Monday, November 26, 2007

Why Did I Have To Flunk Home Ec?

I'm sorry I haven't posted much in the last week, I just haven't really felt like writing. First off, I've been in a turkey coma for most of the long weekend. Second off (?), I've done nothing but shop for Christmas presents for four days now.

You would think I could write about that, wouldn't you? However, everyone on my Christmas list BETTER DAMN WELL BE READING MY BLOG, so I really can't talk about my steals and deals without ruining their presents, can I? And if you aren't reading this, you are out of the will. Not that you'll know you're out of it until I am dead, but THEN YOU'LL BE SORRY.

I digress.

The one shopping tidbit I want to share, nay, am compelled to share pertains to the trip my friend Larue and I took to The Magical Land O' Fabric - SR Harris Fabric Outlet. All I can say is Oh. My. God.

SR Harris does trigger the MN ALERT!, so for those of you outside of the lovely Twin Cities, all you can do is read and drool over the goodness of this outlet. It's like Mecca, if Mecca were a warehouse literally filled from top to bottom with every fabric and trim ever imagined in the fevered brains of cloth makers.

Larue (who is a talented seamstress and designer, check out her Cornelia site) has been shopping here so long she ACTUALLY KNOWS WHERE STUFF IS. Which, given the lack of inventory, staff, or basic organization, is pretty damn impressive. She led me around, showing me where the velvets were, where the fake furs were, and MOST IMPORTANTLY, where the shiny shiny shiny fabrics were.

All I could think was, "Why haven't I been here before? Why has this been hidden from me? Why have I been denied SR Harris for so long?"

And then I recalled my complete lack of skill in the womanly arts. I can't cook, I don't scrapbook, we do not speak of the time my Ma tried to teach me to knit, and I CAN'T SEW. Which defeats the purpose of me shopping at SR Harris.

But if you CAN sew, you must go to this outlet immediately if not sooner if you haven't already which you probably have since you do sew. All fabrics are always 50% off the marked price, so you never have to wait for a sale. Ever. See, I told you it was Mecca.

Shop Of The Day: SR Harris in Brooklyn Park on 8865 Zealand Avenue North. The next time you visit the Twin Cities, and the lakes and the MoA start to get on your very last nerve, check out this fabric outlet instead. Then, go home and brush off your home ec book and start sewing!

6 comments:

Unknown said...

SR Harris is the coolest fabric store anywhere. I would even rate it higher than the fabric district in NY. Have you seen the fabric pile that overflowed out of my fabric closet onto the floor? All SR Harris. I really love those long tubular bags they put your fabric in when you leave. If you get it too full you have to sling it over your back like Santa, talk about a cool Christmas present.

Be prepared to spend a long time there though. Last time I ran into a woman who had actually packed a lunch since she planned to spend the whole day...and I thought I was a fabricaholic.

Anonymous said...

Love that store. The prices are very reasonable as well. And you are sewing something! I am so proud of you. Not going to call you Little Miss Suzie Homemaker, but you get an A for effort.

Hee.

The Cheap Chick said...

No, YOU'RE sewing it, and I'm helping. There is no WAY I'm doing this alone.

Anonymous said...

Who knows - if you could sew and cook... Well, you might not need a cat. ;-)

(I kid.)

El Jefe

Anonymous said...

Excellent tip - now I don't have to worry about wandering around JoAnn Fabrics. I'm thinking about doing several sewing projects over my Christmas vacation (the ones I didn't get to last Christmas). Larue, I may need your expertise or at least you're phone number so I can cry if I get too frustrated.

Another comment on an earlier post - about Lane Bryant's new pants. I bought two pairs of jeans with the curvy fit and there is no waist gappage! Woohoo! Plus, they redid the sizing, so if anyone ever asks what size my jeans are, I can honestly say they're a size 1.

George

Anonymous said...

George - Don't those jeans rock?! I also wear a size 1. Very exciting. Plus, my mom bought some, and therefore no longer wears pleated and pegged leg jeans! So much more stylish.

My info is at the Cornelia link on Cheap Chick's links page there. Just let me know how I can help.