After Hurricane Sandy...

"There were more than 200,000 “customers” without power in Manhattan alone, Con Ed reported, with most of Manhattan below 39th Street dark. There was no timetable to getting the lights back on.

"This will be one for the record books," John Miksad, Con Ed VP of electric operations, told reporters Monday night. "This will be the largest storm related outage in our history."

There are 670,000 customers without power in all of New York City, with 230,000 in Manhattan, 73,000 on Staten Island, 140,000 in Brooklyn and Queens, 38,000 in Bronx and the rest in Westchester. By comparison, there were 200,000 customers down for Irene.

Power could be out for a week, he said."

-Wall Street Journal, Oct 30, 2012

Okay, so here we are.  The devastation, images, and news stories are just incredible.  The mood in this city is somber, but my family and I are 100% fine, with all utilities working, no property damage, and all is well for us.  Tough to celebrate that when so many near us are in VERY different circumstances today.

As this relates to the Speakeasy tour scheduled for this Friday, November 2, I will give alternative dates, from which the registered participants may choose, since I think proceeding with the tour this Friday will make travel and shopping difficult (or impossible) for may of you.  If anyone registered for this tour would still like to shop this Friday, happens to already be here in NYC, and if the stores are open, and travel and electricity are both possible then, you just let me know you're still game, and, as long as I can get to the garment district, I would still take you shopping.  

There are many "ifs" in that sentence, but "ifs" are all we've got right now, huh?  

Prepping for Sandy...

Whew... I am so glad that the garment district tour is scheduled for the 2nd pleasant-weather day to follow this big ol' storm!  As preparations for Sandy are being made, I have recharged and loaded my Kindle, charged my cell phone, made brownies (vital), a batch of codfish cakes, and made generally sure we all have enough stuff around to keep us safe, cozy, and occupied.

I would love to design, create, and sew like a maniac, but we'll see what this particular situation requires or allows...

We live on a reasonably high floor of an apartment building, so barring any unusual circumstances, it seems we'll just be dealing with lots of rain and wind, and possible power outages, keeping us from venturing outside.  This should be interesting...

How are all of you prepping for Sandy?

When it comes to Home Dec...

MOOD Fabrics (yes, that's what I said...) Address:
225 West 37th Street, 3rd floor  New York, NY 10018
Phone: (212) 730-5003
Store Hours:
Monday - Friday: 9:00 am - 7:00pm  Saturday: 10:00 am - 4:00pm Sunday: Closed

You know, folks, Mood's celebrity status as a fabric store sometimes makes me shy away from saying too much about them here, for fear of losing my true New Yorker street cred.  I mean, hey, if you visit New York City from any other part of this country (and possibly many others), what is the fabric store you are guaranteed to know exists?  Really now, sometimes it feels like the Statue of Liberty and Mood are already on tourist's must-see lists, but in reality, there are areas where Mood really, really gets it right, and okay... you should go, just because they have what you need.

So, when it comes to Home Dec fabrics, in my opinion...

Mood's got it right!

I don't like traditional stuff, and I don't like things I can't figure out how to clean, so the beauty, function and practical daily-life concerns all have to meet up for me to make a purchase.

Here are some ideas that inspired me.  Now I have to choose!

Big, strong polka dots!

Love that blue!

Looks kinda like lace from a distance.

Love how vibrant those colors are!

So pretty, but kinda looks like a dish pattern... maybe...

Oddly enough, the very top design is extremely similar to my parents' 1970 wallpaper in the early 1970's. 

And you really need to visit the leather department.  For one thing, Dimitri (sales assistant) knows so much about leather and the tools you need to sew it and shape it correctly, but will also share that information with you! They do sell tools, glues and needles in the leather department, to help you on your journey. Dimitri can also give you the rundown on the designers who used the custom leather they have.  Florals, embossed, metallic... if you enjoy leather, they've got stuff to make you melt.  I am thinking leather for home dec sculptural pillows, myself... but we'll see...

NYC Fabric Store review: Guide Fabrics

Guide Fabrics is the store you didn't know you needed.

262 West 38th Street

NY, NY 10018

212-575-8855

No website, but you can email order requests to orders@guidefabrics.com

This post is in the "a fresh look at" category, since, in January of 2011, Meg wrote a post on Guide Fabrics.  Sure, I read the post, didn't store the info for use afterward, and have walked past this store close to a half million times since, never stopping inside.  It has a wholesale, industrial, intimidating look about it. But... just walk inside, engage a bit with Thomas (sales), and it will change your whole experience of this place!

Yesterday, while walking the district with my tour guide partner Cindy, we stepped inside on a whim, I sorta tentatively touched a few different linings, looked around at the overwhelming quantity of stuff inside, and got ready to turn away.  Sure, there were lots of linings inside.  Every color and weight you could dream up, but what to do with that information...? Okay, so that was it...

A kind voice said, "Can I help you find anything?"
"Just looking." we answered.

"I'm Thomas," he said, and extended his hand. "and we have lots of interfacings, muslins, tulle, nettings..." As he spoke, the list got longer and longer, and he had us intrigued by the range of things he had to offer.

