Thank you :)

Friends, I want to sincerely thank each of you for your warmhearted messages, advice, and support. I won't have time to thank each and everyone of you privately, but they've meant a lot and helped me go through the week. Thank you!

I'm still under the weather, altough I can swallow now, and can finally feel this evening that I'm on the mend. However, one of the medicines I'm taking has made me feel all terrible and nauseous, and I can't wait to be off it.
I'm still not sure how I managed to get to the classes and actually teach them - especially yesterday morning at 8, after another awful night... But it's over now, and the classes went well - I did warn my students not to get too close to me. ;) The students are really nice and motivated. However, the turnout is much larger than planned! The classroom yesterday in particular was absolutely choke-full, and the late students actually didn't have anywhere to sit - some had to go away :( I asked for a larger classroom but the logistics folks seemed dubious that any other would be available.

I'm so glad the week is over and that I got through all my classes without any problem :) I got hardly anything accomplished as regards PhD research this week though... Not to mention the appalling state of my email inbox. Hopefully next week will be better.

I really hope I'll manage to take some rest this weekend, but it turns out to be a long-planned family and birthday weekend - so I'll be taking the train to Lille tomorrow morning, and coming back to Paris on Monday morning. I need to take my laptop and some books to prepare next week's classes, and hopefully get a little reading done for my PhD...
All this means I definitely won't be stitching or sewing until next week, and I miss it. I had started a blouse last weekend that was coming along so nice and classy! (I'm making it in the crinkled sable fabric you can see here). I'm using this great pattern (view B, the blue model) The frills and details and the challenging fabric - along with the mere fact that I have never sewn a blouse before - were making me hesitant, but Seb just told me to "go ahead and cut", and he was right - I was really having a ball with this project last weekend. Can't wait to get back to it, and then move on to other projects (like this dress... love it! But I don't have the right fabric for it yet... I want to do view E, the one with three-quarter sleeves, possibly in a burgundy or dark plum fabric).

Here are a couple of projects I can show you though :) The first one was just received by our friend Becky Bee, along with the peacock pinkeep - I just couldn't show you this banner earlier or the bees might have given the recipient's name away ;)

And here's a picture of my latest WIP...

Kitty Cottage Sampler by Little House Needleworks
(you can see the finished design on the middle of that page)
stitched on Clay belfast by Zweigart.

This turns out to be a larger project than I thought - I started it in late August, since I showed it to Sylvie when she came to Paris. Of course I worked on some other things in-between (my Cat Crazy Lady exchange, Karen's gifties and Becky's pinkeep); but the small picture on the LHN website is deluding! Not that I complain though - I just thought this would be a cute little project instead of a full-fledged "sampler" and I'm getting a little bored with it. Those colours are not my usual palette, but I am enjoying the change. I'll probably keep this one for Violette, Seb and me ;)

I think I'll manage to pick up a needle tonight. Seb has just been to the DVD rental and chosen a Cohen movie - so we should have a nice cosy evening :)
Thanks again everyone :) See you next week!

Little Miss Cutie and I wish you all a lovely weekend.

Here she is in one of her favourite positions - sitting and showing off her fluffy belly.
She's had a blissful week - a sick human friend means more bedtime and hence more cuddles!

Sick on the first day...

(Those of you that have no interest in my private life may skip to the end for a tiny stitchy update!)

I started having a sore throat on Monday evening - I hardly slept that night because of the pain, but didn't worry too much: when I get a little cold or am tired, I almost always get a sore throat that gets better pretty quickly. And I hate to appear as squeamish. However, the soreness kept increasing yesterday, to the point that I couldn't sleep at all last night. It hurt so much every time I swallowed that it brought unvoluntary tears to my eyes. This is when I realized it was probably more serious than I thought and I couldn't wait for the day to start so I could go to the doctor's. I had a hard time speaking to him as I could hardly articulate. He diagnosed me with strep throat - one of nasty kind, and put me on antibiotics etc..

The big trouble was that my classes started today... Since I couldn't swallow anything and could hardly speak at all, you may imagine my panic! The doctor suggested I stayed home and put me on sick leave, but I just couldn't see myself missing the first week... Thankfully the antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drug started to work pretty quickly, and I managed to regain a semblance of voice. I guess the paracetamol dose he prescribed really helped me go through it all - the directions for use say this is for adults and kids above 50 kilos, which due to my smallness I'm not (although I should think I am an adult LOL); so I guess the 1000 mg dose had a big impact on me.

