Mad rush today to finish the Xmas market goodies. Here are a few more pictures of what the eleves have been making.
Dernière ligne droite pour finir les babioles du marché de Noël (flyer un peu + bas). Voici quelques photos supplémentaires pour vous montrer que les elfes de la mère Noël ont bien travaillé.
Customized evening bag/Sac de soirée customisé (franglais please!):
Between 2 Christmas ornaments I am finally posting the results of the dress challenge done with my sister Edwige. We were window shopping rue des Francs Bourgeois in Paris and saw a cute dress at "Ewan & Mimi" (name modified but close enough) at 125 EUR!!! Cute dress but simple pattern, so off we go creating a home made version of it. Entre 2 décorations de Noël voici enfin le résultat de mon concours de robe avec ma soeurette Edwige. Nous faisions un peu de lèche vitrine rue des des Francs Bourgeois à Paris quand nous avons vu une robe/tunique chez "Ewan & Mimi" (nom modifié mais proche) à 125 EUR! Robe mignonne dans un patron simple, ni une ni deux au boulot pour faire chacune notre version.
My version below, my sister's is here. Easy to figure out who is the oldest sister, the one with the longer dress (and knees to hide!). Ma version ci-dessous, celle de soeurette ici. Facile de deviner qui est la grande soeur, c'est celle avec la robe longue (et des genoux à cacher!).
Pattern J from the Japanese pattern book "Tunique & One Piece" Patron J du livre de patron japonais "Tunique & One Piece"
Tissus "Sacrés Coupons", 4bis rue d'Orsel, 75018 Paris
Fabric "Sacrés Coupons", 4bis rue d'Orsel, 75018 Paris
Here is the first attempt to the Russian doll ornament. I made 20 more today! Voici le prototype de l'ornement de Noël "poupée russe". J'en ai fait 20 autres aujourd'hui!
Group picture: Photo de groupe:
What do you think? Is it bedazzled enough?! Qu'en pensez-vous? Est-elle assez festive?!
Still working hard for the upcoming Christmas market. Today introducing little hair clips made with a yoyo and a little matryoshka doll in the middle. What do you think? Je travaille toujours avec entrain pour le futur marché de Noël. Aujourd'hui je vous présente des petites barrettes faites avec un yoyo et une petite matryoshka au milieu. Qu'en pensez vous?
A friend convinced me that we should sell our creations at her neighborhood Christmas market... Only one small little problem: 2 weeks and I need to make it all! Here is the first sample, what do you think? Une amie m'a convaincue que nous devrions vendre nos créations à son marché de Noël de quartier... Seul petit problème: 2 semaines et je dois tout fabriquer! Voici le premier échantillon, qu'en pensez vous?
A little black dress for big events, based on the super simple pattern #1 of the "Otona No Couture" book of Japanese patterns. The only true challenge was the layering of the 2 fabrics & the finishing of the edges of the lace (a very small & precise zig zag)
Une petite robe noire pour des grande occasions, dans le patron #1 simplissime du "Otona No Couture". Seule vraie difficulté la superposition des couches de tissus & la finition des bords de la dentelle très fragile (zig zag minuscule & très précis).
Close-up on the sleeve: Gros-plan sur la manche:
Detail of the lace: Détail de la dentelle:
Would Mrs White approve?!
Mme Leblanc approuverait-elle?! (OK référence un peu obscure pour les non-anglophones qui n'auraient pas vu la film "Clue" basé sur le jeu Cluedo)
Pattern 1 from the Japanese pattern book "Otona No Couture" Patron 1 du livre de patron japonais "Otona No Couture"
Dentelle "Sacrés Coupons", 4bis rue d'Orsel, 75018 Paris Lace"Sacrés Coupons", 4bis rue d'Orsel, 75018 Paris
My addiction to fabric was not going to get better when my sistermentioned a fabric heaven where most of the fabrics were priced 1 EUR/meter... well a 1/2 hour later I was there digging through bolts of fabric & I made some fantastic finds all... again... I have to repeat it... 1 EUR/meter. Mon addiction aux tissus n'allait pas s'améliorer quand ma sœurette cru bon de mentionner un endroit mythique où les tissus sont à 1 EUR/mètre...Une 1/2 heure plus tard , je suis en train de creuser sous des rouleaux de tissus et j'ai fait des trouvailles incroyables... toutes... je le répète... à 1 EUR le mètre!
