Now that Cal Patch—crafty teacher and author of Design-It-Yourself Clothes—has moved out of the Big Apple to fulfill her lifelong dream of being a crafty farmer upstate, she visits the city monthly to teach classes, buy fabric, meet with freelance clients, see friends and squeeze in a little cultural inspiration. It’s amazing what she packs into a few short days, and says that she does more now in a weekend than she used to do in a month when she lived there! Read on for a glimpse into a weekend in the life of a maker in the city.

Thursday

6:11pm
I’m on the bus to NYC, and I’ve packed a fresh knitting project, plenty of crafty podcasts, and a snack. Unfortunately, the light above my seat isn’t working, so no knitting for me. So I settle in and listen to two episodes of CraftLit, which are about the final chapters of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I’m not so into the story, but Heather Ordover’s analysis brings me back to high school lit class and I love it. Gertie (my chihuahua) is unusually restless in her bag next to me.

8:15pm
The bus arrived safely and I’ve made it downtown to an art opening, curated by my good friend Hanna, featuring two artists whose work I love. One is Cristina Toro, whose paintings are densely populated with animals covered in intricate textile patterns. The other artist is Rebeca Raney, who works in cloth and embroidery and blows me away with the amount of stitch work in her pieces. It’s good to see a lot of friends, mostly other makers of some kind, who all seem very excited to talk about what it’s like to live in the country; it seems to be a common desire among artists.

9:30pm
Now it’s time for dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, Souen, a macrobiotic Japanese/hippy-influenced place around the corner from the gallery. I’m with my boyfriend, Richard, my friend Kim, who is accommodating me for the weekend, and our friend Erika, who is a painter, sculptor, and designer. We catch up over bibimbop and tea and some kind of vegan bread pudding. We’re supposed to meet up again with the artists for an after-party at a bar in the Lower East Side, but we decide we’re all too tired and head home for bed.

Friday

8:50am
I eat a quick breakfast of yogurt and tea at Kim’s and take Gertie out for a short walk. The trip down and back up the six flights of stairs to Kim’s apartment is significantly longer than the walk itself. I dash back out the door around 9:15 to catch the subway to Brooklyn…

10am-12pm
Now I’m at a gorgeous brownstone in Brooklyn Heights for a private pattern-making lesson. My students are two women who’ve been sewing together for years, but want to move on to making their own patterns. I’ve been working with them for about six months, and they’re doing splendidly; at this rate they won’t be needing to meet with me much longer, though they admit that scheduling our classes helps them make the time to work on projects in the midst of their busy mommy schedules.

12:43 pm
Back on the subway to head to midtown for a meeting at Potter Craft. On the train I sketch some ideas for a Valentine’s Day embroidery pattern for a class I’ll be teaching in Beacon next month.

2pm
I’m meeting with an acquisitions editor to discuss the possibility of writing a second book! I’d been wondering whether I should be thinking about a direct follow-up to my book, or try to find a new topic. The editor isn’t sure yet either, but we bat around some ideas and discuss the state of the craft book market. It’s a difficult time for publishing (and you know, the world in general), but we are thrilled that my book has sold enough copies to go into a second printing less than four months after publication.

3:20pm
On the train again, this time to Queens for a private crochet lesson. To get in the mood, I improvise some hooked hearts and think they’d be a nice free pattern to offer on my blog for V-Day. I miss crocheting on the subway; I used to get so much done while traveling to and from my classes!

4-6pm
This is a first meeting and I’m not sure what to expect; one of the fun parts of teaching privates is seeing the students’ homes. Turns out she lives in a brand new luxury building in Long Island City, with a spectacular view of the Manhattan skyline (and our class coincides with sunset). Everything in the immaculate loft is heather grey, hot pink or white, and I’m relieved that the fuchsia yarn I brought fits the color scheme! My student catches on quickly and the two hours fly by.

7pm
At Kim’s apartment, I’m happy to see little Gert and hear about her adventures in the advertising world (she went to work with Kim for the day). We decide to get Indian take-out and watch old movies, while sorting through her closet and deciding which clothes she can edit from her wardrobe. I score a few cast-offs and we’re in bed by 11.

Saturday

9:10am
Subway construction has most of the train lines I need running on alternate (and non-useful) routes, but somehow I manage to get myself to Atlantic Avenue, from which I can walk to my class in Fort Greene. It’s such a beautiful Brooklyn neighborhood, so I don’t mind a bit that I am forced to take the scenic route.

11am-4pm
Today I’m teaching my infamous “Altered States” class at Lena Corwin’s Studio, in which I teach how to alter clothes and avoid the expense of going to a tailor. I love showing people how to update clothes they don’t wear, rather than tossing them and buying new ones. It’s tough to preach awareness of the “Make Do and Mend” concept when there’s an H&M on every corner. Lena’s space is lovely, and the best perk is that she makes us lunch halfway through class. We have a small group today so it’s a casual class, and I help the students with extra projects they brought in for advice.

4:25pm
Before heading back to Manhattan, I stop by the home of some friends who have a year-old baby. Over cheese and crackers we share stories of our changing lives, and the possibility of some future freelance gigs is discussed.

6:45pm
Richard is meeting friends at a new hipster bowling alley in Williamsburg, which sounds like fun, but I decide another cozy night in sounds even better. We go out for delicious Middle Eastern food and then part ways for the evening. Did I mention it’s about 17 degrees out?

Sunday

9:22 am
More crocheting on the train as I head back to Brooklyn for a morning pattern-making workshop at Brooklyn General, and I have another invigorating walk from the train through the neighborhood of Carroll Gardens, past the Italian bakeries and funny statue-filled yards. Gertie accompanies me to my Sunday classes, which adds to the fun.

10am-Noon
Everyone measures their own key body points in order to begin plotting out the dimensions on paper. My students whiz through the lesson on drafting their own A-line skirt patterns, and a few buy fabric to make their first skirts. They are excited about the possibilities that lay ahead now that they understand the basic principles.

12:52pm
After checking out all the new Japanese prints and tempting yarns, I tear myself out of Brooklyn General, and head across the bridge over the Gowanus Canal to Home Ec, for my second class of the day.

2-5pm
In this vast, inspiring space, which doubles as a trapeze studio, another enthusiastic group of budding designers learns how to make their own T-shirt patterns in my afternoon workshop. We discuss the ins and outs of sewing with knits, and I advise them how to handle the hems and necklines of their prototypes.

6:40pm
Gert and I are back on the bus to our upstate home; with any luck my Jeep will still be in the lot (even though I’ve exceeded the 72-hour parking limit by a handful of hours) and the roads won’t be too icy. It’s been a busy weekend, so it’ll be nice to get back to the snowy quiet. And tomorrow I’ll begin sketching for my spring collection. A maker’s work is never done!

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• To read Cal’s blog and check out her tutorials, visit her website: HodgePodge Farm

• Buy Cal’s clothing, accessories, and dog sweaters at her Etsy shop

• View Cal’s photos on Flickr

• For group and private lessons with Cal in the Catskills and Hudson Valley area, visit Double Knot Studio

Categories: Sewing |

Tags: Cal Patch, Cristina Toro, Design-It-Yourself Clothes, Rebeca Raney

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