le mani d'oro

I'm reviewing Couture Elle in advance of the first PR Weekend in Canada, coming up in June, 2010. This is one of the stores in Montreal's concentrated fabric shopping district on St. Hubert Street, north of Jean Talon Metro stop. It's one of my favorites.


Have you bought anything from this store? If yes were the prices competitive? I have bought many pieces from this store. The prices are not bargain basement but very good, especially when you consider that the fabrics are unique and high quality.

Guipure in all colours

How was your shopping experience. Is there anything you did not like about this store? The owner of the store, Jean Ghrayeb, is extremely helpful and will tell you the fibre content and designer origins of his stock. If he�s not sure, he whips out his lighter and does a burn test, right in the store. He stocks beautiful wools, silks, linen and laces as well as designer knits. This is a fantastic place to browse, with fabric on bolts neatly stacked almost to the ceiling. It's well organized by type of fabric and Mr. Ghrayeb does a great job of making suggestions, if you are looking for something special.

This is not the biggest store on St. Hubert, by square footage, but there is a lot of great fabric to be had - which means it can get a little crowded - visit in small groups!


Connie lost in fabric paradise

Kay wrote three great review on fabric stores in Montreal.

The first one is on Sam Textiles on St-Hubert Street. This will of course be part of our fun shopping during the Montreal PR Weekend in June.

Here are Kay's impression with lost of pictures.

I'm reviewing this store in anticipation of the PR Weekend coming up in Montreal in June, 2010. We'll definitely be trekking to St. Hubert Street which has a concentration of fabric stores. Sams is a must-see.

My Favorite Kay



There are long aisles organized by type of fabric. There is an entire aisle devoted to lycra and knits, but my favorite aisle is found at the very back of the store. 100% cashmere, anyone?

The silk aisle


Sams has fabulous suitings and especially coat fabrics woven from pure wool, and blends with alpaca and cashmere. Silks are at the front of the store. Every colour of dupioni, as well as exquisite embroidered silks can be found. From time to time I have seen African printed cotton. Upstairs is the bargain section � in the past full of novelty cotton prints; now it's mostly home dec. However, things change and it's worth checking out.

In addition to fashion fabric, Sams sells some "utility" fabrics (not sure what else to call them) such as interfacing, lambs wool interlining, etc.

I've spent many an hour browsing at Sams - it has very competitive prices for high quality fabric.

Here are Connie and Rhonda browsing for ??


As for shopping experience, the staff are helpful but happy to leave you to browse. The store is relatively large but has LOTS of stock, so there's not a lot of open space. However, it should be able to accommodate small-medium clusters of shoppers.

DORMS OR HOTEL the big questions

When we started this project I had mad the suggestion of using the Université de Montréal dorms. So were in favour of this option and some others were not.

Our favourite room critics KayY and ConnieBJ came all the way to Montreal to try those for you.

Here is what Kay wrote about it:
Thérèse Casgrain Residence

The UdeM residence hotel provides basic accommodation at a great price. For $40 per night, you get a single room, high-speed Internet connection, and continental breakfast.

The rooms are small but adequate. Therese Casgrain is a relatively new building and there are only about 9-10 rooms on each floor. Each room has a single bed, desk, sink and closet, as well as a small fridge and fan. The building is not air conditioned, but we found that the rooms (11th floor) were very comfortable at night, even though we were in Montreal during a relatively hot and humid week in July.

Most floors have a common room, which is airy and cross-ventilated. It’s a comfortable place to sit and chat, and there’s a great view from the upper floors.

Bathrooms are shared with other residents on the floor. Everything was very clean and well maintained.
_________________________

After exchanging emails and thinking about it, we strongly recommand the dorms. Thought there is not air conditionning, they came in July and the rooms were not hot at all. The window provides plenty of wind since it is such high building. Plus if we go for those, I could reserve the 5th last floors and there would be only PR members using the bathrooms and the meeting rooms.

Check the picture Kay took
click here.

I already reserved the conference room in the UdeM building where I work. If the weather allows, we will be able to have a cocktail on a gorgeous roof terrace.

Kay is coming to Montreal on the weekend of November 28. You are welcome to join for a visit of Madeleine Soie et Laine and more discussion about our weekend.

Click here to reserve your room - Don't forget to select PR Weekend in the Event section.

Regards,

Anne

En cette journée d'Halloween, le temps se prête merveilleusement bien à la couture. Le ciel est de pluie et de vent. J'en profite donc pour entamer la confection d'une robe pour le Gala Forces Avenir. En effet, le 17 novembre prochain, j'accompagne un groupe d'étudiants en liste pour le prix d'excellence-projet en santé. J'ai eu le plaisir de les guider dans la présentation de leur dossier. Cette fois je n'aurai pas à monter sur le podium. Toutefois, s'ils gagnent, lors des remerciements, j'aurai sûrement une caméra de télé braquée sur moi. Mieux vaut être élégante.

Cette fois, nulle hésitation. J'ai été tentée au premier coup d'oeil par cette robe de Burda Tendance Mode. Les courbes simples et l'encolure rappelle vaguement la robe Galaxie de Roland Mouret. Vous ne trouvez pas ? Bien sûr elle n'est pas coupée à la taille comme l'originale. Puisque j'ai peu de temps, la simplicité me sied à ravir.

Voilà un projet ou je joins l'utile (la robe) à l'agréable (coudre la robe) !

By this rainy and windy Halloween day the weather is excellent for sewing my little black dress. On the November 17, I accompany a group of students in nomination for a price of leadership and excellence at the Forces avenir Gala. They presented their candidacy based on a wonderful project in health sciences. You might ask yourself what was my implication in this. Well I had the immense pleasure of coaching them in presenting their file.

