Caissargues, France is a satellite community on the outskirts of Nimes in southern France. It is also the home of France Boutis, an association of passionate artisans dedicated to reviving the time honoured needlework tradition of boutis. Boutis is a traditional needlework technique specific to the Provencal region of France. It's origins can be traced to the port city of Marseilles in the 16th century. Here it became a highly popular form of embellishing plain, white cotton fabric and was a much sought-after textile throughout the 18th century. Over later centuries, its popularity declined, but the 21st century has seen a renewed interest in the craft thanks in large part to the active promotion of France Boutis. As suggested by the title of their recently published book, "Apprendre Boutis et Transmettre", (Learn Boutis and Share), France Boutis has worked tirelessy over the last decade to promote and revive this cherished craft, both in France and beyond. Since it's
" Piqûre de Marseilles" or "Boutis" is a traditional French hand stitched and corded needlework technique, which uses embroidery stitches to create intricate channels that will later be stuffed with yarn, thereby creating a raised design with three layers. It's origins, and it's name, can be traced to the port of Marseilles in southern France to the 15th century. Traditional boutis was a technique invented to embellish otherwise plain white cotton with intricately patterned channels that would later be stuffed with a plump white yarn to give it relief. The resulting corded whitework created an elegant, embossed textile that was much sought after. Not only was it aesthetically appealing, but it also provided warmth and absorbency, so could be used for bed coverings, toilette linens (like towels), clothing items, home decor, etc. The first two photos below are from the collection of Mme. Monique Alphand, a well known French expert and collector of antique t