Antique Boutis

I am always hopeful that I will be able to expand my small collection of real, antique boutis, and so it was with great joy that I acquired two more petassons recently.  These are difficult to find and sadly very expensive, so my collection will remain rather small  !
Here are a few photos taken outside this morning.  We have had so many thunderstorms and a lot of rain recently, so this is the first opportunity I had to take some pictures.

Je suis si contente d'avoir pu acheter ces magnifiques petassons.  Je suis passionnee depuis ma decouverte du boutis, et j'espere toujours ajouter a ma collection tres petite.  Les boutis sont en bon etat, bien bourres, et beaux. 

Ich bin sehr gluecklich, dass ich letztens noch zwei kleine alte Boutis habe kaufen koennen.  Leider sind sie extrem teuer, und obwohl ich immer gerne zu meiner kleinen Sammlung beitragen moechte, passiert das eher selten !  Diese sind in gutem Zustand, fest gefuellt und ich finde, sehr schoen.

Lei roucas dou barri - Expo Boutis 2012

The wonderful provencal organization Lei roucas dou barri is planning their next boutis expo 10 and 11 March 2012.  In 2010 we participated in a exchange - a wall of love - exchange of boutis hearts.  It was a lovely and happy thing to do, and I have my exchanged heart hanging on a cupboard key in my living room.
You can look at the hearts we sent then here
This time, the exchange will be for a small pouch or purse. 

If you are interested, here are the rules:

We suggest you create a beautiful project.  Not for a competition, but as pleasure for the eyes starting from the same thread.  This project will be exchanged between boutis stitchers, drawn by lots.  We hope that each creative spirit will enjoying making something unique, and take pleasure in the exchange.

Three requests:  original, personal design (please no reproductions)
                       fabric of your choice
                       All kinds of pouches - round, square, tubular, etc.
Dimensions:     between 10/15 and 20/25 cm (approx 4-6 by 8-10 inches)
Each pouch/purse must have a label stitched to the back with your contact details in block letters
Registration by 1st December 2011

Contact:  leiroucasdoubarri@yahoo.com
http://arts-culture-traditions-provencales.overblog.com/

Grandmother Newton's "Laws O Massey" Quilt

I showed the blocks I was working on previously, and spent this afternoon putting everything together.  I had saved some indigos collected over time, and this was the perfect pattern for them.  I made my quilt bigger than the pattern by adding an extra row of blocks.    The pattern is from Home on the Plains (a Kansas City Star quilt book)

 Amelie helped a lot by throwing everything on the floor regularly !

And I used fabric ONLY from my stash !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 

Favorite Things Part II

Here are some more photos from our recent trip.  I have always loved this style of house, in particular the palatinate wine village house with the main house, courtyard, and smaller house opposite, with the beautiful sandstone entry.  We have not been in Germany for some years in June, and I was overwhelmed by the profusion of roses everywhere. 
Because of so many commitments, I have not stitched in some time, and my fingers are "itching" to do something again.  I hope to have a little time this weekend.  I have so many projects which are in various stages of completion, and I think I need to prioritize them and just start working down the list.  That way at least some might become complete quilts !

Giveaway results

Sorry for the long delay in posting the giveway results for the 100th post.  I have been away as explained before.

I have two copies of Chintz Applique produced by the International Quilt Study Center, and they will go to:  Nini in France and Lou in France.  Please send me an email with your mailing address.

Favorite Things Part I

For a sad family reason, my husband and I had to travel to Germany  unexpectedly a week or so ago.  We just got back very early this morning, so today I am trying to get organized.  Between family commitments, we managed to spend a day in Alsace, a region I have visited many times over the years and have always loved.  My husband is from a village in Germany just over the border with France, and I love it there too of course.  So just for the pleasure of it, I am sharing some of my photos.  Please note that this is a mixture of places - Strasbourg, Wissembourg, Seebach, some of the places in Alsace, and Rhodt in Germany.

Food is always very important, and I did forget to take pictures of most of the lovely meals we ate - hunger took over !  Anyway, here is a quick breakfast in Strassbourg (see photos above)

100th Post !!!!

I have managed to write 100 posts !  This means a celebration of course, so there will be a small giveaway.  Leave me a comment telling me what you like about this blog and in a few days I will randomly select numbers.  I will post later about the giveaways, but one of them will be the Chintz Applique book produced by the International Quilt Study Center.    Kaum zu glauben, dass ich nun 100 mal auf diesem Blog irgendwas zu erzaehlen hatte !  Grund genug fuer ein kleines Geschenk, lasst ein Kommentar ueber diesen Blog in den naechsten paar Tagen und ich werde dann Nummern ziehen.  Schreibe nachher mehr ueber die kleinen Geschenke, aber eins davon ist das Buch Chintz Applique.

Over the last few weeks I have been really busy, so I didn't write anything about the PQ retreat.  I took my camera, but was so absorbed that I forgot to take any pictures !!  I did get some things done though, an old project finished (well, the top anyway !)  and a good start on a new one:

The pink and brown tumblers have been hanging around far too long.  I cut many tumblers from my pink and brown scraps, and they just seemed to grow in the basket ...... the border is a lovely raspberry toile.  The quilt is very large, and big enough for a bed - I had to hang it over my fence so you can't see the top of it at all.  The quilt is not stained, the marks are just shadows from the tree next to the fence.  I think I still have as many tumblers now as I did when I started, so some of these might find their way into the giveaway ......

Progress was made on a new quilt:

The first three blocks are complete but not trimmed, and the other 9 have the centers complete.  I love the pattern, and the blocks are very interesting to make.  I think the center would make a lovely scrap quilt block, it is easy and the pieces are large enough to showcase favorite prints.  The pattern is from this book:
Home on the Plains

As always at the retreat, we had an enjoyable, busy and happy time away from our usual cares.  We have been doing this a long time now, about 12 years I think, and I always look forward to it. 

Yesterday, I was invited by Hidden Stitches, an applique group in Largo, to teach beginners' boutis.  It was a large group of ladies, about half of which were from PQs.  It was a pleasure teaching them, and I hope a few will be "converted" into passionate boutisseuses.  We will see !   I almost forgot to take pictures, so here are a couple at the end of class:

Also a few weeks ago, my dear friend
Lou had a birthday.  As usual, I was horribly late in finishing what I had planned for her, so she received a late birthday gift.  I sent her an applique book I thought she would enjoy, as well as this small quilt:

And since our cats add so much pleasure (as well as black hair) to our quilting and needlework, here is a picture of Amelie this morning:

Have a great Sunday - I plan to make the most of this Sunday, which is my first one at home in a month !