Back in the Woad...Again!

Fall is just around the corner...which means our Woad Master, Denise Lambert, will be visiting from France soon to offer another amazing Woad Workshop at French General.  We have been dying with the Woad plant for the past five years, and every year we learn a bit more - it seems the pigment has many stories to tell!  If you haven't heard of Woad before (and if you read this blog - you have probably heard about it a lot!).
Our workshop this year is planned for Saturday, September 15th from 9-4.  Students are encouraged to bring whatever they would like to dye - be creative - a couple of years ago a friend brought her wedding dress!  The best materials for dying with Woad are natural materials - hemp, silk, cotton, wool and linen.  Be sure to pre-wash everything in very hot water to take out any sizing or stains.  Nothing bigger than a tablecloth will fit into the vats - so if you are thinking of bringing sheet sets, you may have to cut them in half and then sew them back together!
On the day of the workshop, everyone meets at French General in the morning for coffee and a snack and then we carpool up to a historic field in Elysian Park.  After a fascinating lecture on the history of Woad, Denise guides us to the vats and we dye to our hearts content!  A brief stop for a hearty meal at noontime and then it's back to the vats to finish up any undyed materials that we can find - this is when people can get a little crazy and jeans get thrown in the vat!  After a full day of Woading (it's a verb too!) - we return to French General for a glass of Lillet served up by my dad - the resident bartender at French General!

photo courtesy of fineartstextiles

This year, we are offering something new and exciting for true Woad enthusiasts!  The day before our Saturday workshop, Denise Lambert will be of offering a Woad Master Class at French General.  The Woad Master Class will be limited to 12 students who want to learn the process of building up the mother vat which we will be using on Saturday in the park.  On Friday, September 14th, we will meet in the morning at French General, help Denise build the vats with the Woad pigment, break for lunch and then have a special workshop on preparing fabrics to be dyed - which will include classic Shibori stitching techniques.   I think some of the most beautiful dyed pieces are the ones that have been prepared - and this workshop will give you the time to do so.  Fabric, stitching kits and lunch will be provided in this special workshop.

Hope to see you in September!

Crafting in France

A big part of what we do on our French General Getaway is craft.  We craft in the morning, we craft in the afternoon, and those of us that have good eyes (myself not included!) even craft after dinner!  It's funny, when we originally planned these getaway weeks, we didn't leave as much time for crafting - thinking everyone would rather run around the countryside seeing the neighboring villages and markets.  But, we have found that when you have 18-24 women gathered in an 18th century chateau, crafting is actually a luxury - something that everyone wants to spend more and more time doing.  This summer we were honored to have a handful of friends and artists join us for a week each - including: Shea Fragoso and Debbie Murray from A Gilded Life, Charlotte Lyons, Jenn Texiera from EK Success, Susan Fuquay from American Quilt Retailer, Monica Medieros, Wendy Addison and Marcia Ceppos from Tinsel Trading.  Each brought their own unique craft and a bunch of wonderful kits so we could create to our hearts desire! Here's a look at some of the projects we worked on this summer, students in the studio, and a few of our friends that came to teach....

Brocantes, Vide Greniers and Marche aux Puces!

By any name in French - brocante, vide grenier or march aux puces -  it all means the same to me...the thrill of the hunt!  A big part of our day in France is chasing down the dealers who specialize in collecting the history and craft of the countryside of France.  A small brocante sign with an arrow pointing to the right may mean a 5 minute jaunt down the road or an hour drive into the countryside in search of the next sign.  Sometimes we drive so far, one of us gives up patience before the rest and we have to check ourselves to see if we really are on a wild goose chase....or not!  If we are lucky enough to find the destination, we usually find gold!
Typically, I take a walk around and get a good look at everything - and I mean everything,  I look under tarps, I open doors and check drawers...I may even look out back behind the shop.  I usually spot something as I am walking in - but that is never the first thing I ask about - in fact I may even leave it for he very last minute, after I have found everything else that I may want...then I casually ask - "Oh yeah, and how much for the...what is that anyway...yeah - the 17th century invoice book? "  By that point, the dealer is either charmed that you like all of the old dusty buts, or tired of you asking so many questions.
Very often in France, if you have purchased enough from one dealer, they will throw in "un cadeau" a gift - and if you are lucky - the piece you most wanted may just be un cadeau!  I think French dealers must get such a kick out of the junk we are collecting - half the time they are probably happy we are taking it off their hands!  Here's a small peek into some of the treasures that made it home with us....many to be seen next month in our Found in France Collection at frenchgeneral.com

Three Weeks Ago....

