Ville Rose

I'm in Toulouse for a couple of days before beginning our week at Chateau Dumas. Toulouse, known as the pink city - or Ville Rose - for it's distinctive brick architecture - is one of my very favorite cities - it's large enough to get lost in, but small enough to find your way back home if you wander long enough. I passed through the old winding streets and came upon an old mansion on Rue Velane which housed an antique shop owned by Laure Baudet. Filled with old gilt framed mirrors and pierced metal tables - this was a treasure trove of objects that had all been hand-picked by Laure over the past 30 years. Born in the house, Laure now occupies the mansion and fills it with whatever she likes - and she likes a lot! 18th century chandeliers, hand-carved Napoleonic beds and the occasional stuffed raven and crow. When I stepped into the foyer, I felt like I was home - as if I had just been absent for a very long time. Good antique shops do that to me - they make me feel like I belong - even if I am thousands of miles away from home.  I asked her if she had any old textiles and she told me to come back on Saturday - she would bring down a sack full of old materials that her grandmother used to sew with.  Somehow, someway I need to return on Saturday!

Anglet Flea Market

On Saturday, we drove about 45 minutes north of San Sebastian to the small city of Anglet, France and visited another great flea market - this was a combination market of some really old treasures mixed in with newer pieces. It was a bit of a deep dig, but I still managed to find some great old cotton convent slips, linen bed sheets with huge monograms and a trunk full of old ribbon and trim. I also found a dealer that had dozens of my favorite French wine glasses - the early 19th century heavy glasses that were originally used at the vineyards for tasting the local grapes. Here are a few photos of the day - be sure to check out our website soon where we will be listing all of our flea market finds.

Giuseppe and La Chavalilla

I have a very old friend, Giuseppe Avalon, perhaps one of the greatest period costume designers ever. I met him over ten years ago, when he dated a friend of mine. Last night, Giuseppe and my old friend, John, arrived in San Sebastian for a few days of sun and fun. This morning we headed over to my very favorite antique shop in town, and luckily - it was open! Open only by chance - I usually walk by everyday waiting for the small curtained door to sit slightly ajar. Owned by a 90 year old woman, known as La Chavalilla de Sunbilla, Angeles Ganboa was a servant for many years and now offers up 17th and 18th century treasures that her past employers have left to her. A tiny shop filled to the rafters with crystal chandeliers, linen bed sheets and religious tapestries, it is a diggers delight! As soon as Giuseppe stepped inside, he was mesmerized, and together, Angeles and him discussed every historical clothing detail they could get their hands on. Here is a photo of Seppe holding a 19th century opera cape, hand beaded with jet and fringed with ostrich feathers.
There is an upstairs loft at the shop - and, according to Angeles's daughter, no one has ever been upstairs in 30 years, except for Angeles. Every year I visit the shop I ask to look upstairs, just look, not even touch anything - and every year the answer is the same - no. I imagine there to be trunks full of old textiles, silk ribbons, and flowers, When I have exhausted Angeles, she usually climbs the staircase and digs around for a bit then descends the stairs with her arms full of old bits and pieces.
After an hour of looking, Giuseppe and I had made a small pile of special pieces. We were told to come back in a day or two after Angeles had thought about the prices. She then explained to us that it is not because of money that she sells these precious items, it is because of her love affair with the past. Giuseppe and I both knew exactly what she was talking about.

