Small boutis (petasson) Finishing

Finally I have finished stuffing this small petasson, and decided to finish it in the traditional way with a taped edge, a "tresse" in French.  All of my old small pieces are finished in this way.  I have made some  pieces myself which I finished with an embroidered edge, or a fancy hem, and large pieces with a straight border have been finished with a small hem, as is tradition.  The tape utilized is a kind of lingerie tape with a knitted effect, not a tight weave twill tape.

I have been taking a few pictures as I went along, to show you how I do this.  I am sure there are many other ways, but this works for me and as far as I can tell, is the traditional method.

Here is the completed stitching, with the excess fabric still attached.

I will be working from the right side initially.

Pattern from Boutis Traditionnel by Christiane Vignal.

Materials used here are my stitching thread (for this small piece I used Gutermann hand quilting thread, 100% cotton.  It is quite strong and fine.  I usually use  Dual Duty handquilting thread with a polyester core, which is very strong).  You can see the white tape I am using for finishing.

I am pinning the edge of the tape to the last line of stitching, working from the front.  You can see that the tape is facing downwards, so I can flip it up and over to the back when the first line of stitching is complete.

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This is the back, you can just see my pin mark on the outer edge through the last line of stitching

 And here it is stitched all the way around.  I use a small back stitch on the edge of the tape (no, I did not whip or use an applique stitch for this part).

The tape will stand up a bit from the work.  Be sure to follow the original stitching line (I stitch exactly on top of it)

Here is the"dangerous" part !!  You have to trim the excess fabric away.  I do this from the front so that I do not accidentally cut into the tape, and I keep the work on a flat surface.  I trim to about 1/4", and I clip the inner curve 3 times - once in the middle, and then one clip either side of that, about 1/8" apart.  Do not clip too close to the stitching.

 All that remains now is to fold the tape to the reverse, and pin.  You will stitch in the "ditch" of the last line of stitching.  I use the applique stitch for this and my same quilting thread.  If some of my seam allowance is peeking underneath the tape I just sweep it in with my needle as I go along.  Alternatively you might trim a little closer (I do not do this).

Just for comparison:  this is an old petasson, reverse side.  You can see how this one is finished with the tape.

I will post a final picture later when I have stitched down the final seam.  The next part will be to wash:   start with a soak in cold water for several hours to remove any remaining marks and help close any needle holes from stuffing, then wash in hot water with a mild detergent or Marseille soap.  Then lay out flat to dry on an absorbent towel.  I turn mine over once the top feels dryer, so that it dries evenly.  Sometimes I will pin to ensure the piece dries straight. 

I use a frixion marker to trace the design, which I remove by running a hairdryer over the piece before washing.  Better than ironing - remember a boutis must never be ironed.  I use this method for my applique too, it avoids the annoying white mark that these markers can leave.

Any questions ?

Here it is pinned, ready to finish

Finshed !

Wrong side view of edge

Complete piece against the light - the true boutis, relief and transparency.  It is now soaking in cold water.

Boutis progress

I have made stuffing the small petasson my focus project for this week.  It has been almost finished for so long, it is time to complete it.  I have decided to finished the edge with a tape, which was typical for these small pieces.  When I get to that point I will post a few photos on how to do it.
 I have also done some stitching on my large vanne, which is so much fun to do.  Now that I'm past the center which had a lot of close stitching, it is going a little faster.  I love the wheat pattern I am working on now.
I am getting a small stuffed heart ready for the exchange in Pierrefeu in March.  Stitching is close to completion then I will be stuffing this one too.

It's Superbowl Sunday here - so I will be stitching while my husband is watching the game !