On Monday, June 1st I’ll be kicking off the Canadian Pattern Designer Blog Tour (yeah, a bit of a mouthful!) but I thought that first I would feature an interview with one of the sponsors of the prizes.
Please welcome Michelle of L’Oiseau Fabrics!
L’Oiseau Fabrics is an online fabric shop located in Alberta that specializes in European fabrics. From cotton poplin to sweatshirt fabric, you can find such beautiful fabrics as this.
You can find more fabric deliciousness here. But first, read up a bit on Michelle and L’Oiseau Fabrics!
(My questions are in italics and Michelle’s responses follow right after).
Your about page says that you decided to open your shop in 2013 after waking up “and decided today was as good a day as any”. Was it something that you had been thinking about doing for a long time? Did you have any experience working in a fabric store prior to opening your own?
It was something I had thought about doing for a couple years prior to actually taking the plunge. I had, like many of us, a nagging feeling that I needed to know more, to be better, before I actually went for it. The morning I decided to go for it, I decided I’d be open to anything, ask a million questions, accept I was going to make mistakes but I’d learn along the way and at the end of it, I’d have the thing I dreamed about.
Is there any particular reason that you decided to specialize in European fabrics? (Besides their gorgeousness!) Gorgeousness about sums it up. It really was the only place I could find the fabrics I wanted for myself. And I wanted to feel very confident about the product I was selling. I feel that way about the Euro fabrics.
Can you describe a typical day for you?
We are homeschooling our kiddos this year and have enjoyed the daily freedom we get from that. But basically mornings are for school, afternoons for adventure and excursions, and evenings are when I go to work. I love every part of my day. How grateful I am to say that!
What was the first thing you ever sewed that you can remember? How did it go?
I think I was so young when I started, I truly don’t remember. But I will say that when I was in grade 4, my mom decided to homeschool me and that was when I really had time to sew. I started a little business sewing mainly short pants and aprons. It did really well!
Being that the tour is Canadian inspired, can you tell me a little about where you live? Is there one place nearby that you always recommend to new visitors? (a shop, restaurant, or landmark)
I live in Calgary, Alberta which is just at the foot of the beautiful Rocky Mountains. I send our visitors to the Rockies, and if possible, to try a hand at camping. The Rockies are one of those enduring and rare places where there is very little of ‘man-made’ and where you can feel your place in the bigger picture.
Is there any other place in Canada that you’ve always wanted to visit or that you do visit on a regular basis?
Nova Scotia. I’ve never been there but I think the lifestyle, music, and culture would suit me very well. We would be fast friends. [Ula’s note: I have a super duper soft spot for all things Nova Scotian since I was born there. I definitely recommend a visit!]
What are your top 3 favourite sewing resources? (book, website, etc)
The book ‘Sewing Clothes Kids love’ by Nancy Langdon and Sabine Pollehn, Ottobre Design, and my mother in law.
What is your #1 sewing tip or trick?
Removing serger seams – I rip out the threads with a seam ripper, make a great big mess and then run over it with a lint brush. Done in seconds!
Any future plans at L’Oiseau Fabrics that you’d like to share?
I’m hoping to open a physical store when my kids are a bit older and I can start to involve them in the process. So I guess the future of l’oiseau will be my children’s imaginations!
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Thank you Michelle for taking the time to do the interview and for sponsoring my blog tour! Come back tomorrow to get the tour schedule as well as the full details of the giveaways and prizes! Then come back on Monday to read the interview with the first designer up, Gracious Threads, and see what the first blogger on the tour has made!
