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Sewing, knitting, embroidery, easy and fashion blog

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The cashmere sweater and ecology

Nov 14, 2016 12:00:00 AM

This cashmere sweater so soft and warm, we all look for it in winter... Expensive, but prices are falling.

Unfortunately to the detriment of a territory and a people: Mongolia.

Being an adept of beautiful natural wool and knitwear , this subject particularly affects me. People often ask me: why don't you offer cashmere in a ball?

Here are some arguments to explain you, evoked in particular by my dear spinning Fonty:

1/ Cashmere goat produces very little wool: 100 to 150g. The mohair goat is rather around 3.5kg. You need some cashmere goats to make a sweater! Basically, we multiply the necessary grass area by 20.

2/ Goats pull the grass to the root, unlike sheep.

Cashmere production is naturally in fragile areas: Gobi and Altai steppes in Mongolia. By increasing demand, the development of livestock farming is leading to desertification that is close to an ecological catastrophe:

The Gobi Desert progresses about 500 meters per year.

3/ The extra-fine Merino wool is of a casi softness comparable to cashmere! But here it is, it has less good reputation, is cheaper and resellers make less margins...

Yet this merino wool is now found in each of the balls 100% natural wool from our French spinning mills . The treatments currently allow a washing machine operation at 30°, what more could you ask for? Note that the hottest wools are yak, alpaca, mohair and merino instead of cashmere.

If you are interested in the subject of cashmere, this video will teach you more:


Cashmere, alpaca, mohair...What differences?

This subject affects me even more because Mongolia does not even benefit from its cashmere wool, considered the most beautiful in the world! Indeed, Mongolia does not have the industrialization capable of transforming cashmere into yarn on a large scale nor to knit them... Everything is sent to its neighbouring country (1st cashmere producer in the world): China.

 

So it's decided, not only I still don't sell a ball of cashmere wool but also, my next sweater will be merino wool!

What do you think of that?

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Pretty lace

Aug 30, 2016 12:00:00 AM

Lace, guipure, these so fine and delicate materials remain timeless. This is the time to offer you tutorials and inspirations we have gleaned here and there on pinterest. pinterest.


Lace adorns wedding dresses forever but we also find it in recent years to customize the everyday clothes in order to:

- edge a sweater bottom,

- make beautiful materials contrasts on shorts or a skirt,

- add openwork to the cardigan sleeves,

- decorate small accessories: scarves, stoles, headband, cases, bags, etc.

To find your happiness, we have updated all our lace and guipure on our website,


Lingerie lace, Calais lace, elastic lace, guipure, openwork scales, a large variety is available for you if, like us, you love the lace!


You have with lace or guipure pretty achievements ideas? Share them with us on  Instagram ou Facebook


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5 websites to learn sewing

Feb 17, 2016 12:00:00 AM

You start sewing and looking for help to learn to sew online? We offer today a small blogs and websites overview  for beginners and more savvy dressmakers to help you answer all your sewing questions:

Thread and needles logo

Thread&Needles Thread & Needles is the reference community website for sewing and knitting. The site was created in 2010 by passionate about sewing, now the site has been widely enriched. Very interactive, volunteers regularly publish articles on the blog:

♦ Keeping you informed of the latest patterns and sewing books releases,

♦ Introducing a seamstress or a tailor with interview,

Giving desire with projects that inspire,

♦ Showing a technique, sewing or knitting tools,

Presenting an artist, an exhibition related to sewing or knitting.

As a community site, the big advantage of T&N is to offer an account where you can post your sewing & knitting projects. You add a title, an image, a link to your blog and other people in the community can interact with you via comments and private messages.

Your project is then referenced in the gallery. Each member may vote and may become the "popular of the week" project.

The website also contains very active sewing and knitting groups. Notably by region, allowing you to organize or to meet other real dressmakers or knitters in your corner.

These groups can also allow you to answer your questions about sewing or knitting technical problems.

The + : Thread&Needles is a very complete website as you will understand. It allows to virtually or actually meet bloggers through project presentations.



Artesane is a new website created by the talented blogger Annie Coton . The principle is to offer sewing and knitting online classes and it will increase with arts and crafts.

Several recognized teachers therefore propose a course related to their field of choice.

The platform Artesane is beautiful and well done. Most courses are paid (and that's normal considering the work) but you will also find free lessons. Many videos workshops will emerge during 2016 have to watch closely!

The +: Artesane also contains a nice "newspaper" including clear tips on cloth or special sewing techniques, in particular. The illustrations are very well done and the approach discusses in depth techniques.

 

Couture Débutant logo

This blog was created in 2015 by a young sewing instructor Margaux.

Couture Débutant, is first to overcome the issues and redundant problems of its sewing beginners students. It notes that the problems of sewing beginners are always the same and there are very few site dedicated to the first steps.

Since then, the blog growed and Margaux offers:

♦ Super simple sewing DIY to not be afraid to begin it,

♦ Its patterns and magazine testing,

Its best addresses both on the web than real,

A Youtube channel offering basis support for amateur fashion designers.

The +: The universe of its blog is cool and pleasant. It makes you want to put it right away now even if you were born with two left hands, with these step by step tutorials, you are sure to get there!

 


This vintage and quirky look blog is full of good sewing ideas with supporting tutorials.

