First mitered corner

I have been working on napkins for my daughters for quite a while now.
I designed a couple of patterns and finally found the right one.
It has to be long enough to fall on their lap and easy to tie around their necks.
Then, I had to think about the finishing. I did not want to apply a bias tape and I wanted neat and clean angles.
I searched my various sewing manuals and found the instructions for the "mitered corner"!!!

Quick and easy to do - ideal for beginners!!!
I will share the instructions with you soon!!! Stay tuned.

Recycling shoeboxes

Why throwing away 2 nice grey shoeboxes while we desperately need some boxes to put away tiny toys in the girls' rooms?
Why not customising them to make them a little more "girly"?

Homemade yogurt - second try

A week ago, I received my Seb "yogurt machine"...
I could not wait but I missed one of the key ingredients: powdered milk.
I convinced myself that it did not matter and that I should give it a try anyway.
In addition, I did not dilute enough the base yogurt (that you need for the ferments).
I was not really satisfied or confident with what I was doing and the result was not up to my expectations. To be honest, I have a sweet memory of the homemade yogurts I made during my summer vacations at my grandparents near Arcachon.

But, I could not stop after this failure.... I bought powdered milk, a new base yogurt et tried again....
I also followed the instructions on the yogurt machine manual (it can certainly help).
Tomorrow is the verdict.
Of course, I keep you posted!!!

A new sweater....

"What are you doing, Mummy ? You are knitting a sweater for me....?"
That's the question Louise and Charlotte keep on asking me when they see me knitting.
And, until now, the answer has always been "Yes, it is a sweater for you, my dear".
Here is the latest sweater:

100% from Citronille:
- pattern "tunique à encolure smockée"
- wool - colour verbena

Cheerful office

Flower power!!

While I was tidying up some cupboards last week, I found another cushion to cover.
I had enough now for my couch.... What shall I do with it then?
Why not bringing more comfort and cheerfulness to the office?
At last, the opportunity to use of the many fabrics I brought back from Ikea earlier this summer - Fredrika.

It took a little bit of time to figure out how to cut the pattern..... The outcome needs to be harmonious and aesthetic...
I am very happy with my brand new cushion and I look forward to take it to the office on Monday.

My favorites of the week

Vacation is over.... Suzon Grisou is back.

Let's celebrate with my 2 favorites of the week:

#1 - The Purl Bee
A very nice shop in New York which, on a blog, offers hundreds of creative ideas (knitting, sewing and crochet). The tutorials that you can find there are very well explained and you want to make almost everything they put in there!!!


#2 - The Beeetise shop in the old Guérande (West Coast of France - South of Britanny) where you can find vintage accessories and have a vintage dress tailormade. The designer is so sweet. If you are coming to France/Britanny on holiday, you should definitely visit this shop... 

my favorites of the week

Anna Graham's blog (from Wisconsin in the US) for her colorful and inspiring works, her two adorable daughters and because she seems to have a really good time and enjoy her life:
www.noodle-head.com

The pincushion pattern I have just found at Lil Weasel's (very nice shop in Paris, France) - a turtle called Henrietta....
My first pattern in English!

the family is getting bigger...

No, I am not pregnant...
I am talking about my sofa cushion's family.
Three additions this week (as planned). I have tried to mix part of the fabric so that they look a little bit different.

When we invite friends, sometimes we don't have enough space for them on the sofa.... so I made a big cushion to put on the floor so that we can comfortably sit there... If you wonder where I found this nice fabric.... the answer is Ikea!

ready for school

Since I knew that Louise and Charlotte would need bags for their first year at school, I started sketching what they would look like. 

They had to be big enough for a trouser, a pair of socks, a tee-shirt and a sweater... 

I started thinking about the size of the bag, how to carry it.... and finally completed my customised pattern.

My daughters being away for two weeks (thanks to my parents), I could work on them at my own pace...

This was a pretty easy project, except for the shoulders straps which really took a long time to make...

I am so proud of the result:

I hope my daughters also like them... ;-)))

My first cushion!!!

I finally made it!!! my first cushion!!!
I didn't want to put a zipper or button holes... I needed a tutorial for a cushion cover but more like a pillow cover. And I found it on this blog (in French).
I had to adapt it to the size of my cushion. Then I cut, I ironed, I stitched, I pinned, I stitched again, I cut the corners, I turned in inside out...

and tah da:

My beloved husband is amazed.
This lovely cushion is feeling a little bit lonely. Some friends will join next week ;-)))

Knitting on a train...

