Back Home in the Basque Country

Almost every year, for the past 22 years, JZ and I have traveled back to his family home in San Sebastian. Located in the north of Spain, on the Bay of Biscay, San Sebastian is a small, elegant seaside town where his family has lived since moving back from London in the late eighties. The Zabala family is large and proud - numbering in at over 100 - there seem to be uncles, aunts, cousins and distant relatives at every corner. Our stay usually begins and ends visiting family - either on the farm or in one of the small villages that line the coast. Both of his parents grew up on farms outside of San Sebastian - so a visit to the place where the grandparents were born is required. All of the farms are still in working order - making everything from cheese to cidre to ma mia - a local yogurt. The Zabala's are also in the coffee business - roasting coffee and serving it up at all of the local cafe's and bars. Although neither Sofia or I speak Basque, we sit for hours listening to the aunts and uncles talk about the old days and laugh about how JZ ran away when he couldn't have a bag of crisps - was he 4 or 14? - no one can really remember.
Summer after summer we return, for Sofia, for Jon and maybe even for myself. Coming home to JZ's roots is a gift that we have given ourselves and now give to Sofia - so she knows where her dad is from and how to appreciate how the family has grown into the 21st century.

Bon Appetit!

I am always interested in food - breakfast, lunch or dinner - I enjoy a good meal. At the chateau this year, we brought in a couple of private chefs who served up wonderful regional home-cooked meals using local, fresh ingredients. Each morning, we would awaken to the smell of fresh croissants baking in the oven, homemade muesli and fresh fruit - as well as eggs cooked to order and french toast or crepes on occasional days. Lunch was served outside on the patio or, if we were lucky, a picnic in a nearby garden. Our evening meals were usually multiple courses including: salad, meat, potatoes and vegetables - and always followed with a homemade dessert. Lizzie, Renee, Charlotte, Sujia and Corey worked hard to make sure no one left the table feeling hungry. From the first "Bon Appetit" to the last, we were treated to the finest culinary talent - something that will be a treat to return to next summer!

The French Type

After digging through countless brocantes, vide greniers and antique shops here in France, I've found plenty of linen sheets, old mother of pearl rosaries and boxes of buttons. I've bought way too many rolls of ribbon, hemp convent nighties and embroidery books from the turn of the century. But still.....we continued to stop at each and every flea market we ran across - never knowing what we would find next. When we arrived in Toulouse this week, I was still in search of the piece de resistance - the one item I didn't even know I was looking for. Something that would bring me inspiration and joy just by the mere sight of it. I think I found it: Lettres Peintres - an old typography book printed in 1902, full color, with 38 plates of different French type. What is it about French type that makes me think the French might have created the art of type? Beautiful, rich colored letters and numbers - filled with artistic swirls and shadows - I can almost see the brasseries signs in Paris painted with these letters.Sofia and I tried to bargain - the dealer wanted 50 euros - we offered 40. He shook his head and said no - you will never see a book like this again. And so I ran to the bank for more euros and happily handed him what he had originally asked for - something I rarely do at the brocantes. I carefully brought the 14x12 book back to the Hotel Albert and studied each sheet of letters. After Molly and I had counted and recounted the plates, and photographed each one, we agreed - we would never see a book like this again. I can leave France happy - I've found it!

Thirteen Shades of Blue

One of my favorite days on our Chateau Getaway has to be Wednesday, because Wednesday is woad day. Each week on Wednesday, Denise Lambert from Bleu de Lectoure comes to the chateau to teach us about the magical allure of the woad plant. Arriving first thing in the morning, Denise goes to work setting up the vats of dye by using the mixture from the mother vat she brings from home. This year Denise made up two different shades of woad - a light blue and a deep, classic blue - both typical shades of woad. After an informative and fascinating lecture, Denise shows us all how to properly place our whites into the vat to achieve a consistent first dye - making sure to get all of the air bubbles out of the clothing is a bit tricky, but is quickly learned by all. Although everyone brings a handful of white pieces to dye - either from home or collected at the flea market on Sunday - most of us were running up to our rooms and digging through our closets to pull out more! White linen pants, blue jeans, t-shirts,scarves and socks were all instantly dyed from yellow to green to blue - thanks to the alchemy of woad. Denise mentioned in her lecture that there were originally thirteen shades of blue that could be obtained through the dye - so I set out to see if I could come close by dying small scraps of hemp.
During lunch the second week, I decided I could no longer hide my enthusiasm for Denise and her knowledge of woad, and asked her if she would ever consider coming to California to teach - and to my great surprise - she said yes! So we have made a plan for next Spring and my mind hasn't stopped thinking about it since. So here I am, still in France and already planning the next big thing!

