See, what had happened was…I had laryngitis for two whole weeks.  And half of one of the weeks was my “staycation.”  Blergh.  That forced me to spend lots of hours “resting,” which in my world means crafting.  Crafting is pretty restful and it keeps you from getting cabin fever.  I also painted my living room/dining room/entryway/great room which was not restful, but I am very happy with the results (white instead of faded pea green) and that will result in some home decorating projects very soon.  I don’t usually do home dec sewing, but when I want something I do.  Only when I have to.  I ordered fabric for roman shades and I’m thinking maybe I’ll do a top-down/bottom-up shade tutorial for y’all.  I also ordered fabric for curtain panels and to cover the cushions on my banana leaf sofa.  And I’m using fabric I bought a long time ago to slipcover an IKEA Tullsta chair.  I’ll share all the projects as I finish them .

Anyway, back to all the projects I finished while I was sick…

Back in December at the 7 Cities Crafters Holiday Party, we made crafty wreaths.  Mine somehow turned into a spring wreath and the flowers and base got separated in my craft room before I had a chance to glue them together.  Well, I found them and finished it up.  We used plumbing insulation (the foam tube with the slit down the side) because it was cheap and we duct-taped it into a circle.  That was great until I put it on the exterior door and then the tape got humidified.  I didn’t notice it when I took the picture, but you can kind of see a kink where I joined the circle.  So next time I’ll use a regular wreath form, but I still think it came out pretty cute.  I was inspired by this wreath and the marled yarn she used.  I made the flowers from Jane Brocket’s book The Gentle Art of Knitting.  Jeff thinks it’s weird.  I’m not sure if it’s the yarn idea or the fact that it’s a non-holiday wreath.  Oh, well!

These are the cutest baby sweaters!  I think they look french.  I used this (free!) pattern from the Purl Bee and then modified it to make a newborn size.  I’ve since modified it again to make the sleeves taller on the small size for next time.  The large size  is about a 6-9 months size I think, but it fits my four-month-old niece!  I used dk yarn (Berocco Vintage DK) so it came out larger than the pattern says.  I got both sweaters out of one skein each of pink and grey and now I’m making a set for another friend in navy and a natural undyed color.  I love how they turn out and the pattern is both ingenious and pretty easy.  There are many parts you can knit while watching TV or a movie.

And to round out the yarn crafts, here are some crocheted jar cozies!  I used Dottie Angel’s instructions (love her).  We will make something similar to this (although not in the round and my own pattern) in the Crochet 101 class.  They look great with candles at night too!  Jeff was very amused by these.  He kept telling me, “Now your jars won’t get cold!”

Alright, this isn’t a fiber craft, but I had to put it in because I really like how it turned out.  It was inspired by one in the current issue of Country Living magazine.  I got a plain lampshade and a used copy of Sense & Sensibility (actually my least favorite Jane Austen, but it had a good page color and font).  I Mod Podged ripped-up pages to the lampshade.  I Mod Podged some more.  And then, this!  Also note the non-pea-green wall in the background.  And yes, we do drink that much wine.

I bought the kit for this beautiful French table runner from French Connections at the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival in Hampton in February.  I also have enough squares and yardage (already cut out!) for four placemats to match.  I hand quilted this with long running stitches, Jane-Brocket-style.  I haven’t washed it yet, but hopefully it will get that lovely, pucker-y, quilted look when I do.  It’s so fun putting the colors together for this.

And last but definitely not least…I finished my Winterwoods sampler!  I loved every minute of making it.  The motifs are enjoyable to stitch and not too large and the letters are very quick to stitch.  The Cashel linen is lovely and I really like working with the hand-overdyed floss from Weeks Dye Works.  The kit is still available on Alicia Paulson’s website.  She is a wonderful designer.  You should order it!  It’s addictive.  I hung it in the hallway with my Daisychain sampler.  Hopefully now I will carry the stamina from this project on to my French tablecloth.

Maybe I should get violently ill more often–I seem to get a lot done!  Or not.  Doing all these small crafts is kind of like running engine cleaner through.  It really increases my energy to do more .

