District of Columbia

United States Pop-Ups #3

United States Pop-Up 2025 #3

Last Sunday I drove down the New Jersey Turnpike, through sun and fog, and arrived at my Grand-aunts house around 8pm. The home is very nice, and my Grand-aunts are very welcoming.

Since I was staying in DC for around a week, they invited me to unload my machines and materials into their front room to create my own little studio for the time being.

My Great-aunt Nan was diagnosed with late stage cancer last year. Only due to my other Great-aunt Karens relentless research and determination, backed with support by her partner, was Nan able to defy the estimation of the doctors and continue living. One of the things they found was to limit carbohydrate intake and maximize fat intake. So while I’m here I’m eating a lot of super fatty and oily foods, that they call fat bombs. The first night, they made fat bomb lamb shank, which I ate alongside a fat bomb grilled cheese. If I stayed here for a year, I would surely gain 20 pounds.

The next day I had planned on going to the mechanic to get my car looked at, but right as I was leaving to drive an hour and a half away to Land Cruiser Heaven, Nan’s friend Elias stopped me and told me his friend Charlie could look at it for very little, but not until tomorrow. So I went back inside and got to work on the cami sets in my new studio. After many attempts finishing the thongs with the German binder and creating excessive wrinkles, I finally decided that simply pinning the folder elastic in place was the only fine method to finish them. The last minute fold-over elastic I ordered is unfortunately plastic based and melts upon impact with the iron, so I can’t press it nicely which causes some occasional folds in the elastic on the garment. The finished products are still up to my standards they just take slightly longer to make.

The next day I went to Charlie who was a mere 6 miles away. We sprayed rubber protectant all over my engine, topped off my oil, cleaned the engine head and throttle, and at the very end he checked my exhaust and found that the O2 sensor was completely detached from the exhaust. Which both makes sense for the cars loudness and check engine light. He told me to get some K-seal incase I had a head gasket leak, and some rear main seal repair to try and loosen up the oil seals in my engine. Charlie charged me $50 for his work and I left for the auto parts store.

By the time I got back to the house, my check engine light had disappeared, and there was no condensation at my tailpipe. I was relieved. I was able to get a little more work done on the cami sets and eat something before playing many rounds of chess and watching some Cowboy Bebop before going to bed. The next day I just worked on clothes. I finished 2 cami sets, so in a blur of achievement, I decided to make pants. I had some medium light spandex material that I was excited to use so I got to work. I wanted them to be a simple straight leg with a slight taper, but didn’t do enough planning before I cut out my main pieces. I made front pockets and really cool hidden double welt back pockets before deciding that my hip width was too tight. In order to fix this I attempted to create a hip extension piece down the outer seam of both sides in the shape of a suit tie.

Since I was so confident after finally finishing 2 cami sets I ambitiously designed these hip extension pieces. But they were hasty, and when I finally attached them a day later, They caused some major puckering all along the side leg and wide edges of the back pockets. But I was so tired and had to leave for my Mom’s birthday in 2 days, so I didn’t try to fix it, and decided that I would just discount the price for trial piece even thought they took me so long to make.

For dinner that night, KK (Karen) made Fat Bomb Butter Chicken and it was delicious.

The next day I went scouting for pop-up locations. I went by my dad’s old house on G St. and to his old sledding hill next to L’Enfant park. I also looked around Eastern Market, the fish market, and the National Mall. KK thought that Eastern Market was the best idea, and Nan thought the National Mall would be really cool. I thought a pop-up at the National Mall would also be cool, and the pictures would be the best there.

So that was the pop-up location I decided for when I got back to DC after the surprise party. We went to the surprise party, it was awesome, it lasted  2 days, and now I’m back in DC.

Separate post for that. A day later Nan and KK went to Chicago, where Nan is receiving an award from the Brookfield Zoo for her work breeding rhinos, so their house is all mine right now. But even with an empty house all to myself and caring Grand-aunts coming home on Wednesday expecting to take me out to dinner, I must continue on my journey. I packed up my studio and reheated myself a batch of Fat Bomb Butter Chicken with blue cheese bread and I might do the same tonight.

Yesterday on my way to the National Mall to finally set up my pop-up, I passed The George Washington University Textile Museum, and realized that around here would be my best pop-up location.

In the first hour of the pop-up, considering the amount of foot traffic, I believed that DC was somehow going to yield the least amount of business even though I hadn’t sold a single item anywhere. Even with people leaving to go shopping right next to me, no one had really stopped to look at my wares. Although, right when I parked, I saw my old friend Hazel who went to NHS, and must now go to GWU, which was a wild coincidence. After 6 hours, many people had asked me what I was doing and looked at the clothes. I mended a rock climbers jeans, and had a conversation with a very religious woman. I spent a lot of time playing chess, reading, taking photos, writing, and a little bit of time sewing while I was on the side of the road.

My step brother recommended I go to Nando’s Chicken while I was in DC, so after I packed up the pop-up, I went there and got chicken skewers and a sandwich.

When I got to the house and tried unlocking the door, I remembered that there was a button on the side that had to be pressed in order for the knob to turn. I called KK with no luck, and spent about half an hour climbing fences and trying to unlock different doors before finally giving up and sitting on the back porch to eat my chicken. Once I finished the skewers I heard a knock behind me and it was my Great-aunts friends who had somehow got inside. Apparently there is a secret technique to opening the front door, which I won’t forget if I ever need to use it in the future. I was still a bit hungry so I made some more Fat Bomb Butter Chicken with the remaining chicken thigh, saving the Nando’s sandwich for todays lunch. Today I spent my time writing, welcoming Nan and KK back home, and preparing to continue my journey across the country after this long and lazy week. Tomorrow I will head to Pittsburg in the morning.

See you,

RK