A Tip from Jan at Delectable Mountain Cloth

Good Monday!

I'm still out of commission with my back but I'm a bit better than I was a few days ago so thanks for all the well wishes.  I'm going to have to figure out an ergonomic chair that can pull up to my embroidery frame so if anyone has any advice...I'm all ears!!

Here's a picture full of happiness...

This is my loot from my trip to Delectable Mountain Cloth.   I just love that crocheted and beaded berry trim.  *Sorry but there was only this one piece.* (I know, I know.  Don't be mad.)

It reminded me of this book with beaded edgings that I bought a while back.  Time to try out some of those patterns.

I also was really into the color nude this time around for some reason.

These silks have great structure and a stiffness which I'm looking forward to playing with. That's another thing about Jan's shop...there are tons of different types of fabric...the common denominator being that they are all natural materials...silks, cottons, linens, wool.

I also can't resist the incredible quilt packs that Jan puts together.  There are approximately 30-40 fabric pieces per roll, perfectly sized for piecing crazy quilt blocks.



The fabrics are unbelievable...running anywhere from $25-over $100/yd and priced incredibly reasonably.  There's no way you could afford to purchase such a wide range of exquisite fabric.  I can't get enough of them.

Lastly, I picked up some of this icy blue panne velvet.



Panne velvet is a type of crushed velvet where all the nap is hard pressed to one side.  The overall effect on the velvet is very glossy and looks like sealskin.

What if you don't want this glossy look?

No problem.  According to Jan, all you have to do is wet the velvet and put it into the dryer.

So I tried it.  I wetted it...

And dried it. Now I have two different types of velvet.  One very icy and slinky and the other very soft and malleable.



I noticed that the wetted version also doesn't hold creases like the panne velvet does.

And there you have it.  A tip for panne velvet on this beautiful Monday.

*sigh***

P.S. Unbeknownst to me, Delectable Mountain is a quilt block pattern! Maybe that was unbeknownst to you too...

Delectable Night at the Museum

The last couple of weeks, I went on a Crazy Road Trip that took me North to meet up with friends.

We had three days of wonder-filled fun which ended at my picking Jack up from school in Boston and driving home.  After 34 hours in a car in a period of one week, my back gave out.  

Right now I'm lying here on my belly with a herniated disk, finally able to arch my back enough to type out this long overdue post.  That'll teach me for turning 50 and thinking I'm still 22.

To take my mind off the pain, allow me to re-live my extra-special expedition with these two brilliantly beautiful women...

Lisa Boni aka Ivory Blush Roses and Allie Aller.

I had never met Lisa so when I heard she would be attending the Slow Stitching Getaway with Allie in New Jersey,  I proposed a road trip adventure and they accepted.

We drove from New Jersey to Brattleboro, making a bee line to Delectable Mountain Cloth.

Driving into town, we were greeted by one of Vermont's quaint covered bridges...

Jan was waiting for us, having just arranged this Spring-born bouquet for our arrival...

We spent the day together; laughing and sharing and shopping and oohing and aahing over all the exquisite cloth.

As the day waned, we headed out for a cup of joe and a trip down the hill...

To the local art museum where Jan's friend had a piece in the current textile exhibition there...

And we carried Jan's cloth with us as we went...

The day was pure bliss and we didn't think it could get much better...until the sun went down and then all bets were off.

It began with dinner at Brattleboro's T.J. Buckley's.  The magic, I mean.

Jim and I had been there for dinner last Fall after we dropped Jack off at school.  It's a super special place.

Tiny...there are only eight tables.  Enchanting...you're seated in a refurbished dining car.



Intimate...Chef Michael cooks in the same room with you and there are only two other staff members.



It's most definitely a place for special occasions...like celebrating with three women whom you admire and don't get to see very often.



The company, the food, the atmosphere...we savored it.  Every bite.  When we left, we were somewhere close to heaven I'm sure.

We floated all the way back to Delectable Mountain Cloth where Jan had to pick up a couple CDs of her music to give to Allie and Lisa.

So imagine it...you've had an amazing meal on top of a day filled with beauty and treasure...and then you walk down the streets of Brattleboro at night and you get to peek through these windows...