Ahetze Flea Market

Sofia and I have been in San Sebastian for the past week. Lot's of family, food and walking on the beach. This morning a few of us decided to get up at the crack of dawn and shoot over to France for the monthly flea market in Ahetze - just 15 minutes northeast of St. Jean de Luz. Filled with over 200 vendors this market was a true vide grenier - the vendors had literally cleaned out their attics! The four of us split up and covered the whole market in about an hour or so - the prices were great and the selection was pretty good. Plenty of old linens, enamel and china - some old garden furniture, clothing and pottery.
My first conversation with a vendor who had piles of hemp sheets and towels went something like this:

Me: bonjour!
Monsieur: bonjour, comment allez-vous?
Me: bien - parlez vous anglais? (my lame Spanish and lame French mix well on the border towns)
Monsieur: un peu
Me: great - combien por la torchon?
Monsieur: oh, these torchons are very old, very rare
Me: ok - how much?
Monsieur: well, maybe 5 euros each
Me: ok
Monsieur: ok - not that much, I kid with you
Me: ok - so they're more?
Monsieur: no, no maybe 3 euros each
Me: great
Monsieur: how many do you want?
Me: all of them
Monsieur: mais qui - then they are 2 euros each
Me: even better
Monsieur: ok 10 torchons at 2 euros each is 20 euros
Me: ok - here you go (handing over the 20 euros)
Monsieur: no, no I charge too much - 10 euros total
Me: if you say so

And on and on our "dealing" went - until I almost walked away with a load of torchons for nothing. This was a very strange deal - I have never had the dealer give me back change after the final price. By the end of the morning I had bought almost all of his linens - I just couldn't pass up his deals - a few breakfast bowls, a couple of old floral prints and a an old red transferware tea set and I was good to go! I love the vendors at the markets in France - they are in it for the game and they love the deal.

Another week in San Sebastian and then I am off to Toulouse to meet up with 16 women who have decided to spend a week in France with me - our long-awaited Chateau Getaway happens the week of July 4th through the 11th at Chateau Dumas. A week of field trips and craft workshops, including a day of woad dying, a visit to an old hat factory, and a craft bag filled with everything from jewelry kits, needle felting, and fabric millinery flowers. Can't wait!

Vintage

I bought a new pair of white Converse sneakers the other day. In the bottom of the shoe box, there was one pink shoelace. Sofia immediately grabbed it and laced up one of her blue Converse sneakers. I said, "That's cool - I'll have to find you another pink lace for the other shoe" - she said, "No mom - this is vintage."

Oh, I didn't know. I love it when she interprets something in her own way.

Needle Felting

A few months ago, I took a needle felting class at Reform School - here in Los Angeles. I had no idea what I was in for. I learned that needle felting was a process originally developed for making industrial felt. To achieve this, you move a barbed needle in and out of loose woolen fiber to create a matted felt fabric. Everyone in the class was able to reach into their three dimensional mind and create small animals - I was so impressed. I ended up felting a small strawberry emory. I stabbed myself three or four times and eventually found myself getting into the sync of the process and learned to stab the wool instead - but not too hard - it's a light touch.
I am making up our chateau craft bags this week and have decided to add needle felting to the kit. I picked up some vegetable dyed alpaca wool and divided it up into small bags, included a few needles and a piece of foam. If all else fails on this adventure, at least we will have crafts to keep us company! For a quick giveaway - before I leave - I thought I would send out one of our needle felting kits. I was thinking this bunch of wool would make beautiful felted flowers or beads....what's your idea?

Flea Markets of France

With just a few more days before I leave for my summer holiday, I spotted this sweet little book and just knew I had to have it. Filled with all sorts of off the beaten path flea markets - this is just the sort of guidebook I like to take along. Since I begin my holiday in Spain, in San Sebastian - I was particularly interested in the markets in the Pays-Basque region - the southwest area of France that borders Spain. There are flea markets in Bayonne, Ahetze, Anglet, Ciboure and Ascain - all within 30 or so minutes of San Sebastian. This summer I am committed to not buying anymore hemp sheets! Instead, I'll look for antique French fabric boxes, old mother of pearl buttons and, if I'm lucky, an old fabric sample book - that's all - just a few treasures.

Turning 12

We spent the past week celebrating Sofia's first dozen years on this earth. After twelve years, she's still the same little girl who laughs out loud, dances in public (in this case the Dodger game!) and dresses like it's nobody's business. She keeps us all smiling and reminds me everyday that I am lucky to be a mom.

