Travel
June 20, 2013

Fabric Weekend Recap

Mood, Michael Levine, Angel Textiles, Michael Levine Loft

My take home from Fabric Weekend.  I couldn’t be more obsessed with the fabric I got.  I told myself I had to stay away from striped this trip, and opted for quality over quantity this time.  I have some amazing silks, sequins, prints and I can’t wait to get sewing!  If only I could purchase the time to sew as easily as I can purchase fabric…

Second weekend in a row with Merrick!
 Melissa and Miriam.  The talent between these two is unreal.
 So fun to finally meet Beth in person!  Glad that we live so close!
photo by Jessica

Could I fit in anymore pictures of fabric?  Pretty sure I couldn’t.  I am still on a high from the fabulousness that was Fabric Weekend.  On day one we all met up at FDIM for a tour of the school (complete with an exclusive look into their trending reports for 2014!).  We scoured the scholarship store connected to the school, then headed over to blessed Michael Levine.  The mecca for any kind of luxurious fabric you could ever dream of.  We got a guided tour from Larry the owner, and I got to drool over the selection in their warehouse with 20 other bloggers that love fabric as much as I do. 

The following day we started out at Mood.  Again, with the fabric selection.  It was a little hard to keep myself from hyperventilating.  Mood has a great selection but is a bit on the pricey side, so I only went for fabric I was totally in love with.  Then back over to The District to recharge with a mighty fine bacon-wrapped hot dog.  Merrick, Melissa, and Miriam loved them as much as I do, solidifying our bond. 

We wrapped up the weekend with a Girls Night Out dinner sponsored by Jo-Anns at the amazing Industriel Farm.  (If it wasn’t for my trusty Jo-Anns, I don’t know what I would have done all those years in Utah, far away from LA)  We spent at least three full hours at dinner.  I could’ve have stayed there all night.  Spending the weekend with so many talented women who all have a similar passion was definitely the highlight of the weekend.  We are all so used to fab-asming (its a thing.  trust me.) over prints and textiles by ourselves, so getting to enjoy it will like-minded friends was such a dream!

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May 29, 2013

Fabric Weekend 2013: Prep

Fabric weekend logo

In just a few short days, I will be heading down to LA to meet up with 20+ amazing sewing bloggers for a fabric weekend right in the heart of my happy place, the Fabric District.  We have so many great things planned for the weekend, I. can’t. wait.  Not only am I excited about the fabric, I am thrilled to be able to spend the weekend with some of my closest friends and will finally be able to meet some blogging friends that I have grown to know and really admire via the blogosphere.  This whole blogging community is pretty great.  Never in my life did I think I would be able to hang out with a group of women that love sewing and designing as much as I do.

Our trip is being sponsored by two of my fabric store bff’s,  Michael Levine and Jo-Anns:

Michael levine logo
Michael Levine is a staple in
the Los Angeles Fabric District. Between their main store, the upholstry
fabric store and the Loft where you can buy fabric by the pound (just take a second and let that set in.  By the POUND you guys), you
will always walk away with bags of fabric you can’t wait to use.  And in my case, lots of fabric that you will love so much it might take you an entire year to have the courage to cut into.  For those not close to LA, they have a great online store as well. Their online site is
lowpricefabric.com and the selection is amazing!

Joann logo

Jo-Ann
Fabric and Craft Stores is my go to for when I need to physically feel the fabric or notions I’m looking for, and can’t justify a trip downtown.  I am at Jo-Anns pretty much as often as I’m at the grocery store…..with shopping lists comparable in length.

I can’t wait to share all my finds with you!  I have a list started of fabric to keep my eye out for.   I’m always most inspired for a piece by seeing fabric that I love.   Do you have any dream fabric that I should add to my list?

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Fashion
July 2, 2012

wonderland

Took a trip to my beloved fashion district in LA this weekend.  Making progress on my clothing line and scoped out this fabulous ride while I was at it…. not tacky at all.
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Lifestyle
January 6, 2012

waddling through the district

I talked my SIL Rachel into driving down the the fabric district with me while we were home.  She knows me well because she automatically offered to drive.  I can manage the whole driving to LA thing just fine, I would just prefer to be the passenger so that I don’t have to worry about getting sweat stains on my shirt or making left-hand turns.
I found 75% of the fabric that I needed for Bradley and Cash’s room for a great price.  I’m excited to get going on their bedding.  It is weird that I haven’t had to get anything really for baby Cash, since we have it all from Bradley.  So making new bedding will really help with my nesting process.  
I full blown waddled like a penguin up and down the streets of LA and couldn’t care less.  My back hurts like a mother and waddling is my only form of transportation.
On the way home Rach suggested that we stop by Roscoe’s for some good ‘ol fashioned chicken and waffles.  And you can obviously see from the picture that they really do give you a plate of waffles, and a plate of fried chicken.  SO random and SO good.  We were the only white girls in the joint, which made the experience that much more entertaining. 
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And the winner of the BDG Style pillow giveaway is….
Jessica W!
“Jessica said… I am a follower of BDG Style”
Shoot me over an email and we will get your pillow on it’s way!
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Fashion
August 24, 2011

fabric district…one last time

Call me crazy, but I made one more trip down to the LA Fabric District before heading back to Utah.  Since I won’t be back in California again till Christmas, I wanted to stock up as much as I could.  Joann’s just isn’t going to cut it for me up here.
I wanted to show you a few great finds (all pics from my phone, sorry about the quality!), and tell you about a few new gem spots to hit up if you get a chance to head down there.  I recapped my previous 
trips to the district here and here, so check them out for some of the places I usually frequent.
This last trip, I just headed down by myself.  Don’t get me wrong, I love going with friends or my mom, but I made it a goal to maneuver around down there by myself, and now that I’ve done it, its a great feeling. 
(crazy traffic, left-hand turns, one-way streets, and parking on the top of buildings terrify me)
I am a creature of habit, and park in the same place each time.  That and it’s the cheapest parking I’ve seen.  If you are standing in front of Michael Levine, it is the parking structure to the very left of it, up the alley.  It’s usually around $5 to park, but gets cheaper the later in the day it gets.
So I usually start with the Michael Levine Loft right across the street (seen here) because it is the cheapest and that’s where I get most of my fabric.  That way I can haul it all back to my car first thing and don’t have to bother with carrying it around. 
Then I usually head right up that street about 7 or 8 blocks and work my way down, finishing with the Michael Levine main store (which has an amazing selection, but you can’t bargain there like you can in the smaller stores).
One great find this trip was this store called Angel Textiles.  It is on the Michael Levine side of the street, about 3 blocks up. 
 
Walls and walls of gorgeous 60″ bolts of the best apparel fabrics.  I got a ton of stuff there and it was all $2 a yard!
see what I mean?
are you dying?  I am dying.
My mom is redoing her living room, so I was on the lookout for some great home fabrics as well.  Michael Levine has a fantastic home fabrics store, right next to The Loft.  Here are a few pics I snapped:
love this ikat
how gorgeous is that peacock?
they had some gorgeous linen that would make amazing curtains
Last but not least, my little bit of advice is to try some of the food the vendors are selling on the street.  Sure, it’s greasy, but it’s also amaaaaazing.  And when you are prego, nothing beats a bacon-wrapped hot dog. . . did I just write that?  I still don’t think I’ve worked that sucker off.  But it was worth it.
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