Chicago Weekend

I spent last weekend in the company of several sewists I knew through the internet--Ann, Kay (and husband Don), Liana, and our host Patti (and husband Norm). We also had the opportunity to spend time with Chicago sewist and blogger Cennetta.

I arrived Friday afternoon from Albuquerque. Patti met me at the airport and escorted me to Evanston on the train. From there, the weekend became a whirlwind of activity. As soon as I checked in and dropped my bags at the room, we were off to dinner at Addis Abeba. The cuisine was a new experience for me, since I'd never had Ethiopian food before. It was delicious and I'll definitely try it again!

Saturday, we went in search of fabrics, with stops at Fishman's and Vogue Fabrics. After making our purchases, we headed to Manny's. OMG, massive deli sandwiches! We each divided one and they were still enormous. Cennetta joined us for the morning, and it was so nice getting to know her.

  Ann, Liana and Kay

 

 Liana and Kay

 Cennetta and Ann

Thanks Fishman's and Vogue! Of course, I got some fabric, and I'll be posting the pieces later on. It must be wonderful to have access to such great sewing resources.

We headed downtown for the afternoon and an architectural tour through the Chicago Architectural Foundation.  This was the perfect way to see many landmark buildings up close and learn why they were significant. Our docent, Harry, was very knowledgable and energetic, obviously loving what he does. Here's Harry with the Willis (formerly Sears) Tower in the background:

And then Tapas Barcelona for dinner, another new dining experience that I'd like to repeat! I just hope there's a tapas place in Albuquerque that I can go to--you'd think so, but various Mexican venues rule the day here. But I digress. We continued our evening with cocktails and conversation at the hotel's lounge.

The next morning, we set off to experience the Haute Couture Club of Chicago's annual extravaganza at the Merchandise Mart. Cennetta joined our table for lunch and had several ensembles in the fashion show. Patti also introduced us to Rhonda Buss, another sewing fashionista who appeared numerous times in the show. Lots of talent in that group!

I brought my luggage to the show and cabbed it to Midway with minimal drama. Gotta love these big city cabbies--they get it done.

It was all over too soon, but it was a wonderful time. I enjoyed being with each and every one who could come. Thanks Patti, for organizing our visit and schlepping us about. And another thank you to her husband, Norm, who also spent a lot of time driving us around and listening to a lot of sewing chatter. I'm sorry that Linda was unable to make it, but hopefully next time.