The Number of Blue

800 Feet of Laundry Line
500 Clothes Pins
100 Gloves
45 Blue Aprons
40 Students
20 Garden Sticks
7 Vats
5 Helpers
2 Editors
1 Dye Master

We did it! We sold out of our Woad Workshop to be held this coming Saturday in Elysian Park - praying for clear skies and dry ground, we plan to spend eight hours in the park learning about the medieval plant that has been brought 5,870 miles from the South of France to Los Angeles! Now if we can just try to dye the 14 different shades of blue - we'll have a wonderful day!

Paper and Labels and Tags...Oh My!

Back in the good old days, Molly and I used to run off to Paris and dig through basements, drink wine with French pickers and end up in back stockrooms - where we had no business being. By the end of our week running around, we would fill our suitcases with bundles of old paper, notebooks, labels and other bits of French ephemera and hope we could get through customs with it all!
The shelves of French General were stocked with all of our treasures - the gold we dug out of the flea markets and vide greniers were offered for sale....well, most of it anyways! Much of the old paper stock ended up in our private collections - the paper archives - if you will. Old Deyrolle notebooks, hat labels from the mid-18th century and large rubber stamps from a botanical press - all were deemed to precious to let go of - so we hoarded and stashed these scraps for years.

What could come out of all of this? Well a stationery line for sure and then perhaps a series of paper workshops - enter Molly Meng! For the past six years, Molly has been designing artwork and a line of stationery using all of the old bits she has been collecting for years - each little piece has found a home in one of her small works of wonder - where everything is layered and meaningful.

Molly has taught at French General before - and she's coming back - this time bringing all sorts of old scraps to teach a Concertina Workshop - an accordion book that is filled with beautiful old bits of history that will tell individual stories. If you love old paper and French words and scraps that tell about times gone by, then you will love this workshop. For more information and to sign up, visit us here.

Open Craft Day

For a while now, we have been throwing around the idea of having an open craft day at French General - a day where local crafters could come and bring whatever they are working on and share some time with like-minded people. So, if you live nearby, or happen to be visiting, grab your knitting needles, jewelry pliers or sketchbook and pop in for a bit of a crafting bee this Thursday, March 31st from 11-4. Sign up to rsvp - space is limited.

Mrs. Rose and her 651 Quilts

One of the most exciting quilt shows to come around is here - well actually at the Armory in New York City. Mrs. Rose slowly collected hundreds of red and white quilts over the past twenty years. With a photographic memory, she has bought what she has loved and never repeated the same pattern twice. For her birthday, her husband has given her and the the rest of us a gift - an exhibition of 651 quilts to be hung at the Park Avenue Armory and open to the public for six days - free of charge - the largest exhibition of quilts ever held in Manhattan. By narrowing the focus of the show to a specific color combination, the curators encourage the viewer to focus on the design and pattern of each quilt. See the hanging of the show here.

According to the New York Times, it was Mrs. Rose who suggested the title of the exhibition: “Infinite Variety: Three Centuries of Red and White Quilts.” She said the inspiration was a line from Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra:
Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale
Her infinite variety …

So the quilts’ appeal is that they have retained their “infinite variety.” They have not turned “stale” with age.

To go or not to go - that is the question.

Flowers for Japan

For the past eleven days, I have found myself at the kitchen table reading the newspaper and tearing up before I am able to finish yet another article about the tragedy in Japan. I have always had an affinity for Japan and the Japanese people - especially the Japanese artists - who seem to be such a rich part of the Japanese culture. My second job, after working at the museum, was event planning at the New York office of the Japanese advertising company, Dentsu. With my Japanese office mates, I learned to eat sushi, drink saki, fold origami and appreciate simplicity.
Years later, French General was discovered when we were in a little shop on Crosby Street - almost in the middle of nowhere - when Japanese journalists would come in and be in awe of what we were doing. They would go back to Japan and publish beautifully photographed articles saying something flowery about the shop.
Since joining the Moda team a couple of years ago, my fabrics have all been drawn and printed in Japan by a talented group of artists at the fabric mill. So, I am connected to Japan, through friends and experience, even though I have never visited the country.