First time I knit on a train! So far I have not felt trainsick.... What about you? Where do you like knitting?

My favorites of the week...

# 1 blog
http://blog.betzwhite.com/
for her "green" approach and her love for colours

# 1 event
The Knit party of the "Pelotes Soniques" in Bordeaux (France).... because knitting on a boat with friends and some fresh beverages on a warm day is even better!!!

# 1 pattern
Ysolda is amazing us again with something to warm up our necks this winter - Marin.

Equation of the day

Thread + a needle + felt....

= a colourful flower in this grey and cold summer in Paris

Thanks again to The Coletterie for this great tutorial.
It is super easy... so why don't you try it?

Knitting...

I started knitting my shoulder-warmer....

I just love the colour and the yarn is really easy to knit (100% washable wool - colour chosen by Citronille)

Suzon Grisou also cooks

Apple pie - 100% handmade (including the short crust pastry)

Tea time....

I could not resist buying this colour of wool (Tisane - meaning "herbal tea" - from Citronille).

What am I going to knit with this?
- a shoulder-warmer for me (not sure it is the proper name in English - click on the link)
- another sweater for my daughters

Felt mix

I was not expecting to find felt in this craft/art shop called Graphigro (in Paris - 15th district).

This is exactly what I needed to start working on nice projects:
- heart barrettes for Louise and Charlotte
- Xmas ornaments (I know, it is a bit too early)
and I need to go back there and purchase some white felt to make some tooth fairy bags...
Thanks to The Purl Bee for all those creative ideas!

Capri pant - tested and approved by my daughter

Although I thought this capri pant should be shorter, Louise is thrilled to wear a handmade pant!

Another sweater?

I have just completed another sweater, once again following a Citronille pattern.

Very easy to knit, thanks to Astrid' really clear explanations.

Capri pant - I finally made it!

After the complete disaster (on June, 18th), I unstitched all the different pieces, I washed them so that one cannot see that the fabric had already been stitched, I ironed again all the parts and I started thinking about how to assemble the capri pant.
I finally opted for a different approach: assemble the front and back of each leg and then assemble the two legs together.
Here we go!

I couldn't manage stitching the two legs together in just one go. But I am pretty satisfied with the result.

Thanks again to Astrid for her easy and ideal for beginners patterns (Les intemporels pour Enfants - in French).

Complete disaster....

I started assembling and sewing my capri pant (age 4) tonight.
I was about to stitch the very last part when I realised that there was a problem. The last pieces did not match at all (at least 1 inch difference on each leg...).
I checked all the parts to try to identify where the problem was coming from... but in vain!!!
And it was getting to late to be able to think properly. So, I started unstitching with my new best friend, the seam ripper.

I took the assembling instructions to show to Mylene tomorrow. She will certainly have a clue.
I knew this was going to happen to me one day and it was tonight. First of many times I guess.
Good night!

5 meters of cutting and overcasting

This weekend, I am preparing the different pieces of a capri pants (age 2, this time).
First step, cutting....

then, overcasting

The first piece was hard for me because I needed practice but the other 3 went almost fine.
I still have some difficulties with being right at the edge of the fabric though - even using the larger stitch...
I definitely need more practice!!!! Practice makes perfect!

Strange hand-written notes

It is good to have a knitting pattern to follow when you are a beginner. But when it comes to increasing/decreasing stitches in a row or changing types of stitches… I need to prepare each row on a piece of paper. When I made my first jumper, I didn’t do this and I ended up unraveling several rows many times until I got it right.

It might sound odd… but at least I can follow my work row by row and have it finished in just one go.

What about you? Do you have tips to share?

Handmade hair slide

I have just made this hair slide for Mylene’s daughter’s 6th birthday.

She is thrilled and so am I.

I was inspired by a PurlBee tutorial.

« Sarouel » completed and approved

I have just completed my first sewing project !!!!!!

The famous “sarouel” from the Timeless patterns for Kids (Astrid Le Provost).

The pattern was really simple and ideal for beginners.

But beware of the elastic ! I personally let it go twice before sewing it and at 10.30 pm, it was quite frustrating.

My family and friends are amazed by this first work and my daughter, Charlotte, is looking forward to wearing it on the beach this summer.

Cheering up a black sweater

When I discovered the Coletterie, a super vintage girly blog, I instantly wanted to make this felt flower for myself.

It is ideal for cheering up a classic black jumper and give it a fresh, spring look.

All I need now is a good place to find colorful felt.

Any ideas?