Your eyes get wide, your heart beats fast, your breathing quickens...and your insides squeal with delight.

And even though the store is closed, it's not for you!

Because you're with the owner and she opens the door and lets you inside...!



See what I mean?  I had to stop jumping up and down so I could take pictures.

The store was dark but for the window lights reflecting off the whites of the laces and linens, the radiance of the silks, and the luster of the buttons.

I found these quilt blocks made by Jan tucked away on a shelf.  When she pulled them down and spread them out, the three of us smiled aloud.  Each was about 4" square and the fabric combinations were masterful...




Jan pulled out her scrapbooks and began to share.  Her story.

   

The story of the store and how she came to be where she is now. The clippings, photographs, notes, and people...the memories that have all become Delectable Mountain Cloth.

It was magical; a secret passageway to the heart of the store.

It was after Jan had turned off the lights and re-locked the door and we were walking away when Allie captured it perfectly.

"Wow," she said.  "That was like Night at the Museum, wasn't it? Just like Night at the Museum..."

Something extraordinary had come to life after dark that wasn't visible in the light of day.  We had felt it.  I'm sure that the fairies re-appeared after we had gone to set the store to right again.  A magical night at the museum of cloth.

Stores like Jan's don't just happen...they're made.

They're tended and fed.  They're cultivated and curated.

They require bold and brave souls to devote their lives to preserving a trade, to following a call.  I'm sure it's not easy.  Stores like Delectable Mountain Cloth are rare and in constant danger of fading away.

If you haven't been there, you need to go.  And if you can't go...call Jan the next time you need some cloth.

Next post, I'll share what I brought home with me and I'll continue the Road Trip.

Writing this post has almost made me forget the shooting pain in my back and butt.  Almost.

P.S.  In case you missed it, I made a video of Jan and her store and posted it on Vimeo when Jim and I were there last September.  Here's the link.  Make sure you click on HD for high-definition if you're going to watch it full screen; otherwise it's fuzzy.  The music to the video is one of Jan's compositions and my favorite, Falling.

Fishman's Rainbow

Our last morning in Chicago was brief but we did have a few hours before we had to head to the airport. Both Jim and Jack had work to do so I did what any passionate needleartist would do...

I looked online for any needlework or fabric shops near our hotel, found one, bought a big cup of tea and set out to walk the 1.5 miles to Fishman's Fabrics...

Fishman's Fabrics was established in 1903 and prides itself on building relationships with quality mills around the world in order to offer a full range of textiles:  cashmeres from Scotland, wool suitings from Italy, linens from Belgium...even American-made wool felt.

And the silks!  I couldn't believe the RANGE of colors offered...every color of the rainbow...in every TYPE of silk.

Dupioni galore...

Silk linings, silk charmeuse, silk shantung, silk chiffon, silk crepe, silk velvets...



Silk satin and silk habotai...



Silk organza and silk taffeta...

I have never, in my life, seen such ample offerings in every TYPE and COLOR of silk.  I was floored.

One large warehouse floor to be precise...

And to think that in the past they used to have THREE floors PACKED with fabric.

It's incredible the degree to which our fabric stores have limited their stocks in the last three decades.  Even on my trips to New York, I often leave without having found the right color or the right cloth.

Fishman's range is a breath of fresh air; a real find for someone looking for breadth within categories.

And I didn't take a picture, but the range of upholstery and designer fabrics is just as impressive.  And leather!  I haven't seen so much leather in one place.  Of course, I haven't really bought leather...but Fishman's could get me started.  And did I mention, the quality linings for vests and ties...?  And the clearance wall?  Most clearance bolts were $5-$10/yard...!

And more good news...they love online orders and the minimum cut is 1/8 yard.  A great resource when you are searching for a particular palette.

In the entryway, I enjoyed reading a bulletin board full of vintage ephemera about the store:  news clippings, letters from famous customers, magazine covers, etc...

I love a shop with a history and a shop that loves its customers.

The rainbow shines bright in Chicago, my friends...

And it's at Fishman's Fabrics.

Though your pot of gold might take a hit.  Just warning you.