Around Paris: Wholesale Fabric District, Montmartre

     Discovering  where the wholesale fabric district in Paris was by sheer chance. I found this by just walking and walking around, after visiting the Sacré Coeur. The goods sold here are all closeout fabrics. When you see something you like, buy it as there is no telling if it will still be available when you decide to come back.

     Here's a shopping tip. Bring swatches of cloth if you plan to do any matching, so as not to buy the wrong item, which cannot be returned.

     Just below the Sacré Coeur Cathedrale in Montmartre, at the foot of the hill, is the district that has been dedicated for the wholesale of fabric and other sewing notions. To go there, I take metro line 2, exit on Anvers,... 

and go up the street, rue Steinkurque, towards the merry-go-round, and make a right as soon as you are by the cathedral gardens. Don't get tempted to gamble when you pass by the little tables set up in the middle of the street, by noontime. Just keep on going. By the way, the souvenir items on this street are cheaper by 25% to 40%.
     Once you get to  Place de Marche St. Pierre, you will find many stores selling all that you would need to finish a fashion item, furnishings for your house, or a craft project.
     Now in the stores are the spring and summer fabrics, and whatever is left of the fall/winter fabrics are mostly discounted.

     The first building to the right is REINE - it has four floors to house all the different fabrics, accessories, and othe goods. I find it to be the best organized and best laid-out store, with three-foot-tall mannequins on the tables, garbed in the latest fashionable style, using the current fabrics of the season.
     When in France, do as the French do. Speak French - the right accent is important; or, use your eyes to figure out how things are done, then, put your charade skills to work to get your order in. Most of the people working in these stores only speak French. Also, bring a map with you, or use the GPS on your cell phone, to find your way.
     Here is a rough translation of what to expect in the different floors:

3 For the Home: Sheer fabric - Bedsheets 

2 For the Home: Furnishing  - Decoration

1 Haberdashery - Trimmings - Patterns - Ready made

RdC - Rez de Chaussée (ground floor)  For Clothing: Silk - Cotton - Wool

 On the ground floor (RdC): French lace, beaded lace, crepes, silk satins, satin charmeuse, organzas, brocades, taffetta, wool blends and tulle for the bridal collection;...

European and imported textiles: solid and printed-patterned fabrics using cotton, silk, linen, and other man-made fibers, for spring and summer. 

     Breathable fabrics are in demand and they are the ones made from natural fibers. Eyelets, seersuckers, denims, poplins, twills, madras are back. 

     Sheer fabrics are popular this time. Silk chiffon, iridescent chiffon, silk organza, rayon/nylon chiffon, voile were used in the haute couture collections. 

On the1st floor: in-house mercerie department - haberdashery and curtain/drape materials. 

On the 2nd floor, upholstery materials

     LES COUPONS DE SAINT PIERRE - "Coupons" are remnants or pre-cut fabrics. They are sold as-is and cannot be cut further. Everything sold in this store is about three meters and up. 

     In a table that has been rummaged through, fabrics 3 meters in lengh are priced at 10 Euros a piece. The prices inside the store vary by sections.

     MARCHE SAINT-PIERRE is located on 2 rue Charles Nodier. It is a whole building dedicated to selling all types of fabrics and accesories. I rate it as the biggest store in this area, carrying the most extensive variety of goods, and even some rare imports. 

     Rez de Chaussée - clothing materials. Shown here is the African Collection. On the wall are woven fabrics made of natural-straw like fibers.

     The procedure when buying: 1) choose your fabric 2) wait for comeone to come over to cut it for you, or you need to ask someone on the floor to come and help you. 3) A piece of paper is stapled to your fabric. Take it to the cashier and pay. 

     What to expect as you climb up...

white linens, bedsheets, embroidery supplies, pillows, bolsters, duvets, towels

 sheer curtain and other lightweight drapery materials

heavy drapery and upholstery material (in view are the French toile patterns)

drape materials made of cotton, cotton/polyester blends, polyester blends

For that rich look, a touch of Versailles - silky finished, textured and embroidered drapery/upholstery materials

     Cotton chintz for bedcovers, quilts and draperies - these designs were inspired by the Indian cotton chintz that the Dutch and the Portuguese were bringing into Europe in the 1600s.

     On the top floor are  some art material supplies. You can buy canvass, in different grades,  by the meter for all the painting and crafting you will be doing.

    MERCERIE Saint Pierre - on the corner of Place Saint-Pierre and rue Livingstone, is a specialty store for haberdashery supplies: buttons, thread,  ribbons; beads, trimmings and other items needed for sewing, chrocheting, knitting clothing and making some craft projects;...

and everything you need to make curtain/drape panels, including the tiebacks, rings or hooks, and rods to get them up.

     Through many little streets, continue looking around. On rue d'Orseil, take the time to visit some stores that carry finished and unfinished goods that are whimsical.

 belly dancing outfits for your class or a costume party

 feather boa accessories for that glamorous, sophisticated look

    Among other things, this store has a big variety of patches and buttons, at very reasonable prices.

 fancy, colorful fabrics and accessories for any fashion or craft  project

 more stores carrying textiles for home furnishings

     If you have time, do compare prices. Sometimes, you can make a deal with the smaller stores.