After talking with some Japanese friends this week, I realized I had to design something that would help raise funds for a family in need. Flowers for Japan is a bracelet kit which features a tribute to the Japanese cherry blossom trees. Every penny of every bracelet kit sold will go towards helping people that have lost almost everything - except their dignity. I hope you agree with me that we can each do something in our own small way - if you choose to purchase the Flowers for Japan Kit - we are doing it together.
To read more and to purchase one of fifty signed bracelet kits - please visit us at frenchgeneral.com
Merci!

Pom Pom de Paris Quilt

Our new collection with Moda, Pom Pom de Paris, is arriving in quilt shops this week - all a flutter with soft pink florals, old yellow birds and our classic red rural prints. I'm loving this new line - it's soft and fresh and different. With the help of Penny Tucker and Debbie Thorton, we've designed a classic quilt to accompany the line - if you want to get a head start on fabric needed for the Pom Pom de Paris quilt, here's a little cheat sheet for fabric requirements. Our Pom Pom de Paris quilt pattern will be available soon - at your favorite quilt store or from frenchgeneral.com

The Blue Attitude

I was so excited to walk into our local bookstore, Skylight Books, and see Denise Lambert and her woad workshop in the current issue of Cote Sud. Ever since meeting Denise a few years ago, I knew that she was onto something special - reviving a centuries old dying technique and pushing the boundaries with what woad could dye. The article mentions the current "Blue Attitude" and how it's become all the rage in France to dye with natural plant dyes. I couldn't agree with Cote Sud more!
We still have a few spots left in our Woad Workshop on Saturday, April 9th. If you are looking to learn from a master (which is something few people ever get a chance to do) and explore an arts and craft workshop with a group of like-minded women, please consider joining us on this special day. Not only will you go home with your arms full of French Blue textiles, you will leave with your soul filled with the essence of France - a rare treat.

My Kind of Fashion

This past weekend, Sofia and I took a field trip to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art - or LACMA as it's known to Angeleno's. For months I have been wanting to see the show Fashioning Fashion: European Dress in Detail 1700-1915, an exhibition that traces fashions aesthetic and technical development from the Age of Enlightenment through World War 1, through transformations of the fashionable silhouette and evolutions in textiles, techniques and trimmings. The details of the show were amazing - all highlighted by simple mannequins strewn about in a maze with what looked to be shipping containers stacked up behind the displays. Each mannequin wore a simple white paper wig which added to the beauty of the clothing by not taking away focus from the textiles. After a bit of digging on-line, I found out how the wigs were made - which is something I am sure I will have to try out for Sofia next Halloween!
A fascinating textile show - not to be missed!
Fashioning Fashion at LACMA in the Resnick Pavilion through March 27th 2011.

So Many Gardens....

So many pretty gardens and ideas of gardens to come...how to choose just one? I asked Sofia to choose a number between 1 and 99 and her number was 6! Jemellia - you lucky gal - I know you will enjoy every Botanical Charm Kit and I expect to see you wearing them all next time we run into each other! Please send me your address and we will start you off with our first kit, The Woad Garden. Thank you everyone for playing along - I loved hearing about your favorite gardens.

A few of my favorite gardens...

Wonderful Woad World

With a little help from our friends, we have been able to bring the cost of our Woad Workshop down. I am really excited, because hopefully now, more of you will get to experience this magical workshop! Get ready to be amazed as you learn the ancient craft of dying with woad - a simple weed grown in the South of France - that produces the most amazing French blue color. Come join us for the day and bring anything you would like to dye - we'll also be supplying everyone with a large scarf for you to practice your new craft.
For more information and to sign up, please visit us at French General.

Botanical Charm Club Giveaway

We're starting a new club over at French General - The Botanical Charm Club - a monthly bracelet kit club that features all sorts of old glass flowers, leaves, stamens, fruit, butterflies and bees - all of the vintage botanical bits and pieces that make up a garden inspired charm bracelet.
Whenever I find myself knee deep in a basement digging out notions, I always seem to be drawn to the floral and fauna - the old glass ladybugs, the brass sunflowers and the wire embedded apples. If you love old glass flowers and charms and dream about far-away gardens, then you will love this new club.
After joining the Botanical Charm Club you will receive a bracelet kit every month - you can choose to join the Annual Club for six months or dig in and join the Perennial Club for a whole year. Since much of the material we use to make our jewelry kits is vintage, there may be a substitution here and there - but we hope you agree that having a unique kit makes it all the more special.
To kick off our new club, we're giving away a six month Annual Club membership to someone who needs more botanical charms in their life. Please leave us a comment about your favorite garden and Sofia will pick a lucky winner. Bonne Chance!

