Thursday, June 28, 2007

Treasures

My memory of Montmarte was streets filled with fabric (and other touristy shops). I’d hoped to pick up some fabrics. However, the fabrics were mostly for clothing – silks, taffetas, etc. No cottons. No remnants. So I passed on fabric and got a button (the round one). Not much; however, it will find a special home on some piece of art.

I had located on the Internet a quilt shop and had directions with me. After a very long walk (because I had us get off the bus too soon), we located Le Rouvray, a French quilt store that has been in existence since 1974. Filled with lots of cotton fabrics, I chose a bundle of French fabrics to add to my stash of “international fabrics.” There was a customer who was talking with the shopkeeper, something about batting and stitching … oh if only I could have understood! It’s a very nice shop, close to Notre Dame. I’m sure I’d seen it before because we had stayed right around the corner, however that was pre-quilting days.

Another foray into a shop that sold mostly ribbons and buttons yielded the square buttons, silk thread, white sequins, and a very small piece of ribbon. The choice was overwhelming – just like at a buffet, when faced with too much choice, I find myself taking very little.

In the city of Reims, I went into a paper/stationery shop and grabbed some collage (decoupage) paper and a napkin. Again, the choice was large and I almost made us miss our train back to Paris!

So these treasures, while small, will find their way into my art somehow, someday, and will be a very nice reminder of this trip.

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