live from New York!

The weather here was perfect today -- just a little bit crisp and right for a long walk. I finished up with my meetings at about 2:30 and walked down to City Quilter, which is one of my alltime favorite shops. I was tempted by so many of their fabrics but actually didn't buy any! I felt like my recent bout of online retail therapy would keep me going for a while, and I'm really trying to stop buying big prints unless/until I have some clue about what to do with them. I was particularly taken with some of Moda's Wonderland collection, Andover's Midcentury Modern, and something with beautiful blue and green ivy leaves for which I can't remember the manufacturer (edited to add: Hoffman's Reflections collection) . I did buy Karen Eckmeier's new book on machine applique' layers, which looks really intriguing. It would be fun to live near this shop because they seem to have really interesting classes -- not just the "advance beginner" stuff most of my local shops have...

On the way back uptown to my hotel I came across a totally amazing store with buttons and all sorts of trims -- M J Trimmings. It was HUGE! I walked around with my jaw hanging open but didn't buy anything. Definitely worth a visit if you're in the area.

The highlight of my touristy activities, though, was the Paula Nadelstern show at the American Folk Art Museum. There were just a handful of quilt blocks on the first floor of the museum and my first thought was -- "is this all?" But upstairs there was a fabulous array. Her use of fabric is simply amazing. They look completely different close up and from a distance, and I was happy to see that while she's relatively careful, her piecing is not as compulsively perfect as some of the other pros who work with tiny pieces (Sally Collins comes to mind, of course!) Most of the quilts are in her new Kaleidoscopes book. Again, if you're within striking distance of Manhattan I highly recommend this exhibit.

I also went up to the Museum's annex at Lincoln Square to see the exhibit of contemporary African-American quilts. Many of them had a musical theme, and some were quite wonderful! (no photos allowed at either of the museums...)

Tomorrow, it's an early flight home and maybe a little quality time with three weeks' worth of Friday Block Party blocks!