teaching sewing confidence, tip by tip

Saturday 29 September 2012

An Unexpected Trip to Mood


All fired up after the Tula Pink event at The City Quilter (detailed post with lots of piccies to follow), I headed off to Mood, Manhattan with Ivete from Rose Smoke.  Ivete was keen to pick up some fabric for a jacket she's making and I just tagged along because I'll go anywhere if there's fabric involved and sometimes even if there isn't!

So, long before Ivete found even the first item on her list, I'd fallen in love with a woollen plaid.  During the summer on a trip to Purl Soho daughter, F, had spotted Aqua La Femme Deco Vines Essex Linen by Melissa Crowley for Robert Kaufman.  There and then she decided that what a girl really needs to go off to university in England next Autumn is a new quilt - not just any quilt but a quilt made in this fabric and this quilt has to be lofty.  Deep joy!!!  I've never worked with lofty batting before but I picked up some tips from Kati at Kati's Quilting and Sewing as I know she used 2 layers of lofty batting in her log cabin quilt, and my nervousness is now confirmed - watch out shoulders you're in for a rough ride.  I didn't buy the fabric there and then - they didn't have anything that appealed to me for the backing and I wanted to mull it over, but it's been nagging me ever since because I knew she wanted it so much.  I went back to Purl Soho last weekend to buy the fabric regardless and they'd sold out - feel an internet search coming on!

Well when I walked into the wool section in Mood I spotted just the thing - I knew instantly that it was exactly the backing fabric that I needed, a fab pink plaid.  Off to have it cut, there was no price tag attached so I was sure to ask the price up front as, quite rightly, Mood say you have to buy fabric once cut.  As there was no tag the guy asked a colleague who confirmed $18/yard.  I'm busy contemplating how much I need for a whole quilt or whether a bed runner will do the trick ... I'll make a bed runner or throw and maybe a few cushions with the left overs, so I'll go with 3 yards ... "what exactly do you think this fabric is?" I ask, "wool" he replies, well I knew that but it feels pretty amazing for a wool plaid ... he cuts the piece and then he finds the price tag deep down inside the inner tube.  "F**k" he says, which really caught my attention, "this fabric's Betsey Johnson cashmere and it's $25/yard".  I stayed still and calm, pondering over the fact that Betsey Johnson makes fabric and knowing there was 3 yards of the stuff cut on the desk and Mood says once cut you have to buy.  He obviously wasn't best pleased at the dilemma on his hands and then he reluctantly said "I'll have to let you have it at the price I said".  I breathed a sigh of relief and did a quick mental calculation to confirm that I'd just saved $21 on what I thought was a bargain purchase anyway!

I've researched how to pre-shrink the wool before I make the quilt and found this easy method using just wet towels and the tumble dryer by Off The Cuff - (click the link and scroll down to 7 September for instructions).  I'll give it a go and let you know how I go on.


Guess I'd better get myself cracking with my internet search for Aqua La Femme before I end up with just the backing and no quilt top!


Christopher's Dress at Lord & Taylor
 
Daughter, F, loves the new wool plaid but is so much more impressed with my 'Mood' story of my face to face encounter with Fabio from Project Runway - well more of a face to neck tattoo encounter as he's a bit taller than me - it was one of those 'if I step to the left will you step to the right or step to the left as well?' moments.  Love his work but have to admit to rooting for Christopher Palu especially having seen his fab evening dress on display in Lord and Taylor's window on 5th Avenue. 

 And for anyone who might be wondering, given how this post started, Ivete got everything she needed for her jacket too - what a good day :)


PS: I've just watched this week's episode of Project Runway (the mums and babies episode) and daughter, F and I couldn't believe our eyes.  Fabio made the mum's dress from a fabric that I'm using to make a dress for F (should have made it this last summer but got carried away with my quilting!).  Just to prove that we chose it first I've taken a photo and included my Mood receipt - 30 March 2012 still it's good to know that we're 'on trend' but by the time I make the dress it'll be more like 'so last season'!!!



For details of other fabric, yarn, trim and notion stores that I've visited around the world along with the NYC stores I love, exhibitions and events I've attended and wonderful people I've been lucky to meet click the links below or in my sidebar :D



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9 comments:

  1. I would love to go to Mood one day - and maybe bump into Tim Gunn?! Project Runway makes my day x

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    1. Love, love, love Tim Gunn and I equally enjoyed Joanna Coles who mentored PR All Stars. Who do you want to win this season Gertie? :)

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    2. Oh Gertie, forgot to say, I've added an extra paragraph to my post about the fabric Fabrio used this week - check it out :)

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  2. When I read your subject heading I thought that maybe Mood was a small town with a great name. What a fantastic result in the fabric buying!

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    1. I know exactly what you mean about place names over here. I thought something similar when F had to get a bus to Mystic, Connecticut this summer - and there was me thinking they'd invented the place name for the movie and it turns out there's a whole heap of them over here!

      If you don't already watch Project Runway, give it a go - I think it's a 'must' for those of us interested in fabric and Mood Manhattan is where they do all their fabric shopping :)

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  3. Ahh,what a story! You were lucky you knew the store already and asked for the price up front! Bummer for them not having the tag on the bolt! If he wasn't going to give it to you for the price they said you could've just argued it, the customer is always right! :) And they made the mistake anyway.
    F will have one cuddly quilt for herself to drag through college for sure! :) Good luck with your hunt!

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    1. I've ordered the fabric, it's on it's way - now I just need to get the lofty batting, what brand did you use? :)

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  4. I love a good bargain! So glad they honoured the price they quoted you once they realised their error. :)

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    1. I'm glad too and the fabric is so scrummy, I'm looking forward to working with it :)

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Chris Dodsley


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