The Woad Workshop

Last summer, I wrote about our woad days at the chateau. I dreamt about being able to bring Denise Lambert, the master dyer, over to the states and have her teach the magical workshop here in Los Angeles to friends and artists that couldn't fly to France to learn the craft. We talked about it over lunch one day at the chateau and Denise said "Find me a group of women who are interested in woad and I'll come".
I've been talking about woad for a couple of years now, and everyone always looks at me like "what are you talking about - indigo, vegetable dye, Rit?" So - I decided it's time to find a group of interested women who want to know about the ancient craft of woad dying.
To my surprise and delight, Denise has agreed to come and teach. We are planning a full day workshop where one will be able to come and learn from the one of the few master woad dyers in the world - the world!

Woad, Isatis tinctoria, was known throughout Europe as far back as the Egyptians, whom used it to dye the cloth wrappings used for the mummies. In the Middle-Age, it was used for its medicinal and healing properties, and according to the archives of the city of Marseille, it was the Moores that introduced Woad to the south of Europe. In the beginning of the 15th century, Woad was found in England as well as in the northern part of Europe, where it was mainly used for dyeing. European Woad is the legendary blue plant dye from Europe and was prized by Napoleon to dye the uniforms for his army. Woad is the eponymous French Blue – a rich, soft shade with a touch of grey.

For our workshop, we will be dying in an old, historic area of Los Angeles - Elysian Park - less than a mile away from French General. In an old field, surrounded by trees, we will be treated to a lecture on the history and technique of woad and then, for the remainder of the day, we will dye together. Bring your old white linen, cotton or silks - anything that has seen better days that you would like to dye a beautiful French blue color. You can also bring skeins of yarn or ribbon - anything of natural material - linen, cotton, silk or hemp.
This promises to be a very special day and you will be amazed as you see your whites change from acid yellow to bright green and finally, by the time you hang your piece on the laundry line, a rich, deep woad blue.
I have dyed with Denise many times, and I still get excited about the process - it's not every day that one has the opportunity to learn a medieval craft. Class size is limited. Visit us at frenchgeneral.com for more information or sign up here for the workshop.
Woad It!

Design Inspiration

Lately I have been sorting through all of my swatches and document scraps of fabric - the old French pieces that I can't bear to use. Sitting in the archives (aka the garage), pulling them out of the old files, rearranging them and looking at them all day long somehow seems to inspire me and lead me in new design directions. I've also been collecting all sorts of images that fit in well with my scraps - images found in favorite magazines or pulled out of an old French swatch book - anything that awakens something inside of me and says "yes - that's it!" I'm learning that inspiration for my design comes from so many places - whether it's a frayed old piece of tapestry or the weave in an old hemp sheet. These pieces, looked at closely are giving me a whole new way of seeing - which will hopefully lead to a whole new project. Stay tuned...

Beaded Posey Workshop

Back by popular demand - Shea Fragoso and Debbie Murray are returning to French General! Come learn the centuries old French craft of beaded flowers and create a lovely little bouquet of sparkling posies. Saturday, March 19th from 6-9pm. All materials included - just bring your glasses! Sign up at frenchgeneral.com

Pin Pillows

I've been obsessing over pin pillows, or what we now call pincushions, lately - what they were made of, what they were filled with and how they survived so much pinning! I found this cute little ball in Omaha and have found myself going back to it again and again - the colors, the craftsmanship, and the filling - a light, fine sand. Isn't it funny how one small, seemingly insignificant object can give you a wealth of inspiration.

Merci Merci Merci!

