Avant Après

So, it seems the sewing blog I thought I would always start one day has turned into a travel blog recently, but there has actually been quite a lot of sewing going on here behind the scenes. I just have a hard time finding time to sew and then blog about it and feed my kids and get the laundry done and call Darty to come out and fix the dryer the day before we're supposed to leave for a trip with no clean dry clothes...you know how it goes!

I have so many sewing projects I want to share, but I'll start with a quick and easy no sew one inspired by my recent trip to Montpellier and the lovely mercerie I saw there that was so cruelly closed on a Sunday.

I took this frustratingly blurry photograph through the window as a reminder of a cute idea that I might try myself one day. I showed my 'Dutch' friend Brooks the picture when she was staying with us last week and she suggested it would be fun to try something similar with the ubiquitous Eiffel Tower key rings you find on sale at every street corner in Paris.

An unexpected trip into the city gave me the opportunity to pick one up so when I got home I set to trying to recreate what I saw in Montpellier. A quick rummage through my Liberty scrap bag and I came up with this. Four half inch by twelve inch strips of fabric knotted over the key ring and individually tied at the ends. Brooks took this one back to Holland with her - it matches her cushion - and now I'm itching to make more.

The girls have a week off school next week and after that I'm really going to have to get sewing as I just agreed to host a booth at our school's Holiday Bazaar in December selling Eiffel Tower cushions and other knick knacks that I have been designing over the last few months. Quite a scary prospect, but something I've always wanted to try so wish me luck.

I have to come up with a name for this endeavour. I wish I had thought of Avant Après first. My best idea so far is Six Berries. A play on our family name I like that the word 'six' is the same in English and French. What do you think? A free key ring to anyone who comes up with a better name!!