Anatomy of a Move

About two years ago, we heard that Hollywood was hip again and developers were planning a massive construction in the exact area where French General was located. We went to community meetings, heard grand plans of saving the little pink house, tried to buy the property and finally realized...it was time to move out of the house and into a new space where we weren't waiting for tractors and cranes to arrive.  
So the search began - with one basic criteria: find a new location with an old soul.  JZ found the first place - even though it was the size of a small airport hangar, we thought we could carve out a special place. We passed when we saw the two overhead cell phone towers.  We continued to search for another three months, and finally, while zipping down to my dad's 75th birthday celebration, we spotted a small warehouse with a tiny For Rent sign hanging up near the roof.  We called and made an appointment for the next day.  Dawn, JZ and I walked in on Monday morning at 10am, huddled in the back for about 2 minutes and then said, "We'll take it."  When the owner finally decided we were the right tenants, he handed me his card and in an instant, I realized he was one of my dad's old friends - from thirty years ago.  At that moment all of the stress and anxiety of moving washed away and I realized we had found our new home.  So, if you can be patient, give us a couple of months, we will re-open on our regular Fridays with a new and improved French General - complete with regular Friday classes! 

Old Garden Shop, Los Angeles

My mom and I stopped by one of my favorite old garden shops and wandered through the aisles of well grown vines, roses and grasses. I think I might have been a gardener in my previous life - or at least I hope I was! Anselmo, my gardener from years ago is coming this weekend to help me plant a new field of lavender.

Silver Bella

I was really excited to be asked to teach at this year's Silver Bella in Omaha Nebraska - November 12th - 14th. I know that sounds like years from now - but it's really just around the corner! For those of you who don't know, Silver Bella was started by Teresa McFayden as a paper arts event where people gather to take art and craft classes together. I wasn't sure if I totally belonged, but I have been told that people are excited to take my two classes - a charm bracelet class and a rosary necklace class.  Some of the other instructors this year include: Pam Garrison, Rebecca Sower, Charlotte Lyons, Denise Sharp, Anna Corba, Jennifer Murphy and Teresa McFayden.  I just peeked at the website and it looks like the 3-day event has already sold out for this year - but if you are interested for the following year keep your eye on the Silver Bella site - Teresa usually announces the classes in early April and it fills up within days.

Off to Pittsburgh!

 I am heading out to the International Quilt Market in Pittsburgh today - for the introduction of our new line of fabric.  Jody did some speedy work and whipped up these lovely Rouenneries Fleurs -  layered with fabric, ribbon, stamens, a button - and a pin on the back to boot!  They turned out so pretty we are thinking about making up some kits out of all of the scraps that have turned up at French General.  If you're heading to the show, be sure to stop by the Moda booth and say hello - I'll be there all day Friday!

Flying to the Loom

I have finally finished the rag rug that I began weaving over a year ago! Woven out of old hemp scraps dyed in shades of red and coral, cotton vichy fabric from France and scraps of cotton and wool yarn, this is truly a rag rug - in the best sense of the word! After finishing the weaving on the loom, I finished it by twisting the cotton warp ends and then letting them twist upon themselves and then knotting each so they wouldn't unravel.
I thought originally, Sofia would want to put this at the side of her bed to keep her little feet warm - but now I am wondering how I could ever put this project of love on the floor? We'll have to wait a few more weeks before we lay it down or roll it up and put it in the armoire for the next 25 years - it was chosen as one of the entries for the Barnsdall Student Art Show.  

Moda's Sweet Tooth

I love it when the dots connect.  Moda heard (or read) that we were doing a giveaway of scraps from our new collection, Rouenneries.  Being the great folks they are, they shipped me a big old box of our scraps and threw in a few jelly rolls, honey buns, dessert rolls and layer cakes (see below for full explanation).   So, to spread the love a bit, Sofia picked out 4 lucky winners who will all receive a box full of sweet scraps!  If the lucky winners would please leave me their address and their bakery choice I will get these out in the mail soon.