Three weeks ago, before my computer crashed and I lost internet service....I was in France on our Chateau Getaway with three wonderful groups of women - from all over the world!  It's hard to know where to start.....do I write about the centuries old chateau we lived in, the over the top food that Chef Charlotte cooked up for us three times a day, the field trips and artisans we visited in local villages, or the brocantes where we dug out scraps of 18th century hemp, linen and silk?  No, I think all of that can all wait - at least till tomorrow!
Today, I just want to say thank you to each and every woman who joined us on this crazy adventure! With little or no itinerary, adventurous souls signed up for a week of living like a rural French woman.  Throwing caution to the wind, women come to see France through our eyes and hopefully learn a thing or two about themselves - while forging new friendships, crafting with the featured artist and sharing a glass (or two!) of the local grape!

At the end of each week, we don our woaded attire and pose in front of the chateau for a group photo - kinda like a French summer camp - but a whole lot better!
More to come soon!

La Cinq Sens

Each week we are in France, we visit two or three farmer's markets - the early morning market in St. Antonin, the peasant's market in Caussade and the city market in Cahors. Walking into a farmer's market in France is an attack of all of the senses: scent, sight, taste, touch and sound are all highly tuned at the market - there is no avoiding any of them! The scents are a mix of sweet sausage, fresh bread and earthy greens; the visual is a blast of color - from the fresh produce and vegetables to the butcher counter filled with every kind of meat imaginable; you can taste your way through the market with a bit of cheese, honey, and saffron jam; the texture of the bread loaves, dusted with flour is only found in France; and the sounds are a mix of the bird man, whistling his wooden warbler to the church bells ringing at 7am. Everything seems more vibrant - until the next market, which surprises us again! For a daily visual treat of our summer in France, please visit us on instagram at frenchgeneral!

The Hat Factory Is Full!

Every summer we return to France, I wonder if the hat factory will finally be depleted - empty of all of the treasures we dig for each visit. And every year, I am delightfully surprised to see that it is as full as it ever was - with old silk labels, bolts of ribbon and stacks and stacks of straw hats! Here is just a little peek inside of the hat factory that closed over thirty years ago....as well as a look at Guy, the third generation owner, showing us how they used to sew together the straw braid to make the panama hats.

An Abandoned Chateau in Septfond

That's all...just an abandoned chateau in Septfond...waiting for someone to come along and breath new life into it. I tried to talk Mogull and Molly into jumping the fence and exploring with me, but Mogull reminded me we didn't have a lawyer in France! I loved the overgrown garden and the stables out back. Someday...

Heaven on Earth - almost!

We've made it back to the chateau - one of the most beautiful homes I have ever stayed in - a bit of heaven on earth! Our first group of women arrived this past Saturday and we settled everyone into their room and had a lovely welcome dinner, prepared by Charlotte, the chef. Sunday morning we woke up early and traveled up to St. Antonin's Farmer's Market and then headed off to Montricoux for our first vide grenier - very similar to a flea market - with a bit of everything thrown in! After picking through treasures and finding a bit of gold, we drove up the road to Bruniquel for our garden picnic. All was going so well...and then the grey cloud appeared...well, not literally.  First,  Kick slipped and was rushed off to hospital for five stitches to sew up the gash in her leg, then I lost my wallet, then my computer exploded (hence the lack of posts!) and then, Mogull's car turned into a lemon!  So....we smudged and cleared the air and welcomed in the Solstice (thanks Stacey for the guidance!) and now...we are back on track! The skies have cleared, Kick is recovering, my wallet was found by an 80 year old woman who just happened to live 2 miles from the chateau, and Mogull's car has been replaced with another! My computer is still dead - but that can be dealt with later. Meanwhile, we've visited all sorts of old villages and brocantes and today we are woading...more to come soon!

French Farm Mischief

A fun morning stroll through the fields - complete with a bit of French farm mischief! We actually tried to roll Molly along the hay bale - but it was impossible to move it! Later, Kick said that farmer's don't like it when you mess with their hay...oops!

A Walk in France