Now that I'm back everything is less exciting, and nothing is the same. The food is more sugary, the bread isn't as good, and nothing is as beautiful. France for me is an amazing and wonderful place, and I am already starting to plan out my next trip. Who knows, maybe I'll decide to study or work somewhere and actually get to live there for a while.
One week wasn't enough time, but I did get to experience a lot of things. I got to learn how to cook, pair wine & cheeses, learn about wine, do wine tastings (even 1 at a vineyard), and that's just the food related things. I had a blast walking and exploring around Riorges and Roanne, as well as getting to spend all of Saturday going around Lyon and experiencing a larger French city.
I got to experience fancy pastries, classic quiches, see a movie in a French cinema (Deadpool in French is very different), and browse a few bookstores. Not everything is so different, but I do know I'll be making a few changes to my lifestyle from this trip. I'll be taking more downtime, especially when it comes to meals. Instead of rushing and eating dinner on my way to somewhere I want to take the time to sit and enjoy my meals. It doesn't have to be a multiple course meal with wine or take hours, but it will be nice taking that time out of my day and actually resting and enjoying life. Along with meals, I'll be cooking more and trying new things. No more soup or pasta once a week just because I have it. I'd like to make some vinaigrettes or maybe actually make a multiple course meal. I'll probably cook for my friends too.
I'm pretty excited about adding some French touches to my life, but it's not the same as actually being there. I hope to return relatively soon, but with work starting in the next month I don't think it will happen for a while.
"America is my country, but Paris is my hometown."
- Gertrude Stein.
During my study abroad in Riorges we spent Saturday in Lyon. It was pretty amazing to see the city and spend a whole day out and about. I'll write more on the whole day, but this post is all about the silk. My mini group decided to go to the 2 different silk factory places with our free time. We started off at this really fancy looking place, but their tours of the factory had already taken place for the day. We got to walk around and see their mini exhibit, which was really nice. They had the process laid out for you on how silk is made and then the weaving and also some history on Lyon and their silk. A lot of what I saw regarding the process and machinery I had learned about in my textiles class. I did enjoy reading the history of silk in Lyon, it was very interesting.
After the first place we decided to walk to another silk factory location. This one was less fancy and older looking. It was great to see the differences. This location actually used the machines, they weren't just for display like the first location. I was able to get 8 "coupons" for 2 euros and I plan on creating my own fabric swatch book with information and such, similar to the books we made for my early design class (and then used in textiles). It was a great experience to go to both places and actually see the machinery, read the history, and just explore Lyon.
After heading back towards the center of Lyon we decided to just walk around for some shopping. I found a fabric store and just had to go in and look around. I had asked the woman if they had any silk, because why not, and they only had 1. It was a golden mustard color and cost 99 euros per metre...so I kept browsing around the store. I came across some "coupons" and decided to get them, they're white with black circles. Then I found a really cool upholstery fabric that is very colorful, different on both sides, and was really wide so I knew I could afford the 1 metre of 35 euros. It's not silk, but it's beautiful and I can't wait to finish my senior collection and make a really awesome jacket for myself.
Stay tuned for more on Lyon & the rest of my travels from this past week!
Pictured left is the corset after all of the side seams were sewn together. I was still debating on the zipper but in the end I chose an all black separating zipper for the front closure. There are no laces, it just zips on and off. Once I sewed the seams I pressed them open and then sewed the zipper. Then it was ready for a fitting to see how it fits over the dress.
Pictured right is the corset all sewn together with the zipper and on my mannequin over the dress for Gabby. I was pretty sure it looked to big but decided to wait for the fitting before changing anything. Also, I couldn't put the boning in before making sure it fit. However, I could have put the boning in the seams in which I wouldn't alter after the fitting. The 3 seams I alter are the center back and the 2 side seams. After the fitting I needed to take the corset in around 3 inches total.
Pictured left is the corset after sewing twill tape down 4 of the seams to create a tunnel for the boning to go inside. I learned this method in my corsetry class at the London College of Fashion (LCF) and decided to use it for my more modernized corset instead of doing the run and fell seams. I am not using black twill tape for the entire insides. I've been debating on how to finish the other 5 seams, but I'm thinking as of now it'll be 2 red seams and 3 white seams. I'll be finishing the corset by hand sewing black twill tape along the top and bottom. I may be taking the corset with me to France to do some hand sewing while in the airport, but that's not set in stone since I haven't packed yet and don't know how heavy my bags will be. We shall see :)
Now that I'm back everything is less exciting, and nothing is the same. The food is more sugary, the bread isn't as good, and nothing is as beautiful. France for me is an amazing and wonderful place, and I am already starting to plan out my next trip. Who knows, maybe I'll decide to study or work somewhere and actually get to live there for a while.
