Curtains

It's so nice to sit and type while listening to some great music.  Playing now is "Bistro" by Metronome Quintet.  Very 40'/50's French bistro music.  I love it. 

You may remember back in November I was working on costumes for Les Miserables.  I mentioned the fabric resources the thrift stores sometimes have.  During a crazy moment I took down my bedroom curtain and made a skirt.  Sorry I don't have a photo.  But I thought it was time I got a new curtain.

I live in the country and this is the view from my bedroom window. There's no real reason for a curtain for privacy, but this window faces East. Soon the summer sun will be waking me early and heating up the room.




This is what I used for a curtain all winter.  I'm a bit embarrassed to show you as all I did was throw the fabric up there and pin it.   Just lazy, no other word for it.

Pretty sad, but I do love the rayon batik fabric.  So I looked in my closet and found 2 more pieces.  None are the same, but I am only making a temporary curtain.  My goal for my room is shutters.  Ah, that's another story.

So with some help from my cat I started the new curtain.

Without Zeke.

Close-up.

 

Finished.

So it's just nice and kind of Bohemian.  There's fringe which I neglected to get a picture of.  I really love this.  No,  I mean that.  It's me.

Yesterday,  I had a class on corset making.  It was good fun with four other corset minded women including Jerrie the teacher.  We measured and cut and sewed up a sample.  Mine fit!  Hooray.  Next time we'll be making the real thing with boning, stays, satin and lace.   I look forward to it.

Until next time, joy!

The Monkey on the Branch

 

A number of years ago, my daughter and a friend saw Eddie Izzard perform a funny sketch about learning French.  I never saw it back then.  In fact I only looked for it on Youtube so I could mention it here with a better understanding  of what made it's way into my sewing.

In the sketch, Eddie mentions learning some French phrases that were difficult to use in an everyday conversation.  One of these phrases is, "Le singe est sur la branche."  (The monkey is on the branch.). My daughter then noticed that there were figures of monkeys on branches here and there.  Yes, on fabric.

About that same time I bought a pattern (at the Cotton Ball) for an over night bag.  I also bought fabric I felt reminiscent of  a Victorian satchel.  It had monkeys.  Here is the pattern and the bag I made from it for my daughter. 

Pattern by Amber Creations.  Amber is a niece of the former owners of the Cotton Ball and worked there at the time I bought my pattern.  Later I took a class on the bag with Amber.  It was lots of fun.  Amber and her then fiance (the guy in the photo) signed the pattern for me.

Can you see the monkeys?  They are not, however on branches.  She liked it anyway.







 Why do I mention this?  Why am I going on about  monkeys and branches?  I'll tell you. Remember last time, when I mentioned curtains.  There I told about the kitchen curtain with a farm scene.  All gone now.   The fabric was so old and didn't go with the paint very well.  (Is this woman nuts?  Where is she going with this?)  

Voila!

 

Here is a close up of the fabric. What so you see?  Les singes sont sur la branche. Wearing jackets no less.

  

By the way,  I have made the satchel eight times. Here are some. The first being the one I made for my other daughter who doesn't feel the same way about monkeys or branches.

 For my friend, Cathy

There may be a monkey on this one.











I will close now with a link to the Eddie Izzard comedy piece on French.  Here is a warning.  He says the 'f' word  twice, but nothing else offensive.  It's pretty funny.  Le Singe Sur La Branche.

Ci vediamo presto.  (This is Italian for: we'll see each other soon.) I'm better at Italian.