Finding Gold in France

We've been in France for a couple of weeks now - we've visited the flea markets, the hat factory, the farmer's market and been exposed to some of the local arts and crafts in the area. We've dyed with woad, visited medieval villages and made lots of french-inspired jewelry. We've met wonderful women who came along on our Chateau Getaway - all who seemed to love digging for old bits and pieces, crafting, and eating the local specialties.
Everything was going according to plan - until one day when Lizzie announced we would be visiting one last hat factory in Septfond - on the way home from Montauban. I have been on dozens of old digs, crawled up onto piles of old crates and seen many, many boxes of old stock that was still as fresh as it was at the turn of the century.....but.....I never expected that I would find a factory in France that had been closed up for years and was still brimming with antique stock - hundreds and hundreds of boxes upon boxes of old trim, feathers, flowers and hats - and then another room and another room and another room! As we walked into the old building, first we gasped and then everyone scurried around and found their special digging spot. I just kept wandering around thinking "this is as good as it gets!" - and instantly said to Molly, "shoot everything and shoot deep."
Everyone loaded up a box or two or three and went outside where Guy, the 78 year old owner's son, shuffled through each box and then announced the price - there was really no bargaining with him because he was practically giving everything away. There were a few bits - like the antique scissors and the faded pincushion that he took out of my box - family heirlooms - but otherwise, everything was for sale. Later that evening, as we were all showing off our treasures, someone said "I was putting my hand in dark places I never should have -and finding gold" - exactly what I was thinking! More to come....

Lumiere de Noel Winners

Thought I'd better pick out a couple of lucky winners of our fabric giveaway before I hop on the plane to France! Sounds like everyone is pretty motivated to stat making their holiday crafts - nothing better than a handmade Christmas. I love all of the ideas - here is a quick look - mostly quilts but a surprising variety of other goodies....

Holiday quilt
Table runner
Place mats
Lap quilt
Fabric ornaments
Wall hanging
Tree skirt
Apron
Napkins
Stockings
Pillows
Holiday bunting
Advent calendar
Duvet cover
Shams
Handbag
Shopping bag
Round table runner
Scarfs, belts and headbands
Christmas throw
Market bag
Gift bags
Lap throw
Wreath
Flowers
Basket liners
Christmas cards and tags
Dolls
Travel bags
Fabric necklace
Quilted handbag
Dress up clothes
Yo-yo doll
Pillow cases
Laptop sleeve

Sofia chose two numbers - and the lucky winners are:
#7 Ruth B
#89 Annelies

and then I chose two numbers:
#21 Northernstar
#121 Robin C.

Please send me your information when you get a chance to notions@frenchgeneral.com and we will send out some cuts of our new line. Thanks so much for playing along - I hope you have a chance to see the fabrics up close in your favorite quilting store - or you can see the whole collection of Lumiere de Noel at Moda.

Merci!

Christmas in July Giveaway

It's taking me some getting used to Moda's fabric schedule. I never thought I would be able to even think about Christmas in July - the thought of it always wanted to make me want to run! But - here we are - with the release of our first holiday fabric collection - Lumiere de Noel - and I am loving it! So instead of waiting till November - and starting to think about projects you may want to create for someone - think about it now! Moda figures it will take you a few months to sew up that holiday quilt - so they release all of their holiday fabric during the month of July. To get you started - I've pulled a few of my favorite prints and made up a couple of swatch bundles - leave me a comment about your upcoming (!) holiday project and we'll pull a few lucky winners by the end of the week. Joyeux Noël!

The Month Gone By

Can it already be July?? What happened to June? The funny thing about being able to "take the summer off" is that you really just have more to do before you can actually "take the summer off". So this past month of June I've done all my work for July and August - well, almost! I've designed our July and August collection of notions and our holiday 2011 fabric line, as well as received our holiday 2010 collection of fabric, Lumiere de Noel. I've thrown a couple of kids parties, gone out to dinner a few times and started swimming laps in the slightly less than freezing pool. I also met up with a wonderful quilter who is going to start helping us design quilt kits and spent hours on the phone with a sewer who is quietly answering questions about long arm quilting as well as what to do next. Oh - and I just received the sample yardage on La Petite Ecole - a wonderful line of French school book inspired prints - soft reds, old French blues and subtle shades of grey. And did I mention I have a 13 year old in the kitchen!

