Last Wednesday I flew to Austin for PR Weekend. This was my 5th one so it felt like an anniversary of sorts. 5 years ago I attended PR weekend 2010 in Philly not knowing anyone personally--just a few sewists whose blogs I read but who mostly didn't know me. Also my bus buddy was Elaine, who was the first blog reader of mine who I met in person and didn't personally know. This year, I knew probably a third of attendees!
Thursday (pre-PR weekend)
Antoinette (ATP) lives in Austin so she shuttled us around. Thank you ATP for picking me up at the airport and driving me back to the airport and for driving me to many places in between! It was great to spend so much time with you!
PR fun fact: ATP was the first person to ever comment on one of my pattern reviews!!! How about that? And we became good sewing friends. Thanks PR!
First we fueled up then headed over to Stitch Lab and TexStyles for some pre-PR weekend fabric shopping.
At Stitch Lab
At TexStyles--love all their knits and how their store is arranged by color! It is really hard not to buy the whole store...I cut myself off after $170....
That night a whole bunch of us went to Austin Fashion Week. Thursday night had, gosh, 8 shows? of mostly local designers.
A group photo at the Step and Repeat, photo is from Connie
Update: The link to the professional pix of the Wed and Thurs night shows is here.
Friday
Friday morning PR weekend officially began at the Palm Door.
Project Runway alum and Austinite Daniel Esquivel talked about his life before, during and after Project Runway on Saturday morning. Such a sweet man.
That afternoon we learned about organizing your fabric room from Jennifer Lava, professional organizer.
Connie and me. We met at PR weekend Philly in 2010
That evening we went to the Palm Door for some delicious pre-runway dinner. The food was super super tasty!!!
My camera couldn't really handle the lighting of the fashion show but there are more pix of it in the PR weekend Flickr group. Friday night was Project Runway All-Stars, where 6 of the PR folks presented collections....and the designers were actually there!!
The view from row 6, when Matt Swinney, founder of Austin Fashion Week, introduced the show.
During intermission we had fun at the step and repeat.
Daniel's orange dress with the giant bow in the front.
Update: The link to the professional pix of the PR runway shows is herehttp://www.fashionweekaustin.com/2014-designer-all-stars-images.html.
Two buses carted PR members around for shopping and hands-on workshop day.
Since ATP lives in Austin and we were taking the bra workshop, Roseana asked if ATP could drive me around all day. This meant our day was a little different in parts than everyone else's. Initially though we headed to the Austin Fabric Co-op like those in bus group #1.
ATP browses the delicious striped knits.
Lisette and Sharon--finally met Sharon after reading her blog since Nov 2011! I "met" her online because we both tweeted during PR Day in 2011, only I was at the celebration in Austin and she was leading the one in Minneapolis, and now I finally got to meet her in real life!. I met Lisette at PR weekend in 2010 in Philly.
Rachel was my "bus buddy" at PR weekend Chicago in 2011 where I first met her. Then she drove me around LA last fall for a one day tour of LA fabric.
The gang at the Austin Fabric Co-op
My haul from Austin Fabric Co-op, lots of textures in there even though it's hard to tell!
You see the PRW bags we're holding? The co-op had printed them especially for our purchases!
We got to meet up with the other Leslie in Austin. She wasn't able to register for the weekend but we were able to meet up independently on Saturday morning at the Co-op. I met the other Leslie at PR Day in Austin in Nov 2011 and have been reading her blog ever since. I always learn something new when I read her blog!
The three of us headed over to Form and Fabric, a new store in town that is so new it hasn't officially opened yet but the owner opened to us for the weekend!
At Form and Fabric
Saturday afternoon was the bra making workshop!!
Andrea, me and Jacqui.
In this photo, Andrea and Jacqui just successfully finished making half a bra and I'm about to make my half!
In the classroom at Sew Much More, with my half-bra half-constructed.
Ease that bra cup in there!! Megan pinned it for me.
A view of the classroom
ATP hard at work
Look! I made half of a bra!!!
A big thanks to Megan Summerville who taught the bra making workshop. She is a lingerie designer and she won the AFW Trailblazer award later that night.
Then it was on to Austin Cake Ball. I think the chocolate was my favorite, and the chocolate mint was a close second.
And then on to the big PR Saturday night party. It featured food sponsored by Bernina (and a room where you could try out the Berninas). Plus there was a raffle of many sponsor giveaways, like Angela Wolf patterns, Jalie patterns, the Seam Allowance curve ruler, Fashion Sewing Supply interfacing and more!
Bonnie and me at the PR party
Swag bag
The swag bag was also the best EVER: Dear + Doe pattern, StyleArc pattern, a yard of fabric from TexStyles courtesy of Kellie, and more! That huge zipper pouch from Form and Fabric is really super amazing!
Oh, and there were sewing tattoos.
There were real tattoos...(Lilia from Austin Fabric Co-op)
...and fake ones (Margaret's Stitch Lab seam ripper tattoo)
A big thank you to Leslie and Roseana for organizing such a super weekend, and to Deepika as always for founding PR! I'm not sure how I left without a picture with the three of you but I did and I'm sorry for it!!
Next year PR weekend is in LA at the end of April!!!!! Start planning for it now!!! Will you be there?
My recap of PR weekend 2013 San Francisco
My recap of PR weekend 2012 NYC
My recap of PR Day 2011 Austin
My recap of PR weekend 2011 Chicago
My recap of PR weekend 2010 Philly
Be well!
So glad you had a wonderful time at PR Weekend! Now seriously, how much fabric did you bring home?! *smile*
ReplyDeleteWhat a great weekend. How could you not enjoy it and buy more fabric he he.
ReplyDeleteoh wow looks like loads of fun and some serious fabric shopping to boot.
ReplyDeleteSewing vacations are the best.
ReplyDeleteWow, sounds like a PERFECT weekend!! Happy to see you had such a wonderful time with friends, food, and fabric! Can't get any better than that!
ReplyDeleteThis is such an awesome recap! Oh, and next year PR weekend will be in LA? How neat! That swag bag does look great.
ReplyDeleteAlways enjoy reading your recap, now I have to get to mine!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your adventure. It appears as if you had a blast. My first (and only) PR weekend was in Montreal. Maybe I'll make it next year.
ReplyDeleteSounds like everyone had a great time! Thanks for taking the time to recap!
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to see the whole bra! Glad you had a good time.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like such a fun weekend, it is on my to-do list sometime.
ReplyDeleteLooks like so much fun! Keep us posted on the bra sewing. Do you have plans for the fabric you purchased?
ReplyDeleteSo fun to see the weekend in review. Yay for your visit to Austin! I would really like to go to PR Weekend in LA in 2015. I've been to LA maybe 5 times in the past year and a half and never seem to be able to work in a trip to the fabric district.
ReplyDelete