Just on foot of the beautiful images from Raf Simon’s Christian Dior show featuring our familys haute couture grosgrain ribbons, I discovered this wonderful film which gives us a delicious glimpse into the making of one dress, “Look #53″. I loved discovering the haute couture ateliers, from the dyers (teinturiers) to the ateliers Gérard Lognon (plissers des tissus)

Enjoy

Wow I am just swelling with pride for our family ribbon company. Suzy Menkes just wrote a wonderful review of his show which featured ribbons from Julien Faure.

Suzi Menkes writes “…As the models walked down the scaffolding ramp set, you could tell that each stripe, each decoration –  were works of art.”

Here are some close ups that were not in the Suzy Menkes feature – they show in detail how beautiful the ribbon detailing is on the dresses and skirts. wow wow wow, still beaming about this!

Les Petits Bonheurs series is back for 2015 and appropriately this weeks artist, Christine Kelly of ‘Gentlework‘, is someone who I discovered thanks to Johanna Flanagan of The Pale Rook who I interviewed in November. What a wonderful gift it has been to meet so many wonderful makers, you are truly inspiring me.

I completly lost track of time the morning I stumbled into Christines blog, each image more beautiful than the next. Her handstitched treasures whisper to you, they soothe and comfort.

One image in particular touched me deeply, a photograph of antique jewel boxes inside which, Christine has hand stitched words of hope, “let go”; “have hope”, “courage dear heart”. She describes making “a collection of tiny tokens, to be called upon in times of need, slipped into a pocket, closing fingers around them, a comfort“.

I feel Christines work on a very personal level, it moves and nourishes me and right now, with events of recent days her work and stitched words have taken on a special importance.

I am so grateful to Christine for opening up her creative process and home here for Les Petits Bonheurs and know that you will enjoy discovering her work.

“I’ve always loved vintage textiles and I suppose I’ve been collecting for about 20 years or so. I use them because I prefer them to ‘new’ fabrics. I like the fact that they have a narrative, they are often soft or faded from years of washing and handling or there may be a stain, a mend or a tear which hints at their former use. The use of these materials in my work, especially in more personal pieces, means that their story and my story become intertwined.”

“I can get very attached to little scraps of fabric, even little plain pieces that may not seem very precious. I can’t remember the first piece of vintage textile that I fell in love with, and I get new favourites all the time, but one piece in particular is a small piece of broderie anglaise lace picked up at a Paris flea market, it’s old and hand worked with tiny pintucks along the bottom. It’s humble and stained and nothing special, but it has a little mend on it and it’s those tiny stitches that melt my heart….thinking how much it must have meant to someone for them to mend it with such care. I’ve used it in a piece of work, but it’s one I’m going to keep…”

“I pick up vintage pieces from all sorts of places, but mainly local antique fairs, some of the stall holders know me now! I don’t buy online much as I like to see and handle things.

When I buy vintage materials I don’t buy expensive or precious items, or anything too perfect. I’m often more attracted to something that’s a bit tatty or worn, also that way I don’t feel bad about cutting them up and re-using them.”

“My work is characterised by it’s subtle colour palette and that’s what I’m drawn to when looking for materials to use. I like the gentle variations in tone that vintage linens and lace provide and exploit this in my work by patching together differing shades. I also like to use old mending threads to embroider with rather than modern embroidery silks as I prefer their soft and subtle colours. I especially look for interesting edges or details on textiles or bits of embroidery and lace with motifs that I can cut out and use for appliqué. I don’t set out to look for materials with a particular project in mind, rather I like things to just find me….”

“In my workroom I’m surrounded by the materials I use and new acquisitions are kept out on display for some time before they are used, to be considered and to provoke thought. Seeing materials side by side often inspires me and happy accidents can happen through a combination of untidiness and serendipity.”

“My favourite place to be is at my desk in my workroom, surrounded by all the things that inspire me and looking out onto trees, fields, sky and birds. I’m at my happiest when quietly hand stitching, listening to the radio or gentle music. In the past I worked predominantly with machine embroidery but now, stitching by hand has taken over. I find hand stitching more tactile and immediate, it also fits well with the vintage materials I use which have often been handled and hand stitched themselves over many hours, many years ago. The other thing about stitching by hand is that it can be very calming and meditative. I find stitching a great comfort in times of stress and some of the work I’ve made has been in direct response to difficult times in my life.”