1.  Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival.  This is a festival of all things sheep.  I’ve never been before, but my friend Amber reminded me about it at the right time this year and now we get to have a girls’ weekend with a couple of our other friends!  There’s everything from sheep shearing to sheepdog trials to craft workshops to yarn for sale.  I hear there is also champagne and a lot of knitting, at least amongst the group I’m joining.  I can’t wait!

My current knitting project

2.  TKGA Master Knitter Certification.  I learned about this in an interview I read in Knitscene magazine and it sounds wonderful.  I already know a lot about knitting techniques, but this program would really refine my skills (getting my gauge in order finally would be great) and guide me to learn more about the history of knitting.  There are three levels you go through as correspondence courses.  I love the idea of a correspondence course.  It’s so old-fashioned.  It makes me think of Mary Brooks Picken‘s Woman’s Institute classes in the 1920s (which I learned about in one of my favorite books–Amy Barickman‘s Vintage Notions).  There really are a lot of things you can learn by research, study, and practice.  It might be easier and faster to take a class from an expert (and I’m definitely not telling you that you shouldn’t take sewing classes ), but I like the idea of tackling a subject with just a little guidance and seeing what I can figure out.

You basically make this big binder of knitted swatches based on the instructions (and the course costs about $90) and then they get mailed around the country to volunteer judges who critique them.  Then they get sent back to you and apparently you usually have to redo them at least once.  For each level.  So that’s going to take me a while!  But the nice thing about a correspondence course is that it can be on your schedule.  I’m looking forward to the challenge.  I’m just waiting until after my adult Bat Mitzvah in June.  That’s enough research, study, and practicing for right now.  But after that, TKGA here I come.

my other current knitting project...with guest appearance by Oliver

3.  Last, but definitely not least…Interweave Knitting Lab New England!!!!!!  I GOT A SCHOLARSHIP!  Woot!  I applied for a scholarship to this event back in March and by the end of the day they were set to notify the winners, I thought, Well, I guess I didn’t get picked.  But I forgot that their office is in Denver, two hours behind!  I think I screamed into the phone when the event coordinator called me.  She may have thought I was a little bit freakish.  But I didn’t care.  I won!  They picked four scholars (two for the west coast lab and two for the east coast) out of 175 applicants.  I know bragging is unattractive, but I’m just really proud of myself.  I worked hard on my application–it was a series of seven essay questions about my knitting experience, what knitting means to me, and what I would hope to get out of the lab.

And I’m going to get a ton out of the lab.  The scholarship is for the Knitter’s Weekend Package, which means I can take any class I want in every time slot classes are offered.  I’m going to knit the heck out of that weekend (especially since the last day of the lab is my birthday)!  Here’s what I’m signed up for:

Thursday morning: Bohus Knitting
Thursday afternoon: Photographing Your FO’s on Real Life Models
Thursday evening: Spectacular Sweaters for Everyday
Friday all day: Inventive Color
Friday evening: Panel Discussion
Saturday all day: Lace Design
Saturday evening: Dinner and Barbara Walker Keynote
Sunday morning: Heirloom Rugs 1790 to Present Day
Sunday midday: Estonian Knitting Traditions
Sunday afternoon: Knitted Heirloom Rugs
Sunday evening: Meet the Instructors

I’m gonna be exhausted but completely inspired by the time the event is over.  My head will be filled with knitting.  I tried to go for a good balance of technique, design, practical skills (like photography), and new territory with my class selections.  You can see a full list of classes here.  I’m so thrilled that I’m going.  And hello, side trip to Boston!  I get to stay with Erin and get in a good Boston-area visit.  It’ll be lovely New England fall weather.  I’m so excited.

I’m cramming a lot into one year.  All this stuff should filter down into my class offerings and teaching techniques as well.  I’ll keep you posted on how it all goes!

