I'm pondering what to do with this panel of smocking.
This has been hanging around my studio since before Adelaide was born. I unearthed it while hunting for something else (time for a tidy-up perchance?).
I think a simple little sundress with ties at the shoulders might be the ticket. Now I just need to find a spare hour to make it a reality. 2am is looking like the only window of opportunity this week. I think this one might have to wait.
A while ago I posted about a monogrammed pillowcase I was working on.
I offered to email readers the instructions that I had written on this technique. I fear I have lost a couple of recent commenter's email addresses and can't send on the instructions. So I have uploaded the instructions to flickr. For anyone who wants them, they can be found here. The document is just legible if viewed in the large size.
This is the bodice of a little Bonpoint dress I bought for Adelaide in Paris earlier this year.
I think she likes it - there are her eager little hands making a grab for it.
I love the simplicity of this dress - the striking contrast of colours, and the straightforward cut of the dress.
I'm off to pull out my embroidery pattern books. I think I might spend this long weekend with embroidery hoop in hand.
Goodness me, Adelaide is proving a wily photography subject. She sees the camera come out and thinks it's time for a game of hide and seek.
The only way to keep her still in this case was feed her some fruit cake, which she's clutching in her little fist out of frame.
She was pretty happy that hide and seek involved food today.
I made this dress five months before she was born. It only occurred to me today that she has never worn it and will soon outgrow it. So although we have nowhere special to go today, she is dressed for a party.
Today I have been invited into Tom's grade 2 classroom to lead an activity for the children.
They are doing a "unit of enquiry" on textiles. As someone who supposedly knows a little bit about textiles, I've been asked to share my knowledge. I'm feeling the pressure.
So I thought I'd keep it simple and have some fun with fabric glue, vlisofix, 'heat n'bond'. The teacher has some little embroidery frames for them, so I'm going to show them how to do a little framed something with a collage of fabric that they can embellish if they choose. I figured an iron was a little friendlier than needles and threads for 8 year olds, and children like to cut and paste, no.
Can you tell I'm feeling out of my depth? Second graders intimidate me more than adults in this context.
More creative spaces on Kootoyou.
Post Script: I am exhausted. After leading a one hour activity I was ready for a cup of tea and a lie down. It was go, go, go; fabric was everywhere, 20 little faces queuing up with questions. The children seemed to enjoy it, and as Kirsten said in the comments, I was very impressed by their creative output.
When Adelaide was born, one of my favourite gifts for her was a pretty little square towel with a corner section on it that you could use as a hood.
I happened across the same type of towel at Marche St Pierre in Paris. They had the little band of cross stitch braid across the hood or corner. I bought a couple as future baby gifts.
A friend of mine has had her fourth child, so I am cross stitching the baby's name across the corner. It will go in a parcel with a few Townmouse bodysuits.
More creative endeavours at Kootoyou.
Since owning an iPad, I have spent a lot more time on Flickr. Images look so beautiful on the screen. I've been discovering lots of lovely new Flickr members and their inspiring images. My favourites folder has grown considerably. Here are some things I'm admiring lately.
1. Patchwork print vintage table cloth close up, 2. the view from where i sit (skipping lily), 3. in a world full of dots, 4. Where We Live 2, 5. Untitled, 6. linen and patchwork baby bib, 7. fuchsia seas quilt, 8. Sunburst, 9. Basking In The Sun ~ Munki Pears, 10. more pincushions, 11. baby quilt beginnings, 12. Hour Glass Quilt, 13. Cotton Paint Birdy, 14. quilting a queen, 15. Pink circles for Jennie, 16. squishyquilt
And I love my grey felt iPad cover that I bought here.
One type of embroidery I haven't done a lot of since having children is monogram embroidery. Simply because it is incredibly time consuming. One letter may take 20 or 30 hours of painstakingly exact stitching. But after admiring the many beautiful examples of the work in the antique markets of Paris and Montsoreau, I've been inspired to get out my Broder thread once again.
I'm making a little pillow with Adelaide's initials. It will go with the lovely pale pink rib woolen cot blanket I recently bought her.
This is the design I am doing. It comes from this book, which I picked up in Mercerie St Michel in rue Charles Nodier, Montmartre. I was a little rusty on this type of work; I'm hoping my stitching will improve. I might find myself unpicking this first section.
To remind myself what to do, I had to refer to an instruction sheet that I wrote up for the classes I used to teach in monogramming. If anyone would like a copy of the instructions, please leave a comment. I'm happy to email it to you.
Put on your walking shoes please. I'd like to take you on a tour of my favourite craft shops in Paris.
It seems that craft is primarily a right bank thing.
I didn't visit all these stores on foot. I got between B and C by metro, and E on a velib with Will. But here is what I found. (Click for a larger view of the map.)
