I Get to Drive a Maserati!

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www.industrialsewmachine.com

The Maserati of sewing machines that is!  That is how the Head of the Fashion Design Program at FIDM described industrial sewing machines.  My first test drive will be on Tuesday! 


I'm not going to use this blog to bitch and moan about life so I won't go into detail about orientation.   All I will say is there was a total of 4 hours of sitting in traffic, rain, and long, long lines for everything.  It was not my cup of tea and all the information I needed was in the packet I was given first thing in the morning.


My favorite part of the day was a lecture by Peter Tredwin, founder and President of Business Affair, a consulting company for business management and retail merchandising.  His lecture was entitled "Concept to Consumer" and man, it was fascinating!  It reminded me a lot of what Kathleen Fasanella of Fashion-Incubator writes about in her blog.  This man was so passionate about his business and seemed to genuinely care about the success of the 400+ people in the room.  A great intro. to the industry!


I haven't been sewing lately, but that doesn't mean I haven't been thinking about it.  My best friend flew in for a visit last week and we drove to L.A. to test the commute.  We also browsed the Fashion District and used this article to guide us in the right direction.  


Here is a list of places we visited:


~ Alen's Fabric - 821 S. Wall St.
~ Carmel Tex - 432 E. 9th St.
~ Fabrics and Fabrics - 403 E. 9th St.
~ Mike's Fabric - 829 S. Wall St. (My favorite!)
~ Zip Up Zipper - 828 S. Wall St.


We visited quite a few more, but I was camera-less and forgot many of the names.  Mike's Fabric was my favorite because it was so well organized. I could breathe in there!  The selection was a lot smaller, but the quality and prices were good.  I picked up this light to mid-weight purple and black woven wool for $7/yd.  The color is so rich. I photoshopped the crappy picture to try to get a more accurate representation of the color.

I need a good coat pattern.  I was thinking M5937, but I not loving the huge droopy lapels.  I don't think the Lady Grey would flatter my figure either.  Any suggestions??? :)