Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Cafe The Chocolate

For several days (I hope it wasn't weeks) after moving here, I thought this sign meant "Cafe: The Chocolat" i.e. a cafe named "The Chocolate."

Then I realized that THE meant "tea" - it just didn't have the accent mark above the E. So okay, it was a cafe that served tea and chocolate. Now a more observant person would have noticed there were no tables or seating, therefore it wasn't a cafe. Not me. Luckily my husband told me that "cafe" means coffee. Which I should have known anyway since I do drink Cafe Au Lait upon occasion. (Which always sounds like a spanish bullfighting drink to me: Cafe Ole!) So the real answer is "Richard's Coffees: coffee, tea, and chocolate." Pretty pathetic when even the easy stuff is hard.

I have been working on my pink cat. A very wonderful person commented on the positive aspects of my design in the last post. Thank you. I hope I didn't ruin it when I went to put my drawing into action. I slanted the cat's head so that the chin wouldn't be on the body. I wanted it to show up more. And when it came time to putting the tree in, I just didn't have enough room to put in four of the dandelions, only three. Believe me, I tried.

I used an Egyptian floss I have to stem stitch the tree. When I was at the little shop, the salesperson kept telling me it was silk. I was smart enough to know it couldn't really be silk, not at that price (a big bunch for less than a dollar). I think it's rayon - it has that glow. I also think it's what they use to embroider shirts, so it IS colorfast - I've got the washed shirts to prove it. Turns out the Egyptians use the word "silk" for cord. Or something like that. You can read how the silk cord is made in this great post by Jenny Bowker.

The cat has a face now. I stem stitched with regular quilting thread. I tried putting in pupils, but didn't like them. Do like the dandelions. They are large opaque beads held on with seed beads. One more to go. Then I'll have to decide if I want to add in more quilting. The initial stitches I did don't do anything for me - I won't be doing that particular method again.

The linen wasn't easy to applique - stiff and it frayed easily. Is that because I haven't washed it? (How unlike me, I know. It's just the cotton that I've pre-washed) I used running stitch applique which I suppose made it more difficult than it needed to be, but I like how it looks.

This little piece will be done soon. Then I'll go on to another little study. I still want to try appliqueing the silk (also unwashed) and playing with velvet.

And just to cover all the bases with this post, a kitty picture. Beautiful Lily.

My friend Will brought a quilting friend over to visit today. Unfortunately Joelle doesn't live in Paris, because she is a treat. She loves Gwen Marston and Freddy Moran, but just hasn't made that leap to liberation yet.

My sweet husband got an I-Pod for me. Partly because he loves me and partly to keep me entertained so I won't be bored and whine. Now I can sit on the sofa and quilt. I have one day's worth of podcats, so I'd better get listening.

16 comments:

Mama Spark said...

Wow, that applique is great, wo shimsical! I love Liley too, she is adorable. I am (not so secretly) coveting your iPod. My friend tells me she belongs to a place and gets books to download and then "reads" while she quilts! I want to do that *whine, whine* (Maybe I will have to steal, I mean borrow, the DH's?)

Anonymous said...

Oooh - the cat looks like the cats from "Mirrormask" - very cool!

Unknown said...

I would have assumed the same thing with Cafe The Chocolat. Too funny.

Your little applique/embroidery piece is so sweet--love the blue dandelions. And yes, you can make them any color you want!

How I wish I had bought that Janet Bolton book too. I had it in my hands one day and decided against it, idiot that I am.

Candy Schultz said...

Would you wash linen? My experience is that it unravels rather easily. The kitty piece is adorable and so is Lily.

sophie said...

Don't beat yourself up about coffee-tea-cocoa. The French call those words faux amis (false friends) because they look like a word you know ... but they mean something different. It didn't help that the sign was in all upper case (and the accents dropped).

Magpie Sue said...

I LOVE the way your pink cat is developing! Has your wool allergy caused any problems yet? Can't wait to see what you do next!

Dianne said...

Those blue beads for the dandelion tree are wonderful, Tonya, and I love the tilt of the cat's head. The running stitch applique is perfect, too.

And what did we ever do before iPod, I wonder? I listen to Terry Gross interviews all the time, and the NY Times book reviewer interviewing authors. Fun!

meggie said...

I really like that pink cat with the lovely blue dandelions! Nice touch to use blue.
Also love Lily, she is beautiful it is true!
I fell in love with a Siamese kitten yesterday, but was not encouraged to do more than look...sigh.

Ms. Jan said...

Wow!! I loved your drawing and your fabric translation is even better!! I wish I could draw like you do. =)

Anonymous said...

i totally expected yout o handle the dandelion puffs with stitch, i love the beads, unexpected and bold... i am on to silk applique too. i have found that silk behaves more when damp. i am spritzing and ironing over a paper template... seems ok.

Cher said...

ah, catching up with you, great photos as usual and Lily is so wonderful in all her poses. What a fun new project-the kitty applique/dandelion piece...very inspiring...to see your ideas come alive after seeing Jivya's stuff.
and all the wonderful links to creative blogs...thanks for being so diligent about including them. Ipods rock! I have a lot of music and that is what I stitch to while at the machine-on shuffle mode of course.

Finn said...

Hey Ton, I think the study piece is coming along just great! Love the beads for the flower puffs, perfect in any color. And the pink cat, great..and will be even better with whiskers!
The original sketches were wonderful. Loved all the critters. Neat that you are trying this new stuff. Hugs, Finn

Unknown said...

Very Janet Bolton! - love it Tonya. Strange how they don't put accents on capital letters, it's the same in Germany - just as you think you're getting your head round things eh?

atet said...

I am loving this little piece. The pink just jumps out and those beads! Just fantastic Tonya!

jmb_craftypickle said...

I love the blue dandy-lions, and the kitty is very sweet in an folksy way.***the quilt on my blog wasn't mine, but was someone's orphan scraps made in to blocks...very Gee's bend.

Clare said...

I love the dandelions. The whole design is gorgeous.

I would have thought the cafe was called that too. Gorgeous colours on that photo. I've got all the HP books on MP3. Do you want me to copy the disks for you?