The pattern is very well written.  It’s the first time I’ve used a Lisette pattern (Liesl Gibson‘s line for Simplicity).  I followed it as written, except that I used another layer of fabric in the middle of the belt instead of interfacing.  But that was mostly because I ran out of interfacing and didn’t feel like going to the store!  I used a stretch cotton shirting I got at Fabric Hut and it is beautiful and comfy, although my machine hated it.  Rotary bobbin machines just don’t seem to love thin stretch wovens.  My oscillating bobbin cheapo Singer machines never have a problem with any weight fabric.  But they don’t do fancy buttonholes.  This is why I need so many sewing machines .  FYI, rotary bobbins go around in only one direction continuously.  They are usually the kind you drop in from the top in the stitch plate area.  They’re good for free-motion stitching/quilting because the thread doesn’t jam, but I have issues with them when I’m just sewing normally with the feed dog up.  I prefer machines with oscillating bobbins, which usually sit in a bobbin case that you take out of the machine to thread and are vertical.  They oscillate right and left as the machine stitches.  I think they operate more smoothly in general and have fewer problems with thread jams as they age.  But all the fancy machines have drop-in bobbins now.  Not sure if that’s because they’re way easier to thread correctly or because free-motion quilting is so popular right now.  Hmmm.  Digression.

Anyway, I love this dress.  It does look kind of like a nurse or waitress uniform with the self-belt, hence the leather belt accessorization.  But that may have just been my fabric choice!  The pockets are well-placed and the triangle reinforcement stitching at the top edges makes it look store-bought.  The skirt has a slim cut and the pockets are placed wider on the hips than they are on the bodice for a slimming optical illusion.  Everything is well-cut and in proportion.  I highly recommend the pattern!

It’s Vogue 2884, a Vintage Vogue reissue that’s now out of print.  I love, love, love it.  I made it out of a cashmere/wool blend from Fabric Hut that I got 50% off about four years ago.  I happened to buy a long winter coat shortly thereafter that’s exactly the same color so I lost my motivation to make something with it…until we had this freakishly warm winter this year and my long winter coat went virtually unused!  I decided I needed a short fall/spring jacket and I dug out this pattern which is now out of print (but it looks like you can still order it from Vogue patterns online).  It is so perfect.  Too bad I didn’t have time to make it until now, when the weather is pretty much 70 degrees every day.  Today it’s a lovely 55 degrees, so I took the tripod out and got some photos finally.  I apologize for the weird angle!  I should have put the tripod on a chair or something, I guess.

The pattern is beautifully written and cut.  I followed it to a tee with only one small addition–I shaped the undercollar and hair canvas before padstitching by steaming them thoroughly and shaping them around a tailor’s ham to dry overnight, pinned.

The bound buttonholes were fun to make and turned out well.  The jacket is so comfortable!  It took me about two months of a couple afternoons a week of work to finish.  It has a lot of tailoring and details to it, so it’s definitely not a quick project.  More of a slow, steady type of thing.

I lined the jacket in a soft plaid cotton flannel with a poly satin sleeve lining.  I made a cross-stitch monogrammed tag for it which I put in the front like a department store label.  Behold, my new initials!

I used some of the belgian linen from my wedding table runners and followed the charted alphabet designs for the tote bag project in Alicia Paulson‘s Embroidery Companion (a wonderful book, by the way!).  I had never used waste canvas before and it was really fun.  The whole design took maybe two hours and looks adorable.

This was such a lovely project!  Now that it’s done, I’ve moved on to a quick project–the Lisette Traveler dress I posted about last spring.  I’ll let you know how it turns out.

I also finished a cowl a few weeks ago that is a great next-step-up beginner project for those of you who know how to knit and purl.  It’s the “it” pattern for this year–the Honey Cowl by Madelinetosh.  Free to download on Ravelry.  It looks great and is very easy to knit.

Now I’m working on Jared Flood’s Bridgewater shawl (actually, I’m on the edging already) and my new Winterwoods ABCs counted cross-stitch sampler from Alicia Paulson/Posie Gets Cozy.  Yay!

You definitely want this kit.  It’s so easy, fun, and pretty.  I’ll show you how it turns out soon!

