Ancient French Boutis quilt

I found this amazing quilt in a local brocante. It had seen better days, was grubby and had a hole in the middle.

It was plain red one side and this wonderful Ikat style print on the other.

It had an area of wear in the middle so I added a large print of antique red and white printed cotton and some smaller pieces of red linen.

On closer inspection there seems to be another layer of cloth under the red, which indicates that it was recovered in the red cloth some years ago.

I love the fact that this wonderful piece has evolved over the years and now it is my turn. I have added a series of patches (antique printed cotton, natural and red linen) and used a wandering darn stitch in a bronze coloured antique French embroidery silk.

But how far do I go? how much should I leave as is in order to see the layers of years of wear and repair?

I have put the quilt for sale this weekend in my shop www.etsy.com/shop/atelier hope and given my customers the chance to buy it and influence the level of restoration.

If it does not sell this weekend I will compete it to the level I think is right for the piece.

Boho Runner

I have become obsessed by the fantastic antique hemp or chanvre fabrics that I am finding here in the Languedoc region of southern France. But, what to do with them? I wanted to create something that is simple in form and celebrates the beauty of the fabric itself.

This gorgeous cloth is handwoven and therefore has an uneven, slubby texture. The sheets were woven on on a narrow loom and then sewn together down the centre.

I love the subtle changes in shade and texture and wanted to mix off white with off white.

Not wanted to waste a scrap of this valuable cloth I keep bags of even the smallest pieces all over my studio.

I also collect antique French linen thread and embroidery silks which I like to use to create my 'darns' to add a certain authenticity. My trusty shears have been with me for over 30 years!

The pieces are now placed, pinned and ready to begin stitching. Boho Runner No. 2 will be completed this week.

Boho Runner No. 1 had an area of wear on the edge which I used as a feature.

A small section of a central sheet seam.

New Design Direction

After many years of designing handbags I have decided it is time to change. Living in France as I now do, I am surrounded by gorgeous antique linens. 

I found this piece of 1900 check linen in a brocante this week.

I am also finding amazing antique French clothes.

I am interested in a time when there was not a throw away culture. Fabrics were handwoven and therefore not only expensive, but also treasured. Clothes and household items were patched and darned to extend their life.

I think there is a real beauty in these old repairs and it has inspired me in some small way to recreate them.

Over the coming months I will create a range of items from antique French chanvre (hemp) and linen. I will dye, patch, darn and embellish.

The Adventures of Edith & Myrtle....

Live from a 1971 classic Cheltenham caravan called Edith..........the adventure begins.

Edith will provide a suitable HQ for the coming months in which to plot and plan our new adventure. And what is the aim? we will be appearing at the Goodwood Revival show in the UK in September. But who are we?

More on that later........................

But first, even though Edith is in lovely original condition she could look better. She is safely ensconced in her barn in France ready for her renovation to start in a month or so.

The nasty pink patterned upholstery is temporarily covered with some vintage blankets and granny chic cushions. I cannot wait to get rid of the carpet as well.

A good day's painting and the walls and cupboards are undercoated.

 

Those cupboards are just crying out for a lick of paint and green velvet curtains just are not me!

Phew, such a relief to get rid of the yellowy wood.

I have also removed the nasty 70's light and found a lovely old French light to go on this wall.

I also found a lovely old French mirror to replace the one on the wardrobe door. I might replace the plastic light switch cover with this French porcelain one and may use the wallpaper to line the back of the china cupboard.

It works well with my yellow cups!

Edith & Myrtle Vintage Boutique

Our vintage boutique at Goodwood will be a mixture of my retro style handbags combined with the wonderful vintage style hats that my good friend Wendy creates.

Together with our hats and bags, the stand will feature a whole range of French vintage items including furniture, haberdashery, magazines and other treasures.

One of our retro styled handbags together with our framed vintage French button cards.

Painted Furniture Courses

Visit a Brocante, buy a wonderful piece, learn how to transform it using paint, relax in the wonderful surroundings of a great French house (complete with pool, tennis court, wonderful al fresco eating etc. etc.!)

My husband is an artisan carpenter who creates wonderful hand built wooden furniture. He combines old pieces with new timber and finishes each piece with layers of hand mixed paint to create a unique patina.

He is now running residential courses to pass on his skills. For more details of his work visit www.collingbourne.wordpress.com or email me at www.angelahopehandbags.com 

To find out more about the wonderful La Son, visit www.domainedelason.com

Brocante Find of the Week

I simply love spending my weekends rummaging through piles of old French bits and bobs, some might call it junk?, I call it treasure.......

Every week I visit at least one of my favorite haunts, often more. This post is dedicated to my favorite weekly finds, many of which can be found in my shop www.etsy.com/shop/HOPEFRENCHVINTAGE

Vintage French Wallpaper

Lovely, albeit kitch, old French wallpaper. I managed to get 9 rolls, unused in the original packaging!

French Wine Bottle

This week I found an old glass wine bottle with the original cork stopper.

I have seen these before in the wicker baskets but I have never seem one in the hessian sacking as well.

I love the way the hessian is hand stitched onto the basket with holes that reveal the bits of wicker.

It would look lovely in a very rustic kitchen.

The bottle top has an unusual ribbed twisted glass detail.

French Walnut Oil Storage Jar

Found at a brocante near Carcasonne. I am told this is circa 1850 and was used to store Walnut oil. 

It has an interesting yellow patina around the base.

It would look amazing in a rustic style kitchen.

Hand Stitched Quilt

This gorgeous quilt is made from a rose print cotton in yellow on one side and pink on the reverse. The inner wadding is wool so imagine how warm it is. 

I love textiles that have patches and darns which show the fact the owner wanted to keep them going. This one has pink patches and red printed patches, all wonderfully faded.

The whole quilt is stitched by hand, imagine the hours of work that went into it.

Denim Slouch Bag

I found this amazing old denim fabric in a Brocante recently.

 I was told it was used for making prison outfits but I am not sure if that is true!

It has a lovely edge when frayed but I am not sure I will leave this exposed. I will see how it develops. I want to make a big cube shaped slouchy bag.

I also found this very faded pale grey linen with adarker linen floral print. I will use this for the lining.

These old leather straps came from an old French copper crop sprayer. After a very good wash and many coats of oil they are ready to use as straps.