Inspirational couture at the V&A

Hi friends!

We've just had a rotten night. Our @!#*?!% neighbours (those because of which we fled to London last weekend) had another of their unannounced parties orgies. I've been up since 5.30 and have slept 3 hours at most. Let me tell you, after the week I've been through, I sorely needed the rest. I was so looking forward to last night's sleep! (I had a 5-hour conference yesterday, so the weekend started late). We are seriously considering alerting the police. This is going too far.

Anyway, here's a first article about our weekend in London - we spent the Saturday morning at the Victoria & Albert Museum. We spent most of our time in the musical instruments, couture and embroidery rooms. Seb was definitely not uninterested!
Since cameras were allowed in most rooms, I snapped to my heart's content - you bet many of the couture creations inspired me!

I don't have much energy for chitchat, so pictures shall have to speak for themselves.

~*~
A few gowns, chronologically arranged

I'll be devoting a separate article to the embroidery section, and another one to our perambulations (love that word). We walked at least 30 kms in 2 days as we didn't take the tube.

~*~

I was planning to sew a dress today - that visit to London inspired me so much and I was longing to sew all week! Stiching might be more appropriate though. Sewing is not a good idea when you are exhausted.

Have a lovely Sunday everyone.

A week offline

Hi everyone!

There's nothing like a weekend off to make you come back with a mind refreshed and teeming with ideas.
I'm having a very studious week which should be crucial for my work, and as a consequence shall probably not be much online.

Don't be surprised therefore if I'm very silent this week (here, on your blogs, by email)... This won't mean you friends won't be in my thoughts.

I'll tell you about our weekend in London next week...

Everyone have a lovely week - and keep warm!

Hi everyone, and thank you for the advice concerning London shops!

The wind has finally abated and should bot be much of a problem this weekend :) Yes, Carol, there were huge gales of wind in France and the rest of Europe too, which caused several deaths and resulted for us in terrible Internet and phone connections yesterday (it is still slightly intermittent today)... But this weekend should be safe :)

Our plans are to wander about, do a bit of fabric & yarn shopping (though not too much - I don't want to spoil the fun for Seb! I planned everything carefully so it shouldn't take up too much of our time), meet dear Shashi... and visit the V&A. It has long been on my to-visit list, so what a great suggestion you made, Nicki, Karen, and Annemarie :)

~*~

The piece of exquisiteness you can see on top of this message was Shashi's Christmas gift to me... I wanted to wait for her to be back from India before posting about it on my blog. Shashi has told me since that it is a pincushion, but there is no way I can stick a pin into this beauty! No, it has been gracing our mantelpiece ever since I opened the box.

Here it is in its usual place. Since the back is just as lovely as the front, I like the fact that it is shown in reflection, which prompted my choice of displaying it on the mantelpiece (it is surmounted by a mirror).

Here it is gracefully modelling the lovely beaded bookmark Shashi also made for me...

I'm not sure I want to show you what I made for Shashi - it felt so inadequate once I'd received her wonderful piece of art.

Seb and I shall leave early tomorrow, so I'll see you next week, friends! :)

London!

Seb and I just decided to spend the weekend in London! Our upstairs neighbours warned us they'd be giving a huge party on Saturday night, which will last all night. Given how loud they usually are, and since they bothered to warn us for once... we would probably not get a single minute of sleep. I could have gone to my parents' and see Robin, but we both feel we really need a special weekend together. We've been wanting to go to London since last April, but work kept getting in the way... But we can finally afford to leave our work alone for a whole weekend. And, we can afford the trip, too! ;)

We just booked the train+hotel package and I am so excited! Oh, to be speaking and hearing English for a whole weekend!! That's my idea of bliss. Believe it or not, I've never slept in London! That's a bit weird for an English teacher, isn't it?

I am planning to go yarn and fabric shopping (among other things)... Would any of you English friends be willing to share any tips on fabric and wool shops in London? Thank you!! :)

Stitching update at last :)

Hi everyone!
Thank you for your input regarding French vs. English phrasing on stitched pieces. You all agree so far that French words are fine! :)
Thank you also for the sweet words about little Robin... I cannot wait to see him again, although that probably won't be before another month! Thank goodness for digital photography and emails...

It is more than time for a stitching-related post...
Here is my last but one finish for 2006:

Pine Mountain Designs - Long January
(little charm at the bottom says 'Let it snow')

This was a sweet little kit that dear Becky sent me several months ago as part of the Adopt A Stitcher exchange, and I had decided to wait till the next winter to stitch it. The pillow sham was included in the kit - how nifty is that? :)

I stitched it on a couple of evenings in mid-December while Seb was away in Provence for work. Becky was much in my thoughts while I was stitching this... I prayed that 2007 may be a better year for her, and that all the kindness she keeps sprinkling over the world may return tenfold...
Becky, I am so happy that you are feeling yourself again! :) I do hope 2007 will be a good year for you.

~*~

Ran another 6 kms tonight!

Each time I've run a minimum of 5 kms, I've decided to reward myself by wearing the Liberty tunic I sewed last Saturday. After showering, obviously . That tunic is so blissfully soft, believe me, it's a wonderful motivation! :)

Hope your week is going smoothly! :)

A question for my English-speaking friends

Hi everyone!

I am finishing stitching my Redwork exchange piece but am feeling a bit stuck, so I would love to hear your advice. The design I chose is a French one, and I am reaching a stage where I'm supposed to stitch a few French words... I wondered how you friends would feel about that - do you enjoy receiving pieces with words stitched in a foreign language, or would you rather have something in your own language?
This would be useful for other gifts too...Thank you for your input :)

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I couldn't help sharing those few pictures with you...