1.  Anouk by Victory Patterns.

I love this new pattern company.  This would be adorable as a dress or a tunic/shirt.  I will probably actually make this one (you know, because I never have time to make all the patterns on my list–I wish!).

2.  Ava by Victory Patterns.

Again, super-cute as a shirt or dress.  Kind of reminds me a little of Colette’s Macaron, but the swingyness of the skirt is so  nice for warm weather.  Check out the photo gallery on the Victory website–you can see all the details of each garment up-close and high-resolution.

3.  Vogue 1287.

It’s hard to see the structure of this dress in the photos because of the busy fabric they chose for the sample (and also the Bebe-Neuwirth-twin model is voguing a little too much!  Distracting).  But look at the line drawings.  Very flattering to the waistline and bonus–it has elastic on the back of the waist which also makes it comfy!  The bias slip that goes under it looks like a great basic to have around as well.  I’m thinking crepe slip and some kind of arty paint-splotch print or watercolor floral (or ikat?) charmeuse for the dress…

4.  Butterick 5181.

(Yes, another dress!  I guess that’s where my mind is right now.)  I’ve been wanting a maxidress for a couple years but it’s hard to find a flattering pattern.  I like the spaghetti-strap view in this one.  Cotton voile for this–maybe one of my Anna Maria Horner ones.  This is a beach vacation (and maybe Greek Festival) dress.

5.  Simplicity 2806.

I’ve actually had this pattern for a year or so but I have yet to make it and I really want to.  I don’t generally get that excited about making grocery bags, but view E looks so perfect with its wine bottle compartments (yeah, I know they’re water bottles in the photo, but let’s be real here people–you can fit six wine bottles in this bag ).  I’d love to try making some mesh produce bags too (not included in this pattern–it just reminded me of it).  Slightly boring but extremely useful sewing.  Need to find some ripstop in a cute print.

Happy sewing!  Let me know if you saw anything I missed or if you make any of these.  I always love to see finished projects!  And that reminds me, I should have one or two of those to show you soon .

I really enjoyed making the sampler and it’s a great way to build up a repertoire of hand embroidery stitches.  Mine is hanging in my hallway and I just love seeing it there every day.  The color palette Alicia chose is so perfect.  We will be using crewel wool as called for in the pattern.  That’s what gives it such a nice texture.

I also have some intermediate and advanced classes on the roster for those of you who are ready for a challenge: Pillows, Skirts, and Dresses!  And if you take Skirts, you can continue immediately into Dresses if you really want to build your pattern-reading and finishing skills.  The Skirts class uses the patterns below, and in the Dresses class you get to choose your own pattern.

I hope to see you all in class this spring!  I can’t wait to see what you make .

I give you…the Whisky Cowl.  So-called because it will keep your throat as warm as whisky does.  You can buy it (for $3) on Ravelry and on Craftsy.

I originally designed this as a gift to give my bridesmaids.  I had searched online for a good gift and I was thinking of buying them cowls from Echo since two of them live in Colorado and one lives in Massachusetts.  But the Echo one was kind of pricey and actually rather poorly finished.  And 100% acrylic.  So I decided to make major improvements on the design (and some complete changes, like the direction of the stitches) and knit my own.  You know, with all the copious free time I had in the month before the wedding.  Luckily, making them turned out to be relaxing, easy, and quick.  So much so that I even made a couple more for holiday gifts and one for myself.  The great thing about this project is that the provisional cast-on and grafting will make you feel like a knitting rock star (if such a thing exists), but the body of the cowl is easy TV-watching knitting.  Perfect combo of relaxing and self-esteem-boosting.

The Whisky Cowl is a seamless infinity scarf with a 180-degree twist, worked in garter stitch in the round horizontally for double thickness and grafted together at the end. The cowl is worked with two strands held together.  Links to video tutorials for the provisional cast-on and twisting and grafting are included in the pattern to supplement the written instructions.  Those are my hands in the videos.  You will not see my face at all though, because all Amber got for her steadfast efforts to get me to do an intro video was a huge reel of outtakes!  Let’s just say I learned that being on camera is not for me.  I can’t simultaneously look directly into the camera and remember what I’m supposed to say.  Maybe I should have made cue cards?