And the winners are.....

ParisMaddy

Meleen Dupre

Sara Moriarty-delaFuente

Prairiegirl

Thanks for all of your nice comments and I hope you all enjoy sewing with our new collection from Moda!

Did you know.....

there are 40 2 1/2 inch strips of fabric on a jelly roll?

there are 40 1 1/2 inch strips of fabric on a honey bun?

there are 10 5" strips of tonal fabric on a dessert roll?

there are 40 10 inch squares in a layer cake?

Well now you do!

Moda Moda Moda!

Finally - it happened! I received the box I had waited so many months for - the Moda box! Filled with our new collection, Rouenneries, the box was brimming with five yards of each floral print we designed. Old reds, dusty pinks, natural grey and tea stained grounds - all very French General and very simple. I really love it - now if I could just cut into it and start making something special! The collection will be making it's debut at the Philadelphia Quilt Show next week - and then shipping to stores in this fall. We'll be carrying my favorite designs on-line and in the shop also. Just to get the ball rolling - and because I am dying to see what people design with our new collection - I am going to cut up some scraps of fabric and send out a couple boxes of samples. Please leave a comment about your ideas and we'll pick out a couple of names at the end of the week. Bonne Chance!

The Science Faire

Did I mention that Sofia received First Prize for her science fair entry this year?!  Dying Fabric with Natural Plants was an ingenious idea - if I do say so myself - and Sofia took hold of the reins from the get-go.  First she picked out the fabric - I convinced her that using 19th century hemp would make this project more organic - she agreed.  Choosing the plants was easy - she had seen the way the turmeric root stained my hands yellow every time I was cooking with it.  Beets were on the list - that was a no brainer.  Then, just to see what would happen, she chose blackberries, coffee and spinach.  She boiled 1/2 cup of each of the ingredients in a vat of three cups of water to make the dye bath.  She dropped in three pieces of 4x4 hemp to each bath.  After one hour, she took out a piece of fabric from each pot - and continued removing fabric squares after one day and then finally, three days.  Sofia kept a log of what happened throughout the experiment: the state of the plants as they were cooking (beets loose all of their color) and how the fabric looked once it had dried.  At the end of the three days, she had created a very natural color palette out of each of the plants.  We were surprised to learn the the turmeric and beets gave off the least amount of color and the blackberries and coffee gave off the most.  

Since she (we?) won first prize at her school, she was invited to go to the Los Angeles Science Fair and compete with over 400 middle school students.  In her category, applied science, she received honorable mention!  Not bad - not bad at all!

And the Winner is.....

I am always getting myself into situations and then thinking - why did I do that? Perfect example - this month's giveaway. What was I thinking asking people to name their favorite club, think back to their childhood and tell us all about their club memories? There were so many great ones, it's been really hard to chose just one! Here are just some of my favorites...

Britvit Club
Peter Pan Club
Science Fiction Club
Creative Spirit Club
Teen Scene Club
4H Club
Symphony Club
Mom Club
American Sewing Guild
The New New York Craft Club
Paula's Kit Club
Doll Club
La Francophonie Club
Vintage Tablecloth Club
Stitching Club
Future Homemakers of America Club
Neighbor Club
Kit of the Month Club
Hookers Club
Yarn Club
Book of the Month Club
Collage Club
Scrapanos Club
Hysterectomy Club

But my favorite - if I had to chose one....was The Custom Couturieres Club - here's what Lola wrote:

"My favourite club is one I just started. I am a high school teacher at an all-girls' private school and I just started a sewing club. In recent years, sewing and all thing domestic have been frowned upon by the school's administration, but there is real hunger among the students to learn how to MAKE things, clothing in particular.

