A friend asked today what was the absolute best part of the trip and both Jim and I answered how you'd pretty much expect us to - the shopping, the excitement, the shopping. But tonight as I was looking at this photo I realised that the best part of the trip was being with someone that was totally onboard with every day starting with a list that included fabric shops and button shops. I am afraid to say that there are times when I don't fully appreciate just how unusual it is to be with a (straight) man that totally gets why I would want to spend 2 hours in one fabric shop. Not to mention understanding how important it is that there be room in the suitcase for my fabric, even if it's at the expense of room for the boys toys.
It's something special to have your partner tell you to make sure that you get enough fabric or enough magazines. Especially when he's stuck with a partner that gets all 'uh oh, I'm not sure we should' when it comes to his shopping list (in my defence, Jim always goes for the big ticket items!).
And it's even more special that when I suggested this morning that I had not in fact bought enough fabric, Jim did not look at me in complete disbelief, but instead agreed that it would be impossible to buy enough fabric. Regardless of any other problems that we may have to endure, I'd say that that kind of understanding is a pretty good basis for a marriage. And I should remember that a little more often.
You see, fabric is indeed a wondrous thing!
So, where was I?
We've visited the Cooper-Hewitt. We've been to the book shop. Walked through the park.
We also managed to get to Kates Paperie , very briefly on Sunday. And I'm telling you, if you can get to one then don't walk, run! I'm a complete stationary freak (who isn't?) and we just don't have shops like this in the UK. Fantastic.
On Monday, we decided that it was time to face the big guns. In the morning we visited the Museum of Art and Design and saw the Radical Lace and Subversive Knitting exhibit, which we both enjoyed far more than we expected to. Then we popped across the street to MoMA, which was as fantastic as we had hoped it would be.
I have to admit to having a huge crush on all of Hoppers work and was so excited to finally see a piece up close.
After the museums we decided to finally head down to SoHo and visit Purl (I know you've just been speed reading up until now!).
For some reason (my fault) we decided to walk the 60 blocks to SoHo and therefore didn't get there until 40 minutes before closing! Can you imagine how stressed I was? Only 40 minutes? Nightmare.
That was until the wonderful (get used to it, there's going to be a lot of superlatives in the next few paragraphs!) Joelle told me to relax because she would just lock the door at closing time and I could shop for as long as I wanted!
Yup, the entire store To. My. Self.
The thing is though, you know when you have a really great time but you don't want to tell people about it because you know that you can't convey just how much fun it was? Well that's how I feel about this post. I just know that I can't do the afternoon justice with my lousy writing style. So lets have a look at some photo's instead shall we?
The front window reminds me of a sweet shop, with it's jars and gorgeous colours. And do you spot that Kitty?
Of course we all recognise this wonderful wall.
I wanted it all! But I was sensible. And I can always get it online . Can't I?
That little pile of bolts on the cutting table was a good start, don't you think?
The shop really is a lovely place to be. It may be slightly smaller than some quilt stores, but it makes up for lack of space by stocking only quality, beautiful fabrics. Every single fabric was tempting and there were none of the dingy, dark prints that are so prevalent over here.
But the best thing about it was the atmosphere. It is such a welcoming place, with great lighting and lots of warmth and colour. Everywhere you look there is inspiration. And unlike a lot of quilt stores there is no snobbery. The easiest way to describe it is to compare it to The City Quilter, a quilt shop in Manhattan.
The City Quilter is bigger and has a lot of fabric, and a lot of it is good fabric, but the atmosphere sucks. It totally suffers from the same attitude as most quilt shops. The staff were older, condescending women that were far more interested in ignoring you than helping you. And everyone under 50 was treated the same. It's something that drives me nuts and is just as common over here. And it's a major reason that a lot of younger people (and by younger I just mean pre-menopausal) are too scared to start quilting.
However, Purl is the complete opposite. While I was in there a number of customers came in before closing and confessed that they had never quilted or really sewn anything and yet they were immediately made to feel welcome. Joelle didn't act for one second as though they were just beginners and therefore not worth her time (which is exactly how the staff in the City Quilter did act).
Seriously, Jim and I intend to own a fabric store some time very soon and Purl is exactly how I want it to be. Warm and friendly and welcoming.
And as for Joelle? Well, what can I say? The lady is as lovely as she is talented. And I spent a very interesting couple of hours talking to her about all the things that interest us all so much. We talked japanese craft books, blogs, fabric (duh), quilts, patterns and more.
It was truly wonderful to meet someone so like minded and if I hadn't felt so guilty for keeping her at work, I could have spent many more hours talking and shopping.
Oh and I'm sure that Joelle won't mind me saying that she has a new Book out in the Fall, and I can tell you that I'll definitely be buying it. I can't wait. You can pre-order it now!
So after all of that, what did I buy? Well, here's the blue pile.
Tomorrow, the magazines that I was going to share with you today, and the other piles of colour! And oh! We haven't even touched on Grayline Linens or Tinsel Trading yet!
