I am now a member of Patchwork France!

I was invited by a new French friend here to go to Patchwork France's
Moselle chapter for journée de l'amitié. We quilters find each other
you know!

This is a meeting they do every quarter or so on a Saturday to bring
quilters together. It is called "friendship day "and I was invited to
go to the meeting as a guest. I was required to bring sewing supplies
and some fabric and if I had it my latest projects to bring that for
show and tell. Well, I don't really have projects here yet, but I do
have the bag I made in the Sulky training last November. I brought
that to show. Showing meant that you placed it in one of the
designated show areas so that people could go by and look at them and
take pictures.

Observation about French Quilting guilds is that if it were not for
the language it is literally the same. The women look the same! They
meet to do group projects though not to have a classic guild meeting.
Tables were set up and there were about 50 women in attendance.
Everything had to be done by hand because of the nightmare of
logisitcally how they would have the power to be able to run sewing
machines. We did mini patches in the afternoon and "inchies" in the
morning. This was new to me, but look at
http://katesquilting.blogspot.com/20...e-inchies.html
I needed to bring hand sewing supplies and some fabric scraps to
paticipate. Oh ya, I needed to pay 3 euros for entry and for the kit
of things they gave us to constuct the top of the inchies with.

They had a "valise" or "trunk show" for those of us who speak
English. They showed off about 30 small challenge quilts from another
group in france. For 2 euros I got a "brown bag" filled with confusing
directions (in french) and two of the ugliest fabrics I think I have
ever seen in my life! I need to do this...One is a off white
background fabric with blue and red circles, some filled in others
not. the circles are about 1 inch.Then there is auful orange based
stripe fabric. It has got to be my "American" taste. except my friend
thought they were really ugly too. There was a "mini patch" foundation
paper piecing (I think) that I need to incorporate somehow into the
design. It is about 2 inch square. I need to use two of them, I can
resize one of them...hmmmm... Oh my...the other group had something
easy, they had to do birds and trees with a fabric that looks like
autumn trees. I would be so lucky.

I have not mentioned the food! Everyone (except clueless guests like
me) were asked to bring food. either "salty" or "sweet" that meant we
started with coffee cake type things in the morning with coffee and
then lunch was salads and main courses people had brought, followed by
cheese and then desserts...more coffee. I needed to bring my own
knife, folk spoon and plate as well as anything I was going to drink
besides coffee.

I was already pretty popular due to the sweater I was wearing that the
French thought was really really nice (they took pictures) and checked
the construction. I bought it at Talbots a couple years ago. It is
orange/yellow/green crochet squares all sewn together. It zips up the
front. I was also wearing a pair of green embroidered jeans that I
had actually done the embrodery on (more pictures and questions as to
how I got it so nicely on the leg),

But then sometime mid afternoon there was a group of women walking
around with my bag in their hand inquiring at each table if they knew
who made the bag. My friend saw what was happening and asked me "Isn't
that your bag?" Well yes it was so I was literally grabbed by this mob
of women and sat down off to the side discussing in German (I do not
speak French yet, with Elizabeth there to translate French where
German did not work) on how the bag was constructed. It was a big hit.
They wanted to understand the thread mostly as well as how the tree
trunk was constructed. How did I get that background there and is that
metallic thread and how do you use it? My next trip home I am going to
have to bring back puffy foam and 12/30 weight blendables to show the
ladies what I am talking about and how it can be done. Working with
the small interested group I would not mind teaching them. They are
very interested in learning how to use the threads and stabilizers. I
never thought I would be teaching in France,

The woman who is president for the Mosele chapter insisted that I join
(I did - 40 euros - comes with a real nice magazine, in french of
course that looks a lot like the AQS magazine) and later she wants me
to come back and teach fabric painting. That was a whole different
topic that came up. This and I do not speak French yet. I think I was
the most popular person in the room. Go figure! All I was going to do
was go and quietly watch.

Jean

Fate. It was Quilter's Fate. You have your own plans, you're going your
own way, and suddenly that whhooossshhh - and you are swept out to sea.
Dancing in the moonlight for ya, Jean!

Karen, Queen of Squishies
now go work on your French (wink)
--
and when you get the chance
to sit it out or dance.......
I hope you dance


I was invited by a new French friend here to go to Patchwork France's
Moselle chapter for journée de l'amitié. We quilters find each other
you know!

This is a meeting they do every quarter or so on a Saturday to bring
quilters together. It is called "friendship day "and I was invited to
go to the meeting as a guest. I was required to bring sewing supplies
and some fabric and if I had it my latest projects to bring that for
show and tell. Well, I don't really have projects here yet, but I do
have the bag I made in the Sulky training last November. I brought
that to show. Showing meant that you placed it in one of the
designated show areas so that people could go by and look at them and
take pictures.

Observation about French Quilting guilds is that if it were not for
the language it is literally the same. The women look the same! They
meet to do group projects though not to have a classic guild meeting.
Tables were set up and there were about 50 women in attendance.
Everything had to be done by hand because of the nightmare of
logisitcally how they would have the power to be able to run sewing
machines. We did mini patches in the afternoon and "inchies" in the
morning. This was new to me, but look at
http://katesquilting.blogspot.com/20...e-inchies.html
I needed to bring hand sewing supplies and some fabric scraps to
paticipate. Oh ya, I needed to pay 3 euros for entry and for the kit
of things they gave us to constuct the top of the inchies with.

