Golden October !

It truly is a golden October day here !  Not that we don't have sunshine almost all the time, but it is cooler today for the first time, much less humid, so the light is different and for the first time for months, it was cooler outside than in the house.  All the windows are open, and we are enjoying fresh air instead of airconditioned. 

Last weekend, a few of us went to a quilting retreat, so we spent some time working on outstanding things.  I was able to piece ALL of the sashing for the Flower Garden quilt, which is a boring task - finished 1" squares - but more fun with others to talk too.  We also took the time to go to Jacksonville quilt show, which was not far away.

Here are a few favorites (in no particular order):

Beautiful Dear Janes, I loved the blues.

 

 Lou and I have a joint applique project - Country Inn by Blackbird.  Here is my first block, laid out ready to pin.  These are very large pieces, actually I think the largest I have ever done as applique.  But they are fun in a quirky way.  The corners will have a quarter section of a Dresden plate appliqued on them, but I have decided to do that last so I can be sure to vary the fabrics evenly.

 And just for fun - a quick photo of my backyard this sunny afternoon !

 Other side (sorry about the pool canisters - we are doing the usual chores)

I hope everyone is getting a little stitching time today !

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. 

Summer Sunday

Here in Florida we are in our hottest, most humid time of the year.  Although it looks beautiful out, it is hard to be outside for any period of time because of the heat.  Except in the pool, of course !   Luckily it was not raining today, so I took advantage of the lovely warm water and floated for a while.  Even that was too hot after a time, so I came back in to get on with some Sunday afternoon sewing.

I have been sewing a little, but my projects are all big ones and take a lot of time before any progress can be shown.  I am stitching on my boutis a few times a week, but it is only progressing slowly.
Otherwise, I have finished the 24 middle blocks of the Kim McLean pattern Flower Garden.  Here are the last two blocks:

We have been trying to fussy cut the blocks so that we get a lot of different effects from the same piece of fabric - it is really amazing how different the Kaffe Fassett prints can appear.  I have found that the very large prints work the best for this.

 

Also, I have continued to work on the quilt I am designing as a 6 part block of 2 months - BO2M - for the Procrastinating Quilters in Clearwater.  I drew the center based on a picture I had seen of an antique quilt - the stiff stems appealed to me.  I drew pomegranates instead of the flowers I believe were on the quilt.  After that, the rounds have been based on either 3" or 6" borders.  I have just basted down this applique border.  Instead of sewing wool circles between the loops of the vine, I am using the hexagons I had left over from the second border of the quilt.  Please excuse the lumpy appearance of the vine - it is not yet sewn and the tight corners still look messy !

 The colors are really not good in these photos, the original quilt is a little darker.

 The next round will be 3" finished 9-patches.  The final round after that is still a secret !  But, it is planned and hopefully will finish the quilt off nicely.  This is the third year I have done this project, and it is the last. 

Last but not least, here are the first few blocks of an applique BOM I am doing from Common Threads quilt shop.  It is the Cousins Walk antique reproduction from the Quilted Crow ladies.  I love it - initially I thought I would not enjoy the chunky stems, but they go with the folky look of the quilt.  I still have to sew the small circles for the center of the flowers.

 

Again, sorry about the photo quality.  I think the outside light was interfering today.

 Winston is enjoying his last week here.  He is such a joy to have around, and is a great quilt helper - this morning he was chewing the basting thread as I was trying to attach the bias vine ......

My oleander in a pot has given us beautiful blooms the whole year, and is still blooming even though in this heat almost everything else has given up.

Happy Sunday Sewing !

Boutis - vanne

I have also recently bought an antique boutis, which my (very patient) husband accepted I wanted for my birthday this year (well, an early birthday present !)  It is 31 x 41 inches, extremely fine and unusual design.  This one is really museum quality, and I am thrilled to have it.  Date approx. 1880s, very fine cotton on top, cotton on the back with a slightly looser weave, edge treatment knife-edge, last row not stuffed.  Perfect condition.  I will need to soak it, it has some storage marks on the back where the piece was folded and put on a shelf.

Petite vanne 1880s, coton fin dessus, coton plus lache dessous.  Dessin tres fin, les points sont super fins, bourrage parfait.  Finition "toi et moi", le dernier tunnel n'est pas bourre.  Je suis tres contente avec ce boutis, il est le plus beau dans ma mini collection.

Bon dimanche a toutes !

Petassoun ancien

I have just received a boutis which I recently acquired.  It is a beautiful piece but does have some damage.  I think I may well be able to repair it, or at least stabilize it so it won't become worse.  It is  a larger petasson at 23" x 23", beautifully squared and flat.  The stitching is even and fine, and the design sophisticated.  This one is destined to be reproduced, I will draw off the pattern and make it in Swiss batiste.

There is a split along one line of stitching with the stuffing still intact.

Very pretty central medaillon with unusual filling shapes.

Delicate vine and flower inner border.

Straight and flat border and edging, the edging is stuffed tight and the fabric has worn away in places.

 

I also have another piece, much grander and very fine quality, but I am saving that for another day !

 

 

Bonjour les filles !  Ici un petasson, achete recemment et malheureusement abime.  Je pense que je pourrais reparer cet endroit dechire.   Il s'agit d'un boutis tres fin, bien travaille et dessin leger.  Je l'aime beaucoup et vais redessiner tout et le refaire. Surtout je trouve que les motifs du fond sont interessants, non ?

Salon in Nimes, part 2

Since I did not take a large number of photos, I am relying on other participants to provide you with a glimpse of stands I missed.  We were on one side of the room, and many beautiful booths were in the first room at the entry.  Here is a list of other bloggers with large numbers of photos taken from all the various booths and their specialties:

Henriette from Pierrefeu

Boutis divins  They also have a wonderful description of the cutting of velours ribbon (needed for the hair ribbon of the ladies of Arles), an art form which requires 5 years of apprenticeship and hours of patience and accuracy.  There was a demonstration at the salon.

Dominique Fave

Marie Silvestre  Marie also took some wonderful photos of the antique pieces on display.

Nini

When we returned from Nimes, we spent a couple of days exploring our region of the southern wine route with Nicole and her husband,   I never get tired of the villages and houses, and this time we were rewarded with gardens in full bloom, especially the roses which were already spectacular mid May.

Nicole in Doerrenbach

Our son Stephan, who traveled a long way by train just to spend a day and night with us before going back to university.

As always, we are looking for inspiration for our boutis

The Wehrkirche Doerrenbach,  we walked through the vineyards and forest from Bad Bergzabern to Doerrenbach, a great walk.

The figs are advanced in Rhodt already.

Irresistable !

Wissembourg - red house next to the canal.

Have a great day !