The Better Late Than Never Philly Report

A few months ago, my older sister invited me to visit her in New Jersey sometime this summer. Well, a few weeks ago I decided to take her up on that offer. Over the 20+ years that she's lived there visits mostly revolved around my nieces and nephew so traveling into oh-so-close Philadelphia just didn't happen. The last time I went into Philly with her was over 20 years ago when she first moved up there. I took a week-long jewelry class at the Moore College of Art and stayed with her in a townhouse on South Street. Sweet, right? Well, on this trip, I vowed to get back into the city...and I did.

I took Amtrak and of course finally read last year's big book (and this year's awaited movie) The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins. I had wanted to read this on my last train trip to Florida but the paperback version wasn't available yet and it didn't feel right to have it on my Nook. When I arrived, I had about 1/4 of the book left to finish on the return trip home.

Hard Rock Cafe on Market Street

1st Day:

The only plans that I made was to meet up with Kyle from Vacuuming the Lawn on the first day of my four-day trip. Kyle was one of the first blogs I read and in 2010 (!) she even sent me this fabric when I expressed that I loved it on her blog. That fabric became two of my favorite well-worn garments even though I think it's really for swimsuits or active wear. She suggested meeting at Reading Terminal Market (12th and Arch Street) for lunch.

As soon as we walked in I saw the most delicious little cakes by the Termini Brothers. They stayed in the back of mind for the rest of the day. I bought one of their limoncello ones on the way out of the city that day and again two days later when I came back in. Sooooo goooood! Melts in your mouth and so creamy. So good, in fact, that I checked to see if they were one of the preferred vendors for my nieces wedding venue...and they are! Hmmm...wonder if the wedding couple likes lemon?

Kyle and THAT amazing bag!

After a great grilled cheese sandwich lunch at Meltkraft (I got the Brielle: cranberry chutney, Brie, carmelized onions, and pine nuts!), the Fabric Workshop and Museum (1214 Arch Street) was to be our first stop; however, they didn't have an exhibit going on at the time. Kyle suggested that we instead catch the Vlisco exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art instead and I said yes, please!

Philadelphia Museum of Art

 

Hero collection, season 1, 2014

Gala Dress from Congo, 2016

Frozen Dreams Collection, 2009

The Vlisco: African Fashion on a Global Stage exhibition was at the Ruth and Raymond G. Perelman Building of the Philadelphia Museum of Art (2525 Pennsylvania Avenue) This exhibit was amazing. the clothes were amazing and I wish my camera had been better to capture all the little details. I loved how these seemingly elaborate textiles used the simplest of subjects or images and manipulated them by placement or repetition into intricate patterns and then how the use of the color combinations and layering of hues elevated them even more.

Mine!

I had a great time with Kyle, she is exactly as she seems on her blog, funny, kind, laid-back, extremely talented, and above all generous. Don't get jealous but look what she gave me at lunch! Yes, it matches that amazing leather bag that she had just finished. A bag that if I didn't read her blog I would have assumed she bought, and yes it does feel like "but-tah". I am chuffed and honored to receive this gift and it should motivate me to make myself a bag that deserves this tassel. Thank you, Kyle! Hopefully, I will see you again at PR Weekend 2017!

On my way out of the city that day, after picking up my 1st limoncello cake, I stopped by their beautiful old school Macy's and then took a few pictures of the Philadelphia City Hall (1401 John F. Kennedy Blvd.) and it's lovely architecture.

2nd Day:

My sister and my BIL told me that the new Philadelphia Pennsylvania LDS (Mormon) Temple (1739 Vine Street) was recently constructed and because it had not yet been dedicated and blessed it was available for non-members to tour until September 9. They had toured the one in Salt Lake City and wanted to see what could be seen in a temple pre-dedication. So two days later, I went back into the city for our two-hour tour.

There was a short video presentation we were shown before the tour but surprisingly besides that, there was  no religious pressure as could be expected. The building was gorgeous and loving interior details as I do, there was always something to notice from the huge and varied floral arrangements in the halls to the fact that the cornices, millwork, and even the door hardware and handles became more elaborate while the finishes seemed more expensive as we ascended floor by floor. No interior pictures were allowed during the visit but pictures can be seen online, in particular for the baptistry and celestial room.
 

Because of the newness of everything, we were required to place white protective casings over our shoes to protect the new carpet from dirt. I really wanted to get a picture of us with these on, but there just wasn't time. So, just imagine a group of twenty adults people shuffling along the staircases of this structure with basically chef hats on our feet.

The temple as seen from the adjacent roof garden.

After our tour as we walked from the Temple downtown we passed this unique sculpture honoring Benjamin Franklin on the highway overpass at 17th Street and Vine.

Big Ben at Franklin Town

We also passed through Comcast Center in order to view the Comcast Experience video wall.

Comcast Experience video wall, at the Comcast Center.

