Back to Paris!

For the third time this summer, I am packing to go away. This time, the destination is Paris. It has always been a love-hate relationship. Loving and fighting, singing and crying, we spent seven years together. I came to Paris from a foreign country, young and naive enough to still believe that all people are kind creatures.

I could easily write a book about my adventures and misadventures in Paris (just have to brush up my English or write it in French and translate).But if it weren't for the ups and downs I experienced in the French capital, I would have never become who I am today.

The aim of this post is not to tell you about my life, but what I'll be doing in Paris!

The main reason for my trip is a friend's wedding. In fact, the wedding will take place in Belgium. I am looking forward to the picturesque Flemish country-side! The dress which I am currently working on to wear to the wedding is almost finished!

But the wedding also gave me an excuse to stay in Paris more to learn tambour beading! Crochet embroidery has fascinated me for a while, but as with bra-making , I was scared that I would not be good enough at something so technically precise. After a few weeks of contemplation, I have decided to go for it!

My first idea was to sign-up for a few master classes at Lesage, the mecca of tambour embroidery. But it is, like most of the schools in France, closed for the summer holidays. Thank God for Google! The search pages introduced me to this amazing crafter, Véronique Richard. From what I had read on her site and her blog, she seemed a passionate artist and a lovely woman. So I emailed her and asked if she would be available for some intensive private lessons. And to my great surprise she answered positively! Can you believe, she's been kind enough to buy me all the equipment necessary for a beginner! Of course, I don't expect to become anywhere near as good as the great artists who create couture gowns for the catwalk défilés, but I would like to master some of the tambour beading techniques enough to incorporate them in my future garments. EXCITEDDDDDD!

I'll post more details about my lessons and share the results with you after my return in Tokyo, in the beginning of September. 

Do you also do embroidery? Have you tried tambour beading before? Would you be interested to know more about this style of embroidery?