Burda Style For people who sew

So, I’m heading to NY with my family in two weeks! (I don’t know if I will be able to stop singing Frank Sinatra ;))
I’ll be there for the first week of November.
Aside from doing the tourist stuff, I’d like to go shopping one day, so I wanted to ask you for some tips:
- where should I go shopping for fabric?
- where should I go shopping for organic fabric?
- where should I go shopping for patterns?
- where should I go shopping for books?
- where should I go shopping for second hand books and clothes?
- are there any cute thrift markets around?
- is there a place all tourists seem to miss that I should absolutely go to?
- is there a nice place to eat you’d recommend?

Please write me if you have an answer to one of my many questions :)
Thank you for your help!

PS: I know this is in the wrong category, but classifieds gives me an internal server error so I’m not sure I or anyone else will be able to read my post!

Oct 20, 2009, 07.13 AM by teamydear

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  Oct 27, 2009, 08.57 AMby teamydear

  Ah, no one in NY?

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    Oct 27, 2009, 02.27 PMby wzrdreams

    For fabric and trims I buy in the garment district. 37th, 38th, and 39th streets between 7th and 8th Avenue are your best bet. Mood (37th, 3rd Floor) and NY Elegant Fabric (39th st) are my favorites for fabric and Pacific Trim (on 38th St) has all the zips, snaps, laces, elastics, buttons, basks, bones, threads, feathers etc that you could ever need. I’m not sure were to go specifically for organic fabric, but I would try B&J on 7th Ave and 38th St (above starbucks).

    Patterns…. sigh. Not so many stores sell patterns. I go to news stands to buy Burda magazine and I go to P&S Fabric way down below Canal St (not the garment district) to buy patterns.

    Books stores… I mainly stick to Barnes and Noble and the Strand, but only because I don’t know of any better book stores. Both are near/in Union Square. Also in Union Square has a green market on Saturdays where you can get local and organic food, as well as arts and crafts. Union Square is also a small park….it’s a good place to hang out on a nice day.

    I avoid tourist activities because they take a lot of time and usually are not cheap, but if I had to recommend some activities, I would suggest walking across the Brooklyn Bridge (free) and taking the Staten Island Ferry back and forth (also free). Both will give you good views of the city and the Statue of LIberty.

    There are so many food options in the city, but I try not to eat out too much and I don’t have too many favorites. Yaffa Cafe on St. Marks near 1st Ave has a pretty good and cheap brunch.

    Have fun!

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  Oct 30, 2009, 11.27 AMby teamydear

  Thank you so much for the tips! I’m going to print out your post tonight, I’ll leave tomorrow :)