Like I mentioned, the body of the cowl is very easy to knit.  Here is a list of the quality British-miniseries-viewing I was able to do while knitting the nine (yes, nine) cowls I’ve made so far: Downton Abbey: Season 1, Cranford with Judi Dench, North & South, Wives & Daughters, Daniel Deronda, and Pride & Prejudice (the 80s one).  All in November and December.  This is a great advanced-beginner pattern–the stitch pattern isn’t complicated but you’ll learn some new techniques like working in the round and grafting.  And each cowl took me about five hours to make.  I only needed three skeins instead of the four the pattern calls for, but I knit very loosely.

The two strands held together make this cowl chunky and cozy, and the best part about the yarn is that you can machine-wash it. It’s super-soft and doesn’t have that sticky, acrylic feel that some blends have.

My friends Amber and Tasha test-knitted the cowl for me and helped me make significant pattern edits, so a huge thank-you to them!  Amber also filmed the video tutorials and showed me how to edit videos in iMovie which will really help me in future pattern-writing endeavors.  And Kristen (of Kitsch) took the wonderful photos (she also did my wedding photos) in which Annemarie and Amber modeled their cowls along with me.  Thanks for all the help and contributions, ladies!  I’m so glad to have such supportive friends with such useful skills .

If you make the cowl, I’d love to see photos and hear what you thought of the pattern!  You can find me on Ravelry and you can contact me here too.  Please let me know if you have any questions.  Look for more knitting patterns as well as some sewing patterns and kits to come in the future.  Happy knitting!

Buy it here on Ravelry:

Buy it here on Craftsy:

First, my dress in progress.  I flat-patterned the foundation and skirt and draped the bodice pattern.  I based the jacket pattern on part of Vogue 2979.  I ended up making a ton of changes to the jacket pattern because I wanted to cut it so that the scalloped edge would naturally end up on the center front and sleeve opening edges.  The pattern calls for you to cut the pieces out of the middle of the fabric and then use the scalloped edge as applied trim.  That just seemed like a waste to me and would have caused there to be many more seams, which would have been visible from the outside since my jacket was removable rather than a fake-out jacket-like bodice with underlining like in the pattern.  Starting from a pattern was nice in that it saved me the time involved in cutting a fitted sleeve pattern, though.  That made it worth it.

The bodice and foundation (built in) with gathered skirt (not yet attached)

The foundation is made of white muslin and is completely built into the dress.  You pretty much just slip the dress over your head and go.  It’s very comfortable for a heavily-boned bodice.

back view of dress before zipper insertion, waistline piping detail

There is piping at the waistline of the dress to define it a little bit more.  Also, there are five tiny bars under the piping across the back–that’s where the train attaches with little hooks.

inside view of the finished dress

detail of the bodice pleating

the fitting for the muslin of the lace jacket

Now, here are photos from the day of.  Most are from the ceremony, when I had the lace jacket on.  All the photos from the day of were taken by Kristen Runberg and her accomplice Renee.  They did a wonderful job, as you can see!

my dress, jacket, and veil ready to be put on

The dress has a weighted hem (done with weighted cording like you put in curtain panels).  You can see that I re-hemmed it between the jacket muslin fitting and the day of the wedding.  The silk taffeta, from Mood, was so lightweight that it looked like a cream puff without it.  Also, you could see the 2″ traditional hem through the fabric, so I wanted to switch to a hand rolled hem, which I did around the cording.  The light weight of the fabric worked well at the waistline because it made the gathers stand straight out from the waist.  I also wore a store-bought crinoline (to avoid having to gather hundreds of yards of netting), to which I added a waistline net ruffle to support the gathers.  The lace edging on the veil is from Lacis and I already blogged about it here and here.

the Alencon lace for the jacket is gorgeous!

