Five Easy Pieces

From Butterick 5925

(this one is easy, I promise).

For a week

I've been making interpretations of both versions 

of tops included in Butterick 5925.

I did eliminate the long pocket

on views C & D which makes the top 

really simple to sew and

I added 2" to the length

(because I'm tall and wanted it longer).

The first version 

in Ebony organic cotton/spandex knit

was very straightforward

(view A with B neckband)

until

I decided to discharge the fabric.

For the discharge design I used a new stencil

called  'Picket Fences'

that I picked up from Stencil Girl

at the Surface Design Association's Conference.

After I'd cut out the pattern pieces,

I applied Jacquard discharge paste

unevenly with a stencil brush.

Once dry, I also applied the heat from the iron

in an irregular manner --

hot and long in some places

short time and less heat in others --

so that the discharge areas have more visual interest.

I love that you never can tell exactly 

how the discharged areas are going to look.

I added some paint on top of the discharge

to give the design a bit more depth.

'Rich' is the word I'd use to describe it.

Then I found a bunch of wonderful stripes

on Marcy's website.

First stripe version is

in Pirro rayon knit stripe,

a soft double-knit of grey and black

with wider stripes on one side

and narrower stripes on the other.

An added seam down the center front

with stripes on the diagonal,

(view A with B neckband)

creates a flattering look.

Another found bit of stash stripe,

(wrong side used around the neck and inside one pocket),

created a subtle design shift 

that keeps things interesting.

Top number three uses

Danny rayon knit stripe,

again cutting the fronts on the diagonal

to create cool chevrons

(view C/D no pockets).

Hem detail.

Top number four was cut out of

Augustus rayon knit stripes

(view C/D no pockets).

Can you tell how much I'm loving

those chevrons down the front?

This teal and grey combo

is exceptionally pretty.

And then there were five.

The last one was cut from

Paris Blue linen knit

(view A with B neckband)

which was lovely to sew with

and fairly floats on the body.

Because it is soft

it tends to stretch a bit when stitching

across the grain.

So be sure to 

stay-stitch the neck,

stabilize the shoulder seams

and use a walking foot (my preference)

or stay-stitch plus (Marcy's preference).

I also fused the hems in place

to add a bit more stability.

Happy stitching this Summer!

Surface Design Association Conference in San Antonio

On the porch at Jane Dunnewold's new studio.
Note the screen-printed on screen backdrop.

My latest traveling adventure 

took me to San Antonio Texas

for the Surface Design Association's

in-ter-face Conference.

Southern hospitality at its finest!

San Antonio's beloved Riverwalk

I organized the Vendor Fair

at in-ter-face and it was a marvelous

display of stunning textiles, tools and talent.

(I provided the structure the Vendors did the rest).

Opulent Fibers from Portland presented 
a colorful feast for eyes and hands.

Restraint was impossible.

I did my best to help the Vendor economy 

and I love everything I purchased.

The Public Events page 

on the SDA website 

lists all the wonderful Vendors

in case you want to see

their beautiful goods.

But it was the people...

Elizabeth in a 'vintage' dress

Mandi in Marcy's V8904
made with fabric she
dyed and printed

...the marvelous people,

with such warm hearts,

sincere sharing,

deep connections,

obvious talent

and unbounded enthusiasm

that took things over the top!

New friends,

new inspiration, 
new time with old friends

and so much fun!!

Madeline's version of B5881 in silk
with stunning surface embellishment

Vesna at Jane Dunnewold's Art Cloth Studio

Astrid in front of Jane Dunnewold's new work in Jane's Art Cloth Studio

A high school Mariachi band entertained us --

 they were adorable and talented!

A visit to Jane Dunnewold's Art Cloth Studio

for the volunteers party
was a real treat as I love her work

and it is always fun to see where artists create.

Yarn bombing Texas style

I might say there is never enough time.

And, 

I experienced the perfect amount of time 

in Texas.

It was such a rich time,

that I don't think I could have absorbed 

one more thing.

I hope there's a

next time.

À ma maison and last days in Paris

All over Paris love is in the air

as are English phrases

on garments and fabrics

which is mildly disappointing

for those of us searching for something

quintessentially 'French'.

(Such a cliché...)

All shopped out

(hard to believe I know)

so we didn't go in

but you've gotta love the name...

I started noticing

couples who dress alike

(and in this case blend into their surroundings).

You might not know that Marcy and I

were dressed alike when we were little girls,

which might explain why we often 

come out of our respective bedrooms 

wearing the same colors top to bottom.

One of us usually goes back to change...

Then there was this sartorialist

standing on the busy corner by 

Saint Germain des Prés.

Looking good,

and you can't even see the red plaid

in his stylishly cropped pant.

He turned away when he noticed me and my camera.

Why one would choose to dress like this

and then be shy is a question

I cannot answer here.

Wise words on a hip chair at Merci.

Still one of my favorite places to lunch in Paris

and always a source of design inspiration

offbeat items and warm weirdness.

This season at Merci they are in the process

of yarn bombing the little car

that sits in the entry.

