Aiguille d"Or - Boutis in Trets

Once every two years, there is a festival in Trets, Provence, celebrating the Jupon Pique, quilted skirt of the traditional costume.  For the last four or five festivals, there has been a competition for the most beautiful boutis version of the jupon.  I am so happy to say that a fellow France Boutis member, Marie Silvestre, won this award last week for her magnificent work.

Marie often shows her boutis at local shows of traditional stitching in Provence.  She had a beautiful stand at both of the Salons of France Boutis so far.  She does this for the pleasure of sharing her passion for boutis and enjoys showing her original designs.

Marie kindly agreed to let me show these photos.  She is a modest person and will not report on this herself.  You can find her blog on my list, and further reports of this festival can be found on Lou 's blog, where there is a link to a fabulous collection of photos.  There is also a report on France Boutis's blog and Henriette's (Mame83).  You can link from my sidebar.

Marie is in the middle here, with Lou on her left

You can see that the overskirt has been lifted to show the boutis Jupon underneath

There is a parade in costume, such a wealth of beautifully made costumes.  Marie's is of the Comtat Vernaissin style.  It is interesting to note that the color white as wedding attire was only introduced by Josephine, wife of Napoleon Bonaparte.  Prior to that, the color green had always been chosen for Provencal wedding dresses.

This is part of the judging.  There is a panel of judges who assess the jupon on research, choice of motifs, and finally technical expertise.  Each jupon should reflect the personal life of the person who made it.  Historically, wealthier persons had a deeper border of boutis, Marie's is 60cm, followed by a quilted upper portion.  The skirt is gathered onto a tape fastening.  The whole piece laid out can be between 2,70 and 3,80 m !!!!  Marie's is 3,0m - that is a lot of stitching !

Here you can see some of the detail

And finally, a happy Marie with her Golden Needle and certificate.

Modern Quilting

Those who know me might be surprised that I am interested in modern quilting.  I usually make antique reproductions, and adore the old, finely made applique quilts.  One of the things I like about them though, is the quirkiness you sometimes find on old quilts, almost to the point of looking abstract or modern.

Recently I joined a small group which concentrates on Modern quilting.  I have learned a lot along the way, and do really like the clean lines of modern work.  We have a quarterly challenge, and so far I have not been very productive.  However, I combined the current challenge of using two colors with my own challenge of using circle shapes, and adapted a pattern of Brigitte Heitland's (Zen Chic, she also designs for Moda, and I love her patterns).  So here is the top pinned, and as usual, I will hand applique this one since that is my preferred method:

I am still stitching a little boutis most days, since I am working on a large piece. I like doing it, and am not bothered that it takes me a long time.  Going to work seriously interrupts stitching time !
I am also continuing on the PQ quilt, and will post more on that soon.

I will leave you with some beautiful grapes ready for harvest - it is harvest time on the Suedliche Weinstrasse.  This photo is from last September.