Seams French

Central to this tabletopper is the floral boutis pattern designed by Mme. Francine Born of "Boutis Provence" ( www.boutis.fr ) that I stitched in a class on boutis with Mme. Born several summers ago in Montpellier, France. The linen/cotton surround is there to provide a framework to the boutis. Completed tabletopper, with Mme. Born's boutis design central to the whole piece. After the initial FMQ was completed, the tabletopper lacked energy and life. The particular linen I chose for this project presented a greater challenge then I had anticipated (see my post of May 23/14 http://seamsfrench.blogspot.ca/2014/05/traditional-boutis-meets-fmq.html ). Other then removing the boutis from the background and starting again, (which was a less then thrilling prospect), I have tried to give warmth to the piece by embellishing it with contrasting embroidery threads, and, to add some relief, I have filled in the background with a small stipple stitch. After the initial...

These lush, rich fuchsias and roses on our balcony patio have inspired me to dig deep into the stash and hunt up some of the most colourful and lively fabrics and trims that I could find. Hummingbirds often visit us, even on the 17th floor. So, to extend a hearty " bienvenue ", we  are luring  them with a ready supply of succulent fuchsias, fragrant jasmine, and the ever loyal, sweet rose. Recently,  as my red "Lady and the Unicorn" umbrella (seen here behind the fuchsias) was drying on the balcony,  we noticed it seemed to be an added attraction for the hummingbirds. Since then, we have purchased a more dispensable red umbrella that we can leave out on the balcony as big "Welcome" sign. This rose transforms from a deep reddish/orange bud, into this bright pinkish/yellow, to a pale yellow tinged with pink and finally into a soft white. Amazing to see the progression. Since most of my stitching time has focused on boutis recently, which is wor...

After I had completed the stitching and the cording of this small boutis project, (see previous post),  I was looking for a quick way to finish it. By setting it into a linen surround, lightened up with some white cotton,  my hope was that the piece could stand on it's own. The end result was a floppy, uninspiring octagonal shape that reminded me of a crokinole board.  Not quite what I had in mind! Removing the boutis from the linen and finding a more appropriate setting was one consideration. And, because of the strong tradition of hand work associated with boutis, I considered hand quilting the linen/cotton surround. As much as I enjoy hand quilting, I know that the project would languish in a cupboard for many years until the hand quilting priority list could accommodate this table topper. Therefore, the only legitimate solution I could sensibly consider was to machine quilt. As I was working on the quilting design, it was important that the machine quilting sh...

Back in the summer of 2012 in Montpellier, in the south of France, it was my good fortune to participate in a series of classes in boutis with Madame Francine Born. (See my post of Sept. 9, 2012 " Backlit Boutis "). Below is one of her designs; the piece that we worked on in that course.  It is a fairly traditional design and uses a variety of traditional boutis stitches. Held up against the light, it's easy to see how light and shadow are integral to this particular style of needlework. In order to keep that translucent quality in the finished product, the finished boutis must be set into the surrounding fabric in a way that keeps both front and back of the boutis uncovered. Linen is a natural paring with the white boutis, so in keeping to a more traditional look,  I set my finished boutis piece into a linen and white cotton surround. At the time, I was uncertain as to how I wanted to continue from there, so it got packed away. Previously, I had already set the bout...

It's TGIF Day; "Thank Goodness It's Finished" This little pouch, which is a prototype, certainly came with it's fair share of headaches as I learned to deal with the peculiar characteristics of hand stitching on silk, see my post of   (Feb.10, 2014) , but now that it's finished, I have forgiven it all it's obstinate idiosyncrasies and am looking forward to more projects with silk in the future. The little phone pouch, finished and set to travel. Once the boutis piece had been blocked, it was trimmed leaving a generous 1 inch seam allowance around the perimiter. Next I cut a facing piece to the identical size as the stitched piece. I opted to make the facing from the same silk fabric that I used on the pouch itself. There are 3 sections to this pouch: from right to left - the front flap closure, the middle section (or what will become the back of the pouch), and the last section, (which will be under the front flap). The middle section and the...

What a Relief! Boutis is a play of light and shadow created by first, stitching the motifs and channels of the design (created specifically for boutis), and then inserting cotton yarn through these same channels. It's with the addition of the cording that the relief is created and this is what defines and gives life to the patterns and motifs of the piece. When working boutis, the cording process is just as important and time intensive as the stitching. That being said, the little mobile phone pouch on silk that I have been working on is finally stitched and corded. Stitched and corded, the little silk phone pouch that I have been working on is ready to be assembled. Once all of the cording was completed, I soaked the piece in cold water and tacked it tautly it to a sheet of Styrofoam. This is the opportunity to square up the finished piece of boutis and ease in (or out) any irregularities. In my post of February 11/2014, "Boutis...

Staying on the theme of embroidery, I thought that I would share two of my current favourite books. The first time that I heard about Annemieke Mein was when I discovered her book, "The Art of Annemieke Mein: Wildlife Artist in Textiles", first published in 1992 by Penguin Books Australia, Ltd.. An Australian of Dutch descent, Annemieke is an artist who uses textiles as her medium to portray her passion for the Australian wildlife. To create her realistic, sculptural wildlife tapestries, she uses an exciting combination and variety of fabrics,  paints, threads, beads, etc.. Cover of "The Art of Annemieke Mein: Wildlife Artist in Textiles". Her work is amazing in it's realistic portrayal of elements of nature. Her skill with a fine tuned needle and thread is extraordinary. Here you can see how she combines sculptural relief with hand applique, machine threadwork and painting. Aside from providing some serious inspiration and an exploration...