the five-minute post

I didn't have much Internet access since Thursday - so this is a catch-up on the Art Cloth Network conference, coming in stages. We stayed at the Rutgers University conference center on the Douglass College campus in New Brunswick, NJ. and started with a wine and cheese reception. L-R - Katherine Sylvan, Mary-Ellen Latino, Lisa Kerpoe and Maggie Weiss.

Judy Langille with Joy Lavrencik.Judy and I had co-chaired the conference , which came together amazingly well. Our business meetings went smoothly and we all loved sharing our art cloth and seeing what our peers had printed during the past year. We are already planning next year's conference and exhibit. In the past, we've always had our business meetings first and then taken time for recreation. This time, due to the horrible rainstorm predicted for Saturday, we flipped the schedule and took our recreation day first - LOL. So, Friday we all took the train into NY and split into groups according to what we felt like doing. Some people museum-hopped -- saw the Louise Bourgeois exhibit at the Guggenheim and went to the Met; others went to SOHO and Zabar's on the Upper West Side. I was with the group who went to the garment district. While I live here and love the garment district, I don't give myself the luxury of time to just hop on a bus and shop for fabric. As a result, this was a no brainer - and a simply delicious day for all of us! The best deals were at the first place we stopped into - a shop on the 9th floor of a building that merits a return visit. I left with 4 yards of white linen and 4 yds of a silk-rayon blend. I've already washed them both in Synthrapol and look forward to working with them. Best of all, I walked away with two yards of this fabric that I simply could not resist. What I will do with it is another question. It is silk and wool. Tomorrow, more on the garment district!