Inside the Chateau

I’ll never forget the first time I saw Chateau Dumas. It was a sweltering day in July 2005 when my Mum and I turned into the driveway. At first we thought the Coach House was
the Chateau - it’s the first building you see - and I remember my heart sank. Only temporarily, though - that first sight of the Chateau as you pass through the Coach House completely takes your breath away. Even now I can’t quite come to terms with its scale and the fact that the exterior is rendered in a subtle soft shade of pink.

We were met in the courtyard gardens by the owner Madame Constantin. Monsieur C, a talented painter, had died and she was planning to move to Paris. She led us inside to a square room with polished stone tiles. It felt like entering a cave. The entire room, including the ceiling was painted deep orange and the walls were hung with huge painted canvases. Classical Doric columns had been skillfully painted on the walls at regular intervals around the room and pieces of Napoleonic-style furniture had been arranged between them. We picked our way by the light of table lamps.

The dining room was equally impenetrable. It was painted a deep red (ceiling too) with a head of Julius Caesar painted on one wall, huge paintings on the others and a life-size marble statue in the chimney recess. The salon was no different except it was stuffed full of Biedermeier style sofas upholstered in acid lemon fabric and the curtains and shutters were drawn against the intense heat. This pattern of closed shutters, dark walls and ceilings, trompe l’oeil wall art and huge paintings continued and by the time we reached the first floor the only difference was that deep greens and turquoises had also been added!

Two hours later and all we’d managed to view was the Chateau. We still had the Coach House, swimming pool and barn to go! By the end, Mum and I were totally overwhelmed but utterly exhilarated. That evening was spent planning, plotting and working on a strategy to convince my husband that we simply had to buy Chateau Dumas.

Guest Post by Lizzie Ezekial, owner of Chateau Dumas

Last Call for France!

As many of you know, we have started taking groups of women to France every summer for our Chateau Getaway. We stay in the lovely, 18th century Chateau Dumas just an hour north of Toulouse. Besides immersing ourself in the countryside of the South of France, we visit flea markets, brocantes, a hundred year old hat factory (where you can design your own hat), local craftsmen, and food markets. We spend a day with a master dyer learning how to dye our old linens with woad, as well as learn jewelry and flower making. We still have a few spots left in our first week, July 17th - 24th - let me know if you yearn to live in a chateau for a week and dream in French! It's a magical trip! Here's a peek at our getaway last summer....more to come!

Lucky 13

The Restaurant: The Bazaar at SLS by Jose Andres

The Food:

Sweet potato chips
Yogurt, tamarind, star anise

Olives
Modern and traditional

Tortilla de patatas ìnew wayî
Potato foam, egg 63, caramelized onions

Jicama wraps
Mint, basil, pickled ginger, cucumbers and coconut dressing

Organized Caesar
Quail egg, parmesan

Apple and fennel
Manchego cheese, walnuts, Sherry vinegar

Baby beets
Citrus, pistachio, Sherry dressing

Not your everyday Caprese
Cherry tomatoes, liquid mozzarella

Baby Japanese peaches and kiwi
Greek yogurt and zataar

Brussels sprouts
Lemon purÈe, apricots, grapes, lemon air

Seared persimmons with JamÛn IbÈrico Fermin
Pedro XimÈnez reduction, walnuts
Ottoman carrot fritters
Apricots, pistachio sauce


Watermelon tomato skewers
Pedro XimÈnez reduction, lemon dressing

Jicama wrapped guacamole
Micro cilantro, corn chips


The olives actually exploded in your mouth......and that was just the beginning!

Sofia heard (from Anderson Cooper on 60 minutes) that nobody could get into The Bazaar - it was booked all season. Sofia got on-line, made reservations for Memorial Day and we got in. Last night, John, Sofia, Gracie and I had our minds blown at this totally unique, nitrogen air, foam food-infused, restaurant in Los Angeles. Sofia said the best part of the night was when the waiter come over to the table, pointed at her and said - "She really get's it - I can tell she's the one who's running this night - she loves the food!" And it was true - Sofia was in her element. This morning, the teenager (!) came out to breakfast and said "Mom - it was really all about the experience!" And now I know.

My Love of Peonies

Minneapolis - En Avant!

