Austin fabric store reviews & sewing meetup awesomeness

Sewing meetup awesomeness at The Common Thread in Austin (with lots of love for stripes, clockwise from L): Me, Melissa of Melly Sews, Angela of So Made, Melizza of Pincushion Treats, Sara, Susan of Moon Thirty, and Susan of Miss Lulu Sews

So Austin turned out to be the perfect family vacation spot—and sewing mojo reboot inspiration. I somehow managed to attend four (!) sewing-related meetups in slightly over a week, sew a skirt, acquire an excessive amount of pretty new fabric, and even go to a crafty birthday party for Dixie (of Dixie DIY). (I must thank Susan for being the most amazing sewing hostess ever and for making all of this fun happen!)

Unrelated to sewing, I baked allergy-free bread, made homemade tamales on a hotplate, ate many tacos, met up with a cartoonist friend, swam in Barton Springs Pool and went on a movie date with my husband to the Alamo Drafthouse. It was a good time.

At The Common Thread a week earlier, with Dixie of Dixie DIY, Susan and Angela

My three-year-old daughter had some stitchy fun herself at the Thinkery children's museum:

And joined me for two of the sewing meetups. But I must say that one of the NON-highlights of the trip was her running around Stitched Fabric shop during a sewing club gathering, pins in hand, yelling "Poop soup!" and giggling maniacally, with me madly chasing behind. Sigh...

Austin fabric shopping is very different from the NYC fabric shopping to which I am accustomed. In Manhattan, I can stroll a few blocks over to the Garment District on my lunch break, and find myself in very large (and sometimes dim, dusty and crowded) stores, easily overwhelmed and at a loss for what I actually want or need. The selection is huge, but sometimes maybe a bit TOO huge.

In Austin, I had to get in a car (oh, GRRR, how I hate driving!) to reach the little shops I visited, but they were calmer, better-lit, more well-curated and had a more personal touch and intimate customer service approach than, say, Mood (not that I don't love Mood! but you know what I mean). I came away with some truly special and high-quality pieces that I can't wait to stitch into, especially the knits.

The Common Thread

• Location: 701 S Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78704
• Vibe: Relaxed, welcoming, elegant. A well curated selection of high-quality woven and knit fashion fabrics, including eco-friendly and organic fabrics in a range of fibers (even hemp and bamboo), and in styles from quirky and bold to elegant and refined. The fabric is beautifully displayed and there were lovely sample garments out for inspiration. Jeanie, the owner, was very welcoming, knew all the Austin sewists and seems to regularly host sewing meetups. Prices are fair, but this isn't a discount shop by any means (though there is a small sale/remnant rack in the back.)
• I couldn't resist: Riley Blake cotton/spandex gray and white polka dot knit and some lovely gray and white seersucker (the top top fabrics shown)...
  ...And this scant amount of Echino cotton/linen blend fabric. It was on sale, and there's barely enough for a straight skirt:
  

TexStyles Designer Fabric Showroom

Susan wishing she had a reasonable excuse to buy some $85/yard French silk charmeuse

• Location: 2605 Jones Rd Ste D Austin, TX 78745
• Vibe: One-of-a-kind designer fabric finds, from the over-the-top to the fancy, ranging from about $7/yard to much, much higher. Lots of great knits (including some fantastic sweater knits, which aren't easy to find), loud bold prints, bright colors and sequins. The fabric is packed in tightly on the racks and it's a small space, so a bit of hunting and digging is required to turn up gems.
• I couldn't resist: A yard of black and blue zig-zaggy knit print to make a fun tee.
  

  I also randomly got to meet Daniel Esquivel (of Project Runway fame) who was super friendly and showed us some fabric designs he was working on:

  

  On our second visit to the store, Little Z enjoyed grabbing the fabrics a little too much and I had to take her outside before she ruined anything:

  

Stitched Fabric (at the Austin Fabric Coop)

• Location: 6601 N Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78752
• Vibe: Knit paradise on earth. It is probably for the best that I don't live in Austin, as this place might be a problem for me. I have never before been in a shop where it was so painful to walk away without taking 90% of the store items home with me. There were knit stripes, and knit prints, and knit polka dots, all in good weights with excellent stretch and drape and recovery (something I struggle to find, even in New York). There were plenty of woven fabrics too, but I wasn't paying them much mind because the KNITS.
  

  AND there was a TARDIS door:

  AND I got to see some of the Cake Patterns envelopes I've illustrated at large in their natural sewing-shop habitat:

  

  The prices are fair (but not discount cheap) given the quality and there is a "free scraps" table with some surprisingly large scraps.

  
• I couldn't resist: Purple/gray/red thin-striped knit for a skirt (scroll up) and green and white polka dot knit (enough for a dress):
  

  Plus a good amount of wax print fabric from the free scraps table for a dress for the little girl.

