Memories of Nice
31 Oct 2008 Leave a Comment
Nice is known for the colourful building with iron balconies, the beach and promenade walk and the big yachts. The Four Point Hotel we discovered on one of our walks and I was intrigued to find this statue of a woman, in the side of the building.
The yacht basin is beautiful with colourful buildings surrounding the area and all types of boats in the harbour. The marina is in between the hills in the last picture.
Both days that we were there last April, were windy but very pleasant.
The last look.
23 Oct 2008 Leave a Comment
The first three pictures were from Vatican city. The mosaic was wonderful, the marble floors mind blowing and my head was bursting with all the details. Sculpture, paintings, altars, ceilings, incredible workmanship everywhere.
Dh and I in Harry’s Bar having a lunch after wandering through the Villa Borgese. It isn’t just a villa but a huge park with lakes, zoo, gardens, galleries and much more.
A day at the Colosseum
19 Oct 2008 1 Comment
Rome was celebrating a birthday, #2761, the day we visited the Colosseum, lots of flags, people, vendors and a parade. Who could ask for anything more?
We posed in the plastic armor, thinking that was the only pictures we would get to take. The Roman Legions were out in full force, along with the women in their flowing gowns.
As usual click on pictures for more details.
Rome, still day one
17 Oct 2008 1 Comment
A group of people selling their knock-offs outside of the Vatican. Within minutes all was packed up and people were running to keep out of the clutches of the police.
It is best if you have a small car, we were glad to be walking and relying on bus transport. My husband would never have found a parking spot.
It is always fun to look at architecture and the size of the doors on the old buildings, my dh is over 6 feet and still look at the size of the door and how far up the door knockers are off the ground. We thought that if you were on horseback, you’d have no problem.
The Spanish steps in daytime, fabulous potted flowers, loads of people, a fountain, fabulous shops, Missoni, Just Cavali, Salvatore Ferragamo and MiuMiu grouped around the square. I had lots of fun window shopping.
Sculpture just amazes me, and all these figures. Lots of inspiration. The sky behind the most incredible blue.
First Impressions of Rome.
16 Oct 2008 1 Comment
in Europe
As soon as I saw this old wall, when we were entering the city. I was in love.
I realized that this was way back in April of this year, the first night we went out for dinner fairly close to the hotel. We ended up at the Spanish Steps. Absolutely full of people at 10pm, a grand meeting place and we went back later in the trip to see the stores which line the area.
This was a very organized parking lot for Scooters that were everywhere and usually parked in the middle of the sidewalks. The next few pictures are from the top of a tour bus, this day we were just getting our bearings in a new city.
One of the sights was all the shops, some shops just had ties or gloves. Lots of shirts and suits for men, only tourists were casually dressed in jeans and most men had on 2 or 3 piece suits. Women of all ages were smartly dressed, up to date styles of eyeglasses or sunglasses. good little belts, the scarf and the handbag.
Another wall with trees in the background, I think they were umbrella pines.
Challenging Magazines.
24 May 2008 1 Comment
One of the things that I wanted to purchase in Europe, besides a piece of fabric from each country I visited, was a sewing magazine. I have had experience witah Burda patterns which is now available in English. Lots of patterns each month, with the patterns printed out roadmap style on the insert. One needs to add seam allowances and hems.
I was successful, I was delighted with my haul.
Patrones and di milleidee UOMO have the easiest pattern sheets to trace out and idees Couture is a real mish- mash of lines to manouver.
I can generally figure out the yardage and maybe a few other words. The italian magazines have some pictures of construction, as does the French magazine.
Cidell today has posted a link on her blog to translate Spanish for sewing.
Fabric and Trim
23 May 2008 3 Comments
[Photo]
I looked for yarn stores while in Europe and only found one in Rome and it was shut the day we looked in the window. At a street market in another little town in France, my husband said “there is yarn at the next table.” I was quite excited and my hopes were dashed when all they had was eyelash yarn.