The most ironic is that people talk of stress-related aphonia... But this had nothing to do with it - quite the reverse! Of course one is bound to get a tingle of stress before one's first class of the year... But this is the fourth year I'm teaching, (although the first in literarure), and I was 100 times more excited than anxious about it all. I just wouldn't miss that first day for anything!

The class went actually fine: the students were very attentive and had a positive attitude, and I'm glad I went in the end... although I'm exhausted now. My next class is tomorrow at 9! I had planned to work on my research tonight, but I'm afraid that simply won't happen.

Please friends, don't feel surprised/worried/hurt if I'm not much online until next week... Commenting, writing and emailing may prove just beyond my strength.

I am very grateful though - I'm so thankful I managed to go through that first class, and teach it just as I wanted to; and I am very grateful for being sick so seldom... This has made me realize how long it had been since I'd been sick - apart from the odd cold of course - and that's a great blessing!

~*~

To end this on a stitching note, here's what I did with the peacock piece I showed you last Friday:

It was the first time I made a pinkeep, but it proved truly easy! Karen had given me tips as well :) You can see it with a lavender "fusette", which a dear friend sent me from Provence (she knew how much I love lavender). I realized the tones were perfectly in keeping with the pinkeep so I thought it'd be nice to have them both on the picture...

Here's the back of the pinkeep:

Although it is a tad less bright in real life.
It's on its way to a friend now!
Someone who enjoys Quaker designs... AND pinkeeps!
Hope she likes it! :)

I hope I haven't bored you too much...
See you soon, hopefully, and everyone take care!

Latest exchanges

Hello, and happy Sunday to you all!

As promised, here are pictures of the two latest exchanges I received and sent.
First, here is the needleroll Mylene sent me from the Netherlands in the needleroll exchange organized on The Robin's Nest board:

Isn't it fresh and lovely, with its cheerful colours and its flower-shaped button?
Mylene hemmed it with hardanger - so fine and pretty.
She included cute buttons and floss
Thank you Mylene!

And here is my second friendship exchange for Aniza, to replace the first one which got lost somewhere between Paris and Malaysia... At least that one reached her!

Yep, another needleroll... and the design is the same as the one I stitched for Cari in the needleroll exchange... although I chose more "antique" colours. I wanted to stitch something French, and that Au Fil des Rêves design appealed to me. I used a heart charm as the theme for this exchange was friendship. The card was stitched as well.

I wish you all a lovely Sunday and new week...

It's been a special day here!

And now back to those two households (both alike in dignity)...

Everyone take care!

Warming war orphans

When the Lebanon/Israel war started, Hala set up the action J'ai froid, couvre-moi (I'm cold, cover me; the website is trilingual, French/English/German). Her father runs an orphan association in Lebanon. Hala was asking for knitted clothes for the babies and children who suffered - and are still suffering - from the late war; since I don't know how to knit, I offered to sew clothes instead, and she kindly agreed.

When she heard of this, my good, big-hearted friend from Alsace, Doris, sent me the necessary fabric for the project so that all the cost wouldn't be on me - which is very considerate. She sent me enough fabric to make three jackets, along with the lengths of bias tape that the pattern asked for. Charity projects are made extra special when they involve collaboration with a friend!
The deadline was fast approaching for the project, so I sewed up all three last Sunday - I was too exhausted to work on that day anyway, after the conference and a sleepless night. I made a huge pot of tea to keep me going all day, while I cut and sewed those jackets.

Pattern: New Look 6310, size M (6-9 months)

I chose to contrast the bias tape for the cream and blue jackets, to jazz them up a little.

Here's one half-open so you can see how it closes - with ties on one side, and a snap on the other.

If my sister sees this, she'll be wanting one for her baby

~*~

Oh, and while I'm at it, here's a little piece I started in Birmingham and finished yesterday.

This is for a friend. :) The design is Proud Peacock by The Stitching Parlor, a freebie I received along with my Monthly Bits GAST installment - I joined this in July (following Barbara's cue) and am loving it! I only had a handful of hand-dyed fibers before I started this, and am now beginning to have a lovely collection, which is very handy to add "that special something" to a project. The freebies they send along are great, too. Here I used GAST's Peacock (ha!) for the lighter blue, and Weeks Dye Works Deep Sea for the darker part. The linen is a mint green shade. How do you think I have decided to finish it? (Karen knows it already since we discussed this last Saturday, and she gave me some tips!)

I also received a lovely needleroll exchange from Mylene, and shall post about it this weekend.