We were so sad to leave Austin and all of our friends there (old and new), and I hope those of you attending Pattern Review weekend have a fantastic time!

P.S. Also while at the Thinkery, little Z and the husband and I had fun with a giant microscope to look at some different objects very closely including knit jersey fabric, corduroy fabric and my daughter's little plastic Princess Tiana doll:

Brooklyn Sewcializing: Sewing Club & Colette Party!

Brooklyn Sewing Club May 26 meet-up (L to R): Lee with Cabarita, Clio with hippo dragon friend, me and my Hummingbirds, Valerie in a Lisette skirt, Cindy and her watermelon socks, Nettie and her Tiny Pocket Tank/Meringue mashup, Liz w/ a Simplicity mock-wrap dress

Even in the darkest depths of my no-sewing-possible illness and fatigue, I tried whenever I wasn't super ill to make it to the monthly Brooklyn Sewing Club. Even when I had nothing to show during our latest projects go-round, I think it helped keep me grounded and hopeful and inspired.

But this time was WAY more fun because I actually had several finished objects to show off!

We had a little potluck feast... mostly cookies, fruit and tortilla chips. You know. Dinner. (Everyone was so awesome and carefully avoided bringing nut or sesame-containing products that would be dangerous for my daughter, and many people even brought specially allergy-safe items so she could eat them too!):

(That's little Z in the foreground eating a strawberry).

We did our usual go-round, shared our latest sewing and knitting projects and plans for upcoming makes. We also discussed sewing and fitting challenges, and I think next time we might do a more fitting-oriented session (it can be SO hard to fit yourself, especially in the back... I cannot count the number of times I have stuck myself with pins as a result).

Then there was a dive for the fabric and pattern swap piles—we hadn't done either in a while:

I think I gave away two pieces of fabric and four or five patterns, and I took home two of each. How fabulous is this Simplicity 1653 mock-wrap dress with flutter sleeves? And that blue and purple print knit p is just right for it, too!

The Butterick B5749 is also really cute but I've seen reviewers complain it is complicated to make and there are errors in the instructions. (But isn't this version by Rachel at Prismatoria AWESOME?)

Cocktails with Colette!

Also, a few weeks earlier, some members of the club went to the Colette Patterns cocktail party at Brooklyn General. Sadly I had no actual Colette to wear, but it was fun to see most everyone out and about in their best Macarons and Gingers and Laurels.

Here's Sarai in a lovely eyelet dress (and two fabulous women whose names I didn't catch):

Brooklyn Sewing Club members, including yours truly:

Oh look, it's Bright as a Button and GingerMakes:

Anyway, a lovely time was had by all, and the drinks were nearly as fancy as the pretty dresses!

And I'm actually not sew sure if I like the word "sewcial" or not, but I think I just need to give up being sew picky and embrace all the "sew" puns already. Ahem.

P.S. Speaking of sewcializing, I believe there's some big NYC meetup happening Saturday at Prospect Park in Brooklyn... but I'm going to be in Massachusetts celebrating my 33rd birthday and attending my 10th Harvard Reunion (in a $4 vintage strapless black velvet peplum dress, if you must know).

A Brooklyn Sewing Meetup & Swap!

Really, is there anything MORE fun than sitting around relaxing on a Sunday evening with a bunch of talented seamstresses, eating delicious food, talking sewing (and even knitting) plans and projects and sipping bubbly drinks? How about swapping FREE fabric and FREE patterns?

Seriously, I had such a fabulous weekend. I took my daughter to see the cherry blossoms at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, a cartoonist friend who had just been announced as a finalist for the Pulitzer came to visit my husband and me ... AND I went to an awesome Brooklyn sewing meetup and pattern/fabric swap.

Now, I've been attending the monthly Brooklyn BurdaStyle Sewing Club meetups on and off since 2010 (see "Meet the Brooklyn BSC!"), and they are always a blast. BUT to add even more fun this time, we had several new attendees ... and they may be familiar faces to some of you!

From left to right:

• Dina holding the beautiful eyelet lace wrap dress she made for her bridal shower (sorry, I forget the pattern number, but she tried it on for us and it fits her perfectly... I do know she got her eyelet fabric at Mood).
• Lee (of Sew Weekly Contributor fame) wearing her gorgeous handwoven Indian cotton circle skirt.
• My daughter Z, having a blast in her Kit Cat Cute corduroy overalls, and admiring...
• Wanett, aka Nettie, aka Sown Brooklyn (also of Sew Weekly fame), wearing her "Quick & Dirty Cowl" (her free tutorial here), and holding up her fabulous "Luck of the Concrete Jungle" dress.
• Me, with bedraggled caught-in-rainstorm hair, wearing my Jalie scarf collar top and triumphant wide-legged (and highish waisted) trousers, and my recently darned handknit socks--and holding Z's Tomten jacket.
• Our wonderful hostess Valerie wearing her lovely new voile print blouse.
• Liz and her super-awesome plaid Simplicity 2176 sundress.