After a delicious lunch at at Parc Brasserie in the Rittenhouse Square neighborhood, we took a long walk back through the city and stopped by Reading Terminal Market so I could pick up my second Termini Bros. limoncello cake before we took the Broad Street Line back to AT&T Center and then home to New Jersey.

Canyon!

As it turned out, that was the extent of my visits to the city because I decided to hang in Jersey for the rest of the visit. I had a friendly puppy to play with, good food, and excellent Wi-Fi. To be honest even though the weather was fabulous the entire time, the constant walking really took a beating on me and my out of shape legs!

Yes, there were other sewing-related places I had planned on visiting; however, after talking to Kyle about our current and future projects I couldn't stop thinking about all the fabric and patterns I had left at home and how I shouldn't buy anything new, so these stops will wait for another trip: Jomar* (22 Jackson St and 2590 Grant Ave); Butcher's Sew Shop (800 S 8th Street); Fabric Row on South Street; or MADE Studio (305 Cherry Street).

*So which Jomar is the best one to go to?

Follow Me on Bloglovin'

Please.

Hey guys! Google Reader will cease to exist in just 12 days. Yup.

Officially, I've never had a lot of readers following me. For the last two years the number in Google Friend Connect has strangely been holding steady at 169. Well, I know more people read me because my stats tell me so. However, I'm still scared that my readership will diminish because of this upcoming event. So please show your support and follow me. 

To follow me, just click   and THANKS!

If you haven't chosen a new reader, I suggest you try Bloglovin'. I don't know if this is considered sacrilege or not, but I really don't miss Reader. I'm pretty happy with the Bloglovin’ interface. Honestly, if it hadn't been for that topless female torso (??) logo I probably would have checked it out before. I mean, what's up with that? Couldn't she have a shirt on and still look fierce?

Signing up is more than simple. Forget about going through Google Reader to export your blogs, that involves too many steps. Go straight to Bloglovin' and create an account with log in and password like usual. The site will then asks if you want to import your blogs from Google Reader to your new account. Click the button to import and done!

See ya there!

The Met 2013 Punk: Chaos to Couture Gala - Part I

Of course I just wrote about not being able to finish a post and here I am with one started on the same day!

I normally don't cover things like this, but after checking out the coverage on all my bookmarked entertainment/ fashion sites (Tom & Lorenzo, Go Fug Yourself, The Daily Mail UK*) I wanted to blog this. I was bothered that all the sites wrote how most attendees of the Metropolitan Museum's Punk: Chaos to Couture gala "got punk wrong." I have to admit it did seem many got confused and actually thought the theme was Goth to Couture because following that criteria there would have been loads of hands-down winners, but still:

1. The exhibit (May 9 to August 14, 2013) is titled Punk: Chaos to Couture and it's goal is to "examine punk’s impact on high fashion from the movement’s birth in the 1970s through its continuing influence today." Which basically involves borrowing certain visual elements, hardware, and shapes while also juxtaposing the punk DIY aesthetic versus couture's made-to-measure practice; anti-establishment versus elite establishment.
2. Dressing according to the theme of the Met's events is and has always been optional. It's a chance to dress up, period.
3. I believe the essence of Punk was/is unconventionality and irreverence not just safety pins, leather, Doc Martens, and ripped fishnets. Those elements are punk "shorthand". 
4. Having not been a punk (I was into New Wave, thankyouverymuch) I wouldn't dare to make a statement on what exactly "a punk" looks like. For starters, English punk and American punk had cultural differences and big city punk was also different from small city suburban punk.

Some fashion websites participated in either awarding participants for including those shorthand elements while also deriding others for incorporating some of those same elements. My favorites among the one's you may have seen were January Jones, Sarah Jessica Parker, Anne Hathaway, Miley Cyrus, Ginnifer Goodwin, Carey Mulligan, Hailee Steinfeld, Debbie Harry, and believe it or not, Taylor Swift. Personally, what I noticed was  people who either got it near-perfect by showing what punk has become or instead incorporated some irreverence while still following the basic rules for gala wear. Here are some examples you may not have seen that I found through other sites. Definitely check out the image links at the bottom of the post. I hope you enjoy/appreciate these as much as I did.

Designer Donatella Versace in Versace

 

Emma Roberts in a subtle Diane Von Furstenberg



Designer Zandra Rhodes in her own design



Carey Mulligan in Balenciaga

Lele Sobieski in Christian Dior



Kerry Washington and Vera Wang in Vera Wang



Aubrey Plaza in Marios Schwab


Totally not on theme, but this next one is just plain gorgeous! What else would you expect from Isabella Rossellini's daughter and Ingrid Bergman's granddaughter?

Elettra Weideman in Prabal Gurung

Images: Style.com, Vogue.com, Stylesnooperdan.com, InStyle.com

Update on My Bloglovin' Havin' Self

Well, I will still miss Google Reader, just like I missed Bloglines before. However, I must say I’ve become used to bloglovin’ pretty quickly. I don’t feel that anything is missing because I never asked much from Google Reader. I want to see any new feeds and be able to read them one after another easily, that's all.  

