More than two weeks ago (January 14, 2010), I drove down to Secaucus Junction to take a train to New York City. It was still daylight when I hopped on the late afternoon train, and after I arrived at Penn Station, I stayed underground and walked to the subway station that would take me to 14th Street. I then transfer to another subway that took me to Bedford Avenue stop in Brooklyn. I arrived around 5:30 pm and it was dark outside. It was a but surreal - it was like going through a time tunnel. I started walking south on Bedford Avenue, and looked at various stores and street art.
I was looking for
Spacecraft where a monthly informal gathering,
Church of Craft, was held. It is not a religious group in the strict sense of the word, "church", but a fellowship of warm & friendly people who shared a common passion for crafts of any kind. Anyway, I found a place to eat a light dinner before arriving at the store.
This Rueben sandwich at the Papa Lima Sandwich is really good - believe me!
After I ate the whole sandwich in less than 15 minutes, I went to the store.
Wow, look at the wood behind the shelves...
and the painted fur rug on the floor...
and the papier mache lamps hung from the ceiling - tres chic!
I
love this collage on the wall - fabric and paper.
They even have a place for kids to keep themselves occupied while their parents are crafting.
Lot of goodies in jars all over the place.
A statement from the book, Handmade Nation, on the wall.
Lots of visual eye candies, tools and what-nots on the large wooden table.
I gazed and gazed at these "shutters". I could not figure out what they were made from until...
I got closer to them, and I could not believe my eyes. They were weaving needles from a large loom - HOW CLEVER!! And the paper - dressmaking pattern! This whole thing is just simply ingenious!
Several people walked in at various times. One guy came in with embroidery project. Another people with knitting projects. One woman was cutting pieces from plastic doilies that were popular for doll skirts during 1950-60s.
She was making earrings out of one piece.
Aren't these earrings cool? What was I doing there? I was teaching myself how to knit. :-)
It was 8:45 pm when I had to leave. I found Spacecraft to be an inspiring place - it is a very conducive and supportive environment for any creative endeavors. On the way back to the subway station, I found more street art.
The portraits below were done on the sidewalk with tar, I think.
I took the subway back into midtown Manhattan, and while waiting for the subway to take me to Penn Station, I looked at various amusing bronze work done by Tom Otterness.
Wow, what a great evening trip! I hope to go back again to
Spacecraft, and also would love to go to
Church of Craft gatherings more often.
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