Que la France est belle !

Here are a few more glimpses of our time in Provence. There is even a picture of myself, Lou, and Isabelle from our day in Marseille to visit the Chateau Gombert.

It is a real pleasure for me to spend the days quietly, with a free choice of what to do, and looking at old buildings. Where we live in Florida, there is nothing really old, so I appreciate the sense of permanence there always is in old buildings.

We also really enjoy the fall days, again something we rarely see here. With the weather becoming colder towards the end of our trip, there was a definite change in the leaf colors and the view over vineyards, turning from golden to red.

Expo Boutis at Calvisson

On Friday October 8th, Lou and I went to the exhibition at the Foyer Communal in Calvisson, which is on the subject of boutis every two years. Alternate years there is a different topic.

We wanted to listen to the lectures, which were given by Francine Nicolle, Mme Alphand on the subject of Jupons Jardiniers, and M. Combe on the subject of his armoires-creches. The pictures here of the jupons jardiniers were taken with the express permission of the owner - an announcement was made during the conference that an exceptional permission was given by Mme Alphand to photograph the exhibited two jupons.

There were a number of boutis exhibited, traditional designs and mostly reproductions of antiques shown in Mme Nicolle's books. There was no permission given for photos. The Tristan quilt was exhibited in the middle of the room, showing a true-to-original reroduction in linen and ecru thread.

We met up with Nini http://ninipetitsboutis.blogspot.com for lunch at the Crepe Savante, and spent a pleasant afternoon together talking about (what else !) boutis and stitching ..... reading books about (you guessed it !) boutis and discussing the regional differences in presentation and stitching. Nini commented that the stitching, stuffing and overall appearance of boutis in this area is finer than that further south, where it is sturdier and stitches are bigger. She made me a lovely gift of a little "cigale" and a beautiful lavender sachet which you can see on the top photo. I bought a couple of patterns and a lovely book on local costume.

We spent some time in the Maison du Boutis as well, which I actually enjoyed more than the expo. The pieces are simply exquisite, and it is a real pleasure to look at them and marvel at the detail, workmanship, and the fact that they have survived so much in such wonderful condition. There were many people there that day, and it was such a pleasure to listen to everyone's comments and see what they enjoyed about each piece.

Brocante in Arles

Lou and I went to Arles on the first Wednesday for the brocante market. It was a bright and sunny day, ideal for wandering along looking for treasures. We both bought a "pique fleurs" to hold our embroidery scissors, such a great new use for the old-fashioned vases which were never very kind to flowers anyway ! Lou spotted hers first (she has a very sharp eye LOL) and so she got a very nice one with a base of pewter and elegant little feet. I bought a very nice monogrammed linen sheet, a long rectangular table runner ideal for my long table, and of course the pique-fleurs. We spent some time looking at old embroidery newspapers, there were even some with our birth years ...... no, I will not tell how old we are !

Afterwards we had a great lunch at an unusual restaurant serving tajine and couscous ..... and then we went in search of (what else !) a little quilt shop. Such a pleasure to visit this tiny shop in a very quiet and unexpected corner and chat with the owner, Cornelia Pradel. She has been featured in a number of French quilting magazines.

The next post will be about the expo in Calvisson .......

Vide Grenier at Sorgues

Lou received an invitation from Claire for us to go to the vide grenier at the Monastere de la Visitation in Sorgues on the first day of our arrival in Provence. We really didn't know what to expect, it was the last day of the sale and we could not go until the end of the day. And we would not have found it without the GPS to guide us. But what a surprise ! I really bought very little since I was so overwhelmed, but here are my treasures, just as Lou has already shown you hers.

I felt a little sad, the monastery was closing since there were just two nuns remaining, so the contents of the house were being sold. When we saw the piles of suitcases and glasses, I had to think of the young women arriving to begin their new lives there, and who would not need those suitcases in future. I am especially fond of the napkins I bought, they are all monogrammed, and marked in red thread with an R and the cross for the monastery. Some of the laundry marks are stitched very proficiently, and others are clearly the work of new stitchers.
It was an amazing, and touching afternoon, and one that I will remember for a long time.

Boutis - Prize at Jacksonville Quiltfest

In a previous post I showed some photos of my recently completed vanne - and I am delighted to say that it won 2nd place in Other Techniques at Jacksonville, as well as the Judge's Recognition ribbon. I am very grateful, especially as I hope that others who saw the piece will be interested in learning how to stitch boutis, and discover more about this delightful art of the needle.

La belle France

I have just spent two wonderful weeks in Provence, getting back on Sunday night just before all the major problems started with fuel, etc. Lou at http://www.boutis-et-cie.blogspot.com has already written about some of our adventures on her blog, and in the coming days I will be adding some posts of my own about that. It was simply wonderful to walk around, choose restaurants for lunch, not have to check the time frequently, and just enjoy life. So here are a couple of photos to whet your appetite, there is more to come !