Do you have an absolute favourite material that you love working with?

 “I love using vintage buttons, especially really tiny mother of pearl ones that are quite hard to come by, but some of my favourite items to use have been some vintage bone buttons and some beautiful buff coloured heavy French linen, which is lovely to stitch into.”

What is your background and how did you find your way as a textile artist?

 “I don’t have a formal education in textiles, I’ve taught myself and learned along the way over the years. I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t making things. I used to regret not having studied art or textiles, feeling that it put me at a disadvantage, but I don’t anymore. A lot of my work is very personal and draws on my experience of life and I don’t think I’d be making the work I do now without having been on a personal and creative journey.”

“I’d always shoehorned my creativity around work but in 2005, myself and my husband took a ‘year out’ from full time work to concentrate on our creative selves, after the sale of a home and a business and a long period of stress. It was during this year, and having this time to devote to my art that marked a turning point in the work I was making, when lots of different elements came together, my ideas and experience, the vintage fabrics and ephemera I’d been collecting for so long and all of the creative skills I’d learned over the years. We rented a house in a rural location, the first time I’d experienced living in the countryside, something which was to have a profound effect on my work and my creative process. The house was called Trevethoe House and inspired a piece of work of the same name.”

Who inspires you?

“Like most creative people, inspiration comes from everything and everywhere. The influence of nature is something that permeates a lot of my work. I live just next to woods and fields where I walk my dog each day and it’s often when I’m out walking that ideas come to me.”

“There is also a connection for me between the peace and calm of experiencing nature and the contemplative aspect of slow hand stitching, the two seem to go hand in hand and this is reflected in my work. Inspiration often comes from the vintage textiles I find (a little detail may spark off an idea of where I want a piece of work to go) but mostly my work stems from personal experiences and my inner landscape, thoughts and emotional states. You asked whether I get creative block, and the answer is I don’t really. Quite the opposite, in terms of ideas I have a backlog of things I’m longing to make. Of course, sometimes, it’s harder to work at something than at other times, if you don’t feel so great or things aren’t really flowing or working out as you had planned them in your head. At times like this I try to just go with it and if all else fails, have a break, do something else and come back to it.”

Is there anything that you can not imagine parting with?

“There are lots of things that are special to me but they are just things at the end of the day. I would struggle to part with some of my work, though. Stitching a piece of work by hand over many hours results in a real connection to the piece you are working on, often making a piece very difficult or impossible to part with (or to put a price on). Also, much of my work is inspired by my feelings and experiences, like a journal really, they contain a part of me, so it would be very hard to let them go.”

I find your work so moving, especially the hope tokens in antique boxes and the fabric tokens where you have woven beautiful comforting words on inside. I understand that you create these not for sale but as personal talismans – could you talk about these pieces and their meaning for you?

“The use of stitched text plays quite a big role in my work. I keep a little notebook of words, phrases and quotes that are meaningful to me. I’m interested in the power of words, to comfort and inspire and remind us of things which are important. This is something I’ve explored in the form of portable little fabric tokens to act as reminders and tiny boxed stitcheries that can be kept in a pocket and looked at in times of need. I’ve made these pieces for myself over time in response to various emotional states, the act of making them is reassuring in itself and then you have them as a keepsake. I’d been reluctant to share personal items like this on my blog in the past, but when I did, particularly in the case of the fabric tokens, the response was overwhelming. I think people really connected with them, after all we all have difficult feelings to deal with from time to time, I just tend to deal with mine through stitch.”

How do you sell your work?

“I sell my work mainly at fairs, exhibitions and at workshops I teach and occasionally to people who contact me directly. Generally, I prefer not to work to commission, which people find unusual. I have tried in the past but I find it stressful and it makes me feel constrained, and this takes some of the enjoyment out of creating and means I can’t really put my heart into it. My work means so much to me that I wouldn’t be happy to sell a piece that didn’t have my heart and soul in it.”

Please visit her wonderful blog here  to view more of her work.

I just wanted to reach out and wish you all a happy happy new year.

I hope it is filled with …

….happiness, may you be surrounded by loving friends and family

…laughter – the kind where you have tears running down your face and your cheeks ache from smiling!

