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.