I remember it like it was yesterday…we were on our way to visit some friends and I dressed myself in a glorious ensemble and completed the look with a snappy white wicker purse shaped like a turkey.
As I strutted my four year old self to the door, I was met with blank stares from my mom and my Nana. It was then suggested that I rethink some part of my outfit because Pink and Red do Not Go Together. And worst of all, I was apparently the last and only person not to know this.
I was stunned, embarrassed , flummoxed…not only was it the prettiest color combination ever, but what were these elusive Color Rules no one had clued me in on?
Just last year, and mostly for convenience sake, I deemed that Navy and Black together are downright chic. Can we all agree to abandon these silly rules which are keeping us from our authentic color selves? All but the one about planting red and yellow tulips together, now that really is a crime.
pink and red roses
pink and red stitchery items
It is funny how things can develop right under your nose sometimes….
When I started the French Needle nine or so years ago it was all about needlework supplies.
Over the years it has morphed into something even closer to my heart. In my attempt to sniff out really beautiful materials for people to use in their projects, I have come across some amazing crafters who realize their products soup to nuts.
To make something beautiful with your hands is a really big and joyful part of life, no? For some it is musical notes, for some it’s words, for some it’s just thread or felt! It’s all good.
Here are a few photos of some of the handcrafted items from thefrenchneedle.com …
A man who spends his life making exquisite scissors, (more about him, later) a bevy of women in Madagascar who crochet like fairies, my son who patiently turns and polishes his little wood needle boxes. How fun is my job??
nogent scissors
Sophie Digard scarf detail
wooden needlecases
stamp quilt detail
I was so excited to get my “new” quilt in the mail today. This one has been eighty years in the making.
My mom grew up in a small village on the western slopes of Colorado. Her neighbor made this “stamp” quilt top for my grandmother when the neighbor was 91 (born circa 1860?!). I am not sure why it was never quilted.
My mom gave it to me recently and I sent it off to Mary, an amazing Amish lady, who has been finishing quilts for me for many years. (some things are better left to the pros.)
The design, colors and workmanship of the quilt are fresh as I imagine they were in the 1930′s.
stamp quilt from 1930's
I wonder what an archeological dig into my stash will uncover eighty years down the road…now that’s a scary prospect.
interloper at quilt photo shoot
Say what you will about the French, but they do have a few really charming customs. My personal favorite is the Fete du Muguet, which somehow is intertwined with the french Labor Day.
On the first day of May, it is customary to present friends and loved ones with tiny bouquets of Lily-of-the Valley. The flowers are symbols of good luck and mark the arrival of spring. And, I guess, a day off work.
At any rate, they are sort of the flower opposite of a riotous tree peony. For some reason these teeny, unassuming flowers take my breath away. Nature’s little pearls, with their sublime perfume and exquisite fragility – they do so deserve their own holiday.
muguet
riotous tree peony bloom
ein kleine gluck UB chart
I am really not a good cross stitcher. This is probably due to my lack of mental rigor and discipline in following a chart. And the reluctance to correct a mistake early in the game.
I have noticed that some people are genetically wired to cross stitch. Take my friend Donna. She stitches models for me and I can almost not tell the back from the front (in a good way). And she is FAST. She must not stop to eat or sleep when she gets one of my packages in the mail.
Anyway, here are a few photos of my latest model from UB, a German company. They have quite a few really -dast i say- cute designs. Sometimes you just have to leave it to the professionals. Thanks, Donna!
Back!
Not that I don’t like traveling with my boys, but three days this week alone with my 15 year old daughter in Savannah, Georgia were pure heaven.
Savannah - Spanish Moss
The goals of our trip were more Scones and Pralines than Great Generals of the Confederacy. But we were meticulous in our research. I am quite sure we did not miss any needlework boutique, vintage jewelry shop or tea room within Savannah city limits.
We walked and walked the beautiful town and its checkerboard of shaded squares and elegant houses…we peeked in at gated gardens and marveled at the jasmine hedges…strange that no other cities that I know of have this incredibly logical and ingenious layout.
I particularly suggest you duck in The French Knot on Whitaker Street. Audrey, a recent graduate of the omnipresent Savannah School of Art and Design has got the pulse on the future of needlework shops. Stop by and tell her “hey” from me!
Savannah - Fountain
Architectual detail, savannah
Here in the Washington D.C. area, there are but a handful of days when it is not too cold, too windy, too hot, too rainy, too humid, or too buggy to be outside.For me, at least.
So, although I like to consider myself a “gardener”, my “gardening” consists mostly of planting something and running inside to watch it grow from the window.
As I don’t believe in pesticides or fertilizers, and I won’t wrestle with the the hose, the plants that survive in my garden are really plucky plants.
Just like my husband, children, and dogs.
Maybe it is laziness, but I prefer to think of it as fostering independence. I do think they’re all the stronger for it.
Anyway, here are a few of the little spring troopers…
Leucojum
Grape Hyacinth
Tulip Magnolia