Just flew in to Minneapolis from New York for the Quilt Show at the Convention Center. After I helped Joanna Figueroa in her booth for a bit, I walked around the Center...and what do my wondering eyes should appear - but a beautiful quilt made out of our Rural Jardin collection! The booth was half set up - so I don't know who designed or sewed the quilt - but I thought it was a beautiful piece, showing off all of our latest fabrics! I'll fill in the name after I meet her - or him - lots of boys are quilting these days! I'm here signing our new book, Treasured Notions, tomorrow in the Brewer booth at 11 and the Moda booth at 3:30 - stop by and say hello if you happen to be close by!

Dust off Your Sewing Machine - We Have a Winner!

Ok - the list keeps growing and it's getting a little overwhelming! I really just want to send out a bit of fabric to everyone - but I know that would be crazy! Moda sent me a box of scraps - and I mean scraps - so I thought I would choose two names for some proper scraps and another two names for the scraps Moda sent me. I think Moda bagged up all of the edging of the fabric they cut for the Maison de Garance quilts they sewed for Quilt Market. So - if you happen to be a lucky winner of the scrap bag - I sure hope you like to do little work - 2x2 patch squares would work perfectly! Here we go....the lucky winners of the proper scraps from French General are Lorrie who is going to gussy up her dining room and Victoria Cullen who is going to cover her walls! The winners of the Moda scrap bags are Marie Pilgrim -I know she will use every scrap to make a tote bag - and Emma who is going to make an antique strippy quilt - perfect! Thanks so much for all of your ideas - they all sound perfect - and I hope some of you send me photos if you do end up sewing out of Maison - I think you will be happy with the new line - I know I am!

If you happen to be one of our lucky winners, please send your address to me: notions@frenchgeneral.com

A Soiree in New York

Join us Saturday, May 15th from 3-5 at Tinsel Trading for an afternoon of fun! Marcia and I will be signing copies of our new little book, Treasured Notions - and all sorts of creative friends will be around to help celebrate! If you happen to be in the city - hope you can stop by for a bite to eat, a bit of bubbly and a chance to visit Tinsel Trading!
If you would like to stay and take our evening jewelry workshop from 5:30-7:30, please sign up at frenchgeneral.com - we still have a few seats left!

Maison de Garance Giveaway

I've had so much going on around here that I almost forgot to put up pictures of our new Fall 2010 fabric line, Maison de Garance. This collection grew out of a conversation Cheryl, the Moda design director, and I had last summer while sitting in her room at Chateau Dumas, overlooking the fields below. Cheryl pulled out a brown and white transfer ware plate she had bought at the flea market in Toulouse and we were both enamoured with the deep chocolate color -and thought it would be the perfect compliment to the old French General reds. Turns out - it is a beautiful combination. Maison de Garance is a collection of fabrics filled with our classic reds, rich browns and a natural tea stain color...and the leaves are green! I am just crazy about some of the florals that are embellished with color - I can't decide if I like the reproduction or the original better - that's a good sign!
To celebrate our upcoming Moda group, I would love to send out some bundles - to add to your stash pile! Leave me a comment about your Maison de Garance ideas and we'll choose a couple of names in the coming days. Bonne Chance!

The Creative Connection Event

Just back from St Louis and I am already planning my next kit for a big event happening in September in Minneapolis. Jo Packham and Nancy Soriano have teamed up together to plan an inspiring four days for creative women to gather and do what they do best. Besides wonderful workshops, Jo and Nancy have planned entrepreneurial panels, a handmade market, and one on one and small group discussions with innovative people working all aspects of this great big craft world.
Planning a project for a teaching event usually puts me over the edge - I want to bring so many elements into a kit - but I realize that I only have 2-3 hours to introduce the project, walk through the techniques and keep my finger's crossed that everyone finishes the project. After I have settled on one idea, I start to think about color, texture and materials. Using my old stock comes in handy - I usually end up making 100 kits of each design.
I'm teaching two classes at the event - a Bohemian Charm Necklace Kit and a Petite Gypsy Heart. The necklace kit is a great basic jewelry workshop - with lot's of looping and charm making. The Gypsy Heart is a jewelry inspired workshop with a small cushion that is pinned with all sorts of jewels and charms - the kit will make over 4 pieces of jewelry. I am really wrapped up in the Gypsy mode wight now - small amulets and trinkets, good luck charms and talisman's - the idea that everything had to be moveable at a moments notice. I imagine the caravans all had these small bits hanging from the gilded ceilings.
Hope you can make it out to Minneapolis to take a couple of workshops - there are over 30 classes being taught at the Creative Connection Event - in every sort of medium! See you in September!