Strolling around the Marché St Pierre in Paris

I suddenly realised that I have never told you about my journey to the Marché Saint Pierre (in Paris, France).

It was raining cats and dogs but it didn’t stop me.

Equipped with an umbrella and a map made just for me by a regular visitor (my dear Laurence), I went out of the metro station and headed to the Place Saint Pierre, near Montmartre. I came across several tiny shops and finally dived into an Ali Baba’s cave, the Tissus Reine (Reine’s fabrics). There were literally hundreds and hundreds of fabrics!!! OMG, Where should I start?

I was feeling a little bit lost among all those regular shoppers… Take it easy, Suzon. Just act as an expert and touch, appraise the quality of the fabrics. There were so many I fancied!!!! But I tried to focus my attention on my future projects.

I went up to the haberdashery section and then left the Tissus Reine to explore the other shops.

Next stop: coupons Saint-Pierre… where you can find cheap and nice fabrics but you have to really search for them = 2 remnants found.

I looked at my watch…. Already….. I was going to be late to my appointment!

One last round at Dreyfus’ next door… and a magnificent fabric, found at the quilting section.

Phew!!! Mission accomplished.

I can’t wait to  go back there…..

Nice design

One of my English colleagues will not leave home without HER mug…. Très chic!!!!!

A nice source of inspiration for this sunny and warm morning.

Knitting – first yarn over

I am now making the tunic with the smock neckline (from Astrid Le Provost – pattern available on Citronille).

I really like the nice picot hem!

It’s my chance to try the yarn over technique for the first time.

So I pick up my Knitting Encyclopedia, take a deep breath and let’s go girl!

I am pretty proud of the result.

2nd sweater!!!

The same knitting pattern (children’s tunic sweater in age 4 from Astrid Le Provost), but this time with a superwashable wool from Fonty – “tempête” color (available on the Citronille website).

Cutting out my « sarouel »

I don’t know why but I was a little bit scared by this part of the work. I procrastinated and finally made it. 

I tested two ways:

A - Pin the pattern to the fabric and cut around it

B - Draw a line with a special pencil around the pattern and then cut

I preferred option B because I don’t have a table big enough to do it standing… and consequently I have to cut on the floor.

Now, I just need to follow the assembly instructions, tack and stitch!

Ravelry…

I have just joined the lively Ravelry community!!!! and downloaded the February Lady Sweater from Pamela Wynne. So that I can start knitting for myself, and not just for my daughters!

First pattern

I have just drawn my first pattern on paper!!!!!

You can see here the middle part of the famous “sarouel” I am going to try pretty soon now.

I was lacking only a ruler but I’ll soon fix that.

Do you have tips to share on how to draw a pattern?

Getting started with my sewing machine

Tonight is the night… I have taken my sewing machine out of the closet !!!! 

and here are my very first stitches.

I was rather proud of myself so I started stitching the shoulders on the Lilette pattern from Citronille.

I think I am going to study my Sewing Encyclopedia tomorrow….

Buying fabric for the first time (at Lil Weasel’s)

I was pretty excited when I pushed the door of the Lil Weasel store (passage du Grand Cerf – Montorgueil area – in Paris, France) to buy my very first fabrics !

Basic and plain fabrics to start with… for my first attempts. I certainly won’t resist buying Liberty fabrics when I am more at ease with my sewing machine.

I am going to use the bluish poplin for a tiny summer strapped top and the purple cotton for a “sarouel” (a pair of baggy trousers worn in North Africa).

I found those patterns in Astrid Le Provost’s book – Les intemporels pour enfants (Timeless patterns for kids).

First sewing class

Mylène kindly welcomed me for my very first sewing class.

In short:
- "taming of the sewing machine (how to thread it right) with help from the instruction manual from time to time

- "practicing" using a pattern for a doll's dress (Lilette from Citronille), perfectly made by Mylene and her nimble fingers.

I returned home happy, self-confident and with homework ;-)))

The second dress to sew!!!!!!

Tomorrow: getting familiar with my sewing machine

Tomorrow, I’m off to Mylène’s for my first lesson on how to use a sewing machine.

Good thing we bought the same one!

She planned something easy for beginners. I am looking forward to it. Check out my blog tomorrow for the lesson report!

No more excuses

Today is a day off and I couldn’t help going to the Fnac to buy some books on knitting and sewing. I found tons of really good books but in the end chose the most comprehensive ones.

I also found pattern books from Yoshiko Tsukiori (not in Japanese….)

The next step is to carefully read those books and practice, practice, practice (depending on how much free time I get).