So, we are up and running. I have been overwhelmed by the response, both from the students and from fellow staff members, even men, who are keen to donate supplies, expertise and time and keep telling me how great they think it is that I am helping the girls to learn important skills.

We have started by learning to make our own skirt patterns and will be making the skirts, starting this week. The girls are so pleased with themselves and quite surprised that they are able to DO things like make a pattern and then make a skirt."

Thanks to all who filled me in on how you pass the time in a creative way!  Lola please send me your address and I'll send off the last April Un, Deux, Trois Kit to you!

Merci!

Un, Deux, Trois Kit Giveaway

We have a club at French General called Un, Deux, Trois - a jewelry club where members are sent a necklace, bracelet and earring kit each month. The kits are made up with limited, vintage materials - there are only so many kits I can make - so the kits aren't sold outside of the club. Because of this, our club is a bit exclusive.  A year long subscription to the club costs $600, plus $30 shipping - so not everyone can afford to join. It's a one time charge  to help eliminate paperwork.  I get an e-mail once in a while wondering about the cost, the kits, and how one can purchase the kits individually.  I have to remind myself that 36 jewelry kits at$17 each isn't so bad - paying all of it upfront is! 

Our club reminds me a bit of Club 33 at Disneyland. Club 33 is a private restaurant designed in the early sixties by Walt Disney as an exclusive place for his friends and visiting dignitaries to relax. What I like about Club 33 are the rules - there are quite a few and they all make perfect sense if you want to attract a limited amount of members.  They like to brag that membership, like all good things, requires patience. Joining requires a couple of hand written letters and can take as long as 14 years before you hear about your status.
Ok - so joining our club is not that hard -but not affordable for everyone. Just for fun and because I have an extra kit this month, I thought I would offer one of our April Un, Deux, Trois kits for a comment about your favorite club. There are a lot of great clubs these days - my mom is in a mahjongg club, a book club, a tea club and is a member of the tennis club. Phew - that's a lot of clubs!  We'll pick a lucky winner on Tuesday, April 21. Bonne Chance!

Desert Hot Springs

Sofia and I are still having fun - now we're in the desert - staying at one of our all time favorite places - Desert Hot Springs Spa Hotel. We drove out on Monday and have had perfect weather - days in the eighties and nights in the seventies. Sitting around the pools for hours on end, we have met some interesting locals. Built in classic Mid-Century Modern style, the 50-room hotel offers eight natural hot mineral water pools – one Olympic size pool and seven large circular jacuzzi and soaking pools ranging in temperature from 70°F to 104°F. Today, we headed south to Palm Springs and had a wonderful Mexican lunch on Palm Drive. Back to reality tomorrow - we head home and I send off the final designs for the Moda Spring 2010 line...never a dull moment!

Little India

For the past couple of years, I have been fantasizing about traveling to India. I probably have some romantic notion about staying in some grand old Indian palace, eating authentic Indian food, and observing the old textile printing factories by day.
So when Sofia told me that her class was representing India this year at her school's International Day - my desire for all things Indian couldn't be contained anymore and we headed south of Los Angeles for a day trip to Little India. Just 40 minutes south of Hollywood, off of the 91 east, lies a short block that is filled with Indian culture - the 1800 block of Pioneer Boulevard.  We started in the clothing shops - looking for a sari....until a nice Indian man told us they could be difficult to wear and maybe we would be more comfortable in linen pants and a linen tunic...YES! Next stop was the beauty salon where we picked up a small tube of freshly made henna - for the necessary embellished hand tattoo. Mango lasses and kachori for lunch. The last time I had kachori was in an Indian restaurant in New York where the menu listed it as: very good, but too difficult to explain. The lunch spot we found, The Standard, explained it as Indian nachos. After lunch we strolled through the markets amazed at the 10 pound bags of lentils and cloves! Then a quick stop at the jewelry bazaar for bangles and bindi's - home by 3 - I love LA.