There are as well many basic sewing lessons as customization DIY.

There you will find a wealth of information to choose your sewing machine, sewing a particular fabric, but also make everything simple accessories like a headband, a collar, etc.

The +: the blogger's humor. The articles, both for sewing in mood editorial or general web articles are really funny!

 

 

Petit Citron is a small community sewing site. It was created by Perrine Colignon in 2007. She wanted to set up as a virtual sewing club.

The site offers in image sewing techniques, but also free simple patterns.

To participate, send your projects, technical ideas, etc. Just create an account on the site.

The +: the Petit Citron blog is full of tips and inspirations for sewing. It is a mine of information interesting when you start!

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What to do with trapilho?

Oct 20, 2014 12:00:00 AM

Do you know the trapilho?

These are big balls of XXL cotton threads which allows to make all kinds of baskets, pouches, carpets in no time! To see what these balls look like balls, find our trapilho in big or mini size.

The trapilho is actually a thread coming from recycling called mesh or jersey (fine knitted fabric for t-shirt). This recycling is done in Europe, mainly in Portugal.

We have selected for you on our pinterest board some of our achievements in trapilho to give you ideas. From the carpet to the ottoman cover, from the colorful baskets to jewelery or star decoration, there is certainly something that delights you!:


Please, you also, send us your trapilho achievements photos, we will be happy to publish them on this blog.

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Comments | Posted in Discoveries By Amandine

A stylish app

Aug 14, 2014 12:00:00 AM

When you love to sew, sometimes we also like to dress. With the development of smartphones and associated applications, there are now tools that fits all situations, including help to create the look, but also to sort his things and plan her outfits. We wanted to share with you this find which can be handy for seamstresses.

We have discovered: Stylebook

Stylebook

This app allows you to organize your wardrobe:

  • There simply to shoot each of your room, to remove the background, through the app, to keep only the essentials: clothing. Then store them virtually in your cupboards. It may take time, but can also save later.

In this way, we have a very clear vision of our dressing. We can find parts not worn for ages, decide to give some ... In short, it allows you to make a good sorting!

  • With all the parts, the application can create looks, ie overlaying multiple pieces, either up, down, dress, jacket, bag or shoes to test outfits.

It can be seen visually and rapidly that some clothes are finally together well and then plan on a dedicated calendar each outfit. It is indeed handy to avoid wasting time in the morning, you have just to plan your looks ahead.

  • Some Additional tools such as statistics, let you know how many times you have worn such clothes and "cost-per-wear" ie its depreciation (garment cost / the number of times worn). But also, the number of clothing you have, the top 10 most worn clothing and less worn! There is also the facilitator for suitcase, you choose the outfits that you want and it gives you all the clothes and accessories to be introduced for the holidays!

 

Stylebook seems very convenient to organize the fashionistas' wardrobe but also for keen on sewing. It helps to know what we wear in our clothes as hand-made and those we rarely put on (if ever!). And thus to have a clearer vision of what we like to wear really, and maybe sew pieces more suited to our usual outfits. Result: more optimization of our hand-sewn dressing! And you, what do you use to organize your "me-made" dressing? The application is available on the appstore currently 3.59 € for men and women.

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Wedding decoration

Jun 17, 2014 12:00:00 AM

Summer is on our doorstep which means: wedding season!

For the occasion, we prepared a small pinterest array of different decor ideas and tutorials found here and there on the net and on pinterest of lace, ribbons, wool, creations for weddings.

Whether for table decoration, the camera space, the wedding hairstyle or the bridal bouquet, everything is there to make an hand-made decoration!


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The sewing spaces

Apr 23, 2014 12:00:00 AM

When you get into sewing, we quickly need a space to exercise your passion.

For our sewing workshop, we dream of a separate room or when you do not have this opportunity, a part of the corridor, a piece of living ... with a table specially dedicated to the sewing machine, another larger to copy, cut patterns and closets, drawers to store fabrics and materials.

To give you ideas, we glean here and there fifty examples of sewing workshops as well as good storage ideas for sewing threads, fabrics, ribbons, lace and all equipment!

Discover our dedicated board on Pinterest:

inspirations sewing workshops sewing workshops

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This cheese with which buttons are made

Jun 19, 2013 12:00:00 AM

Did you know it?

Early as 1870 the men had the idea and tried to use casein, milk and cheese major component , as a plastics material.

After testing more or less unsuccessful, a French chemist, in the early twentieth century, Jean-Jacques Trillat, found the magic formula: he had the idea to bathe the casein paste in a formalin solution.

The resulting material is full of qualities:

  • biodegradable,
  • anti-allergic,
  • anti-static,
  • great opportunity to be dyed
  • simple and environmentally friendly method of production.

It is named galalith (from greec gala — milk — et lithos — stone).

From the early twentieth century galalith is used primarily by German and French in the manufacture of buttons, jewelry, pens, cigarette, electrical equipment, and replaces the ivory for piano keyboards and harmoniums . At that time there was not much oil, but we already had ideas ...

This is why we can offer you in limited quantities, a collection of casein buttons. Enjoy, there will not be for everyone!

Casein buttons

To complete your culture on the industrial history of casein, we invite you to browse this document (from Société Chimique de France) extremely accurate.

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