Friday, August 08, 2008

East Coast meets West Coast

Yesterday I went into NYC to meet one of my favorite bloggers/quilters who happened to be visiting the city. When she posted on her blog late last week that she was coming across the country to my neck of the woods, I knew that I had to try and set up a blogger to blogger meeting. I mean, what are the odds ?? So I emailed her to see if she had any free time and luckily she did!! In case you haven't guessed her identity yet, here is picture of her current disguise.



Have you guessed yet?? Well, it was none other than Libby of A Simple Girl fame. Now you may not have realized this,but Libby doesn't have any recent pictures of herself on her blog. But since she was the only gal standing in front of the designated meeting spot at the designated time, I knew it was her! Let me just say that Libby has big blue eyes and a big beautiful smile to go with those peepers. Oh, and just between you and me, I think she may be "on the run" and wanted for questioning by the QUILT POLICE for her maverick ways in the "Indian Hatchet Quilt Caper". That's why there are no current pictures! So to keep her safe, I won't be posting any pictures of her on my blog. I know I am aiding and abetting but we maverick quilters need to stick together.



Anywho...When meeting with a quilter, hit a quilt shop! The City Quilter is an oasis in the midst of the chaos of NYC. I haven't been to the Big Apple in some time and had forgotten how overwhelming the sights, sounds and SMELLS can be! Once we had a quick cup of java (ok, iced chai latte), we were buzzed in and spent a good hour and a half ( and more $$$$ than I care to say!) in this wonderful shop. It is a quilter's buffet. I was especially thrilled with their selection of novelty fabrics, wool and Japanese fabrics. They also carried a very nice selection of books. Here's a peek at my booty!



You might have noticed some interesting fabric in the right corner of this picture. Where else but in NYC would you find PROJECT RUNWAY fabric! Well, Libby and I both squealed when we spotted this little collection since we are both fans and of course, we both took a little piece home with us.

After we were done gorging ourselves at the City Quilter, we of course had to have dessert at MOOD, the official fabric store for Project Runway.

You have to take an elevator up to the third floor and when the doors open, it's like you died and went to fabric heaven! It is floor to ceiling filled with bolts of fabric from silk to wool to laces as well as boxes and boxes of buttons and walls embellishments. As soon as we got off the elevator, a woman told us that one of the current Project Runway contestants was there. It was none other than Suede!!! Well, we started walking up and down the aisles until we spotted the blue mohawk. He was super sweet and very accomodating. He was working on a project for BlueFly but was nice enough to take a minute so we could both snap pictures with him .
After rubbing elbows with a celebrity, Libby and I both just wandered around fondling fabric. If you don't have a definite idea of what you want when you go to Mood, you could end up wandering for days trying to make a decision. We ended up buying some fabulous wool.






Here's my selections which I've already felted. I think I'll be using the blue and black plaid for a bag and the gray nubby one is going to be great as a base for needle felting.

After all that fabric fondling a girl gets hungry! We were ready for lunch. It was just great to sit down and talk and talk and talk about family and quilting and everything!! Before I knew it, it was time for Libby to head back to the hotel to meet Andy for her night at the theatre and I headed back to Connecticut.

During my ride back home on the train, I thought of about 100 other questions I had meant to ask Libby! Sew little time.. :(

I guess my questions will have to wait til I hit the West Coast on a visit, which might not be too far in the future as it looks like Alex aka "Snowboarder Dude" may getting a job at a ski resort in Lake Tahoe, CA. But that's another post!

I can't tell you how special it was spending the day with Libby. It was soo super to put a face and
voice to a blog. If you ever get an opportunity to meet up with a fellow blogger/quilter, be sure to do it!

Libby, thanks for an awesome day of quiltiness!! and Enjoy the rest of your stay in the Big Apple!!!



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19 comments:

Melanie said...

Completely jealous--- Over meeting Libby, Over the quilt shopping, even over the purchases... sounds like a great day.... Thanks for the pics....

Vicki W said...

I'm pea green with envy! I suppose that means that Suede didn't last until the end - which is jsut as well, I don't think I could listen to him for an entire season. Stella is the other one. Did you buy any leatha?

tami said...

Sounds like so much fun. I love NYC and I would love to meet a fellow blogger in real life. Glad you had such a good day.

YankeeQuilter said...

What a great day! I watch the British version of Project Runway (Catwalk) here in the UK and plan on visiting where they shop for fabric in London when we visit there in a couple of weeks.

Yvonne said...

How exciting for both of you....thanks for sharing. :)

Kim said...

Sounds like a wonderful day!

Judy said...

She is a super sweet gal isn't she? We met up in the center of the country last year for a 4 day retreat!! Looks like you had a fabulous time!

Debra Dixon said...

Boy, don't you wish all your days could be so fun?

Jeanne said...

Sounds like a great day for both of you! And the Project Runway bonus was exciting!

Tracey @ozcountryquiltingmum said...

Oh, I don't know which part of this day I loved the most!!!!
NY, quilt shops, project runway, lots of bounty, food and bloggers...I think i need to go and lie down for a little while!!Tracey

Wendy said...

Looks like a fun day shared with a new friend. Thanks for sharing your day together.

Libby said...

Oh Boy . . . was it a fun day or what?! Too bad it just couldn't have been longer - so much to see and do in just a few short hours. We'll pack in just as much fun when you make it west - I'll start making a plan right now.

p.s. Did you hear that the elevators got stuck at the Empire State Building on Friday? That's right - people were trapped on the observation deck. Even worse, some were stuck in the elevator! *whew* I'm glad I knew from the gitgo that was not the place for Libby *s*

Kay said...

This sounds like a wonderful day. I was lucky enough to go to the City Quilter a few years ago--great shop!

julieQ said...

Glad you had a wonderful time!

laura west kong said...

How fun! Those are some wonderful fabrics.

Shelina (formerly known as Shasta) said...

I'm glad you had a great day. I love meeting fellow bloggers.

Finn said...

Hey Annie, how wonderful! Two of my favorite bloggers getting together to shop and chat, sounds perfect!
And getting to Mood and meeting Suede, too much!! I'm a big fan of Project Runway also, what a treat to see the NYC fabric for it. Sounds like you both had a wonderful time! Big hugs, Finn

mumzy said...

I have just introduced to your blog by my DD. She knows how much I love quilting. It sounds like you had heavenly quilting time in NYC. My DH has relatives in Connecticut, so we know it is fairly easy to get to NYC from there. I just love to get in at those big quilting shop, but somewhat like you, with so much to chose from, it is mind bogling.

Colleen formerly of South Africa said...

The blue haired guy looks a bit like one of my grandsons...without the blue.Looks like you all had such fun. Lucky you.

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