Paris, France - l'aiguille en fete (needlework trade show)

We recently returned from a trip to France and England.  The purpose of our trip was to  attend the  l'aiguille en fete (needlework trade show) with friends from The Sampler Guild in England and met up with members from Holland.  I had the opportunity to take the Euro Star from London to Paris with a couple members, a fun way to get to Paris.  We had a great time, but wish the weather would have been warmer.  

The pictures are inside the convention center where the show was held, I took the picture from the upstairs, the vendors were not happy about people taking pictures and I didn't want to get yelled at.  You can see the number of vendors, too much to buy!  They had needlework, knitting, quilting and sewing, so there was something for everyone.

We arrived in Paris early and had time to visit some other shops, here are the links for you to check out before you visit Paris:


Des Fils et une Aiguille - this is my favorite shop, it is near a Starbucks, which is a great place for spouses to wait while we shop.  The shop has a new owner who speaks English.  The shop is small, but packed with charts, fabrics, threads and lots of samples on the walls.


Bonheur des Dames - I have visited this shop several times too, they have their own designs that they sell as kits and some charts.  It is a large store and there is a restaurant across the street for spouses to have a drink.


Marche' Saint-Pierre - Six floors of fabric, they have every kind of fabric your can imagine.  I purchased silk and organza.  The street has fabric stores on both sides, you could easily spend a week and not see it all.


Declercq Passementiers - A friend told us about this shop and I loved it!  The shop sells tassels, they are made in France and Vietnam.  I have never seen so many beautiful tassels, they are expensive, but worth the Metro ride to see.


Le Bon Marche - This is a department store, but they have a very nice needlework department.  When we were there they were remodeling, but still had a nice selection of supplies and tools.  Also, a good place to have lunch.

Pierre Herme - If you want a real treat, go to Pierre Herme.  The macaroons are the best.  My favorite are the pink ones, rose flavor with raspberries.  Not cheap and not very big, but try at least one.

Mariage Freres Tea - Want a cup of tea to go with your macaroon, try Mariage Freres.  They have many different kinds of tea, I like English Breakfast.

Thanks to The Sampler Guild in England members for planning this great time in Paris.  We had meals together with lots of visiting and laughing, visited the l'aiguille en fete and Au ver a soie.  They also, helped me to leave some money in Paris.  

A wonderful trip that will be repeated someday.

Surprise from Lyon, France & a Road Trip to Austin, Texas

We took a road trip, drove to Austin, Texas and almost three weeks later we returned home to find a wonderful surprise in the mail. My friend who lives in Lyon, France sent me these wonderful treasures.

She made the ATC in memory of her cat who recently went to cat heaven and is missed very much, they lost two cats in a very short time. That is so sad, but the good news is they now have a new cat to love. She and her husband made the calendar, we have it sitting by the TV in the kitchen, we didn't have a calendar near the table so this is really appreciated. And the kit will be fun to make, now I just need to get busy.

As for other projects, I did a little knitting while we were traveling, knitting is a great project to work on in the car. Now I just need my husband to try on his sock so I can finish making them.

I visited Needle Works in Austin, what a wonderful needlepoint store. (http://www.theneedleworks.com/) They have fibers that I have never seen before and very helpful too. I had seen the Evertite Strencher Bars, but had never touched them or seen how they work. Well, now I wish I had all the sizes, they are great for needlepoint because you can tighten them up to keep the canvas tight while stitching. Needle Works don't have a picture on their website, but there is a picture on Tristan Brooks Designs (http://www.needleartworks.com/dsgnr/tbd/tbd10.htm) I have to say they are not cheap, well worth the money. Needle Works is a great place to spend a day and there is a good restaurant in the same mall Santa Rita Cantina (http://www.santaritacantina.com/) the Chilli Relleno with Spinach, mushrooms & ranchero sauce is the BEST. In fact Santa Rita was so good we ate there three times. Actually all the food was good in Austin!

We had a great trip, just very long, 5,000 miles round trip. It is nice to be home again!