48 hours in Rome

The oculus in the Pantheon.

Pantheon in Rome.

I walked around the corner,

chatting away, and there it was.

Absolutely took my breath away.

Huge, dirty, wearing down,

and so very beautiful!

Even the hordes of people couldn't take away

a speck of her grandeur.

Inside, more multitudes.

Quiet speakers asking for 'silence please'

in six different languages

were routinely ignored,

but the roar and excitement of the crowd

was easily absorbed in the harmonious form

grace and elegance of the space.

Marcy under the dome.

Excavations on the outside of the Pantheon.

I love these old things!

Music outside the Pantheon adding to the ambiance.

I am so glad to have come to the Pantheon

first as everything else seem to pale in comparison.

The Colosseum.

We drove by the Colosseum and the Forum
on the way in from the airport.
I found myself feeling a sense of disbelief
that the taxi was so casually passing through
all this beauty and history with nary a word.

Even after only two days
I have to stay super vigilant
to keep my sense of awe and wonder
at the history, beauty and daily life
that are the layers of Rome.

Trevi Fountain.

You might not know it from this photo
but the legions are still in Rome,
now with the name of 'tourist'.
I could hardly get near the Trevi Fountain
and didn't really want to with the crowds.

Lost in translation.

I'm against the tourist menu too!
Food here is just as fabulous as I've been told.
I'm enjoying every bite.

Dusk on the Ponte Garabaldi

Hot, gorgeous and jam-packed in May,
I can't imagine what the city is like in high season...

No doubt she still dazzles.

ParisTilton Complet

An amazingly fabulous group of women

wandering Paris,

bonding,

shopping,

sharing,

smiling,

exploring,

transforming,

laughing!

The waiters are consistently entertaining. Do they go to school for this?

Giverny -- always dazzling beauty.

San Sulplice, at the end of our street. Parisdise...

Theresa and Marcy on the Seine -- or is it the roller coaster?

Marika in Ostrich feathers.

Donna boa's us over...

Dominique delights the group.

Dries Van Noten window.

Let's go in and look.

Gorgeous interior at Dries.

A tiny peek at the Dries Van Noten exhibit. Stunning perfection.

Vanessa and Mary at Le Sâotico.

 

Brenda takes a selfie and relaxes at Musée d'Orsay.

This must be heaven!

La fois prochaine!

Painting by Meghan Keane

Les outils et les matériaux.

It is a privilege and and honor to sit for a painting.

Especially a sitting with the talented Meghan Keane

from New York, who is spending some time with us in Paris.

This morning Marcy and I were fortunate to be Meghan's 

subjects for the first in a series of what I am calling her

'Portraits on the Road',

sittings in Paris and Barcelona,

for one of Meghan's

marvelous paintings in form, color and relationships.

The artist at work.

Most of Meghan's carry-on was filled with art supplies

(she travels much lighter than I do!).

She found the stretched linen canvas in Paris.

 (We will be taking the canvas off the stretchers

and rolling it up to take home.)

The subjects with the work.

I love the unexpectedness

(Not sure what I expected of course...)

 and the ambiguity.

Not sure exactly who we are,

where we are, or

 what we are doing.

If you know us you might recognize us

but would you if I hadn't told you?

A bit of the cauldron perhaps --

creating the world

stirring the pot

seeing the future

sparking up life

shifting the paradigm

igniting creativity

disturbing the status quo.

 So much green living space to work with!

Untitled, 8 May, 2014

Feel free to contact Meghan

to work with her on a painting 

of you,

with a loved one,

or your family.

Getting married?

Engaged?

New parents?

Old parents?

 meghankeanestudio.com/contact

May in Paris - Trains and Tattoos

The Orient Express.

My days have been so jam-packed 

with grand and fun adventures

I hardly know where to begin...

Blue sky Sunday on Ile Saint Louis.

Two days of blue skies and 72 degrees on Monday!

Compartment for lovers.

Train travel was a regular occurrence when I was a child

as my Dad worked for the Great Northern railroad.

We traveled back and forth to and from Minnesota often to visit family

and I grew up loving to ride on trains.

This made it especially fun to visit The Orient Express train

at the Institut du Monde Arabe.

Three train cars totally restored to their original grandeur.

The tables and chairs were strewn with glasses, ashtrays,

coats, playing cards, books and other detritus,

as if the occupants had just stepped out to the WC.

Harry Potter on the Orient Express.

I especially loved the contemporary touch to the newspapers

which had electronic tablets inside running old newsreels.

Ma Soeur.

Glass panels by Lalique.

Everything was handcrafted with perfection 

from the Lalique light fixtures, windows, panels and inlays

to the beautifully fitted wood doors, bars and cupboards.

So many fond memories of train rides as a little girl!

Marcy and Martine in the passageway.

At Le Train Bleu.

Le Train Bleu had to be the perfect place for lunch!

Terrifically Rocco.

Scallops with sauteed fennel, spinach and orange rind.

The quality of the food is grand and the prices are just as high

as you've heard...

Salted carmel millefuille.

Mmmm!

Coffee with a meringue and financier.

Oh la la! Fou de fa fa!

In front of Mademoisielle Chapeaux.

Discovered a very new hat shop on rue de Tournelles

between rue de la Bastille and rue du Pas de la Mule.

Owned by five very creative women Mademoiselle Chapeaux 

is a little gem if you love hats or need something for a special occasion.

Sur le Pont...

A gorgeous bartender with lovely tattoos.

We were fortunate enough to be invited to the opening night

of a marvelous tattoo exhibition at the Museé du Quai Branley,

Tatoueurs, Tatoués.

All the Bartenders and most of the attendees had amazing tattoos.

Love the tattoos on his arm...

The poster.

 

Ed Hardy represented the USA 

and I loved viewing a range of his work in person.

Paris is always a joy.

Butterick 6064, The Rectangle Vest

 B6064 in silk jacquard

If you saw the Vogue/Butterick Fashion Show at the Sew Expo in Puyallup

you saw a version of this vest.

Many of you drooled over it,

wanted it,

Asked about it,

and now it's here!

This version has stitching lines added before the pieces are sewn together.

This is a simple vest to sew
while being a very versatile and flattering shape.
(It "hides the misery" as my friend Martine likes to say.)
Plus there are a couple of great pockets!
Wear it as a sleeveless top.
Dress it up or down.

MarcyTilton.com has a juicy selection of fabric possibilities!

I'm looking for just the right weight of denim

so I can make one to wear everyday as an apron.

I always press the top, side and hem facings in place
very first thing,
all around the outer edge,
even before stitching the shoulders together
or stitching the corners in place.
Later, when I go to top stitch,
all I have to do is touch things up.

Inside view with shoulder stabilizer and bias sleeve band.

The secret to this vest
is the clever inside piece
that causes the vest to sit on the shoulders
with the beautiful soft collar framing your face.

Outside/inside view of bias band before it is folded, pressed and turned to the inside

Mark the corners for easy stitching together.

.

Corner stitching line.

Inside the stitched corner, ready to add a small strip of interfacing.

First stage of pressing corner before top stitching.

Final stage of pressing -- now ready for top stitching.

Be sure to interface inside the top two corners
where the buttonholes will go.
The button on the left shoulder is on the outside
and I love picking a really special button to go here.
The button on the right shoulder is hidden inside the vest
so nothing fancy is needed.

Neck and button detail.

B6064 line drawing.

Back view.

Back pleat markings.

Pocket pleat detail.

The pocket has a pleat on the outside
giving it a nice depth for your hands,
or whatever else you might like to put in your pockets.