Meetup with a friend

Hey everyone!

Have you ever enjoyed your day so much you just thought you would burst because you were so filled with joy?!?!

Well I experienced this feeling this past weekend when I met my fellow sewing blogger Kyle (from Vacuuming the Lawn).  She was in Atlanta for a work conference, and since I live within driving distance of Atlanta, we decided to arrange a meetup.  I brought my niece Whitney along with me.  She is a sweet young lady in her early 20s who is not an avid sewer, but has a creative flair to her.

We began the day at Gail K Fabrics.  This fabric store turned out to be a gem!!  It's one of those places that doesn't look like much from the outside, but oh, the inside is just heavenly!  There were walls and walls, and shelves of fabric--all of it arranged like something you would see at Mood Fabrics (from the TV show Project Runway).

I had never (up until that point) been in a store like this one before, and was overwhelmed by the vast amount of fabric choices.  I was also overwhelmed by the seemingly lack of organization.  However, after wandering around and checking the place out, I decided to ask where they kept their matte jerseys.  A friendly store associate kindly pointed me to a section of the store that had both matte and print jerseys.  Needless to say, I spent the remainder of my visit in that section, sorting through the beautiful 60" bolts stacked on top of one another.  It was exhilarating to have all of these beautiful fabrics at my fingertips, and hard to maintain self-control as it relates to my budget.  But...I did pretty good, and stayed within my budget.  I can always go back again, right?  Actually, I will go back again!!

I walked away with two beautiful print jerseys!  I am still unsure about what they will become, but I can tell you that it will be something good.  The first fabric I'll show you is the most I've ever spent on a cut of fabric before...$12 a yard:

I simply fell in love with this print!  The colors are so vibrant, and the green and blue blends so well together.

My second cut of fabric was a border print that was only $7 a yard.

I have never worked with a border print before, and I am leaning toward transforming this one into a dress.  Maybe this one?

Vogue 8723

There were definitely a lot of great fabrics to be bought at Gail K. (I piled up a total of 4 rolls), but Kyle really helped me out when she asked if some of the fabrics she chose could be purchased at Joanns.  She was right on target, and I automatically eliminated 2 of my 4 rolls because they were nice, but they were also  something I could get much cheaper at Joanns.

Alas, here is Kyle and me with our final fabric choices:

I personally love the polka dotted fabric she chose, and can't wait to see how that one turns out!  Kyle is also wearing one of her lovely sewing creations, and I thought the color suited her well.  And to think I almost wore my NL 6034 top!

My niece Whitney started out amazed by all the fabric, but quickly ended up here:

I guess fabric shopping isn't for everyone! As for me, I could have happy danced all the way out the store!!  Gail K. will be a definite return spot (for fabrics I can't find at Joann's).

Our next stop was a smaller fabric store called Atlanta Fabrics.

This store was relatively close to Gail K, only about a five minute drive.  The assortment of fabric was smalll, but there was a lot of reasonably priced trim to buy.  I definitely think that in itself is a great reason to stop here if you are in the area.  I certainly wouldn't make a special trip here, only if I found myself close to the location.  Kyle bought some great trim for the underwear she makes, but I only browsed.  I did see two really great fabrics for only $5 a yard, but after seeing them against my skin, I decided they weren't that flattering.  

On our way out I also noticed a big box with a nice assortment of zippers, exposed and invisible, for only $1!  So there are a lot of cool finds at Atlanta Fabric if you are interested.  Just don't expect fabric on a grand scale.

Next we all headed off to eat lunch.  We went to Flip Burger Boutique, owned by Richard Blais (Top Chef all-star winner).  I was not familiar with this eatery, but when I did some research on line, all the burgers and ingredients looked so fresh and inviting.

In fact, we really flipped for Flip Burger Boutique...

I ordered their classic burger, well done, with french fries.  It tasted so fresh and yummy!  If I had to compare it to anything, I would say it is an upgraded version of a Mcdonald's Big Mac.  It had a similar tasting Thousand Island dressing, pickled onions, a beef burger, bread and lettuce.  The only thing missing (I noticed later) was a piece of cheese, but I honestly didn't miss it.  

The restaurant itself had a laid back, uptown feel, and the design inside was fabulous.  The best part of the eatery for me was the atmosphere, though.  It had people of all ages, young and old.  And it was not too uptown of a place to not be able to bring your kiddies along!  In fact, there were lots of kiddies there, so I enjoyed  that.  And the best part is I felt full, but not stuffed.  I definitely recommend stopping by here to eat if you get a chance!

After eating, I really wanted to hang out with Kyle and go to Whipstitch Fabrics with her, but my niece wanted to check out Urban Outfitters at Lennox Mall, and I had to get back to my husband.  So, as we were leaving Flip Burger, and getting ready to say goodbye, we spotted this...

Gigi's Cupcakes!!

How perfect to have a cupcake place right next to the place we ate at, knowing that Kyle loves cupcakes, and often features them on her blog?  So you know we just had to stop in and see what Gigi's cupcakes carried...

Yum!!

I have never seen so many delicious flavors of cupcakes in one place! I ended up getting the Red Velvet cupcake with the heart on top, located on the bottom left hand corner of the picture above.  I also bought one for my hubby, because our wedding cake was red velvet.  Whitney got a vanilla cupcake with sprinkles in the batter, white frosting, and sprinkles on top.  I ate my cupcake when I got home later that day and it was yummy.  My only dislike was the huge amount of frosting on the cupcake.  I ended up taking half of it off and blissfully eating the rest.  Oh, and I found out there is a Gigi's cupcake place closer to where I live, so guess where I plan to go this week?  

After cupcakes, it was time to say goodbye to Kyle.  Honestly, I had such a super time with her!  She is warm, friendly, funny, and has a kind spirit about her.  I enjoyed her company, and I look forward to seeing her again in the future, Lord willing.

Since my niece Whitney put up with all the fabric shopping I did, I compromised and took her to Urban Outfitters to shop.  She was so elated when we got there!!  I wish I had a picture of the smile on her face as she went around the store looking at every little thing here and there.  She kept telling me "Isn't this cool?"  I wish I could say I understood the "coolness" of the store, but I just didn't.  So I guess you could say it was a role reversal of sort.  I started the morning out in the fabric store asking her the same thing, "Isn't this cool?"  But I think she didn't get my "sewing coolness."  Either way, we both got to get excited about something we really like, even if it wasn't the same thing.

Looking around Urban Outfitters, I did spot a dress that looked a little familiar...

It's not an exact replica, but this dress reminded me of a Mccall's sewing pattern from some months ago...

The dress at UO obviously had more shaping in the hip and waist, but the concept is similar.  In fact, there were a few other pieces in the store that reminded me of different sewing patterns I had seen.  That is neat, because I never noticed it before.  But now that I have been sewing a few years, I am starting to notice different trends, and that is neat.

After all of this excitement, it was time for me to go back home.  I drove home with a smile on my face, and joy in my heart!  I can't think of one thing in the day that could have gone better, and those are the kind of days I love to have!

In closing, I will again say I had a blast!  Oh, and I finished the quilt for my friend's baby shower!  I finished it Friday, and it came out nice.  I will work on a review and probably post it on Tuesday for you all.  

If any of you get a chance to visit Atlanta, or if you already live in Atlanta, I hope you consider checking out some of the places we visited (especially Gail K.).

Stay sew-filled!