Google Reader

    

bloglovin'

Well, I get that with bloglovin’ and more, now I can cycle through my website feeds not as simple text/picture excerpts but as full pages with the authors blog design, headers, and all (see below).You click on the first entry on the main page and it opens up in a separate window. There appears on top, toggle switches that take you to the next blog feed or back to the last one you read. There is also a handy counter next to those that let you know where you are in the unread posts queue.

So I’m happy…well, until someone decides to take my new reader away from me, which unfortunately, is always a possibility. I just hope we get a chance to save it next time.

Here’s a question for those who have been on the Bloglovin’ for some time: On the main page, even before you log in, it seems they have picked blogs that I might be interested in, unless everyone else sees fashion and beauty blogs too? Is there a way to have them focus on other types of sites? I love suggestions and fashion but those blogs aren’t really me, I’m more into reuse and making my own rather than buying in mass. I feel that if they can target us this way then there must be some way to alter the criteria, or as Don and Peggy would say, “If you don’t like what they’re [showing], change the conversation.”

Now On the Bloglovin' Train

Just a reminder: In light of Google Reader's stupid demise I have signed up over at bloglovin'. If you like coming here; which I hope you do, please sign up to follow my blog through them.



Thank you!

VA/DC/MD Meet-up Information needed!

I still have no way of contacting by email the four women below. I would like to start communicating through emails to the group instead of these posts on the blog. So please email me (also see questions below) at metamorphpursuit(at)yahoo(dot)com.

Robin of A Little Sewing - need email
"Greytone" of Gotcha Covered - need email
Jamie of A Strange Girl - need email
"Merry-one" of Originally Styled - need email

Which Saturday?

A few people let me know which dates would not work for them, so I have narrowed down the options.

November 10 or 17

December 1 or 15

Could everyone please send me the following information:

1. Your prefered date of the trip
2. If you could drive some people if we set up carpools?
3. If you need a ride to Rockville?
4. Your zip code so I can see who could travel together.
5. Preference for type of cuisine?
6. If you have any dietary concerns I should plan for?
7. Would you all like to participate in a pattern/fabric swap like all the other meet-ups?

Thanks! I am really getting excited to meet you all. This is going to be a blast. I'm calling G Street-Rockville on Monday!

VA/DC/MD Blogger Meetup Update!

Woo Hoo!  We now have ELEVEN bloggers interested!

Audrey of Sew Tawdry
"Smunch" of Smuch
Robin of A Little Sewing
"Greytone" of Gotcha Covered
Jamie of A Strange Girl
Kyle of Vacuuming The Lawn
Sue of Sewing Steady
"Merry-one" of Originally Styled

Lisette of La Cubinita Cose new!

Sophie of FilASewphie  new!

Me

I am getting so excited! I'm in the process of researching and making plans now. Can you believe I've found 18 bloggers in the Metro area since I started this? We're even getting word-of-mouth participants.

1. If I haven't sent you an email it means I don't have one for you. Email me at metamorphpursuit(at)yahoo(dot)com with your real first name please if you don't go by that on your blog.
2. Of course G Street Fabrics will be involved, we're going to the original Rockville location.
3. If we want to do this in 2012 (which I do!), we have to move quickly so I can arrange things with G. Street. Let me know which of the following Saturday dates will work for you:
   
   November 3, 10, 17
   December 1, 8, or 15?

Thanks!

VA/DC/MD Blogger Meet-Up, Anyone?

Hey, I'm finally getting myself out in public after years of pinching my pennies and staying close to home because of school and lack of funds. I missed out on all the New York meet-ups and even that Philadelphia PR Weekend, which really upset me because I have family there.

So I'm interested in some sort of meet-up of all the Virginia/D.C./Maryland sewing bloggers that I now know of. The number is much higher than I originally thought. (Oh, if you know of any others, please let me know!)

District of Columbia:
Slapdash Sewist IN
A Little Sewing IN

Maryland:
Miss Celie's Pants IN
Smunch IN
Lemony Fresh

New Jersey:
Vacuuming The Lawn Tentative IN

Virginia:
Sew Many Happies
Sew Tawdry IN
As I Said… IN
Sewing Steady IN
Danville Girl Sewing Diary
Gotcha Covered IN
Such a Strange Girl (just found another one!) IN

Are any of you guys interested?

Unfortunately, we don't have that many Virginia options for shopping except for the G Street Fabric locations but I think when ever sewing bloggers get together it's more about the camaraderie and meeting someone interested (or obsessed!) with the same things that you are. Am I right? In addition, G Street does have that $2.75 table, not even Joann or Hancock has fabric that cheap!

Before making any further plans, I first want to know who is interested in meeting up?