Hounds tooth...Pied de coq ou de poule, je ne sais plus...
Other finds: a fab' wrinkled gray fabric & a nice beige fabric for a suit?!
Autres trouvailles: un tissu froissé gris & un beau tissus beige pour un tailleur?!
7 meters later, I am now looking at a mountain of fabric. Gotta go and better start working! 7 mètres plus tard, je contemple une montagne de tissus. Je dois y aller et me mettre au boulot!
Fabric "Cozen-Stop Tissus", 62 boulevard de Belleville, 75020 Paris Tissus "Cozen-Stop Tissus", 62 boulevard de Belleville, 75020 Paris
Santa's workshop opened this week-end. First item created is a sweater for my grand-mother Maguite. L'atelier du Père Noël a ouvert ce week-end. La première création est un pull pour ma grand-mère Maguite.
It is yet again a Japanese pattern "U" from the "Stylish Dress Book #2", but for the first time in a winter version in a gray wool knit with some Liberty detail on the edges. Une fois de plus un modèle "U" du "Stylish Dress Book #2", mais pour la première fois en version "hiver" dans un lainage gris avec un peu de biais Liberty sur les bords.
Guinea fowl feathers are everywhere this winter (all the way to H&M): on head bands, other head ornaments & various pins. I made the pin below using a silk flower, some black crystals and guinea fowl feathers.
Les plumes de pintades sont partout cet hiver (jusque chez H& M): sur des serre-têtes, barrettes et autres broches. J'ai fabriqué la broche ci-dessous avec une fleur en soie, quelques strass noirs et des plumes de pintades.
No guinea fowl were harmed to make this pin! They kindly dropped some feathers for me in my Aunt Jane's garden.
Aucune pintade a été blessée pour la réalisation de ce projet. Ces dames ont gentiment laissé tomber quelques plumes dans le jardin de ma tante Jane.
More Guinea fowl shopping at Accessorize (click on pictures to be re-directed to the webpages)/ Plus de shopping pintade chez Accessorize (cliquez sur l'image pour être redirigé):
One of my favorite patterns in my Japanese pattern books is the "U" pattern of the "Stylish Dress Book". It is very versatile and I now have versions of this pattern I can wear all year round: tops and dresses, long and short sleeves, summer and winter fabric.
Introducing the winter version: a dress in a light wool with a cool pattern in sequins at the bottom to brighten up the LBD.
Un de mes patrons japonais préférés reste le modèle "U" du "Stylish Dress Book 2". Ce modèle est très adaptable et j'ai maintenant plusieurs versions de ce modèle que je peux mettre en toutes saisons: des hauts et des robes, des manches longues & courtes, des tissus d'été ou d'hiver.
Voici la version d'hiver: une version longue dans un lainage léger avec un motif en paillettes en bas de la robe pour égayer la petite robe noire (= Little Black Dress ou LBD en anglais)
Detail of the fabric at the bottom of the dress:
Détail du tissus en bas de la robe:
Pattern U from the Japanese pattern book "Stylish Dress Book 2" / Fabric "Sacrés Coupons", 4bis rue d'Orsel, 75018 Paris
Modèle U du du livre de patrons japonais "Stylish Dress Book 2" / Tissus "Sacrés Coupons", 4bis rue d'Orsel, 75018 Paris
To get in my quota of culture while in Prague I decided to visit the Mucha museum. Mucha had a link with Paris where he lived for a few years. The museum combines 2 benefits: good selection (subjective of course!) and is a fairly quick visit. It also has a nice gift shop (about as big as the museum!) so stock up on the cards and other gifts.
Afin de remplir mon "quota culture" lors de ma visite de Prague, j'ai opté pour la visite du musée Mucha. Le musée combine deux grandes qualités à mes yeux: une bonne sélection d'œuvres (avis subjectif!) et la visite est relativement rapide. Attenant au musée, un magasin de cadeaux (presque aussi grand que le musée lui même) pour faire le plain de cartes et autres cadeaux.
Between visits and meetings I managed of course to do some fabric shopping at a very messy & cool fabric store in Prague. Hey is that my apartment?! Oh no it's the shop...
Here is the lovely wool I got in two colors as I could not make-up my mind...
They also have a a good selection of ribbons and yarns...
Mar Len - (www.marlen.cz)- Karolíny Světlé 12, 110 00 Praha 1, Open until 6PM during weekdays & not open on the week-ends.
