Stories of silk & textile treasures

News….The French Muse, gather, connect & be inspired!

by Ruth February 16, 2015

I am pretty excited to reveal what I’ve been working on the last two months but there are just one or two details to finalise… I’ve been clocking 15 hour days (and weekends – sorry kids) to create our new website so I haven’t been as present as I would like here. Mea culpa! […]

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Les Petits Bonheurs – Brenda Colling

by Ruth January 30, 2015

I don’t know why it took me so long to get into Instagram but now that I am, it has opened up this entire world of creativity, collectors and artists. I get such a kick when I find a ribbon without documentation and now know enough to take a stab at the epoque and ribbon […]

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The story of a dress, by Visionnaire & Refinery 29

by Ruth January 28, 2015

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 […]

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Raf Simons’s couture for Christian Dior collection, embellished with Julien Faure ribbons

by Ruth January 27, 2015

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 […]

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Inside the atelier, a 13th Century cave transformed

by Ruth January 14, 2015

This past weekend we were invited to lunch in my friend Joannas house, I double, triple checked – “are you sure you don’t prefer that we leave the kids at home with a babysitter?”, surtout pas – Joanna insisted the more the merrier. I hadn’t seen Joanna since this past summer when she showed me […]

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Antique French lace, buttons & notions for Rubanesque

by Ruth December 9, 2014

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 […]

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Chanel and the making of the Metiers d’Art 2014/2015 show

by Ruth December 8, 2014

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 […]

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Winter montage, Gold, silver & blue

by Ruth December 8, 2014

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 […]

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Les Petits Bonheurs, Johanna Flanagan of The Pale Rook

by Ruth November 27, 2014

This weeks muse, Johanna Flanagan of The Pale Rook is a very special textile artist whose work I discovered via Mister Finch. He shared a delicious photograph of one of Johannas unique doll creations. Ever since I have been utterly hypnotised by her exquisite, magical, soulful creatures – truly unlike anything you have ever seen […]

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Lesage et Lemarie of Paris

by Ruth November 17, 2014

Visual storytellers Jamie Beck and Kevin Burg of Ann Street Studios have a beautiful blog & photography portfolio and I fell in love with their reportage on the ateliers Lesage & Lemarié in Paris. You can see their full article here. Jamie spent a week in Lacoste this summer and you can read her features on […]

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