Seams French

Stitched in white, restitched in shades of smoky blues and then finally corded, my boutis interpretation of the Notre Dame Rose window (Rose Sud) was finished over the summer. "Stitching the Boutis Blues" , which was posted on October 10/2019, describes the inspiration and the evolution of this piece. The original intent of the project had been to make a traditional white on white boutis piece. The addition of the cut out "rosettes", a technique that I had been wanting to try for a while, were added to lend a sense of luminosity to the window. With the rosettes done, the stitching was complete and the piece was ready to be corded. But then, on April 15, 2019, when much of  the Notre Dame Cathedral of Paris was destroyed in a devastating fire, a pristine, light interpretation of the rose window no longer seemed appropriate. I felt that the piece needed to be darkened, dirtied somehow, to convey this recent destruction. To achieve this darkened smokiness, I started ov...

A sister project to "Boutis Blues", but with a brighter outlook, "Boutis Gold" represents hope and light. This project will require 8 - 10 of Medallion A, (see below) Medallion A and another 6 - 8 of Medallion B. (below) To create boutis, two layers of a fine white Swiss cotton batiste are stitched together into channels and small closed shapes, and are later corded. Medallion B Although traditionally cotton thread is the thread of choice, my preference for detailed stitching like this has become a 50 weight silk thread. (I use Tire thread by Superior . It's available in Canada through Cindy's Threadworks . ) As well as being a pleasure to stitch with, the contrast of gold silk on a bright white background, adds a luminescence not possible with cotton thread. The reverse side of Medallion B. Most of this project is stitched with a tiny back-stitch, (point d'arriere), one of the most frequently used stitches in boutis. The backgroun...

A Pocketful of Starlight When the lovely Lady H (grand daughter extraordinaire) made her debut into the world on the winter solstice of 2014,  the quilt to mark her arrival was filled with a galaxy of stars to wish upon.   To make sure she never runs out of stars upon which to wish, on each winter solstice another star will be added to the collection. The label on the back of the quilt was made into a little pocket; a place she can safely keep these wishes and promises. Winter Solstice Star 2014 Her arrival was marked by a quote from William Shakespeare. Year 1 (below) was celebrated with beading and hand embroidery. Winter Solstice 2015. Year 2 is coming up very quickly, and boutis will mark this years celebration. Some beading and embroidery will very likely will likely find it's way into the design as well. Made with a fine Swiss batiste it will have a white top and ochre back with gold embellishments. Below is a variation of the same star set ...

It's that time of the year, and we're on the road again. Well, we're almost on the road again. By this time next week, I should be sitting at my desk in Montpellier and posting my blog from there. Hopefully the sun will be streaming through the windows with a warming hug, welcoming us back to the clear blue skies of the south of France. After a winter of oppressive dark clouds and of unusually heavy rains, the blue sky will be welcome. For the flight over, aside from the usual books and magazines to keep me occupied and entertained, I like to have a further variety of options to choose from. My hummingbird boutis has seen some progress and will come along with me. Cording does not require the same precision accuracy as stitching does, so it's a good project for travel. As you can see, there is still quite a bit of cording to do. Because redwork is easier to see when lighting is less than optimal, it is also a good project for travel. These four little embr...