Reporting from Prague to answer this important question... a "marionette" is a string-puppet.
Puppetry is part of the Czech culture and many shops can be found in Prague selling these fascinating creations or should I say creatures as they almost seem alive.
Amongst the various tourist shops that crowd the center of the old part of Prague, one shop in particular immediately stood out, "Trular Marionety", with an amazing collection of their own creations, and marionettes from other Czech puppet creators.
The shop owner was assembling the puppets below when I came in, sewing on an antique sewing machine the detailed costumes.
Halloween approaching I made friends with a witch.
Here is the remainder of her family. Kings, pirates and chefs, all with a distinct personality.
Finally a family of musician bugs right out of the cartoon for Roger Glover's "Love is All" (the Butterfly Ball):
For more information on the Marionety Truhlar marionette studio and their creations go to http://www.marionety.com/ they have 2 locations in Prague: U luzickeho sem. 5., Mala Strana, Prague 1 or Unglet Tyn 1, Marionety Truhlar, Stare Mesto, Prague 1 PS: they did a good job wrapping the witch & I made it to the airplane & back home with a complete marionette.
My sisters and I have a long history with bunnies, and we have always had a few of them running around our apartments. To this day Gaston is the only one still with us. He makes me think of Darth Vador with those ears. Yes a mini Darth Vador... if Darth Vador was fluffy, adorable, vegetarian and without a mean bone in him...
My little Kalinka (RIP) left me for a better place at the beginning of this year & I still miss the craziness. This video is one example of the endless entertainment provided by the little fluff ball:
Bunnies are always of course a great theme for some sewing project. The "KalinkaBunny" on my profile comes from a great book of patterns "Fun Dolls" by Aranzi Aronzo:
Books from Aranzi Aranzo provide great ideas for toys for small & bigger kids. They always have great humor in them.
Finally if this wasn't cute enough, you might enjoy the retro-kitsch featured in "Happy Kitty Bunny Pony: A Saccharine Mouthful of Super Cute" (by Popink, Charles S . Anderson Design Company and Michael J. Nelson)
A big part of my spare time consists in hoarding fabric. I blame it on my mother for bringing me at an early age "Marché Saint Pierre" the frozen-in-time fabric store right at the bottom of the Montmartre Hill & the Sacré Coeur.
In my memories I could barely see the top of the tables. Going back to these childhood memories on a Saturday is always a soothing experience. Those who know the neighborhood and the store would say that the experience is more like fighting the inebriated crowds on Mardi Gras on Bourbon Street in New Orleans.
When in London I never miss an opportunity to go to the Liberty store to check out their fabric selection. Unfortunately their selection has gotten smaller over the years and a bit shameful for the Liberty mothership, so in the end I only got their just to say "hi" to the beautiful building. My sister just in time gave me the name of her new Liberty "dealer" (let's face it is an addiction...), Shaukat on Old Brompton road. Here is a snap shot of the last harvest:
Addresses:
If you are in Paris you can combine a visit to Montmartre and the Sacré Coeur, and on the way back down from the hill you can check out: Dreyfus - Marché Saint Pierre, 2 r Charles Nodier, 75018 Paris (a Parisian tradition & a mess!) Sacrés Coupons, 4bis rue d'Orsel, 75018 Paris (great 3 meter remnants from famous fashion houses, great silks, wools, cottons & linens in the summer)
In London: Liberty, Great Marlborough Street, London W1B 5AH (worth the visit even if you don't buy anything) Shaukat & Company, 170-172 Old Brompton Road, London SW5 0BA (a great selection in the store, good prices, and also good online service). The picture below is from their webpage showing one of the "Liberty Walls":
After major shopping a Shaukat http://www.shaukat.co.uk/Liberty.asp (the online service is seamless & the shop is fantastic with a huge variety of fabrics more than a certain store where you would expect more) I finally made a top out of the fabric (Pattern B from the Japanese pattern book "Stylish Dress Book 1"):
It's also a ceiling lamp I may just have to buy at Ikea. Not sure what I would do with it, maybe I will wear it on my head for Halloween & fly away in the Parisian skies...
Meantime it is in my virtual living room on the Ikea website http://www.moi-et-monsalon.com/: Pattern B from the Japanese pattern book "Stylish Dress Book 1" / Fabric "Liberty" / Lamp "Ikea"
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