NYC: Revisited

Yesterday, all of the planets aligned and I was able to go to NYC again. This is no easy feat with two children, a husband with a slightly unusual work schedule and commute, and some people who are supposed to re-roof our house. At any rate, I drove down to South Station in Boston and took a bus to NYC. I rode a Boltbus, which not only was cheap - $33.50 USD round trip - but also had a drop off/pick up point at 34th St. and 8th Ave., just a couple of blocks away from the garment district. The buses were nicer than any kind of bus I've been on, and included plug-ins for electrical items and free wifi. We left SS at 7:30a and arrived in NYC around 11:45a. Not too bad and no driving, parking or taking the subway from Chinatown if you take a China bus - either Fungwah or Lucky Star.

This time, I went back to see some of places I didn't go to the first time and revisited other places. My first stop was Spandex House - I've been there before and then I went to Daytona Trim. I bought some elastic at Daytona and checked out their stretch laces - nothing I loved for the price.

I also met one of the store cats:

He's a big boy and very friendly. I couldn't get a photo of his face because he was following me around the store and rubbing me and trying to get me to pet him. The owner said there are actually two cats, brothers from the same litter. You can see the shelves of trim just at the right side of the photo.

I then went to Steinlof & Stoller, Rosen & Chadwick, NY Elegant Fabrics and Parrons, where I bought nothing. I got a lining sample at NY Elegant, but wanted to wait to see what else I could find before purchasing anything.

I then headed over to M&J Trim, taking a peek at Times Square and Bryant Park along the way. M&J Trim is a must stop if you go to NYC for fabric shopping. It is amazing. It is big, beautifully laid out and has every ribbon, trim, and embellishment you could want and some you didn't know you wanted. I got a sample for a student of mine who is making a Chanel style jacket. This trim is beautiful and was the one I fell in love with - there really wasn't any other trim that was as perfect as this one - it picks up the aqua, but also picks up the color of the orchid lining, too.

I then wandered down to Mood, and found the lining for Garden Path, some yellow Bemberg:

The price was actually better than Jo-ann's and of course, they have every color under the rainbow.

No stop to NYC for fabric shopping would be complete without a stop at Metro Textiles to visit Kashi. I bought 3 pieces of knit for my daughter for school tops. Yes, you've probably seen that print on the right before. This is the knit version of the red I bought last week, in a magenta/teal/chocolate brown colorway.

Kashi, of course, didn't want me to leave only buying 6 yards of fabric, so he said, "I make you a deal." Some of you know what that means. So, this fabric followed me home:

It is hard to see from the photos, but the red is actually woven in and the edges around the flowers/vines are like cut velvet - cut and fringed. Very pretty, yes it was a deal and yes, I bought all that was left on the bolt, but, he's got plenty of this same fabric just in black.

Greenberg & Hammer was my next to the last stop before going back to the Tick Tock Diner for dinner, which also happened to be at the bus pick up. I bought a couple of yards of bra channeling - the stuff is really soft, plush and cushy. I just got some similar stuff in the mail for Hooks and Wires, so I'm interested to try it out.

I don't know how the bus driver did it, but we left NYC at 5:00p sharp, and got into SS around 9p - 15 minutes before we were supposed to. I was leaving the parking area at 9:09, and got home at 10:30p. I was pleased with that!

Overall, another great trip to NYC! The ride was nice and stress-free, it didn't rain and I got to see a lot more of the fabulous offerings of the garment district.

Parting Shot: Piecing Done. My son finished his blocks, now he just needs to finish the borders and the fish!