Skip to main content

addendum and outtakes: Boston city guide

My Boston city guide is up in this month's issue of Seamwork.

Disclaimer: I revisited most of the places on the list (and went to a few new ones) to get the most up-to-date information. I didn't revisit the museums—we go a couple of times a year, and they don't change, really. And I have to admit I've never been to O Ya—although it shows up A LOT on Best of Boston lists and it's the place to go if you want to get fancy, so I had to include it. I hear the fish is especially good. 

I also met a ton of really nice people (hi, proprietor at Newbury Yarns! I need to learn to knit now) and added to my stash. (Shocking, I know.)

Also, I didn't include some of the usual Boston sights like Fanueil Hall, the Freedom Trail, Fenway, etc., because you can find that stuff anywhere. If you have questions, though, feel free to ask, and I'll answer if I can.

AND I should thank my husband Tom for driving to some of the out-of-the-way places and coming with me on the SoWA trip. You know it's love when you say, "Hey, want to go fabric shopping?" and he says yes. 

Okay, enough disclaiming. Outtakes/fun stuff that happened along the way:
  • Discovering December Thieves. I visited both shops—in SoWa (by Grey's Fabrics and the other crafty shops) and in Beacon Hill. I loved the clothing in particular—it's very AllSaints/Rundholz/Marcy Tilton, if that's your thing. 
  • My husband at Marie Galvin: "This is awesome." Weeks later, out of all the places we visited, he's still talking about it. (Which is understandable. Her hats and headbands are amazing. If you're looking for one nice souvenir to take home, you could do worse.)
  • Going to Fabric Place Basement for the first time. At least three locals have recommended it to me over the years (quilting lady at Topsfield Fair: "You HAVE to go there. It's FABULOUS."), and they were right. It's enormous and there's a ton of apparel fabric, including flannel-lined denim, which I've never ever seen in a fabric store.
  • Guy at Fabric Place Basement: "You should see the Monique Lhullier I just got in! It's three hundred dollars a yard!" (I chickened out.)
  • The button table at Fabric Place Basement. (I cannot say enough good things about Fabric Place Basement.)

  • Important note about Fabric Place Basement directions: It's in a strip mall, and you have to drive around the back to get there. It's next to Guitar Center.
  • Finding this abstract bicycle knit at Grey's. I got the last yard and a half.

  • Finding this wacky satin-ish-with-polka-dots fabric at Winmil. It needs to be a dress; I just need to find the right pattern.

  • Fine, I'll show you what I got at Fabric Place Basement. It'll be a work shirt. Yes, I like polka dots.
Luckily, Seamwork has a whole story on how to print polka dots on knits.

Good Lord, I do go on.

Okay, I wanted to mention a few places that got cut for one reason or another (mostly for space).
  • Peabody Essex Museum, Salem: Asian, maritime, and contemporary art. (I volunteer there.)
  • Made in Fort Point: Looks like they moved, and I wasn't able to visit the new location in time...so it got cut. :(
  • Louis Boston: Ye olde famous high-end Boston department store. It's been around for 80 years...AND IT'S CLOSING. I am sadpants.
  • Viola Lovely: Near Grey's and the other SoWA shops. 
  • Priemlov: Local designer who's a friend of a friend. I like her stuff a lot.
  • MIT Press Bookstore: For the science nerds among us. I didn't have time to revisit it, but it's one of my favorite secret bookstores. 
  • Seed Stitch Fine Yarns: Also closing. :(
I think that's it for now, but I'll add more stuff as it comes up.

Thanks for reading!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

completed: Alabama Chanin fitted dress

Yeah, I can't believe I'm saying that either! It's going to be a long post, so here we go. Design choices Size and alterations:  Straight size medium, with neckline raised a few inches and made into a scoop neck; the original v-neck is really deep Fabric and thread:   Alabama Chanin medium-weight cotton jersey  — top layer in Sand, bottom layer in Dark Grey (only Dark Grey is currently available on their site) — and red craft/button thread Stencil: Anna's Garden Paint:  Tulip fabric paint in Black, watered down and applied with an airbrush Embellishment:  Outside reverse applique -- in which you stitch slightly outside each shape and then cut out the shape exactly on the lines Stitch type:  Straight stitch for outlining and construction, Cretan stitch for binding Here's how it looks on me: Hanging up: I picked the color scheme after seeing it in a sample book at the  two-hour workshop in New York  last year. (Hig...
18 comments
Read more

finished: Alabama Chanin Classic Jacket

Hi! Lots going on around here lately. Thing One: I bought a new sewing machine! This is my new Bernina 480 , purchased from Sew Creative in Beverly, which recently closed. Sorry I don't have a better picture. I love this thing—it's fancy! I'm still learning my way around it. Thing Two: I was supposed to have another article in Vogue Patterns Magazine, but it folded! Bummer. It's on lighting for sewists, and if you want a copy, feel free to contact me on le social and I'll send it to you. I interviewed the gadget person from the Carroll Center for the Blind, and he recommended a lot of great stuff. (Really going to miss Vogue Patterns—it was my favorite sewing magazine! RIP.) And finally, Thing Three: I completed an Alabama Chanin Classic Jacket, from their Sewing Patterns book. The backstory is that I really wanted a nice reversible travel jacket in nice AC organic cotton for an upcoming trip to Japan. (This is after ordering an expensive travel hood...
3 comments
Read more

complete: Nani Iro pocket dress

I made a dress! With the new sewing machine! Wheee! And not to bury the lede, but: We went to Japan for two weeks, and I completely fell in love with the clothing—especially Nani IRO and their amazing fabrics. I'm hooked. We tracked down the atelier in Osaka. ( Here's my review on PR .) They wouldn't let me take photos of the shop but said it was OK to take pictures of the fabrics. Lots of linen, cotton gauze and sateen in bright colors, as well as buttons and notions, an archive (I wasn't sure if it was possible to buy any of the archived fabrics), and jewelry. I bought some lovely blue linen with an asymmetrical print: And the book—the English translation had just been released. And it was signed! (I have a picture, can't seem to post it, sry.) So anyway. I couldn't stop reading the book—you know when you get really really obsessed with a pattern book? Like that. As soon as I got home, I decided to try out the pocket dress. Here'...
2 comments
Read more