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.

First Days In Paris

Coffee and breakfast at Pain Quotidian.

There's a lovely little Saturday morning marché by our apartment

where we like to go to get a 'plein air' rotisseried chicken and

roasted potatoes for dinner plus some lovely fruit for breakfast.

Saturday's breakfast however was eaten at Pain Quotidien

which may be a 'chain' restaurant but consistently serves

fine quality fresh organic food and killer croissants!

 

Mouthwatering just to look at!

Framboises.

Poissons.

Saturday morning cleaning - washing down the door & sidewalk.

Bussing our way to do a little shopping...

Probably not right for a martini but good for a laugh.

Outre de à un autre jour splendide!

Packing for Paris (and Italy)

Long in advance of any travel,

the issue of wardrobe rears her chic little head 

and wonders about 

what to make,

what to take,

what to wear, 

what to pack?

Cute eh? Not what I'm taking tho...

Auditioning outfits/pieces/layers is key.

Sometimes I discover that a new favorite piece

looks less attractive than I'd imagined.

(Big sigh.)

This is probably one of the reasons

I fall back on black.

It always works.

BOTTOMS

Five pairs of black pants

in varying shades & lengths made the cut.
(Working from the bottom up in the photo)

Faded black NYDJ jeans

and a crinkled black dressier slim pant (purchased);

foolproof ponte slim pant for the plane;

cropped version in a lightweight stretch woven;

cropped pant again in a stripe stretch denim

(two are Marcy's V8859 and one is my B5961 both fabulous pants).

Having all black bottoms keeps things simple.

TOPS 

Butterick 5925

I'm liking the way this tunic/top fits so well 

that I'm taking 3 versions of it 

(view C with no pockets, super simple to sew).

 

cuff detail on black/white dotty B5925

B5925 in blue/black stripe

All the tops I'm packing are black or have black in them.

Not very spring like I know but it's what works.

Practical too.

Not shown is a black one...

ACCESSORIZE

 

It is so very French to wear scarves

and I love the hit of color around my neck. 

Funnily enough all the scarves I'm taking 

are French...

Shown here with my sweater and a couple of jacket/shirts,

(finally some color you say!),

all the scarves fit neatly into a neck pillow cover

to use on the plane for napping. 

Oddly enough the pillow cover is black...

FINAL PACKING

Cubes, a Walker bag and a hat

Packing cubes are a favorite thing from Eagle Creek.

So lightweight and they help keep everything organized.

The white one at lower center

holds all my tunics, shirts and shirt/jackets (10 pieces).

Moving clockwise, the black Walker bag holds 3 vests

(can't show as they are prototypes).

Orange cube has the pants and a sweater.

White cube holds socks.

The hat will hold its shape 

because it is stuffed with some unmentionables

and the orange cube holds some more.

 

In addition I'm bringing a raincoat, umbrella,

a black jacket similar to B5994,

 4 pairs of shoes --

two boot-like and two sandals.

Hoping for some warm weather!

 

I'll be in Paris, Rome and Tuscany.

More to come...

 

I do appreciate my life!

Going Crackers

 My versions of Elana's crackers. I like the lighter variety, Marcy prefers her's crispy.

Eliminating wheat products

is tricky when it's soup weather

and one love crackers with her soup.

Since discovering this wonderful recipe

on Elana's Pantry

I've been dazzling friends with tales and tastes

of my cool crackers

(which go perfectly with Marcy's delish soups). 

Follow this link to get to the super simple recipe.

In browsing Elana's wonderful website I know

I will be trying more healthy treats.

She really knows her stuff and how to keep it simple.

I like that especially.

 

Elana's Pantry's version

 

I've been trying some Tilton variations

with great success:

- add a bit of butter (about 1 tsp in small pieces, yum)

- add some chopped fresh rosemary (yum, yum)

- substitute cashew meal (yum)

 

Bob's Red Mill makes a lovely almond meal/flour.

One bag makes 2 batches of crackers.

They also have many other meal/flours 

that might make cool crackers.

(More playing with food!)

I also found cashew meal and almond meal

at Trader Joe's in the nut section.

So far the crackers have been a big success

alone, with or without soup,

with a bit of cheese,

and with a dollop of salmon salad and a pea shoot sprig.

 

Yum.

 

Butterick 6026 & 6028, Contemporized Classics

Butterick 6028 Pant & 6026 Shirt

 The curve on the front of these pants

is created by the side seam

which adds just 

the right amount of interest 

to this flattering classic trouser.

(Feel free to crop for Summer.)

What the line drawing doesn't show you is

the curve in the side seam.

(I'm assured this will be remedied.)

It's there, I promise.

This version was inspired by 

Marcy's 'Party Pants' contest.

The fly front is really a 'fake',

and I must thank Sandra Betzina

(via Threads magazine)

for her flawless clear instructions

which made things so much easier for me

when writing directions,

to say nothing of actually stitching the zipper in...

(She says to throw the directions out but in this case I wouldn't.)

The tucks and nipped in waist 

update the shirt with

a new elegance.

Use a #10 Bernina topstitch foot

to keep those tucks in line.

The collar has a stand

which means you can add variety

with a soft collar

or use just the stand for hot weather.

 I went to the book

(Vogue Sewing)

to remind myself how to best approach

a collar with a stand.

I find this reference book extremely helpful 

and it's always fun

to learn something new.

These pieces (and many others)

will be featured in our fashion show,

'The Vogue & Butterick's Creative Closet', at the

Sew Expo in Puyallup, Washington,

February 27 - March 2, 2014.

9:30AM on Thursday,

1:30PM on Friday,

9:30AM on Saturday.

We are in booth #830.

Please come by if you are attending the Expo --

we have some amazing fabrics --

plus it's always great fun!

Our booth Divas plan their wardrobes

with great care and tremendous talent!

I am blown away by their creativity,

enjoying a carefully crafted new ensemble

every day.

2.24.14
I have just been informed
(thanks Clare!)
that there is an error
in this pattern.
Unfortunately I cannot get into the 'reply'
section on this blog to reply...
And, I am away from my studio for a week
to work the Sew Expo.

The best thing to do for any pattern error
is to contact Butterick directly at:

consumerservices@voguepatterns.com

They are the one's that can make it right
so please contact them.
(I have just sent them an email
but you know that thing about the
'squeeky wheel'.) kt

2.25.14
Butterick (Vogue/McCalls) got right on it!
Here is the reply I got this morning:

Steps 11 & 13 will be changed; 
currently they say to turn in the edges even with the front. 
This step is being removed,
as this shouldn’t happen until step 21. 
We will revise the instructions.
Cordially,
Laurie
       Consumer Services, Butterick Patterns

Thanks Butterick for the swift service! kt
PS The 'reply' part on this blog
still is not working for me!
What is up with that?