My little nephew Robin turned two months today!

Here he is on a burp cloth I embroidered and sent him for the occasion

Isn't he looking like a little guy already!

Wow, his eyes have definitely turned brown now!
What a beautiful little boy...
Can't wait to see him again :)

2006 sewing, 2007 plans

Hi friends! :)

Boy, I am sooo behind on what I was planning to blog about. Now that I'm done teaching (and grading!) for the whole year, I've been working my little heart out on my PhD research... and still haven't told you about any single gift I made for my family for Christmas!

Here's the cotton tunic I sewed for my little sister Hélène:

(from a French pattern - Citronille)

Hélène loves her tunic, which is a relief! She's pretty fussy to sew for, but I thought that fabric and that pattern would suit her complexion and style well. She told me she now wears it whenever she's feeling blue... Which is pretty often at the moment. :( I'm worried about her and pray and hope that she'll be happier real soon.

I have been stitching since 2007 started, - for the Redwork exchange on the SBEBB. I'm thrilled with the name I got in the exchange, and just wanted to start straight away! :) I am putting all my little heart into that piece.
There are still two cute Winter pieces I stitched in late December that I haven't shared with you... I promise to post about them soon.

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I almost forgot! I started a personal challenge. Running 100 kms on the elliptical by April 1st. Some make it 100 miles, but since I walk/take the metro to go everywhere, I already walk an average of 3 kms (2 miles) a day, and won't include that into the count (wow, that should be an extra 150 miles/225 kms by April 1st!).

I'm not doing this to lose weight - just to keep fit and feel better. My elliptical was sorely neglected during the whole first semester because I was so insanely busy; but my lifestyle should - must! - get somewhat more balanced this semester.

I started on Friday...

There! It's said. There's no going back now ;)

~*~
Wishing you a happy Sunday and a lovely week!
It is wonderfully sunny and still unbelievably mild here in Paris...
Totally bizarre, but undeniably nice!

Countryhouses SAL - translation

Some of you asked me for a translation of Maryse's instructions for her "SAL des maisons de campagne" (i.e. countryhouses stitch along)... There you go!

FABRIC

If you decide to stitch all the houses on the same fabric, the stitch count is 211 x 281, which according to fabric count translates as:

28-count: 38,7cm x 51,6cm
32-count: 35,4cm x 47,2cm
35-count:30,3cm x 40,4cm
40-count: 26,7cm x 35,6 cm
To convert into inches: go here.
Please note this is the stitched area. You'll need to add margins.

Each block is 69 x 69 points; within each block, the houses will be 61 x 61 points.

The overall design will be 3 blocks wide and 4 blocks high (but that's your call, obvisouly).

THREADS - DMC
3051
3012
734
3820
840
3031
310
413
415
930
931
932
3740
3041
3042
3802
223
224
225
356
écru
white

OR... whatever suits you best :) (Personally, I'll be choosing my own colours because I want a very muted result.)

Please ask me if I forgot to make something clear. Oh, and "Les grilles de Maryse" means "Maryse's charts". ;)

Hope this was useful :)

A little bit of - harmless - enabling!

Hi friends!

Some of you might be interested in this French SAL: a designer is offering a free house design each month (each one themed according to the month), and is setting up a stitch along for the year. The first chart is out, and is just adorable. I'm definitely joining in the fun and am only waiting for my fabric to start! (I chose a dove grey juliana and shall be using DMC linen threads for a soft, muted effect.)

Where oh where, are you asking?

-> Les grilles de Maryse <-

(If you need any help with the French, you can always ask me! ;) )

Gifties to Normandy

Hello friends!
Do you remember this?

(Thread: Holly Berry GAST)

and this :

(Anchor fibers)

They were gifts for two Norman friends...
A small banner for Anne-Marie,
who's been very sweet to Robin and me

Text says "Welcome to my house on the hill"
(it is the subtitle to Anne-Marie's blog)

A ruchéd pinkeep for my dearest friend Sylvie




~*~

I still have two exams to grade... Then all the paperwork (calculating final grades etc.). And I haven't baked our King's cake yet! All this with a splitting headache

Hoping your Sunday is good and restful!

From and to Alsace

Hi everyone! I hope that first week of the year was good for you all... although some of you have been feeling pretty poorly!
Mine was spent grading exams, exams and some more exams. I'm not done yet, and am getting completely fed up with the thing! Turns out my plans of having a good sewing and stitching session every day were totally unrealistic. Hopefully I'll manage to spend some time at the sewing machine tomorrow! Provided I finally get rid of those darn exams...

Anyway, even though I have no stitching update to show you this week, I still have lots of pictures to share - from the gifties I received and gave over Christmas :)

Look at the beauty my good friend Doris stitched for me:

That Au Fil des Rêves design had long been on my wishlist...
The bourse is stunning in real life.
I still plan to stitch it and I know exactly for whom :)

Doris's birthday was on Dec. 24... that was a double reason to send her a few gifties.

A trapunto card

a coin purse in felted wool
Many thanks to Sylvie who suggested I embroidered the pink squares!

A stitched friend of Little miss Cutie's...
(design by Marie-Thérèse Saint-Aubin, stitched on natural Belfast linen with a GAST thread)

~*~
One last picture...
Robin is now 7 weeks old, and seems happy about it!


Enjoy your weekend everyone!

To my online friends...

Dear friends,

Wishing you all a happy, serene, healthy, loving and creative New Year!
Many thanks to my online friends for being such a special part of my life in 2006...
Looking forward to continuing and fostering those precious friendships in 2007!

Love,
Isabelle