Seams French

" Piqûre de Marseilles" or "Boutis" is a traditional French hand stitched and corded needlework technique, which uses embroidery stitches to create intricate channels that will later be stuffed with yarn, thereby creating a raised design with three layers. It's origins, and it's name, can be traced to the port of Marseilles in southern France to the 15th century. Traditional boutis was a technique invented to embellish otherwise plain white cotton with intricately patterned channels that would later be stuffed with a plump white yarn to give it relief. The resulting corded whitework created an elegant, embossed textile that was much sought after. Not only was it aesthetically appealing, but it also provided warmth and absorbency, so could be used for bed coverings, toilette linens (like towels), clothing items, home decor, etc. The first two photos below are from the collection of Mme. Monique Alphand, a well known French expert and collector of antique t...

Le Mireille: "Des études de piqûres" ("A Study of Stitches") The central motif of "Le Mireille". Back in July of 2012, while we were still living in the south of France for part of each year, I had the privilege of taking classes in boutis with Madame Francine Born, as well as participating in the local boutis association . All of the women in the group are talented stitchers, skilled in the traditional technique, yet not afraid of allowing creativity a place. Less conventional types of threads and yarns, fabrics and stitches would sometimes be successfully incorporated into their work. Since that time, I have been eager to work on one of Mme. Born's traditional boutis designs, experimenting with the variety of stitches and threads being used by contemporary boutiseusses. "Le Mireille" is one of Madame Born's traditional designs. In her own class sample (below), she has used several different stitches as well as different weight...

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...

Traditional boutis stitched in a traditional design. (Francine Born) The tradition and heritage of boutis, which is a technique of corded white work whose provenance is specific to the southern areas of Provence and Languedoc, is still being actively promoted and practiced by many needle artisans from the region. It's origins in France date back to 15th century Marseilles, where between 5,000 to 6,000 women were employed in needlework ateliers producing between 40,000 and 50,000 finished pieces of "toiles piques" (hand stitched needlework), mostly for export. Fortunately, subsequent generations have understood and appreciated the rich heritage of this craft. They have continued the tradition with dedication and enthusiasm, both by creating and by teaching. For the past two years, I have had the privilege to further my study of boutis (it's techniques as well as it's historical significance) from Madame Francine Born , www.boutis.fr , who herself has learne...