Seams French

A Fine "Feathered" Friend On my current "to do" list is a new bed quilt for my husband and myself. When I design a quilt I try to choose symbols and motifs that have significance to the recipient, in this case, my husband and me. This ceramic butterfly has been with us since before we were married. It's image, in one form or another, will be the focal point of the quilt. The quilt will be whole cloth and free motion machine stitched. Right now I am auditioning different design concepts, and experimenting with different fabrics, threads and battings. The first sample shows my stitched interpretation of this butterfly using cotton sateen fabric on the top and bottom, with Heirloom Hobbs cotton batting. For all of these samples, I used a variety of very fine threads (#100). In all cases, the bobbin thread is "Superior Bottom Line". Here the top thread is a rayon machine embroidery thread . The next sample shows the same design using silk d...

The right tools are just as important for sewing as they are for any other job. Using the right tools can eliminate a lot of frustration and wasted time, as well as assure a better final result. Below are the basic notions that I find indispensable whenever I am at the machine. Left to right: small, sharp scissors;  tweezers;  stiletto;  seam ripper;  ruler with movable marker;  bone folder;  2 types of markers, depending on the job;  ruler for squaring up corners. The "General's Charcoal White" marking pencil is perfect for most surfaces. I especially like it for marking quilts; it creates a clearly visible, clean line with relative ease. (Not all chalk pencils are created equal!) I find that the "General's" pencil sharpens easily and doesn't break when sharpening, which many pencils do. Fabric shops are not the only place to find the right notions for sewing. Below is a set of potter's tools that I recently found at an art shop for un...

Hand stitched napkins made for my daughter and son-in-law's wedding in 2007. Dating back as far as the Egyptian hieroglyphics, initials, or monograms, have been used as a simple way to identify the maker of something or it's owner. Coins from ancient Greece held an imprint of the monogram of their rulers. During the construction of buildings in ancient times, the initials of either the master builder or the owner were often carved into the keystone of a building, or onto other prominent architectural features. An example of this can be seen at l'Abbey de Fontevraud in the Loire Valley in France, a retreat for women between the 11thC and 18thC , many of them aristocratic and wealthy, where two abbesses made certain their legacy would be remembered by leaving their crest and their initials on the tiled floor in areas of the abbey they had rebuilt. Louise de Bourbon (1530 - 60), Duchess of Montpensier, was an abbess ...

Ah....!!! The ritual of the morning coffee. While I am on the yoga mat refining that "perfect"? posture, the ritual of preparing that perfect cup of coffee is underway in the kitchen. The likelihood of the coffee reaching that perfect state of zen is much greater then that of the yoga posture. After the energizing reboot/refresh of the morning ritual, there has been some progress to my ongoing projects. Stitching has been completed and the cording stage of the "calibri" (hummingbird) boutis piece has started. The hummingbird is slowly emerging. Progress on the whole cloth hand quilt, mentioned in my last blog, was quite limited during the holidays, however, in the last week, I have averaged just under 2 hours of hand quilting per day. Never having been a speedy hand quilter, it will take me a while to get the speed up again. These arches (most likely artichoke motifs) form the first of 3 rows in the border. Each motif , along with the adjacent...

Seven years ago when my daughter and my son-in-law became engaged I started designing this quilt for them. Having just moved to Montpellier in the south of France, I was influenced by the quilts and linens I saw there, in particular by the lovely boutis quilts. At the time, my knowledge of boutis was quite limited, so I borrowed the look and some of the motifs used in boutis and adapted them to this whole cloth hand stitched quilt. The heart is one of the symbols used in wedding quilts. Five years ago, when they got married, the quilt was no where near being completed, but it was well on it's way. Four years ago, when my husband and I stopped spending winters in France, I moved the quilt to Vancouver. (The summers are much too hot where we live in France for lap quilting.) The section in the hoop shows the border that I am currently working on. There are 3 rows of border motifs. Sadly since then, because other things always seem to take priority, I have spent very...

Much of what I have learned about quilting and needlework in general, I have learned from books and magazines. Most books give specifics for the "how to", as well as issue patterns. There are many excellent books on the subject of needlework, many in my own library. Below are a few new books that I have recently acquired. Within the last number of years, I have devoted much time to learning about the southern French needleart of boutis. Aside from describing the technique, I have also learned much about the rich heritage and tradition of this craft from books. Learning about the history of French needlework has made me understand the importance of the design of a quilt. With information that I have retrieved from books, I feel that it has added a new dimension and significance to the things that I make. "Piecework" is one of the few magazines I subscribe to. Each issue has articles and stories describing the rich history of different types of needlework from aro...

On our recent visit to London, one of our first stops was at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Established in 1852 and named for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, who were strong supporters of it's founding, the museum is a facility that is both educational and cultural, and open to everyone. It is here, in the "Medieval and Renaissance Gallery" that I finally saw the "Tristan Quilt", one of the earliest surviving quilts showing stuffed, corded whitework (known as "Boutis" in France). A Chihuly chandelier hangs in the grand lobby of the Victoria and Albert Museum. Medieval needlework was often a medium for storytelling. It told of wars and conquests, heros and warriors, love won and love lost, etc. Myths and legends were recorded for future generations through the nimble fingers of the artisans. Through the intricately depicted figures stitched into the Tristan Quilt, this classic Norman legend follows Tristan into battle...