So,I had better luck with fabric stores, although they were all in the downtown core, sothey only had lovely expensive stuff to cover the rent. That didn’t stop me. I was determined to find some souvineers.
In San Sebastion, I got some printed linen in greens, the sales clerk was wrapping the fabric around my hips, measuring my length and working out the numbers. I am thinking of a dress, probably a sheath. Three clerks in a very tiny store. Absolutely no English.
I found a wonderful sweater knit in Nice, the shop was small, probably a whole 8 feet in the middle of the store with a table to cut out the fabric. Very little English, but the owner gave me an extra half meter. It is coral with a shiny metallic thread running through it.
In Paris, I found two fabric stores one near the hotel, and managed to get a remnant of 2 meters of green linen with stretch. I got the yellow pages from the hotel desk, pages of fabric stores, I managed to find quite a few in one area within 1.5km of the hotel. We were quite disappointed to find we were in the wholesale district and expected to buy a bolt. We did luck out and find a shop of notions, I hadn’t seen a button, zip or thread anywhere.[Photo]
Syage Fournitures, they had a 10meter minimum but I was able to pick up 2 trims that I had been looking for; elastic for t shirts with an organdy ruffle. I got white and beige. She said I could dye the white. They had other colours and several widths. I asked where I could be smaller amounts of fabric and she pointed out a street we had passed. I looked in a couple of stores and they didn’t seem any too friendly. But I did find one, with a fabric I liked, off white linen with burnt out area that were coloured flowers. A good price and I wanted 2 meters but he said”deux noi, trois oui” So I ended up with 3 meters and, of course, that was also cash only.
Tessuti, tejidos, tissues
17 May 2008 Leave a Comment
in Europe, fabrics, magazines, vacation
Home from Europe, it was an incredible vacation and now trying to get the house back in order, (fridge and washer aren’t working) sorting out all the papers and newly acquired belongs and getting over the jet lag are going to take me awhile.
First things first, The fabric shopping report.
My friend and I kept as sharp look out for fabric stores,while in the cabs and on the buses and I had done an internet search before we all left on our trip. My husband and I travelled with the couple that we went to Greece a couple of years ago. The men weren’t much on shopping and I think quite amazed how fast we women could scout out a new location.
We did get to the Bessuti Tessuti in Rome, it did live up to expectations. It was crowded with fabric floor to ceiling(about 20 feet), there were 8′ and 12′ ladders to enable them to put the fabric back in place. I saw one man in a suit on top of the 8 foot step ladder replacing bolts above his head. He was very particular as to which bolt of fabric he was handed next. So narrow rooms, leading off from each other.. each chock a block full of eye candy, all bolts lying flat and lots kept getting rewrapped in a paper covering. Zegna fabrics were everywhere about 50 Euros a meter, and boucle, most were 90 E and one was 99E which I really liked.
The intimidating part to me was that the sales clerks were all men in suits, standing guard over the fabrics. Next was the language barrier but I did get a wonderful blouse fabric, I know it is poly but it was from Lake Como. Lake Como produces wonderful scarves and fabrics and the first run is usually poly and then if it works out the way the hope they are then produced as silks.
Ashton fabrics was right near our hotel and an armed guard stood outside, they had some wonderful eyelet with an overall print.
One other fabric store was also wonderful and I can’t remember the name.
I also scored a few pattern books, these I picked up in Rome, I’ll have to edit the photo later, as everything is correctly oriented in my computer but trying to get it to upload to blogger and flicker has turned the images. Uomo, the men’s pattern magazine will probably be still in style here for a good number of years. Some interesting clothes in the woman’s magazine, both come with the maze of patterns printed on a main sheet.
Lots of interesting clothes in Rome, I was besotted by all the fine quality. Pleats, ruffles, pockets, lots of additional details. Most women wore scares around their necks, a few men as well but mostly men over 40 were wearing dark suits. Leather handbags, shoes, belts and gloves were everywhere. 
Next installment . Fabric shops in Spain.
