Sharon Sews

I've been reading with a great deal of interest the excitement building around the 2008 SWAP that is discussed on Artisan's Square . The SWAP (sewing with a plan) runs from January to April 2008. In fact, I was just about to sign up when I realized that I need a new, coordinated work wardrobe BEFORE Jan. 1, 2008 as I will be transferring to a new department within the organization on that date. One that will require a more polished look than I currently wear in the office. So, I thought I'd be adventurous and try something new....planning ahead with my sewing! Whoa! What a concept! Instead of "oh, this fabric is cute, what can I make with it?", I'm trying "this will coordinate with this, and this with this, and so on, and so on, and so on." With that in mind I headed over to Treadle Yard Goods with my $175 gift certificate in hand ready to purchase good quality pieces that coordinated together. You know, it was hard to actually spend that gift

Sigh... I just spend four days in Paris. Four days living the life of a seamstress in the couture workrooms of Paris in 1919. Four days savoring The Collection by Gioia Diliberto. Be prepared to be captivated by the fictionalized account of Isabelle Varlet, a charming young women hired to work as a seamstress in the couture workroom of Gabrielle (Coco) Chanel in the early 1900's. "Instead of dying, I learned to sew." Words uttered by Isabelle as she begins to tell her journey into the post WWI behind the scenes world of couture in Paris. The story begins with Isabelle as a young child bedridden due to a bout of consumption. She lives in a small French town and is being raised by her grandmother. While bedridden her grandmother teaches her the fine art of sewing, not such an odd thing considering Isabelle comes from a long line of seamstresses. When Isabelle grows up she works in a dress shop owned by a woman who once worked for Chanel. When her fiance dies, Isabelle hea