…adventures – go skinny dipping & get up early and climb that mountain to watch the sunrise

…creativity – let 2015 be the end of procrastination and the year you take out those beads you’ve been hoarding, or that yardage of fabric you bought but never cut into.

Have faith, let go, let’s do it, let’s make it, let’s make it happen – allons y!

….and friendship – thank you to all the new friends who have encouraged me here

To those who have taken time out to talk to me and let me explore their creative worlds

To my cheerleaders around the world – those wonderful people who post comments here and email me loving notes of support

And to my dearest and nearest – thanks for being by my side – let’s make this year a good one!

Oh the wonders of Instagram, one day you scroll down through your feed, fall down a wonderful rabbit hole of inspiration and come out the other end buzzing with the discovery of exciting talent. This is what happened when I discovered the work of Danish mixed media artist, Tina Jensen who creates under the name, Tiny Bear Studios

Tina loves to work with “everything worn and faded – vintage lace, rusty bits and pieces, vintage photo albums, old stuff with a history.”   I love how she combines all her finds, transforming the smallest, torn and discarded morsels of old textiles to create something that will be treasured and loved once more. I wanted to find out more about what how she brings her creations together and of course take a snoop in her studio to see what treasures it holds – the stacks of old books, albums and layers of antique textiles do not disappoint – I want to reach out and leaf through the books, touch the soft, timeworn stacks of lace… dive in with me and meet Tina!

When did you start collecting?

“I’m not quite sure when it all started actually. I´ve always had a passion for the old and worn stuff and have spent lots of time at the flea markets. I´m drawn to the faded old worn look and to all things old. Vintage lace, old photos, old buttons and sewing suppliers, worn old paper, old books – you get the idea. I started buying these things thinking they could be used for something, not knowing what exactly. I just thought it was too pretty to be thrown out. Now I use all my finds in my creations and love the idea of giving old stuff a new life in a new way.”

What was the first piece of history that made your heart sing?

“Small pieces of worn vintage lace – I loved the look. That was my first passion. Shortly after I started finding beautiful old worn books and couldn´t let them go. Old photo albums with faded photos inside too.

Is there anything that you can not imagine parting with, a piece of jewellery, a painting, a photograph?

“Old photos from my own family – I need to keep them and some vintage textile pieces too. I´m having a hard time using stuff from my own family, but everything I find at fleas I use.”

What do you look for when you are sourcing materials? Do you have a colour scheme in mind or is it random and it comes together back in the atelier?

“I look for old faded stuff. I fall for the stuff that no one wants. Books that are torn, fabric and lace with rusty marks, everything faded, worn and miserable – that´s for me. I don´t look for a specific color theme, but always ends up with dusty faded colors. There´s no bright colors in my studio.”

How long do you ‘live’ with your finds before you start working with them?

“I buy the stuff when I see it, to make sure it’s going to be mine. Sometimes I know what I want to do with it and I start creating very shortly after bringing it home, but as often I have it for a very long time in my studio. I don´t always know what it’s for – it’s kind of difficult to explain, but I don’t go hunting for stuff for specific creations. I hunt for that special look/feel and later on I know what i’m going to use it for.”

Where do you do your making?

“I have a tiny little room in our apartment that I use for my studio. I have all my supplies gathered here on open shelves. It inspires me to see all my stuff and that´s how new creations are born.”

Who inspires you?

“I do have a few artists I have found online whose work inspires me, but most of my inspiration comes from the stuff I have in my studio and definitely from visiting flea markets, which I do almost every weekend during summer time.”

Do you listen to music when you work or do you prefer the quiet?

“Sometimes I listen to music and sometimes I prefer the quiet. Depending on what I´m working on.”

Do you ever get creative block?

“It’s very rare that I get a creative block, but when it happens I take a break for a few days, go out on walks and then start organizing my studio. Going through stuff – cleaning out. And then the inspiration comes back. This would be my best advice. Don’t force it, let the mind flow and it will come back again.”

Where is your favourite place for sourcing materials?

“Flea markets – definitely”

Where are you happiest?

“I’m happiest when I can get some creative time in my studio”

Do you sell in any other way that on etsy/your blog? How has e-commerce and social media changed the way you do business ; the human experience of salons/markets vs. the International global marketplace of Etsy.

