apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

This is so cool. i'm gonna go this week.

Oh wow! I just saw that this is from one of the finalists. ok, now this is what I'm talking about, interesting, attention grabbing, love the photo and the graphic. And, most importantly, totally well written and meaningful to AT readers. good luck!

The one problem with BB is that, while much of the fabric is gorgeous, most of it comes in swatches. So, if you have a big project, it is rare to find what you need there.

i was just going to ask about sewing classes and whether anyone has any recommendations.

What do you mean by swatches? Like designer swatch books? I'm trying to find 12 yards of the best fabric in the world to upholster my bed with, should I look there? Has anyone actually ever shopped there?

Yes, I've shopped there. Most of the fabric is displayed in stacks on shelves that you have to look through. I think that the pieces are a bit bigger than designer swatch books, but you will not find 12 yds of the best fabric in the world. It was the 1st place I went when I wanted to make the AT headboard and it was impossible.

As per sewing classes, rasil, I took two sessions at FIT's continuing ed school It's called Learn to Sew Like a Pro, they run it all the time, and it's great.

Sarah; thanks for the info, maybe i'll not make a special trip.

I assume the "swatches" are what the showrooms call "memo samples" which are usually enough to make a nice sized throw pillow and nothing more. it makes sense, these samples are what designers borrow to show clients outside of the D&D, for example and they do usually have a stack of them in each pattern, so i bet they get a nice tax break for donating these otherwise useless items (if you don't return them to the showroom they charge you a lot, like $15 a sample, cheap bastards).

I wonder, does anyone know if it's the kind of place you need to go to over and over in order to hit on a good find? like filenes in boston? my friends in boston go everyday, one day it's junk one day it's chanel jackets for $2!

Oh, well.

Hi, I just wanted to add a little info following the questions posted here. The hours at the shop are kind of unreliable so I'd call before going. There wouldn't be much selection in a quantity of 12 yards, however, this is still a great source for small (or quilted!!) projects at almost no cost. Some rumaging is required, but for me the hunt is part of the thrill! I used to live just around the corner from there in Cobble Hill so a casual stop-in was easy and more often fruitful than not.

thanks sophie. i will check it out.

I haven't been to Bazaar in a few years. I've never come across really large pieces, but can be a great source of material for bags or pillows.

I wandered in there about a month ago and got amazing fabric, enough to recover a couch and armchair. They have swatches, but they also had yards on rolls -- I think I got 4 yards for $5/yard. It was great!

Rasil: I don't know where you are located, but Purl Soho and the Make Workshop also offer classes for beginning sewers. Maybe not as comprehensive as the FIT course, but if you are looking for something quick and fun...

Rasil, I'm currently taking a beginning machine quilting class at Purl Patchwork in Soho and it's really good. But it's not a sewing class per se, in fact most of it is really on cutting the fabric. Make Workshop does a one night intro to the sewing machine class as well as sewing classes.

This is well done Regina and your website is beautiful, though I'm not sure what it is your company does.

Well written, Regina! It says a lot that the comments so far have addressed the content of your post, and not your writing ability (or lack thereof).

baltic bazaar is wonderful! they now have a thift store component as well. i took a sewing class once there, which was great, but i'm not sure if they offer them anymore. the selection of fabrics is very interesting, and always different! very fun, and for a good cause too.

Regina,
Were you and your partner featured on a television design show. I seem to recall your company name, ckry, a blend of shared initials?

I just went to the website for Baltic Bazaar (clicked on 'website' under address info) and they have sewing and other classes listed that look like they start in September. This is definitely a fun place to shop.

I skipped reading for "more" on this one since it was a shop in Brooklyn and I'm in Portland...But this post is great! I like the tone. Never would have guessed it was a finalist! I think it speaks volumes that the comments here are on topic (until now). Good luck, Regina!

The shop has huge bolts of fabric for the garment sewer as well as small swatches for the quilter. The website doesn't look like it's been updated for a couple of years as the class dates don't match up to 2206. The $180 price tag for 6 lessons vs. $195 for 5 classes at FIT seemed like the thing to do but having been at BB's last night, I've found professional sewers they are, professional teachers not so much.

As an educator, admittedly I'm persnickety about teaching in general and while I found the two teachers helpful andknowledgeable about sewing, one gal could have positioned herself more usefully during her teaching.

Understood she was comfy sitting up against the back behind the table, but when instructing sewing by handstitching a piece in your lap, it helps to sit in a less congested area without everyone expending effort in attempts to hover over and peer down to watch.
If you're ever at a lesson there, to avoid any need to crane your necks off kilter, a comment/request to the teacher will hopefully do the trick.