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Aug 12, 2013

MPB DAY -- The Musical!



As a much-mocked two-time Oscar winner once gushed, "I can't deny the fact that you like me -- right now, YOU LIKE ME!"

There's so much to tell about MPB 2013, friends.  We laughed, we cried, we schvitzed; we shopped till we dropped, then picked ourselves up and shopped some more.

A quick re-cap:

On Saturday at 9:30 am, a small group met me at the Chelsea Flea Market: Vicki (far left), Linda, Tracy, Suzanne, and Teri (behind the camera).



We spotted a number of vintage sewing machines for sale, including a mid-century Stradivari and a Willcox & Gibbs from the 1870's!





Teri wore a beautiful maxi sundress made from fabric she bought at MPB Day last year -- and thus becomes the first-annual winner of the Miss MPB Day Award!  Let's give a big hand to Teri!!

Teri was a tomboy in 2012....

And in 2013 -- WOW!

At 11 am, the main group met outside the FIT Museum, where we caught the splendid RetroSpective exhibit.  I am happy to report that this year no one tried to remove the dresses off the mannequins.



The exhibit was followed by lunch at nearby Panera's, where we held the largest pattern swap I've ever experienced.  Busy MPB reader Misa showed up merely to drop off a bag of roughly 70 patterns, then disappeared, no doubt overwhelmed by the off-gassing estrogen on the upper-level seating area, which we filled entirely!







Michael joined us too and even copped some free fabric, which he is insisting I make into pants for him.  Stripes are the new black!



After lunch we headed to the Garment District, where the newly-dubbed MPB Day Debs + Duane virtually vacuumed up fabric.  It was, frankly, a little embarrassing.





One of my responsibilities is not only organizing the day's events, but also steering attendees away from questionable fabric purchases.  Unfortunately, with a group this large, things slip through the cracks.   I will not take responsibility for any of the following:

At Paron's, Claudine found the only fabric I've ever seen embellished with used Nad's For Men body waxing strips.





Vicki insists this perforated pleather from Mood will make a delightful dress; I get a heat rash just looking at it.  Please underline!



What Mary is going to do with her extensive yardage of robin's egg blue neoprene is anybody's guess.  Not only does this spongy synthetic not breathe, it actually sucks oxygen from your lungs.



There are approximately 57,000 different fabrics for sale in the Garment District.  So what are the chances that both Teri and Vicki would purchase (separately) the exact same striped knit at two different fabric stores?  If they show up at a women's club luncheon in the same outfit, watch out!



Our day ended on the lawn at Bryant Park, where we shared our tales, our treasures and, in Carol, Mary, and Clio's case, a talent for knitting socks.  Coincidence?





The rest is a blur, readers.  I remember heading home around 6 pm with much of the group still intact.  What may have happened later -- bar hopping, public nudity, destruction of private property -- you'll have to read about in the tabloids.

While every year we have repeaters, I must mention six special ladies who have attended MPB Day ALL THREE TIMES: Claudine, Joanne, Cindy, Johanna, Roberta, and Suzanne.  Shall we make it four?

Claudine

Joanne

Cindy

Johanna and Roberta

Suzanne

Thank yous to everyone for helping to make Saturday such a memorable event: Paula, Nicole, Cathy & Paul, Joanne, Glennys, Joyce, Ashley, Aleksandra, Roberta, Jennifer, Tracy, Kristen, Linda, Teri, Wanett, Clio, Suzanne, Lisette, Vicki, Mary, Kyle, Mimi, Cindy, Johanna, Duane, Angie, Ariel, Donna, Karen, Aimee, Jackie, Sonja, Charlotte, Carol, and Claudine.

I still have a bag of 38 patterns -- Somebody help!

You can view more MPB Day 2013 pics here.

Have a great day, everybody!

(Read Kyle's Re-cap here, and Amanda's here.)

36 comments:

  1. Looks fab! So sorry I missed it! :(

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  2. It was a total blast! Maybe next year I won't be the token male groupie. Thanks for all you do to make the online sewing community such a vibrant and inspiring phenomenon.

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  3. I am definitely guilty of encouraging Vicky in her perforated pleather purchase - this is what you get for asking me to lead one of the shopping groups. ;-) What a great MPB day!

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    1. Heh heh I didn't need much encouraging, did I? How dare Peter put that in the questionable purchases category?! Everyone was swooning over it.

      But yes, I will underline, if only for modesty's sake. I am a lady of a certain age, after all.

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    2. I agree! It looked fabulous on the mannequin, and will look equally as awesome on you, I'm sure :)

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    3. Did anyone take a photo of the mockup on the mannequin? I forgot! Maybe I'll ask Mood if they'll do it for me....

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    4. Here is some inspiration, Vicki:

      http://www1.bloomingdales.com/shop/product/cynthia-steffe-dress-amelia-laser-cut-faux-leather?ID=677961

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    5. Thanks! and look what I found on Instagram: http://instagram.com/p/cwdxAcGzlg/

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  4. Sounds fantastic! What a great day it looks like you all had!

