I'd like to think of my La Pomme shop here on Etsy as a sort of voyage. It began in 2007, when after having moved to the south of France, I was very inspired by all the beautiful French cotton and linen I saw that I began creating whimsical plush objects. Heeding a friend's advice, I sold them here.

In the beginning I treated this shop as a laboratory, where I was free to experiment with different sewing techniques and use a variety of textile materials. There were a LOT of misses, but also some hits. My Inspiration Apples were featured in decor8 and Design Sponge, among many other design sites; and they made it to the cover of the Poppytalk digital mag when they were still doing it, as well as on the pages of Elle Italy. My sewn books sold as soon as I listed them. My Sleep Angels and Love Pears were stocked in many boutiques all over the world. I happily made soft apples, plush pears, and lavender sachets for a multitude of weddings.

And then I had my first baby at the age of 37. After I had fulfilled an order for 400 apples - made almost entirely by myself, with just a bit of help from my mother-in-law - I got to some serious thinking, and eventually came to the decision that while my child was still very young it was very important for me to spend most of my time with her.

I cut back on the hours I spent in my converted caravane of a sewing room. To keep my Etsy shop going, I turned it over to another one of my passions - vintage French objects. Who can resist those beautifully decaying objects that you would inevitably find in the flea markets of the south of France? Certainly not me. In 2010, La Pomme here on Etsy dealt mainly in vintage French decorative items, as I kept just a few wholesale clients for my sewn items.

The past year, since we - husband, daughter, and I - moved to Manila, where I was born, I have started sewing again. I've evolved. From the muted tones of before, now it is bright bright bright! Maybe because the exuberance of the tropics calls for it. While in 2007 my plush items were more for a grownup market, now I am making toys. My daughter, now five, gets first pick of the things I create.

♥
Apol Massebieau

Blog: www.lapommelove.com
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