Thank you all for your kind, kind comments. I am pretty amazed and truly touched by the confidence you have in me - and am glad I was up to it in the end :)
Everyone have a lovely weekend!

Back from Birmingham

Hello everyone !

First and foremost, I wanted to thank you all for your encouragement before I left. It truly warmed my heart. Thank you!

I came back on Saturday night, but my exhaustion on that day and the next (I hardly slept at all from Saturday to Sunday as the neighbours were having yet another party, and Violette was very demanding in cuddles...). On Monday and Tuesday, I dived into all the work that was waiting for me and didn't have the time to come and write here. There's so much to do as the term is to start next week - I still haven't been given my timetable nor the number of students I'll be teaching... )

Things went really well at the conference. I was sick with anxiety at first, but the atmosphere turned out to be pretty informal and genial (not at all like in French conferences!); and on hearing other papers, I grew confident that mine should do too. I was actually much less nervous on the day and at the time of my own presentation!

I won't go into more details because I don't want to bore you with it ; but, even though I'm still feeling the exhaustion from those jam-packed days, I am so happy I attended and got to meet such fascinating people - and that my own work got aknowledged as well. I've felt pretty lonely in my research so far, as the author I study is not well known yet in France. Well, that time is over :) (I won't name that author here as I don't want search engines to point to my blog if someone does a search on him - my blog is my secret garden, which I want to keep separate from my work. Feel free to email me if you're curious!)

~*~

I had a much less stressful treat to look forward to after the conference and before I flew back to Paris - Karen lives just 20 minutes from Birmingham and this was a wonderful opportunity to meet up. We had a lovely - albeit far too short! - time over a cup of tea.

Unbeknownst to one another, we'd each prepared a few gifties for the other! I'm sure those of you who also read her blog saw them already.

Karen was generous enough to give me all five Shepherd's Bush cards that she has just stitched into a gorgeous banner... She'd seen those were on my wishlist! Shepherd's Bush designs are among my very favourites, with their soft colours and lines, their specialty stitches and delicately "folksy" look... (perhaps some of you remember how much I enjoyed stitching this orchard !). I really, really can't wait to stitch them.

But the loveliest of all was this:

A small photo album, all personalized in my favourite colour and with a little "I" - and in French, too! The little sheep is stitched with Whisped threads, and is all fluffy!
The inside opens up like this:

Karen found a tutorial for this on Lulu's blog. Those have been all the rage among French blogs lately, and now I have my very own! :)

I stitched Karen a small needlecase and fob set, in colours which I felt she would enjoy. They do recall the colours we've been using in our Lavender Rose case stitch-along.

The design is Stitching Treasures 1 by Twisted Oaks Designs; Becky had sent it to me on my birthday and I was so eager to stitch it... The linen is a Country Cream vintage belfast from Zweigart, and I used GAST floss in Red Plum for the pink/lanvender parts.
As for the little fob, you'll have to see it on Karen's blog, as I finished it on the evening before I left and didn't have the time to take a picture (actually, I wasn't too happy with the finishing but didn't have enough time to unpick the seam and do it again)...

I feel so lucky I got to meet you, Karen. It is truly wonderful to be able to know how you are (and yes, to know how petite you too are!), and I'll be able to hear your voice now whenever I read your blog, comments or emails :) Your DH and you form a lovely pair :) Thank you both for driving me to the airport too, that was really kind of you! I hope we'll get to meet again some time. :)

That's all for now friends... I have other stitching/sewing news but they'll have to wait, as that post is quite long enough as it is!

Conference week

Hello everyone :)
Cari was my recipient in the needleroll exchange, and I heard yesterday that she has received it already. Now for Aniza to receive her second friendship exchange and I'll be able to breathe a deep sigh of relief.

Since Cari is fond of French designers and purple, I decided to stitch her the pique-aiguille Petit jardin ("little garden needleroll") by Au fil des Rêves, using a Silkweaver fabric called Lavender Swirl.

It was stitched with Au ver à soie silks; the little watering can charm was included with the chart.
I shamelessly copied Christine's idea of hemming the needleroll with crochet lace.

I also finished my blox-pleated skirt a week ago, but Seb could only take a picture yesterday.

Yes, Violette is a big cat and I'm a small lady ;)

It is made of cotton satin - this was the first time I used such fabric. It has a nice body to it for a skirt or trousers, and a lovely texture. Here's a close-up of the skirt so you can see the line and pleats better:

That's all, friends. I don't think you'll be hearing from me until next week... I'm leaving for my conference in Birmingham on Wednesday. Please keep your fingers crossed for me on Friday morning - that's when I'll be talking. Thank goodness Karen lives so close to Birmingham - she has really helped me with the hotels and everything; above all, the thought of having a kind friend not far away from this big, totally unknown city, is a huge comfort. So is the prospect of meeting her on Saturday morning, when the conference is over. Thanks Karen!
I'm both scared and very excited...
See you all next week!