“I’m doing a Christmas Craft Fair here in Denmark once a year. I would love to do more, but we don’t have many options here. I would love to find a little gallery who would display my work.
Social media has changed my creative life. Being able to connect with mind liked people from all over the world and being able to sell my creations all over the world too – I wouldn’t change that for anything. That´s such a big part of my creative life.”

What is your favourite corner in your house?

“My work table in my studio”

Do you have any collections you would like to share – vignette photographs?

“I’m not a collector as such, but have only collections of what I use in my creations”

You can visit Tinas beautiful blog to find out more about her world and her etsy shop is filled with wonders

Merci Tina!

One of my most dog eared, overflowing with post-its, favourite creative books is Rejuvenating Jewels: New Designs from Vintage Treasures by Jeweler Amy Hanna. Its pages are filled with sumptious images, the most unexpected items are transformed into beautiful heirloom jewellery.  I have followed Amy over the years, admiring from a distance her wonderful way of combining old with new; her fantastic sense of colour and her love for the hunt, be it rummaging through flea markets or antique stores, it’s always an adventure to see one of her pieces coming together.

So I reached out to Amy, one of my jewelery making heroes and she generously agreed to share her creative process and her love of the hunt for Les Petits Bonheurs. I hope you enjoy discovering more about Amy as much as I have!

“I started collecting when I was a child. I have always had a fascination with history.” Amy Hanna

What was the first piece of textile that made your heart sing?

“When I was a little girl the house I lived in was built on top of a lot that use to have one of the oldest houses in town on it. The contents of the house are actually kept in our town museum. I use to dig around in the yard to try to find some kind of piece from the original home. One day I was so excited to find a piece of broken china you would have thought I had found a pot of gold. I guess I was always an old soul. While traveling I think Paris really blew my mind with all the attention to detail, the colors, the casual perfection of imperfection.

I fell in love with the grey beauty of it.”

Is there anything that you can not imagine parting with?

“There are a few pieces of jewelry that I can’t imagine parting with. One being my Great Grandmother’s rhinestone brooch of a crown that I treasure not because it is so valuable and beautiful but because I loved her so much. Whenever I see it, it reminds me of her long long hair that she always wore up in a bun and her warm sweet smile. I also treasure a small cameo of a man and a women that is actually a tiny music box.”

Can you talk to us a little about your creative process: how long do you live with your found treasures before you start working with them?

“Sometimes I find myself keeping certain pieces and then one day I feel like it is ok to let it go. There are a few pieces that I wish I would have kept.

One that comes to mind is a vintage French hand painted portrait of a white haired lady that was painted on to Mother of pearl. I sold the piece a very long time ago but her face was so dreamy I still think of her. But I can’t have everything and I want the pieces that I create to be loved as much as I Ioved putting them together and using unusual special things is what makes them treasured.”

What do you look for when you are sourcing materials?

“I look for things that strike up curiosity in me. For example where did this come from, what was it used for how can I make the piece hold something or will it add humor.

I love dingy, sparkly, delicate, industrial, velvet, religious, souvenirs, mementos and playful things.

Although I am very excited to find a very old locket containing photos of a special someone inside it also makes me sad to think someone meant so much to someone at one time and somewhere this special memento got left to the world but how wonderful that someone else can appreciate and enjoy the captured moment in time.”

Do you listen to music while you work or do you prefer to create without distractions?

“Funny but I am usually in silence when I work. I like to be open to hearing my mind talk to me. When I do listen to music for some reason I find myself listening to the Cure, their music makes my mind dance around with crazy ideas which makes me more creative.”

Where is your favourite place for sourcing materials?

“I try to pick up interesting pieces from all over the place. I love to hunt for things while traveling to different countries, flea markets are the best.”

“I’m always excited to find a good antique store and I love to support other etsy shops as well. There are so many interesting things you can find on line.”

How and where do you sell your finished creations?

“I have had my things in upscale boutiques and I sell on etsy. I also sell while teaching classes. It sometimes blows my mind to think that I have sold pieces that I have made to people around the world.”