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  5. It looks like so much fun! I'd love to attend. Friends, fabric, food. Does it get any better than that?

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  6. One day, hope hope. I notice several Colette patterns in that group, am I right?

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  7. So much fun! Thank you so much for hosting, Peter. (I'll post a recap later...)

    And sorry I missed you at Bryant Park. I looked, but couldn't find you all -- figured you'd already left.

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  8. so many friendly faces... wonderful day

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  9. Thank you, Peter, for hosting yet another fabulous MPB Day!

    It was great to see you again, the repeaters from prior years and to make so many new friends. As someone who is painfully shy, I always find you and your group to be warm, friendly and helpful. I had so much fun!

    You did try to warn me that the fabric I was drooling over was polyester, but as someone still learning (am I slow or what?) I was all about price and “it’s better to look good than to feel good.”

    I am so looking forward to MPB Day IV!

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  10. Great photos-- and everyone looks like they're having a good time! It's a long drive, but I really want to join you for the next one.

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  11. Peter, Thanks so much for arranging this wonderful outing! I was so glad I went. It was a great time. Claudine

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  12. Yay, what fun! Wish I could've attended the whole day, but I'm not sure I could've kept up with that lively bunch!

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  13. What about the purple corduroy?

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  14. I am sorry I had to miss this year's get together. It looks like lots of fun was had by all.

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  15. Next year I am going to find/make the time to come! I may be in Chicago but we have NOTHING like this!

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  16. You are a rock star! Thank you Peter for bringing the sewing community together in this way.

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  17. Thanks Peter for a great day! So nice to see photos of everyone and finding new blogs to follow. Can't wait to sew up that Buffalo check fabric... -Amanda

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  18. Peter, participating in MPB Day has been the highlight of my summer! It was so delightful to spend time with you and all of the other attendees, and share the day's activities with like-minded fabric and fashion lovers. Thank you again so much for organizing the day, and I'm looking forward to the next time with great anticipation!
    Teri

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  19. It was such a great day, thank you ever so much, Peter! And just for the record, the photo in Panera where I am clasping my hands in delight was me saying "Ooh! Michael is here!" You two really are celebrities.

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    1. Oh darn, Lisette...I could have met you. You are a celebrity to me.

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  20. Everyone has already said it so well - Such as great time! I loved meeting so many nice people who love this craft as much as I do. You can bet I'll be back for more next summer!
    While I agree the neoprene is an odd purchase I have picked out the perfect pattern and am sure it will be delightful and keep me very warm on our brisk Fall days. I think it may even work to keep me dry and toasty while Kayaking the Delaware!
    Thanks again!!!!

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  21. I wish that I lived in your neck of the woods so I could be a participant! It looks like you guys had a blast! There is a Mood out here; maybe one day there will be a MPB West Coast Edition!

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  22. Hi, I posted a recap (and also the group photo of us that you took at the flea market -- I hope you don't mind): http://duckbucket.blogspot.com/2013/08/mpb-day-2013.html

    Thank you again!

    (And I love that look on Suzanne's face in the last picture. Priceless.)

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  23. Peter, it was the best day ever!! Thank you so much for coordinating. I had a great time meeting you and everyone in attendance. I just posted my recap and realized that I don't have any pictures with you in them. Sad! I need to be more proactive with the picture taking. Thanks again, and I hope to see you again soon in the city.

    http://workroomsocial.com/blog/mpb-day-recap/

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  24. Thanks for sharing your day So happy that everyone had such a great time. I was there a few months ago visiting a friend. I don't think we had as good a time as you guys. My friend makes costumes and we were up to our eyeballs in sequences, feathers and chiffon. Your day was a lot more fun.

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  25. Oh what fun...so sorry I missed it this year. I still have my fabric from last year...and am still waiting for a special occasion to sew it into something...hello hubby a proposal would be nice. We celebrated 25 years together on MPB Day.

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  26. What a great day, Peter. It was wonderful to meet so many fun, kind and knowledgeable sewists. And of course it was lovely too meet you as well! I hope to come back again next year. :)

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  27. Peter, thanks for a great day! Also thanks to Clio for leading our group. It was so nice to meet so many of the bloggers I follow, and to discover so many more. I was especially excited to meet Mainelydad, because his tailoring projects are inspiring to me.

    When Claudine pulled out that furry satin, I thought - this chick looks sane, but clearly she's a little crazy. Now that I've seen her blog, and what she can do with fabric, I can't wait to see what she does with it.

    After answering "no" to "do you have a blog?" so many times at MPB day, I have been inspired to give it a try. We'll see what I come up with for all that silk...

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  28. One of these years I'm totally flying up. This year I was in Paris though. I think I have my hubby convinced that we could come up as a family and he could take the kids really anywhere else while I came shopping.

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  29. I so want to go to MPB in 2014. What a fun adventure into the garment district with fellow sewists.

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