presented in a way that translates.

The major pattern companies jump from Kids to Misses, and a tween can't easily envision which Misses styles would be appropriate, because the photos don't show anyone with her pre-teen body type, nor do they typically show very youthful faces or fabric choices.  Are there other companies out there, with a specific interest in the far younger set? If not, I would love to see that change.

When it comes to fashion, creativity and sewing, there seems to be a gap in ages from true "kids" 10 and younger, and "teens", who I consider to be 16 and up.  Perhaps specifically in New York City, where our kids don't do too much solo travel and public interacting until they are true teenagers, I find that many of the activities we find for her are things we make up ourselves.

She has come along with me to countless fabric and notion stores over the years, watched me make things, been my guinea pig, and the proud recipient of some of my most successful projects. She has learned to sew for herself, and, while not a sewing fanatic, feels an enormous sense of pride when she finishes a project successfully.

I am also the parent of an 8 year old boy, who loves to design clothing... Let's call it "theoretical design", since it usually involves some sort of wild innovation.  These things don't exist unless WE make them. He imagines the thing he wants to wear in his head, draws it, and requests (begs, actually)  that I make it.  His designs are so specific and unique, I almost never have the time to do it, and that must be rectified.  Well, maybe. What he really needs, is a place to learn to sew for himself.  My machine is a bit too fancy to set him free with for experimenting, but I do think he would fall in love.  What the world needs is to support boys who are creative in this way, and I know of at least one place that is supporting that "forgotten group", very well! (Note to all:  that "one place" is now closed...)

School will be out soon.  Do your kids want to take sewing classes in NYC?

See my old post which lists The Sewing Studio, then visit their website to see more.

If you've seen any particularly great and unusual things for kids lately, let me know!