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 !

Courtepointe aux Oiseaux

For the last two and a half years or so, I have been working on a boutis from Francine Nicolle's book Symboles dans la broderie au boutis.

It is a beautiful adaptation of an antique, and really the only way to own a piece like this, is to make your own ! I learned a lot along the way, and some of the stitching is not how I would like it to be, as well as the stuffing, but the next one I make will benefit from the learning curve.

TODAY it is finally finished !

I did not count the hours, but there must have been many, many hundreds. In the last few months, having set myself the goal of finishing before this year's trip to France, I worked on it in earnest every day. In every spare minute.

My husband, patient man though he is, and used to threads around the house, asked me quietly recently if I thought we could start going out at the weekends again soon. Well, I suppose we can until I start the next project ......

Anyway, here are photos - couldn't wait to show you in the daylight, I will add some tomorrow. Let me know what you think. As always, a big thank you to Lou http://www.blogger.com/www.boutisetcie.blogspot.com my first boutis teacher !

Waehrend der letzten 2 1/2 Jahre habe ich fleissig an einem Boutismuster aus dem Buch von Francine Nicolle, Symboles dans la broderie au boutis gearbeitet. Es ist einem alten Muster nachgemacht, und wenn frau so etwas will, muss frau eigentlich ihr eigenes machen. Ich habe dabei recht viel gelernt, die Stickqualitaet ist auch nicht ganz was ich mir wuenschen wuerde, aber das kommt wohl dem naechsten Boutis zugute.

HEUTE ist es fertiggeworden !

Die Stunden, die ich dabei verbrachte, habe ich nicht gezaehlt, aber es muessen einige Hunderte gewesen sein. In den letzten Monaten, habe ich es mir zum Ziel gemacht, das Boutis vor unserem diesjaehrigen Urlaub fertigzustellen, und habe wirklich jede freie Minute damit verbracht.

Mein geduldiger, an Faedchen gewohnte GG, fragte letztens leise, ob wir vielleicht irgendwann mal wieder am Wochenende fortgehen koennten ....na ja, vielleicht bis ich was Neues wieder anfange ...

Also, hier gibt's die Bilder, ich konnte gar nicht bis zum morgen warten, ich mache bei Tageslicht noch einige. Was meint Ihr denn dazu ? Und wie immer herzlichen Dank an Lou http://www.blogger.com/www.boutisetcie.blogspot.com meine erste Boutislehrerin.

ENFIN, mon boutis du livre de Francine Nicolle Symboles dans la broderie au boutis. Je suis si contente qu'il soit enfin termine, apres plus de 2 1/2 ans de travail/plaisir. Je me souhaiterais d'avoir une plus belle qualite, mais je dois dire, pendant ce travail j'ai beaucoup appris, et tout sera mieux pour le prochain ouvrage. Et comme toujours, un grand merci a Lou ma premiere professeur http://www.blogger.com/www.boutisetcie.blogspot.com ainsi que toutes les dames qui continuent en respect de la tradition.

V&A and Penshurst Place

One of my favorite things to do in London is visit the V&A. I have been many times, and never get tired of it. Unfortunately, I was not able to visit for the quilt exhibition, but I did buy the book from Amazon and have enjoyed looking through it.

This time, I took my daughter, who was patient enough to help me look through the textile samples. I was specifically looking for anything that looked like boutis, or could be related to boutis - and I was not disappointed ! Initially searching through the whitework samples, I didn't find anything, but once I moved to quilting I saw a sample piece that I thought was exactly right and the right time period. It was a pillow cover described as "Cotton quilted with linen, backstitch. English first half of 18th century". It had the typical flowers and vines, plus an unusual star motif. I was thrilled, how did that stitcher find the pattern, know about the cording, and so on ? Please contact me if you can shed some light on this type of stitching in England.

Being English, and loving gardens, I can usually find time to visit a country house with a nice garden, and this visit was no exception. We visited Penshurst Place in Kent, a lovely old home with a beautiful garden. I have been before a number of years ago, but still enjoyed the beautiful house with its antiques and comfortable sense of history

I have almost finished my large boutis piece, more on that at the beginning of next week .....

English Gardens

Last week I had the pleasure to spend a few days in London with my family. Contrary to popular belief LOL England is not always rainy, and we had a dry and sunny week. I love English gardens, and it is always a great pleasure to me to see hanging baskets, mixed borders, window boxes etc. as well as the baskets hanging from lampposts in just about every village, as well as London suburbs.
We also spent a day in Deal, a small seaside town about an hour's drive from my parents' house, and I couldn't resist photographing the wonderful baskets hanging outside a pub and guesthouse. We even walked (well, staggered) on the pebbly beach, and put a toe in the water - not warm enough for us spoiled Floridians ! Mum likes whelks, so we took some home for her, and I felt that I had spent a summer day back in my childhood - windy, pebbly beaches, ice cream and a walk on the pier.

Gift from Angelika

Angelika knows that I love old needlework tools, and has sent me this wonderful marking wheel she found recently for my birthday. She is a person who makes beautiful pouches and cases for things, and so the wheel came with its own beautiful case. Thank you so much, it is a great birthday gift which I really appreciate. Visit Angelika at http://www.onlyangelika.blogspot.com/ especially if you like knitting, Angelika knits beautifully. As a matter of fact, I think she is good at everything she does :-)

Magnificent Mary

I have spent just over a week in London, starting on my birthday. So I did not see the magnificent gift Lou made for me until this morning - I got back last night and was too tired to open mail - even the "interesting" looking stuff !

I did know that this was in progress, as Lou had asked me to choose the color. I have not seen a Mary "live" and so was not prepared for the beauty of the piece. Although I have been following Needleprint's blog, and have seen many photos, it must be said that the "real thing" is many times more beautiful. Lou has added her own personal touches, my initials and those of my family, and has made it a treasure which I will always cherish. Thank you from the bottom of my heart :-)

Accomplishments of Friends - Catherine's Innocent Love

Catherine is a member of our small boutis group here. She has made several very attractive original ornaments in boutis and recently submitted one of them to Piecework magazine. And .... drum roll please !!!! ..... Catherine's boutis ornament won an Honorable Mention and is featured in the newest edition of the magazine. Catherine tells me she was able to get a copy of the new mag today, so we can show her contribution. This is what she says about the design:

"The heart and daisy in the boutis stuffed heart ornament "Innocent Love" was designed in Electric Quilt 6. The daisy has 13 petals on purpose so the game "He loves me, he loves me not" ends with "He loves me". In the boutis tradition this ornament has symbolism. The color white means innocence, the daisy means innocent love, and the heart symbolizes love, not to mention the game "He loves me". The daisy is backstitched to give the motif a continuous outline. It is made entirely by hand".

I love the fact that Catherine incorporated symbolism, so important to boutis pieces, and piqure de marseille in her stitching. Congratulations and may you continue to make many more award-winning boutis !