A: Le Bonheur des Dames, Le Viaduc des Arts, 17 avenue Daumesnil, 75012 Paris
(Metro Bastille or Ledru Rollin)
This shop is worth a visit for its shop fittings alone. The lovely big display tables are full of all things to do with embroidery and cross stitch. This was the shop recommended to me by Shannon of Petits Details. If you enjoy cross stitch, this is your mecca.
About 20 minutes walk from here is point B on my map:
Entrée des Fournisseurs, 8 rue des Francs Bourgeois, 75003 Paris
(Metro Saint Paul)
This shop is easy to miss if you're not looking for it, because it is off the street in a pretty courtyard. It's just moments from the beautiful Place des Vosges though, so lots to see and do in the area.
This pretty store is worth seeking out. There is a lovely array of braids and buttons, as well as fabrics (including Liberty of course) and books. The thing I love about the Parisian craft stores is that the trims are all natural fibres. 100% cotton ric rac and grosgrain and Swiss cotton entres-deux and other lovely items.
At this point you will probably be weighed down by a parcel of lovely craft books (stay tuned and I'll show you mine in a future post), so you might want to jump on the metro. Take the metro to Les Halles.
C: La Droguerie
11 rue du Jour, 75001 Paris
(Metro Les Halles)
This is not one of my favourite craft shops, but if you're into knitting or crochet, I think you'd best swing by. It's very popular judging by the number of people in the store. I think it is somewhat of a Paris institution as it has been around for many years and is quite well known. But as it is quite close to point D, you may as well take a look.
D: Des Fils et une Aiguille
1 rue Chabanais, 75002 Paris
(metro Pyramides or Palais Royal)
I do like this shop and have visited it on each trip to Paris. It has a pretty selection of cross stitch braids and canvases, lovely ribbons and trims, and a good bookshelf of craft books (which I emptied somewhat). There is a velib station just outside this store if your feet are getting sore.
E: Marché St Pierre
2 rue Charles Nodier, 75018 Paris
(metro Anvers - prepare to walk uphill from the metro)
This little area at the heart of Montmartre has a grouping of fabric and haberdashery stores. Described as the "kingdom of tissues" on its website, Marché St Pierre has many floors of fabric.
Their table of toiles was rather enticing. I made a few purchases on their linen floor.
In rue Charles Nodier you can wander from store to store to find more fabric, trims and all things craft. Reine, a few doors away, has an extensive Liberty selection at about 60% the price we pay for it in Australia. This store had half sized mannequins above all the display tables of fabric. Each mannequin was outfitted in a dress made up of the fabrics on that table. Someone has been very busy sewing mini clothes. It was worth a look.
On the left bank, you can visit the top floor of the beautiful and upmarket department store, Le Bon Marche, for their haberdashery section. It's busy and stocked with lovely things. Further down rive gauche near Notre Dame is Le Rouvray. This is a patchwork store owned by an American woman. I haven't been there in about 10 years so can't say what it is like now. It was quite American in style from memory, but did have some pretty French toiles.
So there you have it. I hope you find this post useful. Does anyone have any other favourite craft stores in Paris?
This little smocked top has been floating around the house for about 6 months.
I wasn't happy with it, so it never got put away into a wardrobe with Adelaide's other clothes. In fact, it was sitting around on the sofa in the living room most of the time - a lost item that never had a home.
This morning I made a small adjustment. I ran a line of shirring elastic around the sleeve hem.
It went from looking like a cape one might wear at the hairdresser, to a cuter gathered sleeve top.
Adelaide is happily wearing it now with a white pair of the favourite pants.
I've got a few other smocking panels that are half finished that I might now be inspired to make into a similar style.
I think this fabric range was designed just for me. Yesterday I dropped in to Amitie and found myself face to face with a very pretty range of fabrics in a perfect French red and naturals.
Adelaide, I think you're going to need a red coat next winter. The top fabric I think I will make into something smocked with red thread. The others, well I'm not sure yet.
I spent at least 30 minutes looking over the fabrics. It was too hard to decide which ones I liked best - they were all so lovely. The only thing to do in such a situation is buy a fat quarter of all the other favourites - which I did.
I wasn't planning on it, but it seems now I'm making another quilt. So tonight when the house is quiet I think I'll pull out all my quilting books and look for a pattern.
But for now, I'd better get back to work to pay for my fabric purchases.
When I bought my new domestic sewing machine 9 years ago, I remember finding the instruction booklet quite a revelation. Prior to that, I had sewn on my mother's machine from the 1970s. After reading the instruction booklet, I was amazed at how much my new machine could do.
My machine is nothing super special. It has a few decorative stitches, one of which I use every day for Townmouse appliques. But with a few different needles or feet, it can do so much. This detail uses a wing needle.
Just the thing to add a bit of interest to a plain white shirt.
So if you've never paid much attention to your instruction booklet, you may be pleasantly surprised like I was.
What clever tricks have you been able to do with your sewing machine?
