Hello friends!
We’re planning to drive to the Basque country and possible the Bordeaux region of France during S’s spring break. Have you ever visited those areas? We’ve both been so busy we haven’t had much time to do any research, so I thought I’d ask you for advice and recommendations. San Sebastian, Biarritz, and Bayonne sound lovely, with maybe a stop in Toulouse or Bordeaux. Is there anything we can’t miss? And I’d love to do a little day hiking in the Pyrenees, if possible.
Pinterest Picks
The prints on these adorable bloomers are so sweet! You could sew something very similar with our Oliver + S Seashore Bloomers pattern. And what about a pale pink handkerchief linen Roller Skate Dress? I love the citron accent on this dress.
Did you catch our side vent tutorial on the blog this week? You can add it to all sorts of styles, including our Liesl + Co. Bento Tee. Speaking of which, I love the sleeve in the photo below, right. Isn’t that inverted box pleat fun? If you have the Building Block Dress book, combine the bell sleeve and the pleated skirt to create a similar detail.
Such pretty earrings! I’m a sucker for textile-oriented jewelry. Also, the ring on the top right led me to the sewing themed ring below it. Isn’t that cute?
S freaked out when I showed her the cotton candy wig, below. She’d totally wear it, too, probably with her angel wings and who knows what else. We got her a chemistry set for her birthday because she loves experiments and concocting mixtures, and speaking of experiments and fluffy things, have you ever put Ivory soap in the microwave? I suspect it would be a big hit at our house.
Weekend Links
- Quilting in spaaaaaaaaaaaaace!
- Could this be the future of typefaces? I love the idea of morphing words.
- I’ve been formatting fall sewing patterns for the past couple of weeks and it’s long, tedous work that requires lots of focus. I keep myself entertained by listening to podcasts, and lately my favorite is The Kitchen Sisters Present, which I highly recommend. Plus, a new season of Meet The Composer is out!
- Video: How to listen to a podcast. Just in case you need help navigating, but mostly because it’s so cute!
- On dressing your age and why that concept is somewhat meaningless. Or at least doesn’t mean what you think.
- Coming soon to your closet (and hopefully to the fabric store?): biosilk. And then biowool. And bionylon.
- If I was going to do it all over again, I can’t decide whether I’d want to be Japanese or Polish. Or maybe Portuguese.
- This is a really good idea to get kids talking about their day and to keep communication open.
- My fashion awakening came during the age of Christian Lacroix, so I enjoyed this article about his work and innovation.
Come back next week when I’ll be introducing you to our new spring patterns! I can’t wait. Have a great weekend!
Gernika, in the Basque Country, is Boise’s Sister City. We have the largest population of Basques outside of the Basque Country itself. Every four years we have a big Jaialdi celebration and a big contingent of Basques travel over to spend a week celebrating with their family and friends here. I love the Basque culture and food — and Gernika has always been a place I’d like to visit. Might be worth stopping there while you are traveling through 🙂
Thanks, Lindsie! I’m off to check it out.
Bilbao, San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, San Sebastian, Hondarribia, Saint Jean de Luz, Ghetary, Biarritz… all the basque coast is spectacular. The countryside too!!
https://tourism.euskadi.eus/en/
http://www.guide-du-paysbasque.com/fr/?gclid=CObIgKGZ5dICFW4R0wodtPUO0A
I’ve put these all on my list, Ainara! Thanks so much for the recommendations.
I always look forward to reading your weekend posts with the links to a variety of art, culture and fun stuff. This weekend I enjoyed seeing the wedding costumes from around the world (India and Japan are my faves); and learning about the incredible evolving typeface. I bookmarked the biosilk article and the podcasts too. As for recommendations for your trip, I have the Guggenheim museum in Bilbao on my “to see” list. I have known many people who have hiked along on the pilgrimage route: Santiago de Compostela.
Thanks for the kind words, Addie. We stopped in Bilbao last summer to visit the Guggenheim and it was everything I hoped it would be. I hope you get to go someday!
I forgot to say I am looking forward to seeing your new Spring patterns in the coming week too!
The Atlantic coast is beautiful. Great for surfing. Dune du Pilat is worth visiting (south of Bordeaux), tallest sand dune in Europe. Bordeaux is lovely (I’m bias as I live near here), architecture, shopping, bars, cafes and good restaurants. Fabric market Saturday and Monday mornings in Place St. Michel. Of course it’s a big wine area so lots of wine châteaux to see. For hiking, you could look at http://www.france-randonnee.fr. Good luck with your trip. Let me know if There is anything else you would like to know. 🙂
Oh, thank you so much! We’re leaving next Saturday and I can’t wait! I’ve always wanted to see this part of France. xo