Raw Edge Circle Applique Class Quilts

This blog post has been sitting in my 'drafts' folder for over two years, it's high time I share these fab class quilts with you.

Exploring Manhattan - Purl Soho & Friends

A couple of weeks ago I met up for the first time with Sarah Craig from Confessions Of A Fabric Addict when she was on a trip to Manhattan.  We spoken via the internet for several years, I love her blog and the charity quilt work she does is amazing.  I'm a regular at her Friday Can I Get A Whoop Whoop? linky party and it was great to finally meet in person. 

Exploring Upper East Side - (new look) Pins & Needles

There was bad news a few months ago for fabric shoppers in Manhattan when Pins & Needles on the Upper East Side suffered a flood.  It must have been heartbreaking for owner Rachel and her staff and she shared her news here on the P&N blog.

Exploring The Garment District - Gotham Quilts, Midtown Manhattan

What's happening in New York City?  Well, there's a new fabric studio in town, and that's something we all love to know about.

Going To England For A Warm

How's the weather where you are?  They tell me the weather here it's about to warm up but I'm sick of waiting and I'm off to England for a warm - and that's not something you hear people say often!

Thought I share a handful of photos I've taken from my living room window over the last few months.

It's been cold and grey and ice flowed down the Hudson.

Sometimes the sun shone but it was bitterly cold...

that's -15C/5F and RealFeel -30C/-22F, brrrrrrrrrrrr

...and the ice on the Hudson continued to grow.

This is how things looked down at street level.

Pretty cold yeah?

I did enjoy this pop of colour as I crossed Target car park one morning on my way back from the dog groomer.

It was a painful walk over there when my eyes watered from the cold wind it turned to icicles on my eyelashes - but look at these freshly groomed cuties, well worth it :D

And this made me giggle just last Friday morning - thoughtful of them to dig those seats out but I'll pass on sitting in them.

Last week I ventured out to Lion Brand Yarn Studio on 15th Street, Manhattan (read more about the store here).

Pics of their latest store window display, I love how they change this and it's always something eye-catching and wonderful.

And the purpose of my visit to the store?

To purchase the yarnit ready for my trip back to England.

I forgot to take pics of the yarnit in use before I left but trust me it's AMAZING, I've no idea how I ever managed without it, even in the home, let alone how fantastic it'll be on the plane.  Take a look at their website for how it works, apols for not showing it off better here, but it's so worthy of a blog post mention I'm doing it anyway.

I fly in a few hours and I'm so excited to see Mum, Flicky and Joe on this trip - we're celebrating English Mother's Day and Mum's 80th birthday while I'm there and we've lots and lots planned.  I've got a few posts scheduled while I'm away so I won't be disappearing altogether.

Here's hoping for much, much warmer weather by the time I return.  See you in a few weeks :D

Clicking on an image will take you to the new page of crafty goodness :)

Disclaimer: This post is for informational purposes only, no payment or commission is received on click-throughs and opinions are my own.

   

     

Exploring Upper East Side - Pins & Needles, NYC

It's about time I introduced you to another of my favourite fabric stores in Manhattan - Pins & Needles on the Upper East Side owned by the lovely Rachel Low. 

Carrying all types of fabric, trims, patterns and notions - for quilting, home dec, crafts and garment making, Pins & Needles has everything you could need for all your projects.

I took these phone pics on a visit way back last May and since then Rachel has expanded the store to include the new P&N Studio for classes and workshops and available to hire for meetings and events.

Rachel has just published her first book too.

If you're visiting Manhattan and exploring the Upper East Side do drop in, say "hi" and tell them I sent you - and if you're lucky Molly, the store dog, may be there too!!!

Pins & Needles

1045 Lexington Avenue, Second Floor, Manhattan (above Joe's Coffee, between 74th & 75th St - take the 6 train to 77th St).

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

Disclaimer: This post is for informational purposes only, no payment or commission is received on click-throughs and opinions are my own.

Exploring Brooklyn, NYC

After our NYC Metro Mod Quilt Guild meeting back at the start of April, a group of us headed down into Brooklyn to see the Quilters' Guild of Brooklyn Quilt Exhibition at the Marriott Hotel at Brooklyn Bridge.

I didn't bring my camera so I've just got some pppp (pretty poor phone photos) to share but hopefully, they'll still inspire.  Here's just a snapshot of the exhibition which is heavily biased towards my more modern tastes and also to people I'm friends with ;D

 



Now for my friends' quilts:

Bernadette Forward - who blogs over at New Quilts On The Block

Robin Strauss

Above and below quilts by Christine Janove, who taught me to quilt (read about my very first quilt here) and to whom I'll always be immensely grateful x

Here're my friend and ex LQS staffer, Robin Strauss (you saw her Global Rising quilt above), teaching a Dresden Plate class that we just had to take part in - Robin you were wonderful, hope our heckling didn't put you off ;D

Now that we'd made the trip out to Brooklyn two of us decided to take the opportunity and explore further so we went in search of the Brooklyn General Store.

What a find, you can see from the pics that it's a little gem (as always I asked permission to take photos).

A range of all fabric types and weights, yarns, notions, books and they do classes too - I won't list all the brands, you can check them out on the website - strangely their Facebook page is a personal page and not a business page and I'm not up for 'friending' a business myself, I prefer to 'like', but if that's your thing here's where you can find them on fb.

A peep inside the classroom (below).

You know that working in a fabric store I'm always interested to see how other stores operate from

how they display the fabric - seemed to be mainly in colour groups and some by type;

cut it - the minimum cut is 1/4 yd and they tear the fabric (giving you a truer crosswise grain line) but if, like me, you prefer to avoid misshapen fabric edges and like your fabric roller cut, then they'll do that for you too;

price it - prices were on each bolt and looked like the majority of standard quilting weight cotton was around $12 to $13/yard

swatches - forgot to ask :(

It's an all round nice store, good atmosphere, and the staff answered all our myriad of questions.  One thing to note is that I believe the classes fill quickly particularly the serger sewing.

Downside - it's a bit of a trek to get to, 128 Union Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231.  I checked it out on Google maps and if you're visiting Manhattan and using the subway it's a 33-minute journey from Macy's, Herald Square - that's 22 minutes on the F train then an 11-minute walk to the store.  So maybe it's more of a local destination store than one for the general fabric tourist?  That said if you do make the journey out I don't think you'll be disappointed and there're some great places to eat and drink between the subway and the store too.

And if you're wondering what I bought ...

Two Morris Modernized in Aquamarine - (it's killing me typing modernized instead of modernised in connection with something as English as William Morris), Kaffe Fassett Shot Cotton in Raspberry and Three Sisters Etchings - Dobby Dot in Aqua.

Have you ever been to Brooklyn?  Is it on your bucket list?

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 side bar :D

Disclaimer: This post is for informational purposes only, no payment or commission is received on click-throughs and opinions are my own.