Fabric and textile arts have 

come a long way, baby.

~~~

Always such a pleasure

(small and large)

to sleep in my own bed

after 30 hours of travel

with little sleep,

eating tasteless processed salty snacks

and a few dry carrot sticks.

Good thing it was so uneventful and fluid

that I finished reading, Paris, the Novel

 which tells a story weaving history,

the growth of the city, some of its now familiar 

always charming locations

and an interesting cast of characters.

So much heat and rain here

that our lush garden seems as beautiful

as at Giverny.

More beautiful actually

because it's home.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please check out Marcy's and my new Craftsy Class

launching May 22.

Links will be posted on both our websites.

in the meantime click this link to

sign up for 'The Ultimate T-shirt' give-a-way.

ParisTilton Catch Up

Busy, busy, busy,

and fun, fun, fun,

describes the last few days of the tour.

Probably the most popular, identifiable and iconic

object in Paris, I love the Eiffel Tower

and was happy to visit there

with some of our group.

From the summit, the city of Paris

spreads out in miniature

providing views into courtyards and rooftop gardens.

(Only a moment of vertigo.)

We spent an hour and a half up top

with a glass of champagne,

watching the sun set behind clouds

and identifying monuments, churches and parks

from different vantage points.

The layout of Paris is majestic and graceful to view anytime

but especially on an evening with perfect weather.

Walking down the 1665 steps

as the twinkling lights came on was magic.

More majesty and beauty at Giverny

where blue appeared in the sky and was

reflected in the flowers and the pond.

A cacophony of squeals had everyone wondering

just what was making all that racket.

A large crowd gathered at one end of the pond

and enjoyed watching at least 30 bullfrogs

madly puffing cheeks and calling for a mate.

Some advances were rebuffed

and some not.

After visiting Giverny

we went to the Orangerie to sit in the serenity

of Monet's grand murals

depicting the waterlilies in the pond where yesterday

we sat under the willows

enjoying the frog's boisterous bellowing.

(The woman who took our photo added some extra style 

with the addition of the plant. Parisian polish.)

Walking through the Tuileries Garden

we chanced upon a model

strutting in a stunning suit

while maintaining her balance 

in some wicked heels.

She was quite friendly

and sent a couple of poses towards our cameras.

Then we had our photo taken

by a young woman from Argentina.

We continue to meet wonderful people

from all over the world

as we wander in Paris.

Betty and Carol at Notre Dame

where we caught the Ascension Thursday service.

Ritual in the midst of Holiday chaos.

Some of us managed a visit to Karl Lagerfeld's

new store on Boulevard Saint Germain

where we were served champagne

while we shopped, laughed,

tried things on

and emailed Karl.

His iconic ponytailed profile

with high collar and sunglasses

is printed or embossed on everything you could think of

and some things you couldn't.

Imagine a herringbone pattern.

Now imagine it tessellating with Karl's profile.

On jeans.

(It works).

Plus limited edition Karl dolls

with giant crocheted heads.

(Bizarre).

Marketing genius at its best.

Souffle for dinner and another for dessert.

Excess? Well it is Paris.

Au revoir to a marvelous group of women!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Watch for the Tilton sisters new Craftsy Class

'The Ultimate T Shirt'

coming soon!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hooked on Paris

Sunday in Paris

means the Flea Market

and the Organic Market.

Interesting goods, great people watching

and a stunning array of produce, cheeses,

meats and flowers.

First off there was the Flea Market.

Some of the vendors have a good eye

and take the time to artfully arrange their products.

I picked up some of these vintage hooks

last year and now they hang in our new bathroom.

Nothing like a little Paris to perk things up.

 This booth always has a poker game going on

or they are having a tasty lunch

with a nice bottle of wine.

Living the good life.

The vendor does always break for a sale.

Juliette and Sally

Women with tools.

Everyone found something special

for themselves or as a gift.

It's great to meet for coffee afterwards

and share our purchases.

Rosemary, Margaret, Betty and Lorianne.

Waiting in line for galettes

(Well worth the wait

as they taste so good.)

Dessert galettes 

are at the other end of the market.

Street treats.

Sunday was the Russian Orthodox Easter.

(Not all of the eggs were in one basket...)

All decorated for the wedding couple

complete with covered seats

and baby's breath.

Ready to roll in front of the Hotel Lutetia.

Whenever the sun comes out

 so do the Parisiens, en masse.

The grass was covered

in the Place des Vosges.

I admired a boater like this 

on a man at the Flea Market.

I was happy to find one under the arches

in the Place des Vosges arcade.

Sunday in Paris.

Paris Mind

The number above the door jumped out at me yesterday.

Third of May, third blog this trip,

walking to get my third haircut in Paris...

The mind is such a strange and marvelous mechanism.

Making connections and stories,

delighting and entertaining (mostly) me with 

the infinite variety of visuals it processes.

For instance

these boldly striped pants caught my eye.

And then, the mind immediately jumped to an image

of George Clooney

in 'Oh Brother Where Art Thou'.

(He is just so cute...)

The stairs I've been walking up

to get to our apartment on the 5th floor.

(I know this view is looking down but the light was better.)

The last few days I've been challenging myself

to walk the stairs rather than take the elevator.

When I went up them for the 3d time yesterday 

I finally managed to get to the top

and still have some breath left!

(All this walking is paying off the mind says...)

Pigeon party in the park

in Paris.

(My mind loves alliteration -- mots merveilleux.)

St Sulpice and its fountain last night.

Can you hear the water 

roaring over the lips of the fountain?

As happens sometimes in Paris,

the mind quiets

and just sits with beauty.