We’re on Broadway, baby! Literally. We were actually THERE! How did we get to the Big Apple? I don’t really know. I know the logistics, of course. SFO – long flight – land in Newark, NJ – cab ride to NYC. But, how did we get to where we were at?
I had to think on that for a few minutes. I guess hard work is always a good base. On top of that add the encouragement from family, friends, and others from the quilting industry. A big element was the financial favor from our customers, spreading the Word of our little pattern company. Heap on a big dollop of trust from the Marcus Fabrics team, our fabric producers. But the main reason, I believe, was the abundant blessings from God. We’re both feeling ever so blessed and grateful.
The NYC Story
We were invited to New York City by our fabric producers, Marcus Fabrics (on Broadway Blvd. in the Fashion District of NYC). The Marcus Fabrics and Timeless Treasure teams were phenomenal! Beside brainstorming new fabric lines, we ate at two fabulous restaurants (more Sangria, anyone?), shopped (I bought a new top and leopard print sandals!), toured, and enjoyed wonderful weather to boot.
The Hotel
We stayed at a totally funky, refurbished hotel called the Sohotel. Evidently, George Washington stayed at this hotel. Truth. We were on the fourth floor of this charming rustic/industrial/funky palace. (There was no elevator or luggage dolly!) The zebra stripe chair used in our Instagram video and on the cover of the free pattern download below was from this hotel. It was quite outlandish and a super fun stay, lol!
The Designers
We had a fabulous time with textile designer friends Tracy @implumcute of Plum Cute Designs and Cindy @quiltdoodledesigns of Quilt Doodle Designs at the dinners, the hotel, the Marcus office… forever. We really enjoyed meeting and getting to know Tracy and Cindy. Tracy won 😉
The New York Beauty Pillow
Now for the good part! Mondays with Marcus is back! Every Monday for the next several weeks, receive a free pattern from a Marcus Fabrics textile designer. The Material Girlfriends are kicking it off with a New York Beauty Pillow project.
Enjoy this free pattern download for a limited time. (Link will expire 12/31/23). [Subscribe to receive a free monthly Material Girlfriends pattern or quilt block. Newsletters are sent once a month and we never, ever, share your email with anyone.] The sample pillow was done in our latest line, Color Personality by Material Girlfriends. New York is a city that never sleeps. Color Personality was a perfect choice for this energetic night/day pillow project. The line is a perfect stash builder. The high quality cotton, tone-on-tone line will be useful for so many projects! Check out MaterialGirlfriendsShop.com for the New York Beauty Kit. Click on the download button below to receive your free pattern.
Make It
Nope, it isn’t an easy one, but we are with you every step of the way. You can do it! If you’ve already mastered paper-piecing, then you’ve totally got this. If you’re new to paper-piecing or a bit rusty, check out our YouTube channel for paper-pricing tutorials. The pattern you downloaded has lots of graphics and step-by-step instructions. I’m confident you can do this. Deep breath. Let it out. Go for it!
I’ll upload a video specifically on the New York Beauty block as soon as Lora returns from Croatia. She ran off before I had a chance to nail her feet to the floor. 😉 I’ll post the link here as soon as I can.
We’ve just a few weeks before fall. Enjoy your summer! Please post your NYB pillows on our Facebook group, Material Girlfriends Quilting Gang. We’d love to see your projects.
Don’t forget to visit the I Love Us Sew Along to download your September Block!
Happy Sewing!
Lisa Norton and Lora Zmak
Thank you. I love trying new projects.