CHICKPEA SEWING STUDIO

I miss France...

As 2010 approaches I will have been living in the USA for 9 years. That is pretty much all my adult life. When I went back this summer it suddenly became clear that I miss my old country, like I never have before. I feel drawn lately to very stereotypical French things, objects and attitude I wouldn't have bothered with while growing up. This "crise de conscience" started one evening while reading this lovely blog. What can I say, her illustrations touch me. Another odd phenomenon was the purchase of this Armor Lux sweater:

 

Mine has the colors reversed but you get the picture, it scares me how much I love it. the perfect grey skinny jeans to wear with it have been eluding me alas.

All this longing makes me want to share with you a list of "My favorite things". Today I will start with a movie, "Mon Oncle" by Jacques Tati. I couldn't be more grateful to my friend Lena for her limitless supply of his movies on VHS. We watched those relentlessly, probably thinking ourselves very chic and sophisticated, not probably in fact, we were merely 10 years old! I mention this because Netflix instant has just added it to their offering so don't overlook it. It's almost a silent movie but it makes each spoken word and each sound more important/comical.  Simultaneously I discovered Brainiac, the art of Matte Stephen. His painting of Monsieur Hulot (Tati's hero) are spot on and I couldn't resist getting Finn this print for Christmas:

This home sickness troubles me, I do not know what to make of it and embracing my root is not as obvious as it sounds. Maybe this ongoing cataloging of all things good and French will get me closer to an answer?

We're Back! and we are different...

Together in sunny Paris at a crowded playground.

We made it back last Thursday, after 11 hours of hand to hand combat in a crowded airplane. Finn slept one miserable hour and I felt like a zombie almost the rest of the time. I pasted a steel smile on my face and heard people call me a saint. But it's not important because something weird happened that last week alone in France daddy-less. It changed me completely and I want to share it with you.

I was dreading being alone with Finn for eight days, no help, no one to turn to when I had enough... I lacked confidence obviously that I could do it and remain even tempered. But the opposite of my fears happened, we bonded like never before, maybe because I allowed it to happen. He was my little baby Koala at times but mostly Finn did really well, smiled, hugged and learn to kiss cheeks ( sort of a lick). He can now say "Oui Oui Oui" which is priceless. On Friday, I kept him home instead of driving him to day care, a first. I wanted him for myself a little longer. That people is amazing and might never happen again! Things are changing though, l didn't think I could love any other way, I was wrong.

Beading a little more.

Finding resin beads (plastic really) is surprisingly difficult to get my hands on. My ambition was originally to make "Boden" like replicas, but it's turning out to be harder than I ever imagined. Of course this means I am now determined to make something that looks like this:

 or that:

I am still here...

OK, so it's been a good ten days since I stopped here to report on anything. Time really does pass me by this summer. I finished the Silk dress but have no pictures to show for it. Why? Well I though it would be clever and fancy to order some proper floodlight from www.bhphotovideo.com and take a good picture for once. After waiting for said floodlights to arrive, I was disappointed to find out that they came bulb-less. So the dress is still in the closet and all I have to show for myself is him:

 

My little naked garden elf.

 

All behind us

The feast is over, we had cake, canneles, cookies, madeleines and Champagne. Yes, I did go overboard with the sweets! I was so excited for the boy's first birthday, but he wasn't. In fact he cried pretty much the all time and was overall grumpier than usual. I think that the adult excitement sent him over the edge. Better luck next year I hope!

Looking at him this morning I cannot believe that somebody so small can be one, 12 months sounds like a lot, except if you count that I am 370 months, and his grandpa is 735 months... Then it doesn't look like much, yet so loved already...

Now that I am free to think about bigger and better things, I must confess: On Thursday we are going to Hawaii island, sans 12 month old... Great and scary stuff! In preparation I have been cooking baby food galore ( most of which I'll try to mention soon on The Veggie Baby). That means no sewing or crafting to report alas, and none to come in the next 10 days or so. I did attempt a cute bag with this free pattern but something went totally wrong... I printed the pattern too small it seems. I contacted the author today and hopefully she'll get back to me and set me straight. The bag is really adorable, she has a flickr group here.

It's snowing of course today, and day light savings makes everything gloomier, I am just going to go stare at my flipflops some more!

Mine

Life feels like an empty jar of pickles, none of the crunch,
just sour water.

 All the spices have settled at the bottom.

Then I turn my head,
with my eyes really open I see you stirring things up.

I can't believe your mine

or is it the other way around?

Boden inspiration...

I cut this page out of Mini Boden today, having a lingering obsession for bowling pins and billiard balls lately my heart sort of skipped a beat... Those would make fabulous appliquee on  Finn's next quilt! Hum, I think I need to order some solids.

I also spotted this from Spool:

Picture 'borrowed' from Spool.

We sell those shot cottons at the store, it looks to me that a yard of each wold make two scarfs... I already have a small list of recipients in mind. Can't wait to try it.

POST (Holiday Blues)

Happy New Year everybody!

I didn't  mean to go offline for so long, it just happened... I think that I have been suffering from some sort of post-holiday blues, sleeping is hard and I can't seem to get through the day without having a fight with one of the house occupants. Be it the cats. Finn is more demanding than ever and things that were so easily accomplished before seem to slip more out of reach everyday... I despise myself for being so resentful about it all.
Very little sewing accomplished at all, but for two adorable apron bibs I will try to write about ASAP!

Hi!

I had my hair cut last night, at the beauty school next door. You can just walk in anytime, and that's how I like it. I wanted to say: "Just give me a Claudia" but it had to be a tad more specific.

Thankful

I am thankful for you my readers and for the old lady neighbor who leaves apples on my footsteps::