Hi all. Safely back from my meandering trip down to NYC, and by meandering I really mean meandering. I got to drive through my new favorite town and prove that I am still eleven years old:
From there, it was off to do Creative Mojo with Mark Lipinski. It was a total hoot and was fabulous to meet Mark. *Insert absurd wave to Mark here*
From there it was off to beautiful Rahway, NJ, just a hop, skip, and a jump from the the fabulous East Jersey State Prison. But the bonus there was that I got to have dinner with the wonderful Michelle of Cloud9 Fabrics. It was also insanely convenient for hopping a commuter train into the city and, to be blunt, saved plenty of money for getting presents for Wife, and Bee, and maybe even a little something for myself. But best of all was the fact that Bee packed me a couple of companions so I wouldn’t get lonely:
And then, of course, there was the city. Spent one day with the fabulous folks at Andover Fabrics. Got my strike-offs for Flock, got some super awesome news I shan’t be allowed to share for quite a while, and finalized the designs for my third line; if you look very carefully you might sneak the tiniest of peeks at what is to come:
And of course, there is the fabulousness of wandering the city. Stopped by the Strand Bookstore and wandered the stacks and shelves. Spend a bit of time (and money: bought the most wonderfully colorful bundles of wool felt) at Purl Soho:
(I love that wall so much!!!)
And no trip to the city is complete for me without a look around the New Museum; I totally love the new building, and everyone’s gotta love a building with a twenty-foot-tall metal rose:
And I actually got to see one of the best museum shows I’ve seen in a while, so truly fantastic art from the old Soviet bloc from the past 40 years. If you are in the city, go see the Ostalgia show!!!
And let’s not forget the last-minute addition of Friday night’s Quilters Take Manhattan event put on by the NYCMQG, and hosted by the amazing Victoria Findlay Wolfe. It was a wonderful evening with both old and new friends, and I even won a fantastic patchwork scarf by Jay McCarroll (to be seen modeled by Wife soon; yay presents for Wife!!!).
(Victoria Findlay Wolfe being interviewed by AAQ president Meg Cox for Quilters’ SOS)
(Panel discussion with Jennifer Paganelli, John Adams, Nancy Soriano, Melanie Testa, & Kim Hryniewicz, moderated by Jackie Kunkel)
So, it was a fantastic trip to the city, as usual, and now I am back into the sewing studio working on the beloved Scrap Vomit Quilt and playing with some delicious Shades of Grey by Daisy Janie for a Fat Quarterly challenge. Yay!!!
Speaking of which, it’s time to get back to the sewing studio right now in the brief minutes of Bee’s nap.
Hugs,
Thomas
