Stitching Sunday

I've been making progress on a Bucilla stocking kit, "Christmas in Oz," and am also tackling matching ornaments at the same time.

Bucilla Stocking Construction - #3

Saturday Sites

We had two days of rainy weather so today's sunshine was a welcome change. I sauntered up to the Eiffel Tower today for my walk and crossed the Seine River to the Trocadero where a Christmas village of shops was set up. It was very crowded and I didn't find anything to buy but I thought it was fun to see a small ice skating rink set up.

Not the best photo of the ice rink...maybe during a weekday I can get some better photos.

Good news...the flocked Christmas tree prices have been reduced by 50% today. Lots of white trees left...not too many of the hot pink or red pepper colors left. And I see the black flocked tree is gone already...I committed too early and went with the traditional natural green!

Painted twigs and clusters of glass balls are prevalent in the Christmas decor for businesses. That's what caught my eye today. Unfortunately I wasn't patient enough to wait in the huge line at Starbucks today...I was so looking forward to an afternoon caffeine fix.

Bucilla Stocking Construction - #2

I have added my videos about Bucilla stocking construction to Youtube...it is easier to download to that site than on Blogger.  Maybe I'll catch a few more people's interest too!

Bucilla Stocking Kit Construction Demo - #1

The first sight we had walking into our apartment building when we got back in town was a Christmas tree in the lobby.

We think there is a Christmas party for our apartment building residents coming up...not sure...the sign is in French...but we plan to show up. 

We are having a stormy day here so I am playing in the sewing room. I am going to document on video the making of a Bucilla stocking kit. Every now and then I get a comment from someone with constructions questions. I'm going to try and be very thorough so even an inexperienced stitcher can tackle one of these kits. I figure the more people I can get interested, the more likely these kits are going to continue to be designed. There are four new stocking designs being released sometime this month so I also need to get cranking on my existing stash so I don't feel so guilty when I buy the new kits.

Today's quick video will cover pressing the felt pieces. I used teflon pressing sheets. I'm not sure where people can get them because I bought mine years ago at the Houston Quilt Show. Does anyone know if they are available at JoAnns...or maybe local quilt shops? 

A Little Piece of Home

Yesterday we arrived back in Paris. Today our small shipment of household goods came. The tastes of home are a welcome sight. 

Our trip to the San Francisco was wonderful...except for our visit to the French consulate to get our long-term visas. We've had this ongoing problem with the French government deciding the state abbreviation "AK" is for Arkansas...not Alaska. It has created some problems since the French consulate in Houston is where Arkansas residents must go...they didn't want to take us in San Francisco...after they finally realized it was their mistake the snooty French diplomate became more friendly and processed the visas...but it was touch and go for a while in our world of international relationships.

We really need to learn some French!

Back to the goodies in our shipment. My sewing room is here!

So much shopping to do. I have to hit the farmer's market tomorrow so it will be a few more days until I  get everything organized. 

Paris put out it's Christmas decorations while we were gone...I'm going to have to charge up my camera. I just love the way so many of these small restaurants decorated...lots of great ideas.

Save One For Mainz

Connecting with U.S. history in Europe has been one of the best parts of living in Paris. On our trip to Mainz, Germany, my husband, who is a retired fighter pilot, brought up the phrase, "Save one for Mainz." I had never heard the phrase. Here's the story behind the saying.

After D-Day, the U.S. and Britain started day-and-night bombing raids on the manufacturing centers in Frankfurt, Darmstadt, Stuttgart and Mainz. An American fighter plane was shot down while flying over Mainz and the body of the pilot was dragged through the city and hung up in public where the locals abused him. It was caught on film and exposed in the international press. As a result, whenever American bombers flew missions over the area, they saved one bomb to drop on Mainz at the end of their missions. 

Most of Mainz was destroyed during the war but the Mainz Cathedral was spared. Construction of the cathedral dates back to 934 though it has burned down several times and been rebuilt repeatedly...sometimes just to change the style to a more updated look. As a result the church now looks like a mix of many time periods. We were very fortunate to be part of a private tour at night of the   cathedral. We did it in the dark so there isn't much to show you. Here's a quick look at our tour.