An afternoon in Pexiora.

Do you remember last year's post ?

I went back to this small and friendly crafts fair.

I met several wonderful and inspirational designers and I discovered one designer I didn't know : L'R de Rien. Just have a look and tell me whether you would have resisted to such beautiful and delicate designs.





I was drooling over all these beauties, just for the pleasure of watching them, when one piece caught my eyes! I immediately told my wife : "Doesn't it make you think of a house in Dinard ?" And guess what ? When the lady heard me, she immediately told me it was a stitched design of this very house I was thinking about!!!


Do you see the house on the far right facing the ocean ? That's the one.

I have plenty of projects in my stash and didn't want to add a new one but the idea of stitching a beautiful memory from a place I love was enough to convince me to add this new project to my stash ;-)


Isn't it cute ?

Of course there were other French designers.

Atalie and her fabulous overdyed threads and romantic creations. I really like the atmosphere of her booth.








I already have several projects from Atalie waiting to be stitched so I didn't buy anything though I love everything!

There was also L'Atelier de Fées Brodeuses.


Unfortunately, I do not have any photos of the booth presenting many samplers, both creations and reproductions : Reflets de Soie but I was really impressed by these samplers.

And I should not forget the fantastic creations by MTSA (photo below taken last year)



Another booth was a stopper for me! The one where a man was selling his hand-made scissors. Unbelievable! Each pair of scissors was like a piece of jewelry.



As you can see, there were more booths for stitchers than for quilters.

Fortunately Marie-Claude Iperti was there. Not only is she one of the nicest person I have ever met, but she has one of the most wonderful booth for all the country and primitive lovers! Look at these two quilts she had on display! One is her creation and the other one is a Maggi Bonanomi's creation.




As usual there was also a small exhibition. The theme being "Chocolate" this year, there were yummy creations...




... and beautiful quilts and quilted creations.











Well, this is what I will remember for this year and will go back next year if I can.

On Monday, I will resume work as the winter break is now over. After the delicate work on Thistlewood, I have decided to relax and take it easy in working on a primitive wool cushion from Maggi Bonanomi's latest book.




So, until next time,

Thistlewood's Carry-All

This is going to be the last post about Thistlewood. I do not want you to get tired of it.

Thistlewood needed its own carry bag, don't you think ? Well, Jackie thought it needed it and created a Thistlewood carry-all bag.

It started with some plain silk fabric that needed some embellishment for texture.



How does it look ? Great, hey ??



Now some hand dyed ribbon...


And after a few hours (quite a few actually!!!LOL!), that's what I got :


With inside four- storage spaces to carry my stitching threads along.


It is a cherished project and one more antique-of-the-future heirloom in my collection which I will cherish for years to come.

I want to thank you all for your extraordinary comments on my last post. I tried to reply as I had some free time being on vacation.

I, unfortunately, won't be able to do so now as I resume work on Monday but be assured that I read all your comments and like them a lot.





Until later,

Thistlewood is finished !

I have loved every single step of the stitching and finishing part of this project!

But words are sometimes useless... let the photos speak for themselves...













This is a Jackie Du Plessis's creation and it was an online class with Shining Needle Society.

I LOVE it! And you ?

Until later,

Back home.

After a week with my students visiting London, Oxford and Windsor, I am finally back home and have a two-week break.

I didn't have much time for myself while in London but could pick up the March issue of Country Living which I usually buy here in France and also found the Farrow&Ball book Living With Color.



It is the only paint brand I use in my house and as I am about to start some major renovation work, I thought it could be inspirational though I have already chosen the colors I will use. I will see if I will stick to my first choices or if the book will make me change my mind ;-)

As soon as I reached home, my wife told me that a few big envelopes had arrived for me. First was the house number plaque that I had won at Ann's blog giveaway. Thank you very much Ann. This Ramsign plaque is absolutely gorgeous!


On the second enveloppe was a handmade fabric heart I also won at Lhise's blog giveaway. Thank you Lhise. It is lovely and it has found its place in my workroom.




Finally, the lastest issue of Simply Vintage was here too!!! Great reports, great projects! It is a fantastic magazine for country lovers.



Now that the suitcase is unpacked, I am ready to start finishing Thistlewood. That will keep me busy for the next few days... and I shall soon have a new finish to post about ;-)



Until later,