Skip to main content

"Les Cigales" and Boutis Celebrate Summer

During our time in the south of France, one of the quintessential signs and sounds of summer that I waited for every year, was the return of "les cigales". Their steady, yearning lovesong (or chirring) announced the arrival of the long, hot sultry days and nights ahead. So here, in tribute to those little fellows that are right now singing their hearts out to some little lady cicada under the next leaf in our old neighbourhood in Montpellier, is my completed "les cigales" boutis needle fold.

Completed needle fold.

The needle fold opens to hold all of the needles required for my next boutis project. I was fortunate to find a piece of wool felt in the appropriate colour for my needle case. To secure it firmly, I machine stitched it into place while at the same time, giving the boutis piece a better crease for the fold.

A collection of needles ready for all stages of boutis.

I'm linking up to W.I.P Wednesday

Labels:

Comments

  1. MonicaAugust 12, 2014 at 7:43 PM

    Glad to see you at WIP Wednesday! This finish turned out beautifully. I really think I need something like this too ... I'll just whip one up in my free time!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Seams FrenchAugust 12, 2014 at 8:29 PM

      Sounds great Monica. And I'll whip up a BFF in my spare time and we can compare notes! :)

      Delete
  2. Cynthia GilbrethAugust 12, 2014 at 9:36 PM

    I'm glad you like the cicadas. When we lived in Ohio I hated the d$%@ things! I always said that they screamed at me when I walked under the trees. At any rate, your boutis is lovely, even though it is of an insect. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Seams FrenchAugust 13, 2014 at 7:20 PM

      This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    2. Seams FrenchAugust 15, 2014 at 5:57 PM

      I rather think that the French have the same opinion of cicadas that you have, but for me they were a novelty, and they became a comfortable, familiar background noise, that was accompanied by some of the most perfect summer weather I have experienced. Had I grown up with the constant "chirring", I may have the same opinion AS you. As usual, context has much to do with how we perceive things.

      Delete
  3. Donna in SW PAAugust 14, 2014 at 5:56 AM

    Your needle case is wonderful!

    ReplyDelete
  4. KarenAugust 15, 2014 at 5:24 PM

    Ah your needle case is delightful! And such a lovely color. Having grown up with the cicadas I don't seem to mind them. It was definitely a summer reminder.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Seams FrenchAugust 15, 2014 at 6:01 PM

      Hi Karen. Thanks for checking in and for your kind comment. Did you by any chance grow up in France?

      Delete
  5. needle and nestAugust 17, 2014 at 7:40 AM

    It turned out lovely!

    ReplyDelete
  6. MarleAugust 19, 2014 at 8:45 AM

    What a wonderful work!
    With the sunny colour it will remind you at lovely summerdays whenever you will using it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Seams FrenchAugust 19, 2014 at 5:04 PM

      Thanks. You are right about that colour of yellow; it really does remind me of Southern France. Vielen dank fur den besuch.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Boutis: Traditional French Needlework

" 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...
3 comments
Read more

Amish Hand Quilting in France with Esther Miller

Esther Miller, was born into an Amish family in the U.S., and now lives in Germany where she has for many years taught the techniques and methods of Amish hand quilting to anyone interested in learning these skills. As a child, she would closely watch as the women of her community worked together on a quilt, and eventually she was rewarded with a needle of her own and encouraged to join the group. Through the years, she has mastered these skills and techniques and now generously shares them with anyone who has a genuine desire to learn. Esther Miller in Ste. Marie-aux-Mines in Alsace France. An example of her own work, Esther brings this intricately and perfectly hand stitched wall quilt to class as inspiration for her students.  Last week, at the "European Meeting of Patchwork" in Ste. Marie-aux-Mines, in Alsace France, www.patchwork-europe.com , I had the privilege of taking a 2 day workshop with Esther. The Amish...
1 comment
Read more

Blocking and Squaring Boutis

The door of her cage has been opened. She is free to fly off and find her destiny. After many months of hand stitching and then many more months of cording, my little "colibri" is ready to set off on her own. As this was my first attempt at designing so large a boutis piece, it was a learning curve. All of the tight swirls, curls and circles are a great deal more difficult and time consuming to cord then are the longer more gentle channels. Maintaining an even tension is absolutely necessary throughout the process, so patience comes in very handy when doing the cording. The process of stitching and cording a work of boutis subjects the fabric to a lot of handling and manipulation that can distort the design. For this reason, once all of the stitching and cording is complete, the boutis must be washed, blocked and squared.  The first step of washing is to remove all traces of the marking pencil as well as any soil that may have collected over the many months of working w...
17 comments
Read more