I bought the lace for the jacket locally, at Fabric Hut.  They have a great selection of bridal fabrics!  I also bought all my notions there, including the button loop trim and some pre-covered 3/8″ bridal buttons that were made in-house and coincidentally matched my dress perfectly.  Those items were both huge time-savers for me.  The jacket had 48 buttons (and loops) altogether.

my mother attaching my train just before I went down the aisle

This is kind of a fun photo with a different view of the veil.  My mom was an expert at attaching the train because she did all my fittings for me.  That’s my dad and my matron of honor in the background.

the full outfit

The ceremony flowers were so gorgeous–they were done by Studio Posy, as were the wonderful manzanita branch reception centerpieces.

a good view of the train, the chuppah, and everyone in the wedding!

Jeff breaking the glass (and a good side view of the dress)

Jeff really crushed that glass!  He gave it the death stare before stomping on it very forcefully .  I should never have doubted that he could crush it!

a close-up with my beautiful bouquet

without the jacket, during our first dance

There aren’t many full shots of the dress at the reception (without the jacket), but this is one where at least the dress doesn’t look wrinkly.  The taffeta kind of started to crumple after a while, especially with all the sitting, dancing, and hugging!  It was very comfortable and breathed well though.  All told, I think my dress cost about $600 to make.  A total bargain for a silk and lace dress–and I really enjoyed the process too!  I never get to make ballgowns anymore now that I’m out of the costume world.

the chuppah, being blocked on my guest bed

The chuppah is this pattern by Kat Coyle, from an old issue of Interweave.  I remembered seeing it and it’s actually one of the few knitted chuppah patterns out there.  I need to upload photos to Ravelry and write some notes.  It took months to knit, as it’s very large (mine was 60″x60″ and I used a thinner yarn, smaller needles, and extra pattern repeats to get the look and size I wanted).  I had never really knitted lace before but I really enjoyed it.  There are repeating patterns of flowers, leaves, horseshoes, hearts, and diamonds in it.  You definitely have to focus on the chart at first but I got pretty good at it by the end.

the view from under the chuppah

Jeff, the best man, and the matron of honor’s husband built the frame out of 2x4s and some birch poles I ordered from a company called Nature’s All.  The frame worked perfectly and kept the lace taut.

the chuppah with beautiful flower arrangements

The table runners were made from cut-up belgian linen curtain panels from IKEA.  We were able to make twelve 18″x90″ runners for $100.  And they were the exact color and texture I wanted.  Now I have to figure out how to make them into something else I can use and give them a third life.  Maybe quilt sashing.  I bought the birds for the centerpieces at Mendel’s when I was in San Francisco.  That’s where I usually order oilcloth from.  They have a great selection of all kinds of craft supplies.

table setting test-run

I got to keep all the succulents from the centerpieces and bouquets!  I gave some to bridal party members but I still have about 12 at home.  There are all different kinds.  I need to find a terrarium to put them in.

Isn’t it funny how the wedding craft projects are just spawning more projects?  Quilt sashing, terrarium, find a use for my chuppah, maybe dye and/or hem my dress.  Jeff got kind of upset when I suggested the last idea.  I think it’s sweet that he’s sentimental about my dress!  He was the main person I wanted to impress with it.  Mission accomplished.

The wedding day was absolutely beautiful and we really enjoyed ourselves.  It went surprisingly smoothly (except when we realized that I forgot to bring the marriage license–oops!  Thanks to Erin and Daddy for fixing that for me!).  And it was wonderful looking around at everything I worked so hard to create.  That made the day even more special.  I hope you enjoy the photos!

We went to Paris for our honeymoon and anyone who knows me knows that you can’t keep me away from crafts, even on my honeymoon!  Before we left I read this fabulous book called Paris: Made by Hand by Pia Jane Bijkerk that Jane Brocket recommended somewhere in one of her books.  I didn’t want to spend the entire honeymoon dragging Jeff around to craft stores, so I carefully selected my top two choices: Le Bonheur des Dames and La Droguerie (a Jane Brocket favorite).  It would be a huge understatement to say that I was not disappointed.  They were both super-inspiring.  Luckily I have a wonderful husband who doesn’t mind visiting these types of places with me even though they aren’t your typical romantic Paris honeymoon-type spots (just like I don’t mind going to La Maison du Whisky with him.  Yes, that is a real place; I’m not making it up).

