Curtain Call

Gardeners are a creative bunch of people and most of us have others things we do when we are not gardening.  One of my other lifelong endeavors has been sewing, clothes in the beginning for myself and my children then home decor, curtains, draperies, dust ruffles, duvets, pillow shams and pillows.

A trip to Chicago to a very old warehouse building

Sometimes I get ahead of myself in regard to what I can accomplish and have to rely on the trades to get me through a project like the fabric and fringe I had for a year to make new animal print pillows for my husband's chair.  He finally convinced me to bring the materials into the store and have them made.  I hate to give in to this because I know I can save a lot of money doing it myself - they're being made!

Yesterday, my daughter, sister-in-law and I took a trek into the city to a place that few fellow seamstresses could envision.  It is called Fishman's Fabrics (10,000 square feet of warehouse space established in 1903) and it is the largest collection of fabrics, supplies and trims that I have ever seen, overwhelming.  I had been there many years ago but as I remember was so confused by the multitude of materials I didn't buy a thing.

The city is still in disarray with cars totally buried in the snow, forget about street parking, and many chairs and tables holding parking spaces.  We were lucky enough to get into their small lot because we got there early.

There are three full floors of fabrics, every type imaginable, at bargain basement prices, racks of silks, velvets, sheers, linings, etc.  It is easy to get lost in there going from room to room to room on each floor.  The elevator is out of the 1920's, you know with the iron cage that comes down when you get on and you have to raise it up manually when you've reached your destination.

Racks of laces

Trims

More trims

Glitzy trims

A sale on trims

My daughter found some beautiful materials for draperies and valences for two of her rooms.  She is an excellent seamstress but has very little time, so seeking out the trades to help out may be an option.  My sister-in-law teaches Home Economics including sewing so she has many projects going at all times.

Checkout time

I didn't buy anything today either, they brought me along as a "color consultant."  This is the first time I've been called that, but I did enjoy the experience.