What a grand weekend we had here at French General! Workshops were filled to the brim in our little old shop - student's learning all sorts of techniques and creating the most beautiful of projects - and teacher's who traveled far and wide to be here - even braving snowstorms!
From the very beginning, I wanted The Art of Craft to be a creative learning experience for everyone involved - students, teachers and all of us here at FG. I loved sitting in on all of the classes and hearing other teachers teach - learning from them and a bit more about myself. I loved how my mom, Kick, was in the kitchen feeding all of us for three straight days - next time she'll craft more and serve less! I loved how my sister Molly came and was here from beginning to end and still managed to teach an inspiring class! I loved how JZ, Sofia and my dad showed up Sunday evening and helped us throw a soiree with Jo Packham! I loved how the girls, Dawn and Christine, worked the till till the end, and finally, I loved how the teachers and students gave and received so graciously. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart!

(photo courtesy of Charlotte)

Something New....

I love it when a business model changes and evolves into something new and different - something to shake things up a bit.
This weekend we are trying something that we haven't tried before - and although it has been a lot of work in the planning - I think it's going to end up being a lot of fun - and that's what the big payoff is for me - having fun while doing something I love.
The Art of Craft is three days of creative classes at French General - coinciding with the Craft and Hobby Show at the Los Angeles Convention Center. So besides it being a fun way to introduce all sorts of new crafts to people, I get to see a handful of old friends who are coming into town for the show and to teach workshops at FG. Shea, Debbie, Tracie and Marilyn, Anna, Molly and Charlotte - all wonderful friends and teachers.
We've reconfigured French General into a working workshop space - five long farmhouse tables, covered in old linen sheets - seating for up to 30 people. All five of our workshops have sold out - so I think we're on to something new here....more to come after the weekend!

The Dress-Up Trunk

Sometimes you get lucky and fit into all of the clothes in an old trunk...dress up the way it was meant to be!
Sofia in New York trying on custom made dresses from the forties and fifties.

Small Details, part deux

Sunday we visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art - one of my favorite museums. Maybe it's because I met JZ there, or maybe it's because I worked in the Film Department and Jackie Kennedy was good friends with my boss Karl Katz - so I got to put her call through to him on a daily basis. Or maybe it's because I can lose myself for hours and actually get lost - have no idea of where the labyrinth begins or ends. On this visit, I found a room I had never been in before - the Museum Archive Room - just behind the Period Rooms in the American Wing. The Archive Room houses much of the collection which is not in current use - so everything that the museum is holding or storing for an exhibit in the future. It felt like being in the worlds greatest antique store - and it was filled with amazing small details!

Metallic Thread, Silk Flowers and Glitter

Visiting Tinsel Trading in New York is always a treat - but if you happen to be friends with the owner....well, then it's an extra special treat! For years I begged Marcia to let me down into the vault of her grandfather's shop - I wanted to see the boxes overflowing with turn of the century gold and silver trims from France. Eventually, Marcia agreed - although I had to secure a book deal so she knew I was seriously interested in seeing the goods. A few summer's ago, Molly and I spent days down in the basement which had been storing old decorative goods for over 70 years. Covered in dust and dirt, we emerged with handfuls of old beauties that we used in crafting our little projects in the book, Treasured Notions.

This past week, Sofia and I walked into Tinsel Trading and after we had said our hellos (we were only going to stay for a quick visit) I asked Marcia if we could go to the basement...just to have a little look-see.
Before I even had the chance to hear the answer - Marcia was leading us down the steps into the "new and improved" basement. Don't get me wrong, I loved the old basement on 38th Street, but in this basement, on 37th Street, you can actually find what you are looking for - be it crimped gold wire, ombre ribbon or pompoms - everything is labeled or at least organized by material.

As well as stocking aisles and aisles of beautiful old treasures from France - sequins, beads, metallic thread, silk flowers and glitter - Tinsel Trading has a secret atelier hidden in the basement. Behind an old piece of burlap, hides Wendy Addison's East Coast studio. Tucked behind all of the production and vintage materials is a small creative space where Wendy dreams up her fantastical art. Drawers of old labels, tassels and ribbon sit next to boxes and boxes of old glass glitter - all used to create Wendy's repertoire of goods. Each original piece, handmade by Wendy, is then set into production using all of Marcia's vintage materials. This combined effort, or harmony between the two, is seamless and produces some of the most exquisite, original collectibles, boxes and whatnots. To see some of Wendy's art, check out Tinsel Trading's website or visit Marcia's shop in Manhattan at 1 West 37th Street - you will be charmed!