They had a "valise" or "trunk show" for those of us who speak
English. They showed off about 30 small challenge quilts from another
group in france. For 2 euros I got a "brown bag" filled with confusing
directions (in french) and two of the ugliest fabrics I think I have
ever seen in my life! I need to do this...One is a off white
background fabric with blue and red circles, some filled in others
not. the circles are about 1 inch.Then there is auful orange based
stripe fabric. It has got to be my "American" taste. except my friend
thought they were really ugly too. There was a "mini patch" foundation
paper piecing (I think) that I need to incorporate somehow into the
design. It is about 2 inch square. I need to use two of them, I can
resize one of them...hmmmm... Oh my...the other group had something
easy, they had to do birds and trees with a fabric that looks like
autumn trees. I would be so lucky.

I have not mentioned the food! Everyone (except clueless guests like
me) were asked to bring food. either "salty" or "sweet" that meant we
started with coffee cake type things in the morning with coffee and
then lunch was salads and main courses people had brought, followed by
cheese and then desserts...more coffee. I needed to bring my own
knife, folk spoon and plate as well as anything I was going to drink
besides coffee.

I was already pretty popular due to the sweater I was wearing that the
French thought was really really nice (they took pictures) and checked
the construction. I bought it at Talbots a couple years ago. It is
orange/yellow/green crochet squares all sewn together. It zips up the
front. I was also wearing a pair of green embroidered jeans that I
had actually done the embrodery on (more pictures and questions as to
how I got it so nicely on the leg),

But then sometime mid afternoon there was a group of women walking
around with my bag in their hand inquiring at each table if they knew
who made the bag. My friend saw what was happening and asked me "Isn't
that your bag?" Well yes it was so I was literally grabbed by this mob
of women and sat down off to the side discussing in German (I do not
speak French yet, with Elizabeth there to translate French where
German did not work) on how the bag was constructed. It was a big hit.
They wanted to understand the thread mostly as well as how the tree
trunk was constructed. How did I get that background there and is that
metallic thread and how do you use it? My next trip home I am going to
have to bring back puffy foam and 12/30 weight blendables to show the
ladies what I am talking about and how it can be done. Working with
the small interested group I would not mind teaching them. They are
very interested in learning how to use the threads and stabilizers. I
never thought I would be teaching in France,

The woman who is president for the Mosele chapter insisted that I join
(I did - 40 euros - comes with a real nice magazine, in french of
course that looks a lot like the AQS magazine) and later she wants me
to come back and teach fabric painting. That was a whole different
topic that came up. This and I do not speak French yet. I think I was
the most popular person in the room. Go figure! All I was going to do
was go and quietly watch.

Jean

Sounds wonderful, Jean. Good going for a first meeting! Right in at
the deep end.
,
In message
,
jeanga6 writes
I was invited by a new French friend here to go to Patchwork France's
Moselle chapter for journée de l'amitié. We quilters find each other
you know!

This is a meeting they do every quarter or so on a Saturday to bring
quilters together. It is called "friendship day "and I was invited to
go to the meeting as a guest. I was required to bring sewing supplies
and some fabric and if I had it my latest projects to bring that for
show and tell. Well, I don't really have projects here yet, but I do
have the bag I made in the Sulky training last November. I brought
that to show. Showing meant that you placed it in one of the
designated show areas so that people could go by and look at them and
take pictures.

Observation about French Quilting guilds is that if it were not for
the language it is literally the same. The women look the same! They
meet to do group projects though not to have a classic guild meeting.
Tables were set up and there were about 50 women in attendance.
Everything had to be done by hand because of the nightmare of
logisitcally how they would have the power to be able to run sewing
machines. We did mini patches in the afternoon and "inchies" in the
morning. This was new to me, but look at
http://katesquilting.blogspot.com/20...e-inchies.html
I needed to bring hand sewing supplies and some fabric scraps to
paticipate. Oh ya, I needed to pay 3 euros for entry and for the kit
of things they gave us to constuct the top of the inchies with.

They had a "valise" or "trunk show" for those of us who speak
English. They showed off about 30 small challenge quilts from another
group in france. For 2 euros I got a "brown bag" filled with confusing
directions (in french) and two of the ugliest fabrics I think I have
ever seen in my life! I need to do this...One is a off white
background fabric with blue and red circles, some filled in others
not. the circles are about 1 inch.Then there is auful orange based
stripe fabric. It has got to be my "American" taste. except my friend
thought they were really ugly too. There was a "mini patch" foundation
paper piecing (I think) that I need to incorporate somehow into the
design. It is about 2 inch square. I need to use two of them, I can
resize one of them...hmmmm... Oh my...the other group had something
easy, they had to do birds and trees with a fabric that looks like
autumn trees. I would be so lucky.