I was worried Wanett and Lee might think I was a stalker when I commented on their blogs out of the blue asking them to come to the meetup... but they both braved a horrendous downpour to share their fabulous sewing projects and plans--and some tasty baked goods!

At our meetup we:

• Went around the table taking turns sharing our latest sewing and knitting projects and plans... sharing triumphs and fails alike and trading advice.
• Talked super-nerdy sewing talk about serging and hem finishes and bodice alterations and waistband interfacing.
• Watched Z run around in circles squealing in joy (she had so much fun she didn't even eat the dinner I brought her).
• Ate yummy food.
• Sipped sweet tea and prosecco.
• Swapped patterns and fabric.

I was really glad of the swap, as I had some really nice fabrics sitting in the stash that deserved a better home--a good-quality gray wool pinstripe suiting that is too neutral in color for me, a purple stretch crepe that was just one too many purple fabrics for me, some lovely rayons and cottons (including one that didn't work for my Mad Men dress dickey but was so awesome it deserved some love). I also gave away quite a few of my 1960s a-line and drop-waist dress patterns, since that's just not my silhouette.

As tempting as the array of free fabric and patterns (including some Vogue designer patterns and some vintage patterns) were, I forced myself to take only one piece of fabric and two patterns--all for Z, not me:

All in all an awesome night--thanks ladies! And now I'm super-motivated to get going on my next spring sewing project!

Anyway, if you're interested, drop me a line. Our club is very welcoming--we even have a member who comes in from Manhattan. And you DON'T have to only sew BurdaStyle patterns, of course--many of us do, but all sewing at all levels is welcome!

So, the question of the day: how often do YOU get to hang out with other sewing-obsessed people in real life (if at all)?

P.S. Here's my daughter admiring some cherry blossom petals at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens:

Oh, and speaking of my daughter... when I went to go wake her up this morning, I found her standing in her crib smiling, wearing a red polka dot sunhat and purple polka dot shorts (OVER her pajamas) and saying "Polka dot! Polka dot!" I'm so sorry I didn't get a picture!

Meet the Brooklyn BSC!

Showing off some of our latest projects: Ana and her jumper, Valerie and her BurdaStyle shorts, Kathrin, me in my polka dot maternity modified Jalie 2005 T and self-drafted gingham maternity skirt holding another polka dot top; Dina and her glittery Burda magazine jacket, Cheryl and her lovely dress (pattern copied from vintage RTW...)

...And I don't mean the Babysitter's Club (though I totally had 40 of those books when I was 9).

It was a warm spring Sunday in Brooklyn yesterday and I took a long and lovely (if rather breathless--Cartoonist Baby is really squishing my lungs these days) stroll down to Carroll Gardens for my second monthly meeting of the Brooklyn BurdaStyle Sewing Club.

This club is just way too fun and fabulous! They (we, actually!) get together once a month, usually at an apartment in Brooklyn, share tasty snacks, and obsessively talk fabric, patterns, magazines, machines--you know the drill. There's a little show and tell where we go around in a circle, display our latest projects, talk about what we're working on next and share/solicit advice. Everyone has her (so far just women at the two meetups I attended) own distinct taste, but there seems to be a general love (unsurprisingly) for BurdaStyle web and magazine patterns.

And we bring fabric and envelope patterns to swap--I restrained myself this time and just destashed without making any new acquisitions, though last time I picked up a beautiful B&W silk charmeuse print for the great price of FREE.

Kathrin and Dina checking out the fabric/pattern swap pile... Dina is wearing the Burda 3/2010 magazine jumpsuit made from fabric from Spandex House.

I had been feeling a little lonely in my sewing pursuits--most of my local friends are more of the knitting persuasion!--and this has been a perfect antidote. Though the next meeting might be my last for a little while, depending on when Cartoonist Baby makes her debut...

The group officially has 25 members and counting, though at the two meetups I attended there were just 7 or 8 of us.

From L to R: club founders Ana and Valerie, Kathrin, me (Mikhaela) in my polka dot maternity modified Jalie 2005 T and self-drafted gingham maternity skirt; Dina in her Burda magazine jumpsuit (March 2010, I think), Cheryl.

Robin in a fabulous self-drafted jacket

Anyway, if you live in Brooklyn (or don't mind the subway ride) and love to sew, please drop Valerie a line, we'd love to have you!

Update: I should have mentioned--there are BurdaStyle sewing clubs all over the country (and world)! Here's a list, maybe there's one near you (or you can start one!)