Yes, they have minimums, but the minimums are so doable!  Silk tulle, for example, offered at HALF (or less) than the price you might pay elsewhere has a minimum of just 5 yards to purchase retail.  But hey, you probably need that much anyway, right?  You can buy muslin at a wonderfully affordable price if you can meet a 25 yard (half bolt) minimum.  That is doable for a dressmaker, costumer, designer, or serious hobbyist, I'm sure!

A card showing samples of the various muslins and interfacings they offer.

Here's the kicker.  Linings, interlinings, illusion (in many, many colors), interfacings, crinoline, buckram, can-can net... the color/sample cards tell the whole story.  And talk to Thomas.  He won't make you feel like you're wasting his time, and he'll explain what makes ordering from him doable. There is much more information on the cards than this representative sampling shows... but just to give you a taste:

Lots of colors, too! 

Order it online, get it shipped. If in New York City, get it delivered (you might have to wait a bit for hand delivery, depending on their workload that day).

So... to learn and see more, come along on a Speakeasy shopping tour!  A few more spaces for Friday, November 2, and a good number of spaces available for the spring!

Gearing up for our next tour!

So today, along with my tour guiding partner, Cindy, we walked the route for our next Garment District Tour, which will take place next Friday.

We seriously combed the merchandise of each store we'll visit, and wow, will our tour participants be happy!  Happily/sadly, the pickins were so good, that there are a few stores that likely won't fit in our timeframe, so we'll just have to hold those secrets to tell the group, if they elect to continue shopping after lunch.

For anyone who is unsure about coming on the tour, I want you to know that we actually walk, research and curate the whole experience, and consider those shopping with anything from abundant to limited budgets, and are absolutely ready to give guidance, advice and education to those we can assist.

Cindy is my ace-in-the-hole, since she has a significant career as a costume/wardrobe/dressmaking professional, and her knowledge of fabrics and tools is just incredible.  Plus, she's an absolute joy of a person, and I'm so happy to have her along on this trip.

I tell you, in some of the places we've seen together while preparing for this upcoming tour, we found ourselves mumbling to each other, "How would we have ever known that this existed if we were just here retail shopping?"

The answer?  We wouldn't.

We're here to help, my friends.

So come along on this Speakeasy tour, or the next one!

Also, Cindy has expressed her willingness to do private or small group tours, if desired - so if you would like to explore that option with her, drop me a line, and I'll put you in touch!

Ivy Style exhibit at FIT... oh wait... a book fair!

Although I had known about the exhibit for quite some time, I just managed to go visit the FIT museum recently, to experience the Ivy Style exhibit.  I wasn't particularly jazzed to see this one, since I don't really get the aesthetic, the meaning, the significance... even after reading the blurbs on the walls of the exhibit, and supporting information.

However, I will say it was beautifully curated, and the design of the exhibit itself was a beautiful display. But I just wasn't into the clothes. That Thom Browne did do some interesting modern interpretations, though... I must say that was pretty cool! So is his website.  Definitely worth a visit!

But, after it was all said and done, I found out about something else at FIT.

Did you know there was a three-day book fair going on? The description and mission are clearly explained here.

Now, this is something that really jazzes me... wish I had known to plan for this fair. It does have a fee, but, apparently, you can also pay at the door!  Because it doesn't start until tonight, you can actually still go, and not miss a second of it!

NYC Fabric Store Review: Butterfly Fabrics

Part of today's exploration, was a trip to a fabric store with a familiar name...

Butterfly Fabrics

But the address was unfamiliar.  Located on a street I rarely need to visit, I decided to check them out.  My listing gave me the following address and telephone #:

237 West 35th Street  New York, NY 10001

(212) 768-3940

I used to shop in a garment district store by the same name, many years ago... but what was this one?  What is it doing on 35th Street?  You mean there are stores I might be missing on 35th Street?

Apparently, yes.

And today, upon entering, I was confronted by the astounding revelation that there are more beautiful fabrics in the world than I could have ever possibly imagined.

And this is where many of them are just waiting to be chosen.

Weep-worthy fabrics.  No kidding. Good prices, too.  Too bad my wallet was empty due to earlier splurges.  More on that later.  Much later.  (She grabs a tissue, weeping quietly...)

Here's what called out to me...

What a beautiful double-breasted vest this would make.  Just to DIE...

And this dangly-disk colorful celebration... so much fun!

Oooooh... the textures!

A reversible delight!

And there is just sooo much more...

And what colors!

And... okay... get ready for this...

Seriously.

Brace yourself....

THEY SELL PATTERNS!  Current Vogue, and Butterick catalogues on pedestals await you here.  The also offer McCalls in limited quantity. Yes, right there in on the edge of the garment district! In a beautiful, abundant, well-lit fabric forest that just dares you to leave the store empty handed.  Friendly staff, no hard-sell, no soft-sell, no SELL actually.  The fabric speaks for itself.

And why is it called Butterfly Fabrics?  This store has the same owners as the one where I once shopped years ago. But better.

So there I stood, on the verge of doing my own version of a James-Dean-esque primal "You're tearing me apart" scream, when I remembered... there's always another trip into the garment district when I do have a fabric budget to work with.  This was an exploration... a discovery.  I can share it with you, and now you know, too.  They do have a website, but it really doesn't do their selection justice.