“I feel very blessed to have been given such wonderful opportunities to teach classes and sell my pieces. I never take that for-granted it is a true gift to be able to share your passion with other women. ”

You can read more about Amys work and inspiration on her wonderful blog

And see more of her beautiful jewels in her Etsy Shop

]]> http://lepetitcoquin.ie/admin/les-petits-bonheurs-amy-hanna-rejuvenated-jewels/feed/ 0 http://lepetitcoquin.ie/admin/antique-lace-buttons-and-notions/ http://lepetitcoquin.ie/admin/antique-lace-buttons-and-notions/#comments Tue, 09 Dec 2014 09:43:40 +0000 http://lepetitcoquin.ie/admin/?p=8619

So as I mentioned yesterday that last week I put down the camera (for a few hours) and took out my jewellery supplies and started making. I had discovered a stack of antique lace appliques still intact on their handsewn starched netting. They held so many possibilities, delicate and the perfect size for earrings or pendants. I couldn’t wait to make something with these but as I had boxes of ribbons to document, these beauties have been biding their time since August.

So I wanted to share a few of the first creations incorporating this antique lace, some beautiful old mother of pearl buttons, jet beads and sequins.

Setting earrings up, layering buttons and passementerie trims

Can’t wait to bring this necklace together. Antique black lace appliques layered on top of each other and I’ve cut up (sacre bleu) an antique lace collar to frame the appliques.

Playing around with texture and components to get the right effectI love how the pink in the shell of the mother of pearl is picked up by the delicate rose gold miyuki beads

Here I’ve combined some beautiful 1800s cut jet beads with metallic blue 1920s sequins and antique nailheads

Oh my, I think I stopped breathing for 2 mins 51 secs…sublime is the only word that I can think of after watching this awe inspiring behind the scenes glimpse into the craftmanship and making of Chanels Métiers d’Art 2014/2015 show.

I’m going to watch it again mouth closed this time.

Images & videos courtesy of Chanel News

It is just mind bending to imagine all of the incredible work that goes into making just one garment.  I am not one of the fortunate few who can afford this type of luxury garment but all I can say is thank God, for haute couture houses such as Chanel – without their employment of these metiers d’art, these important heritage skills would die out.

This only makes me want to take an embroidery course in Lesage – a girl can dream!

This weekend past I made a futile attempt at treasure hunting.

A slow Sunday morning was forgotten for an early morning start, my alarm rang out shrilly at the crack of dawn and bleary eyed I drove 55 mins to find the marché aux puces had been cancelled at the last minute, no reason was given. I stood alone in a desserted town square feeling very silly, little forlorn and cold with the Mistral howling around me. I thought of my warm bed and childrens morning cuddles that I could have been having right then.

Determined to make the best of it , I took the time to stroll (not run), to take photographs and soak in the architecture of the oldest streets of Avignon.

Old meets new and somehow it works.

I looked up and caught a glimpse of this joyful window dressing and smiled.

I would love to meet the person who lives in this tiny top floor apartment. Most of us dress the interiors of our home for our own pleasure and it made me wonder about the person who lives here, and I imagine them dressing their windowsill to spread happiness to passerbys.

After the last few fervorous months of launching Exquisite Threads, taking out ribbons, choosing which to part with (and which to keep) and photographing the final choices, I realised I hadn’t made anything in way too long. So I took out my beads and my boxes of forgotten notions which had been secreted away for a necklace or bracelet project since September. It has felt so good to be creating again, bringing treasures together to make something new and altogether different.  I discovered some antique lace appliques (still sewn onto the original netting) which I’ve been transforming into earrings combined with antique mother of pearl buttons – I’ll share the photographs with you later this week.

In making, I get to rediscover all of my hoarded treasures anew and in the process of taking everything out I felt a montage coming together which I wanted to share with you.

I didn’t have a colour scheme in mind but just some of my favourite antique finds, some I’ve had forever and some new additions.

Without realising it, the blues and metallics came together, echoing the winter landscape of the Luberon. Misty mornings, sun breaking through rain clouds and golden leaves on cherry trees in the valley between Bonnieux and Lacoste.

Real gold and silver woven ribbon fabric, morsels of beautiful scalloped gold metal trim, and my grandfathers handwritten script notes on the weight of the gold, the reference number and dates.

The wonderful antique gold star was lovingly wrapped and sent off to a kindred spirit, ribbon fiend in Derry in Northern Ireland.

This metal plate is an embroidery plate which I found in a textile flea market in Puyvert, I love the script and the name ‘Fannelly’ had an Irish lilt to it so of course it came home with me.

I know many of my Instagram friends love these metal bullion stars, I have a few which I’m going to be using in my jewellery work for the 2015 collection