Le Bonheur des Dames

This very aptly-named store (the name means “the happiness of women”, “women’s happiness”, or along those lines and is the titular department store in an Emile Zola novel) is an emporium of embroidery, primarily counted cross-stitch.  Now, before you start thinking musty, dusty, old-lady crafts, look at this:

They gave me a catalog that I’ve been drooling over ever since I got home.  I spent a lot of money there and yet I’m already planning another order.

The store is in Le Viaduc des Arts in the Bastille neighborhood.  It’s this cool elevated stone train track (viaduct) that has arts and crafts shops in each arch underneath.

Inside the shop is a wonderland of patterns, kits, and linen by the yard.  They also have a loft space upstairs where they give classes and workshops.  I could have stayed here for hours looking through patterns, examining the embroidered tablecloths on display, and picking out fancy embroidery scissors and hoops.

I bought a tablecloth kit (which will most likely take me about 5 years to complete!) and an embroidered hand-sewing kit (to motivate me).  Their tablecloth kits are divine.  They are so French and they make wonderful heirlooms.  They are counted-thread cross-stitch on linen and you can get all different colors of borders.  I wanted three or four, but I figured I would start with one and see how far I get!

La Droguerie

La Droguerie is a knitting/fabric/notions store.  It’s so narrow and tall that I didn’t get too many good photos, but I loved wandering around in there.  They carry their own yarn line with many weights and fiber combos in beautiful colors.  Their fabrics seem to be exclusively Liberty prints, which are beautiful and perfect for Frenchy clothes, but I can get those much more cheaply in the US so I didn’t purchase any fabric.  The notions (beads, buttons, flowers) are displayed in giant jars like in a drugstore (hence the name, I guess) and they have just about anything you could want–half the store is devoted to notions.  But the thing that interested me most was their store line of sewing patterns and pattern books.  They apparently have stores in Japan as well as in France, and their patterns are a delightful blend of French and Japanese styles.  The children’s patterns are especially adorable but they were out of the ones I wanted.  Here’s what I got:

Versailles

One other thing we did (actually, my favorite thing) was visit Versailles.  It’s obviously not a craft store, but everything there is handmade and completely inspiring.  If you go to Paris, you have to go there; you will not regret it.  It’s mind-blowing.  I grew up looking at photos of Versailles and learning about it in French classes, and although everything really does look just like it does in the photos, it somehow feels different–grander, more inspiring, more real–when you see it in person.  For some reason, it also made me want to redecorate my house.  Not in the style of Versailles–I guess it was just inspiring to see so much effort, labor, and care put into one residence.  It did take, like, 100 years to build though.  I’m aiming high.  Here were some of my favorite rooms (clearly most of them involve rich fabrics).

The Petit Trianon was my favorite part.  You’d never call it “petit” if you weren’t seeing it in contrast to the Chateau.  But comparatively, it’s adorable.

Here are some small details from the Chateau that really impressed me.  All the doors had gilded details and were this sophisticated grey/gold color combo.  And the door latch is just a tiny piece of metal that the french door hooks into to keep it open.  I can’t believe how much thought and artistry went into even the smallest functional piece of the house!  It really makes you want to pay attention to the level of quality and beauty of each item you put in your home.

I hope you enjoyed my crafty tour of Paris!  I definitely did.  There are about 40 more places I need to go the next time I visit.  If you have any tips on other stores or sources of inspiration in Paris, please share!  And I’ll be posting wedding crafts soon, I promise.

I just wanted to let you know that the Studio is closed until January 12th.  As some of you know, I’m getting married Saturday and then I’ll be on my honeymoon.  Woohoo!!!!  I promise lots of pictures when I return–of the wedding dress, of other projects I’ve been working on lately, and of craft supply stores in Paris!  I will be out of touch, so sorry if you can’t reach me to sign up for classes and lessons.  I’ll definitely get back to you when I return and in the meantime, it’s pretty easy to sign up online.

See you in 2012!

Kristin