Allow me to TIVO last nite's show back to you.
Last week, I had posted on Craigslist for Free Fabric and happily received around 12 responses back! Fantastic, I thought, and began hauling all of the small scraps and pieces to the front of the studio.
Now the front of our studio is the retail space where we sell our designs and raise funds for the organization. WELL!! Now it looks like a what not shop because of course "People are coming on Tuesday, our first day open for the week for FREE FABRIC" - Right?
WRONG - foolishly, I forgot that it is 2010 and the promise of doing anything at this point is not worth the paper it is emailed on! So Tuesday comes and Wednesday comes and still no pick up - well now its getting to be enough. When Saturday comes, I email everyone at the crack of dawn and let them know "LOOK we have free fabric you can come today!" and I posted the hours
The day started with going to Irondale with my son's acting workshop - then off to the studio to see how things were going.
When we got inside, there was still fabric all over the front store area (waaaaah how disheartening).
But..........in an hour or so.......Hold up.....there is someone coming in with a shopping Cart -
Why it was musician Veronica White-Pugh. Veronica is one of our amazing creative neighbors (you need to come out and Dig Crown Heights ya'll). Now invested in studying trumpet, she is a jazz bassist who has worked with musicians throughout the 1990's. She was attracted to our post because of her quilting hobby and also enjoys crocheting, knitting and weaving.Next came a wonderful Egyptian woman with her son and daughter - they were wonderful. So friendly and engaging. Her young children marveled at all of the colors and items in our studio and helped her to pack the travel bag to the brim. She told me that she sews at home and makes cultural clothing for herself and her family. She thanked me and gave us blessings saying that the work we were doing was wonderful for women.
Now the folks were flowing in.......
In walks a diminutive Filipino woman with her husband. She took in the surroundings with her eyes and smile beaming approval at every turn. Then she turn around and saw the piles of fabric around her and gasped! I ensured her that she would not have to take it all :)) I was to find out that evening that our studio had been "grace" by the ubiquitous Grace Edwards, currently the underground fashion darling of the FUN and FABULOUS. Grace Edwards is an avant garde fashion designer that has hit the New York scene by storm. With her unerring sense of style and vibrant color her styles are a hit with socialites such as 94 years YOUNG Zelda Kaplan!
Grace and Jack were wonderful and as we left we made sure we were going to keep in touch - hmmmm could there be some awesome collaborations between Grace and Sue Rock?
Our favorite neighbor and treasurer for the Crown Heights North Association Valorie Bowers came by. Valorie is super special for us. She represents a side of African American life in Brooklyn that is almost lost. A resident of the Crown Heights area for over 50 years, she lives in the same house she grew up in. Whenever she comes over, its a guarantee for good times and great conversation!
Next was Aisha from Medgar Evers who brought us a Brother Sewing Machine!
Musician Chris Faroe the brilliant co-founder of The Catweazle Club New York came through during the evening seeking out fabric for his open mic/theatre/poetry magic fest that happens each week at A Gathering of Tribes in the Lower East Side.
As he went through our collection of fabric pieces, three women walked in with the HUGEST garbage bags. Well it seemed that our most recent volunteer Trish brought her friends over to see our space and to also bring DONATIONS and I mean DONASHUNS - Trish had been hit with the Sue Rock bug early on and had begun to get all of her family members to get in their closets and let go of some of there excess shoes and handbags. Over 20 pairs of men's, women's and children's shoes were all donated to us, are beautiful and in great condition!
This busy evening winded down with a walkin from writer Victoria Cho. Victoria Cho is one of our neighbors who has continued to bless us with her bubbly personality. An Asian native from Virginia, she brings a contemporary spunky vitality to everything she does and her brilliant smile lit up our studio. "VICTORIA CHO" we all shouted, as if she was on the ancient television series CHEERS and we all scoffed at her being too busy to stop by ("Oh yeah, working on graduate school - PUH lease! Like you can't stop by and say hi to friends!") She shared what was going on in her life, what with temping, a writers workshop and a burgeoning novel. I encouraged her to come by once a month maybe for a reading. (as long as she threw in some racy parts towards the end - you know to keep people coming for the next week!)
That is how it is at the Sue Rock show - great characters, cast members you are just DYING to see again and the constancy of Sue and Jay Rock, sewing, weaving, typing and crocheting around it all......
See you next week!
