A One-Two Punch

Yesterday I posted about Bobbie Carr's passing. Today is not any happier. I just got official confirmation that Fabric Place, the Boston area's largest (until now) independent fabric retailer is ceasing operations.

I heard about this first 3 weeks ago. ASDP's New England chapter, of which I am VP of Programs, is hosting Emmett McCarthy in October for our meeting. It will be open to the public - stay tuned for more information on it later. Anyway, I had worked with Fabric Place and we were going to hold the meeting in their classroom in the Framingham store. Then I got a call from the education coordinator that they were closing the education department immediately, so they would not be holding the seminar.

The next day, Valerie, one of my S&B denizens, sent me a note saying she had it on good authority that the whole operation is shutting down. I checked into it and got unofficial and anonymous confirmations, but no one was talking until yesterday. So yet another fabric store in Boston bites the dust. This one is especially poignant for me. My first experience with really good fabric was when my mother took me to Fabric Place to buy silk for a Ralph Lauren jabot necked blouse back in the eighties. I was thrilled and nervous (at how much I was spending) all at once. Fabric Place at one point was the largest independent fabric store in New England. They had stores in Framingham, Woburn, Randoph and Cromwell CT. By December they will be gone. It's a very sad day and I will miss them.

In Defense of Spandex House

I love Spandex House. Spandex House is a fabric store on West 38th between 7th and 8th. It was highlighted recently in Project Runway. They specialize in fabrics with (surprise) Lycra/Spandex in them. Now I know. Snicker snicker, right? "Spandex?" one might ask? Isn't that what Kiss, Def Leppard, and second rate drag queens all wear? Well, yeah. And so do the NYCB, most Broadway show casts and everyone on Dancing With the Stars, along with all the First Rate drag queens (Dame Edna, anyone?). Spandex House is where many, if not most, of them, along with much of Hollywood, do their shopping.

When you walk into Spandex House, I'll admit, it can be truly, um, cause for pause. The first floor is a narrow galley with tons of swimsuit fabrics, lots of spangly fabrics, and the occasional This Is Spinal Tap-type bandmember. But dig a little and you will find some real treasures.

When I go to Spandex House (which is just about every time I go to New York), I bypass the fabrics on the first floor and head straight for the stairs at the back of the store. Head up to the second floor and there you will find knit nirvana.

The second floor houses a host of more sedate (well, kinda anyway) assortment of fabrics. There are more stretch laces and galloons for lingerie in one area of this floor than I have seen anywhere else on the East Coast. I have a stash of stretch lace that I'll be able to sew off for years, thanks to Spandex House. You want to make knit tees? This is the place. And do you like Hanky Panky thongs? For the price of one in a retail outlet ($16), you can buy enough of the same exact lace and cotton liner to make several dozen.

They also have a great selection of stretch velvets, knit linings for swimsuits and other stretch outfits. And of course, they have lots of fabrics that you can use to make outfits for WWE wrestlers and porn queens.

Finally, the folks who work there are great. Go on in, tell them what you are looking for and what you want to make, and they will guide you through the maze of fabrics to exactly what you need. Yes, they are one of my favorites.

So don't just write them off because of the rather unfortunate name. Spandex House (or as a bunch of us call them, SH) is a wonderful resource, and you will certainly find great things there.

Happy Sewing!

Muslins, Jumpers, and Fabooliousness

Okay, the muslin is done for the jumper, and it fits pretty well. There's a little bit of tweaking that I need to do. I did a FBA on the pattern, which was a fun little exercise. When I review the pattern, I'll show you what I did. I need to add just a squinch more room through the torso and waistline, but I think I can do that by changing the side and back seams to 1/2 inch rather than 5/8. That's how small a squinch I need.

I'm making the final version out of a gowachuss (yes, I appropriated it from Tom & Lorenzo; yes, it's one of my favorite phrases this summer) Burgundy Wool Crepe from GF, natch. I have a deep chocolate brown wool jersey that I bought from Rosen & Chadick two years ago that I am going to make into a turtleneck to wear with it (fabooliousness!). And I just bought myself a pair of Brown Suede Pumps (more fabooliousness!) from one of my fave-rave online stores, SmartBargains.com. I have a pair of Two Timin' Tights from Spanx that have the perfect shade of brown on one side, so I'll be big time in business come the cooler weather!

Today, it's back-to-school shopping, so my project gets tabled until later.

Happy sewing!

Fabric and Friends at G Street

I was in Washington DC this weekend for my nephew's Bar Mitzvah. This is the time of year that I just love in Washington. The azaleas were in bloom, everything was bright green and the weather was just lovely. And what better way to celebrate being in DC than to meet up with some internet friends at G Street Fabrics in Rockville?



Adrianne, Robin (I hope I spelled those right - if not, let me know and I'll change it) and I met up at G Street in Rockville, MD on Saturday morning and spent a fun couple of hours shopping for fabric and chatting. We spent a lot of time looking for fabrics to go with their SWAP fabrics. Adrienne was looking for a fabric to match up with the Yew Leaf fabric she had bought from me, and to match up with a jacket pattern that has contrasting collar and cuffs. I suggested silk duppioni for a fun contrast against the stretch cotton, and she found a beautiful dark teal duppioni in the home dec department. Then she also found a bee-yoo-tee-ful printed silk on the silk platform.

Robin spent a lot of time having fun with the machines, and I took advantage of that to pick her out a gorgeous printed silk charmeuse in shades of taupe and red. For me, I bought that stunning black and white Armani you see in the picture behind us, and a beautiful Donna Karan wool novelty knit that Esther, the staffer who was working with us, picked out for me.

Which brings me to a tangential point here. The staff at G Street is simply phenomenal. Robyn and Adrianne know all the folks there, it seems, and they were introducing me. The staff is knowledgeable and friendly, without being pushy. They all know their fabrics. And the fabrics there are to. die. for! I have heard (not recently) complaints about how expensive G Street is. I will say this. You get top quality for your money. I think I can honestly say that I know fabrics, and they have great fabrics. So next time you are in the DC area, do be sure to stop by G Street. I could have spent all day there with my new friends if I hadn't previous commitments. But next time I'm in town, you can be sure I'll be back at G Street.

Happy sewing!