Walking up the four flights of stairs to the interfacing area of Britex, that sewing oasis on Maiden Lane, I remembered shopping here with my Mom when I was about 13. All happy memories, but also a lot of stress, as I knew we were dropping a bundle on woolen fibers, and I wasn’t sure I’d proven myself with my sewing skills, as they were.

Overheard at Britex yesterday:
– “So any other tips on going to Burning Man?” Between two salespeople
– “You could always make your dress out of safety pins.” Saleswoman to a guy, referring to an episode of Project Runway.

I got some great advice on lining a skirt, and when she checked out my meager Simplicity pattern, she didn’t sniff and say, “We don’t sell those.” (they’re super basic), instead she nicely said, “Did you bring that from home?” And then gave me tons of tips on how to do the lining without a pattern.