Make My Lemonade Blog

To make the Ursula swimsuit you'll need :

• 1m of not too thick lycra fabric in 1.40m width, we found these Liberty fabrics at Personal patternmulticolored flowers here and the white and red flowers here,
• 0.45m anti-slip bustier tape (easily found in haberdashery or even on the internet),
• 1m laminette (not compulsory), also available from haberdashers or online,
• tissue paper,
• masking tape,
• and our downloadable pattern here !

We'll start with the pants, which come in 5 parts: 3 for the front, 1 for the back and a bottom. Be sure to add an extra 1cm on the pattern line that will form the thigh. Starting with the front of the panty, as we're doing an English seam, pin the short sides to the front, wrong sides together, and stitch at 0.5cm.

Turn the seam over and this time pin right sides together and stitch at 1cm. Take your back and pin it to the front. Pin wrong sides together, stitch at 0.5cm, then turn and stitch at 1cm.

Happy Monday company!

Well... Big troubles call for big remedies! Even though yesterday we were treated to 5 minutes of blue skies that literally melted social networks, today it's gray, always gray. So I'm bringing you some sunshine, to cheer you up for the week! After Auckland, it's on to Christchurch on the South Island. I'm not going to lie to you, this city wasn't my absolute aesthetic favorite, but I think it's still worth the detour, for a whole bunch of good reasons! Hamnpers Springs, Akaora and Chrischurch are not only the starting point for visiting the surrounding area, they're also balls of energy, a place that's a little out of time, that puts you back in the right frame of mind, and for good reason...

Christchurch has become infamous for its earthquakes, particularly the one on February 22, 2011, in which 185 people lost their lives. A few months later, a second earthquake hit the city, causing the collapse of several buildings in the city center and prompting the New Zealand government to abandon parts of the city. Many historic buildings, such as the cathedral, have since been partially or totally demolished.

These tragic events will leave an indelible mark on the history of New Zealanders. For months, the city was closed for work and the removal of rubble... And there were even districts that remained closed for several years, a sort of ghost town center. And then, little by little, life picked up again, and the entrepreneurs and craftsmen who had been welcomed to neighboring towns returned. It's all this that gives the town such a special face, such an uncommon energy. Between solidarity and audacity, these disasters have given them a certain urgency to live and dare. It's as if the earthquakes were a real electroshock for the inhabitants, who decided to follow their dreams. Dozens of shops and restaurants with the coolest, most innovative concepts open every week. For the merchandising freaks that we are, we've lost our minds a little! The city also invites artists to create frescoes on buildings under construction, and there are plenty of little street art exhibitions on every corner. For Posca lovers, I think it's a must if you're traveling in New Zealand. It's also the festival of food trucks... Great food in Christchurch!

Don't forget to click on the arrows to the left and right of the photo to scroll through the gallery! You'll get a glimpse of the city...

This is also where we met Marcia Butterfield, one of the co-founders of the beautiful city guide. Neat Placeswhich I wrote about in previous article. Marcia took us on a tour of her own Christchurch, showing us where to shop, discover local designers and have a good coffee in the latest place to open, which is still a bit of a secret... I love discovering cities through the eyes of the locals. I think it's a great way to be surprised and get off the beaten "backpacker" track. Have fun exploring Instagram with the location to prepare your trips...

Then for our first day of "bad weather", which only lasted a few hours, we headed to the Farmer Market, which I'd recommend. Perfect for lunch, you can pick up all sorts of super-fresh things in a friendly atmosphere, all lulled by live music from local bands. The market is located in a park around the town's oldest house, Riccarton House, at the end of an alley at 16 Kahu Road. An absolute must!

Don't forget to click on the arrows to the left and right of the photo to scroll through the gallery! This market really is my favorite part of the city, but be warned, it only takes place on Saturdays!

• To sum up Christchurch in a few words..:
• To take a leap into the retro-future and get those fries propelled in compressed-air hoses, go to: C1 ExpressoCorner High&Tuals Streets, Christchurch.
• Enjoy a cup of coffee in a futuristic, minimalist diner: Supreme10 Welles Street,
  Christchurch.
• To eat a dream of Asian cuisine, and think of me while taking the spinach leaf : King of Snake 145 Victoria Street, Christchurch
• To sleep we stayed at the adorable boutique hotel MontréalAs the name suggests, you'd think you were in the English countryside, ready to hop on a horse and play polo!
• For shopping and discovering New Zealand designers, and bringing back souvenirs that aren't too "souvenir", head for the project's refurbished containers. Re:start project in downtown Christchurch.
• To see how New Zealanders are transforming the mall into something elegant and tasteful, visit : The Tannery3 Garlands Rd, Woolston, Christchurch.
• For a spot of eye candy, visit Botanical Garden of the city. You know how I can't answer for anything when I see a flower, so this was a real treat!  6 Rolleston Ave, Christchurch.
• And if you want to have a "kiwi experience", I recommend a visit to the reserve.  Willowbank Wildlife Reserve. As well as seeing Kiwis, you'll be able to see all the bird species you'll only see in this country... A perfect place if you're traveling with the family.

A few kilometers from Chirstchurch, about 1h30 by car, is Hanmer Springs. Already, just the road is a spectacle in itself... In April you don't pass many people, and at every turn it was a party, I wanted to stop every 5 minutes to take a photo, like a compulsive shell collector. I had the feeling that the further south we went into this country, the more beautiful it became, the greener and crazier it got. A sort of crescendo of beauty. Talking to the locals, I realized that all the seasons in this region offer diametrically opposed landscapes, in April it's the end of autumn and a few weeks later, all these mountains will turn white, it must be something really unique.

Happy Friday my beauties!

I really hope you're well, because as I said last week, I hope your spirits haven't been dampened by the grey weather! As for me, I'm doing better than ever, and I've got the feeling that we're going to devour the world with the lemon team. Thank you for your encouraging feedback for the pdf subscriptions and for Carlotta! We're getting ready to shoot the next collection, and it's so much fun to come up with new stories! It really is my favorite part! And to tell you the truth, I'm in doubt about the next shoot. Doubtful because I'd love to do it outdoors. I'd like to say that in 17 days' time, as well as being my B-day, it's also summer... And as you can see, the weather in Dunkirk is like November. So what about the outdoor shoot?

I was thinking of doing it in a greenhouse, where we'd have the light and vegetation, without having weather that makes you want to throw yourself into the air... But which greenhouse? For this happy friday, we shot in my favorite spot in Paris, the Serres d'Auteuil. And that's when Olitax and I thought: yes, that's a greenhouse! But no. Yes, it's a good idea, but in reality, when we shoot a happy friday, there are only 2 of us, so we can pass for tourists, but imagine if we shot the Wear Lemonade collection, there would be a dozen of us. The gorgeous chicks (at least 3), the photographer, the make-up artist, Charlotte, Laure, Olitax and me. And I don't think the nice gardeners will let us do this without permission... Anyway, I'm waiting for a sign from fate: if you've got an art deco or industrial greenhouse in your garden, and you'd like us to come and make jokes for a day, let us know!