Though this time, I will not be stepping on stage, if they are awarded, there will be a tv camera pointing in my direction. In those type of Gala, they most often direct the camera on those who are winning and on those who are thanked... and they told me I would receive a big thank you !!! ;-) So I better be dressed nicely.

This time, no hesitation. I was tempted right away by this nice little black dress presented in the October 2009 number of Burda World of fashion. The neckline reminded my some how of the most famous Galaxy dress by Roland Mouret. This version is not cut at the waist for more simplicity. Since time is running, this will be perfect.

The fabric I chose is a beautiful silk and wool fabric that present this "stripped" texture. Another beauty bought at Madeleine Soie et Laine on St-Hubert

Clic on the picture to see the fabric from closer

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Vous êtes quelques dizaines et parfois quelques centaines à passer sur mon blog à chaque semaine. Parfois, vous ne lisez que le titre du message, parfois vous cherchiez autres choses. Quelques fois vous aimez et passer plus temps.

Où êtes vous quand vous naviguez sur la toile? Au bureau, dans un aéroport, à la maison, dehors sur la terrasse d'un restaurant? Et puis, quel coin du monde habitez-vous? Marchez-vous chaque matin dans les rues d'une grande ville, pressé(e) par le rythme des gens à la course? Traversez-vous champs et vallons avant de cueillir à mains nues les fruits d'une terre ancestrale? Peux-être plongez-vous votre regard dans l' infini des flots bleus? Qui sait?

Chaque matin, j'use mes semelles sur le bitumes. Le vent d'ouest me porte vers le métro et le soir il me caresse le visage. Parfois d'une main douce et d'autres fois, surtout en hiver, il me fouette avec vivacité. Ma ville me plait. Quelques fois par année, je sens le besoin de prendre le large pour plusieurs jours.

Comme à chaque automne, nous étirons de deux jours supplémentaires le congé de l'action de grâce. Combinaisons, palmes et bouteilles de plongée se rangent dans la bagnole pour prendre la route vers les Escoumins. Là se rejoignent de amis de longue date. Chaque jour devient une célébration. Notre rituel festif se compose toujours de rires, d'émerveillement sous les eaux glaciales de l'Estuaire du St-Laurent, de longs repas entre amis et de sublimes moments méditatifs sur les rochers.

Je ne peux vous expliquer à quel point j'aime ces longues marches sur les rochers bordant l'Estuaire. Le vent se fait vif et fort. Parfois, il se fait même tempête. Au sud se dessinent les collines de Trois-Pistoles, séparées de notre rive par 30 kilomètres d'eau. Les jours mouvementés, il y a le bruit des vagues sur les rochers. Par temps calme, seul le bruit des oiseaux et le souffle des baleines viennent briser l'immensité du silence.

Ahh calme, bonheur et repos. Il faut bien se poser du reste de la vie.

pants front

I am so proud !!!! The muslin for the jacket is perfect. I simply need to take a bit in the upper back. The rest is top notch. Elise was between two sizes, so I cut in the middle for the back and upper front. I gave more space for the abdomen zone.

pants back

Though the pants are fitting relatively well, they need more waist space. I had cut again in between two sizes except for the abdomen zone that was cut two sizes larger. It still needs 4 cm more at the waist going to nothing a in the hip area. Her upper hips were stronger then the pattern counts. See the back and front pants muslin.

Since her body will evolve a bit in the next few months. I decided on making the front yoke in knit. Since they will be black, it is easy to find. I have in mind a medium weight high quality rayon knit from Madeleine Soie et laine.

If the pants get too big in the next few months, it will be very easy to transform. Elise loved the cut and fit of both piece (jacket and pants).

Well, I am better in fitting others then I though. I felt good when I looked at her wearing those muslin ;-). Still it is a challenge. All adjustments are just about the inverse as what I usually do. I would love to have a dress form for her.

Do you sew for other often ?

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Today is a simple pleasure day. I started by a wonderful course of tennis and now it is sewing time. My younger sister gave birth 4 1/2 months ago of her second child. She will be back to work in 3 months or so and she desperately needs new clothes.

She asked for a simple Asian jacket and a pair of sleek pants. New Look pattern 6656 seamed to fit the description perfectly.

Aujourd'hui, tout semble converger vers le plaisir. Dès 8h00 j'étais sur le terrain de tennis (avec un gros 6 oC) et par la suite ma soeur est passée pour la prise de mesure. Elle est présentement en congé de maternité et avant son retour au bureau, Élise a grandement besoin de vêtements. Elle désirait avoir une veste aux lignes simples et pures typique des vêtements asiatiques avec un pantalon tout simple également.

Le patron New Look 6656 semblait correspondre parfaitement à la description.

Une photo d'Élise et ses deux garçons. Élise with her two sons. Adorables !!!!!

I do not sew for others very often. Therefore, I correct my patterns very instinctively. I am used to my curves. Now it is a new game. Elise has more of a rectangular shape then I. She style has a little bit of abdomen roundness that will be reduced with time. She still breastfeeds, so I also have to anticipate a reduction of breast size and the lowering of her breast apex. So, it is like sewing with my eyes closed. ;-)

Though I know very well how to reduce waist line and accentuate the curve from waist to hip line. Now I have to do the inverse. Needless to say that I am plunging in my fitting books.

I have to run sewing the muslins, the fitting session is tomorrow.

I will tell you how it goes.

L'essayage de la toile se déroule demain. Je vous tiens au courant.

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