     How about making a project? All you need to get started is to have an idea. Next, is how to make it. Get all the materials needed all ready. Then, make it. Voila, le projet est terminé!

Around Paris: Discovering Montmartre

Montmartre was our destination last weekend. With my daughter as my tour guide, I was about to discover much more about this area.

First stop: La Basilique du Sacré Coeur de Montmartre, or simply referred to as the Sacré-Coeur, to celebrate the feast day of the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God.

The Sacré-Coeur basilica ( Basilica of the Sacred Heart) was built at the end of the 19th century at the highest point on Montmartre, Paris. "Montmartre" means " mount of martyrs." Tradition has it that this is the place of the martydom of Saint Denis, the first bishop of Paris (late 3rd century) along with his companions.

The building of the basilica came about as Alexandre Legentil and Hubert Rohault de Fleury vowed to build a church consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Christ, in reparation for the sins committed. When France faced defeat in the war with Germany in 1870, a part of her was occupied by German troops. As far as these 2 gentlemen were concerned, the country's problems stemmed more from spiritual rather than from political causes. 

To get there, we took Metro Line 2 from the Etoile station and we exited on "Anvers," then walked up to catch the funiculaire. It was nice to have this group performing at the street corner, playing New Orleans Jazz music while we waited.

Sacré-Coeur, with its famous white wedding-cake like architecture, spectacularly stands out in the city-skyline of Paris. It is a sight that welcomes you as you ride into the city, after landing at Charles de Gaulle airport.

As soon as we got through the doors beneath the cornice, the policy on "no picture-taking" went into effect. It was a solemn mass - meaning that the parts of the mass were sang, with very high attendance. During the homily, the priest referred to Mary as "a woman of prayer and deep faith." Soon after, tourists and churchgoers filed out to explore the rest of Montmartre.

From the church's steps, we could see a panoramic view of Paris. There were all sorts of entertainers and hawkers below, probably just like when Jesus went to the temple, and it upset him that it had been converted into a market place.

Its village like streets, its cafés and restaurants, its painters on Place du Tertre attract many tourists, especially on the weekends.

Performing all her French-hit songs, this performer was a crowd pleaser and gatherer. Her CDs were selling fast after every mini performance. She accompanied herself with an old-fashioned music maker, that uses perforated song sheets to create the background music.

Located on the north side of the Sacré-Coeur, the section where the Eglise Saint-Pierre de Montmartre, survived the French Revolution. The facade dates back to the 17th century and the bronze doors from 1980, by T. Gismondi.

Church interior - the church is built on a traditional Latin-cross plan, and is a mix of medieval and later styles. The nave is Romanesque, but is detailed with a 15th-century vault, flanked by aisles added in 1765 (north) and c.1838 (south).

The the choir ( not seen in this picture) has one of the earliest ribbed vaults in Paris (c.1147).

From the 12th century apse is this 20th century trio of stain glass, behind the main altar. Behind the altar is the tomb of Adelaide de Savioe, the nunnery's foundress and the mother of King Louis VI.

Among the themes on the stain glass windows...the cross and the Virgin Mary. 

As we walked a few meters away from the tourist area, going down little cobble-stoned streets, we discovered more churches, boulangeries (bakeries) and patisseries (pastry shops), café's, quaint shops, and other charming spots. This is really a lovely section of town with much to see and experience.

We stopped by for some macaroons. We rated them "very good!" If you want to try this place, come to 24 rue des Abesse 75018 Paris.

Because this church stood out, a different architectural style in the setting that it was in, we changed directions and went in for a visit. This is Eglise Saint Jean de Montmartre, situated at the foot of Montmartre. It is located at 19 rue des Abbesse 75018 Paris.

It was the first example of reinforced cement in church construction, built from 1894 through 1904. Architect Anatole de Baudot, a student of Viollet-le-Duc and Henri Labrouste, designed the church. "The brick and ceramic tile-faced structure exhibits features of Art Nouveau design while exploiting the superior structural qualities of reinforced concrete with lightness and transparency."

The Art-Nouveau stain glass was executed by Jac Galland according to the design of Pascal Blanchard.

When it comes to food, my daughter seems to be an expert. She said it was "a must to line up" at Le Grenier à Pain, because it was judged as the number 1 boulangerie for the best baguette! It is located at 38, rue des Abbesse 75018 Paris.

What to choose from this array of baked goodies was problematical. I went with the bread filled with apricots and goat cheese...loved it!

Here are the other bread products they make, aside from their famous baguette.

We stopped by here, too, on 40 rue Lepic 75018 Paris. Their vanilla, red-berries, cotton-candy flavored macarons were out of this world!

It had been a couple of hours since we got to Montmartre to hear mass and galavant around. Overfed and tired, it was time to rest our weary feet. But, we'll be back soon as there are more things to explore and to do here.