Logbook June 2020

Hello, hello !

It is already the 1st July as I’m writing this note ! Summer is well settled in now and stores and places are begining to re-open. It’s relieving to be able to move more freely and meet people again. At the end of May I started to read again my favourite book! 20 years after the first reading, I read my french copy of Harry Potter and the philosopher stone. I can tell you, it’s still a pleasure to read. I’m now reading the fifth one. I have two other books ongoing but I prefer to read Harry Potter. I have read them so many times but sometimes I notice a tiny detail which will go on to play an important part thereafter ! I was eleven when I was introduced to the Harry Potter series and I am still fascinated and passionate about the books.

While I spent my evenings reading, the garden is still growing well ! I had my fist harvest of tomatoes end of June, there are so much ! The 10 plants are luxurious. I’m amazingly surprised by my basil lettuce leaf. One leaf is enough for a dish ! Dahlias are happily blossoming and for my great pleasure Foxglove sowing are a success. Digitalis Purpurea is my favorite flower so I take great care of these babies.

I am still interested in dying and I continue try different things. Since my last post about it I tried nettles, turmeric, black tea, yellow onion skin, heather. Nettle is harder than what I expected. Indeed I obtained a nice light grey-blue with the fresh leaves but it was below my expectations. So I’m still working on it. Until now I dyed only linen sheet, I mordanted lace, cotton fabrics and rope. The result on rope is promising… I don’t tell more.

I can’t resist to show you the beautiful fabrics I ordered from the french maker Amandine Chadessolier. I present quickly the brand: Amandine Cha – Les Trouvailles d’Amandine is a french fabric maker launched 10 years ago. They are 100% GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) and made in France. Every fabric is created, drew, weaved, dyed and printed in their factory close to Paris. For this first order I choose a selection of chambray. It’s so soft and easy to sew. It’s perfect for the products coming soon…

Meanwhile the new collections, 13 new dragons joined the Etsy Store and you can now enjoy the fairies of flowers. These lovely tiny dolls arrived in June and are ready to be adopted. You can find 5 of them on the Etsy Store, 4 other are in progress. I name them after a french names of flowers. They are smaller than the fairies of woods so, easier to play with for babies. Its the first time I spend so much time to validate a prototype. I made 6 of them before I was satisfied. I kept the first prototype and named her Hellebore. I remember Drekinn, he was the first prototype of my dragons and perfect at this moment. Since, I improved the pattern but the current dragon are very similar to Drekinn and it was quick to make it. Fairies required more time and tests.
The process of creation is a long journey for me. Usually from the first idea to the final product, many months passed. The first step happens all in my head, I spent hours to draw it, imagine it, to think about the patterns, size, textures, technics. I also think about the material and the tools and finally the purpose. A reflex I kept from my old job, Is to start a project with the goal I want to reach. For example, the fairy dolls are a relative to the magic world and so are favourable for creating stories with infinite possibilities. Also, the shape and the texture are comforting when you hold them. It creates a secure feeling and confort which is necessary for playing. Imagination is a big part of my life and I always created stories and art and crafts because my imagination was (still is) rich and encouraged all along my childhood. These playing times are very important for children to discover, experience and understand the world. So I encourage all parents to play with their children and give them all the best materials to create a favourable playing environment. In the future I want to post some article about playing and its importance. Could you be interested ?

Finally, I created a new basket and it will be available next week (I hope), time to write a post and take photos and it will be online.

So as you can see, June was a busy month for me. I will slow down in July to enjoy summer and family time but I stay connected and active to prepare September.
Take care
X
Mathilde and the dragons !