Crafting in St Louis

I just returned from a wonderful four days in St Louis, where I taught two different classes at Mary Englebreit's Home Companion Workshops. The weekend was filled with old and new friends - including some of my favorite people and some friends I hadn't seen in years. I taught a jewelry class and a millinery flower class and both went well - the students came from all over the United States and all were eager to learn new techniques and skills. The jewelry class was based on a kit for a charm bracelet - easy enough. The flower class used all sorts of our prints from the Rural Jardin collection - each flower turned out unique and different - beautiful blooms! We all stayed at the Chase Park Plaza Hotel and enjoyed each other's company at a cocktail party Thursday evening and a fabulous lunch on Saturday afternoon. During the lunch, Margo Tantau moderated a discussion about the future of craft - the panel included Mary Englebreit, Dena Fishbein, Marcia Ceppos and Amy Butler. It was fascinating to hear how each got started in the creative world and where they are headed next. I love attending and teaching at these events - I learn so much and they give me the fuel I need to navigate my next steps. I also love running into the same people over and over - ever since I taught at Silver Bella last November, I have been lucky enough to get to know some of the women that are the faithful followers of craft - they travel all over (including France!) to learn from some of the best in the business. They are quietly creating their own network of women who create. Hats off to some of my favorites - Rachel, Meleen, Jemilla and the handful of others who have supported me and are always there to greet me when I arrive!

Tinsel Trading Workshop

If you happen to live in the New York area and are looking for a little excitement - come on over to Tinsel Trading on Saturday, May 15th for a signing of our new book, Treasured Notions. Marcia and I will be signing copies as well as offering a workshop based on on the Tassel Necklace featured in the book. The necklace kit includes some of the wonderful old coiled wire made in the basement by Marcia's grandfather. The necklace also has silk ribbon thread through honey-ox chain, glass beads, mother of pearl buttons and a metallic thread tassel - a simple but elegant necklace that looks and feels straight out of the roaring twenties.
If you are interested in signing up for a seat, do so soon as seats are limited. Sign-ups are at frenchgeneral.com
See you in New York!

Inspiration in Dallas

Once in a great while, I am lucky enough to get invited down to Dallas to visit Moda and see the fabric and quilt masters up close. This past week I popped down for the Moda retreat - once a year they invite their customers and designers to come take a few classes, listen to inspiring speakers, eat wonderful food, as well as get a peek at the upcoming lines. After teaching her classes, Joanna Figueroa and I got a chance to sneak off to the library to look for inspiration to use in our new fabric lines. I've only been in the document textile library once before - it's a small room packed with all sorts of bits and pieces that Cheryl, the design director, has picked up over the many, many years she has worked with Moda. Eighteenth century French toiles, English chintz, American quilt squares - you name it, it's there. Tucked into small drawers, they have organized each category of fabric- so when you are looking for a 19th century French fantasy floral - you look through not one, but many pieces that represent this style. It's a fabric lover's dream. My favorite part - the part I dream about, are the old French fabric sample books. Falling apart - held together with just a crusty old spine, these books are filled with pages that have small squares of fabric glued down to each page - some of the books are 4" thick!
Later that night as I was going to sleep - the strangest thing happened - I kept having random designs of fabric pop through my head - like small flashes of color and shapes - it was as if I had looked at so many designs that my brain was on auto-design. I loved it!
I'll post photos of our newest line, Maison de Garance next week - lot's of old reds, chocolate browns and tea stains - once I receive the fabric samples we'll have a grand giveaway!

Dreaming of the Odd and Unusual

I love thinking about France, the flea markets in France and the the bits and pieces I find myself leaving behind. Last summer when we were on our Sunday visit to the Toulouse Flea Market, I found a vendor that had bought out a souvenir shop along the Cote d'Azur - the booth was filled with seashells from all over the coast of France. Why I didn't buy the whole lot of shells - or at least a handful - I'll never know. I remember thinking about it, having Molly shoot it and dreaming about the "shell crafts" that could be made....and then walking away. Isn't it funny how you can be presented with something you will probably never see again - but if the moment isn't right - if it all doesn't connect at that one point - you have no other choice but to just walk away - and never look back! Looking at this picture now I am kicking myself - and promising myself that I'll never let the odd and unusual slip away again! Merde!