Sisterly Sewing

Those of you who have known me for a while are probably aware of how close my brother, sisters and I are to each other... Today is my little sister Hélène's 24th birthday - she is only one year younger than me and has always been my very, very best friend. I just can't imagine what my life would have been, or be, without her in it!

We'll be celebrating her and my father's birthday at my parents' in Lille, on September 30th; but since my brother, my little sister and I live in Paris now, my brother and I decided to prepare a surprise birthday dinner at my sister's yesterday evening. We had a great time!

Brother, Sis, Choupette the rescued kitten and Isabelle

Here is one of her presents:

The colour palette is the same as for the bag I made in the Big Bag Swap. Hélène had seen it at the time and never understood how I could send it away (i.e. instead of giving it to her!) The size is different though - this one is smaller. There's a small pocket for her cell phone, and a larger one for keys and whatnots. I interfaced the outer fabric to give it more body; similarly, the handles are lined with a webbing strap for added strength.
(She hasn't received it yet though, as we'll be giving her gifts on Sept. 30th)

~*~

My other sister, the eldest, gave me a bag full of onesies, bibs &c., to embroider for her son (he is due in November). I finally attacked that big pile.

(the stitching comes out much better in the larger picture - just click to see it)

Those designs come from an adorable Japanese book, Design collection for kids (ISBN 4529042049), which I had ordered here. I can't wait to stitch more of those!

I hope you're all having a lovely week. It's been incredibly warm and sunny in Paris, after a very cold, damp and dreary August. It's been simply blissful. September is definitely one of the best times to come and visit Paris!

Gifts lost, sent and received

Hi everyone!

I'm sorry haven't been much online lately. I've simply been too busy during the day, and often too tired in the evening. Seb thinks I might have an iron or vitamin deficiency or something. I guess a few days rest might be in order before I leave for the conference in England next week.

Here is at long last an update on the Lavender Rose Sewing Case...
The completed sewing case

And 2 of the 3 accessories that will go inside

(The third accessory - needlecase - is half done too now).

I know it looks like little sitching... Well, besides the fact that I just couldn't stitch on some evenings (I either was too exchausted or had a headache), I've also been doing some stitching that I can't show just yet: I just sent out my exchange for the Needleroll exchange on the The Robin's Nest forum; I've also been stitching on the Cat Crazy Lady exchange; and I sent out a replacement Friendship exchange for Aniza in Malaysia, since she just told me she has now lost hope that the first may ever arrive. She wanted us to wait for as long as possible since the post is sometimes... erratic, but I didn't want her to wait any longer.

Here's what was inside the lost package

A needleroll adapted from the Victoria Sampler Friends Count" free bookmark design
(I had actually had the same idea as Renée, which made me smile at the time).

And a few gifties...

It's really tough to see an exchange get lost at sea - should it ever happen again, I doubt I'll be willing to take part in an exchange anymore... Keeping my fingers crossed that second exchange will reach Aniza soon!!

On a much more positive note, I just received a fantalicious package from Anne in Australia - I am simply gobsmacked!! Pictures to follow later Edited to add pictures:

Anne stitched a stunning needleroll for me.Just look at this beauty :

(If I wasn't moderating the needleroll exchange and didn't know who sends to whom, I would have been thinking that Anne was my exchange partner! ;))
I remember I'd been drooling over this needleroll on her blog - how could I ever dream the Birthday lady she was referring to was me! The blue overdyed she used to stitch it is amazing - just perfect for blue lovers like Anne and me. I'm amazed that Anne ever had the heart to let it go! It is also very special in that this is the very first needleroll I own: the few needlerolls I stitched were all given out.

As if it wasn't enough (and really it was already too much!!) Anne included wonderful goodies:

The thread and Silkweaver solo once more celebrate Anne's and my common love for blue; and Anne purchased the darling little purse from Hong Kong!

Belated birthday gifts are just fantastic, and I shall remember this now when I am too overworked to send birthday gifts on time to all the friends I would like to. I feel so bad that I didn't act like Anne for her own birthday. I remember I was sad at the time that I just couldn't fit a birthday gift for her into my timetable... I promise to make it up to you, Anne!

Thank you again Anne, and a hundred hugs for you!