I have not mentioned the food! Everyone (except clueless guests like
me) were asked to bring food. either "salty" or "sweet" that meant we
started with coffee cake type things in the morning with coffee and
then lunch was salads and main courses people had brought, followed by
cheese and then desserts...more coffee. I needed to bring my own
knife, folk spoon and plate as well as anything I was going to drink
besides coffee.

I was already pretty popular due to the sweater I was wearing that the
French thought was really really nice (they took pictures) and checked
the construction. I bought it at Talbots a couple years ago. It is
orange/yellow/green crochet squares all sewn together. It zips up the
front. I was also wearing a pair of green embroidered jeans that I
had actually done the embrodery on (more pictures and questions as to
how I got it so nicely on the leg),

But then sometime mid afternoon there was a group of women walking
around with my bag in their hand inquiring at each table if they knew
who made the bag. My friend saw what was happening and asked me "Isn't
that your bag?" Well yes it was so I was literally grabbed by this mob
of women and sat down off to the side discussing in German (I do not
speak French yet, with Elizabeth there to translate French where
German did not work) on how the bag was constructed. It was a big hit.
They wanted to understand the thread mostly as well as how the tree
trunk was constructed. How did I get that background there and is that
metallic thread and how do you use it? My next trip home I am going to
have to bring back puffy foam and 12/30 weight blendables to show the
ladies what I am talking about and how it can be done. Working with
the small interested group I would not mind teaching them. They are
very interested in learning how to use the threads and stabilizers. I
never thought I would be teaching in France,

The woman who is president for the Mosele chapter insisted that I join
(I did - 40 euros - comes with a real nice magazine, in french of
course that looks a lot like the AQS magazine) and later she wants me
to come back and teach fabric painting. That was a whole different
topic that came up. This and I do not speak French yet. I think I was
the most popular person in the room. Go figure! All I was going to do
was go and quietly watch.

Jean

--
Best Regards
pat on the hill

What a wonderful story! Thanks for sharing. It was almost like being
there! It sounds like a great group and a fun time.

On 17 Mar, 00:28, Idahoqltr wrote:
What a wonderful story! Thanks for sharing. It was almost like being
there! It sounds like a great group and a fun time.

I'm up in the wee hours of the night 'cos I couldn't sleep. What a
lovely, lovely story of your first French quilt meeting! Full of
charm and a sense of a new beginning. Tres jolie n'est pas?

Thank you!
Bronnie

Let us know how you go at teaching. It really helps that the gals want to
learn: ) Makes it easier for you

Butterfly (Would love to see a pix of your sweater)

"jeanga6" wrote in message
...
I was invited by a new French friend here to go to Patchwork France's
Moselle chapter for journée de l'amitié. We quilters find each other
you know!

This is a meeting they do every quarter or so on a Saturday to bring
quilters together. It is called "friendship day "and I was invited to
go to the meeting as a guest. I was required to bring sewing supplies
and some fabric and if I had it my latest projects to bring that for
show and tell. Well, I don't really have projects here yet, but I do
have the bag I made in the Sulky training last November. I brought
that to show. Showing meant that you placed it in one of the
designated show areas so that people could go by and look at them and
take pictures.

Observation about French Quilting guilds is that if it were not for
the language it is literally the same. The women look the same! They
meet to do group projects though not to have a classic guild meeting.
Tables were set up and there were about 50 women in attendance.
Everything had to be done by hand because of the nightmare of
logisitcally how they would have the power to be able to run sewing
machines. We did mini patches in the afternoon and "inchies" in the
morning. This was new to me, but look at
http://katesquilting.blogspot.com/20...e-inchies.html
I needed to bring hand sewing supplies and some fabric scraps to
paticipate. Oh ya, I needed to pay 3 euros for entry and for the kit
of things they gave us to constuct the top of the inchies with.

They had a "valise" or "trunk show" for those of us who speak
English. They showed off about 30 small challenge quilts from another
group in france. For 2 euros I got a "brown bag" filled with confusing
directions (in french) and two of the ugliest fabrics I think I have
ever seen in my life! I need to do this...One is a off white
background fabric with blue and red circles, some filled in others
not. the circles are about 1 inch.Then there is auful orange based
stripe fabric. It has got to be my "American" taste. except my friend
thought they were really ugly too. There was a "mini patch" foundation
paper piecing (I think) that I need to incorporate somehow into the
design. It is about 2 inch square. I need to use two of them, I can
resize one of them...hmmmm... Oh my...the other group had something
easy, they had to do birds and trees with a fabric that looks like
autumn trees. I would be so lucky.

I have not mentioned the food! Everyone (except clueless guests like
me) were asked to bring food. either "salty" or "sweet" that meant we
started with coffee cake type things in the morning with coffee and
then lunch was salads and main courses people had brought, followed by
cheese and then desserts...more coffee. I needed to bring my own
knife, folk spoon and plate as well as anything I was going to drink
besides coffee.

I was already pretty popular due to the sweater I was wearing that the
French thought was really really nice (they took pictures) and checked
the construction. I bought it at Talbots a couple years ago. It is
orange/yellow/green crochet squares all sewn together. It zips up the
front. I was also wearing a pair of green embroidered jeans that I
had actually done the embrodery on (more pictures and questions as to
how I got it so nicely on the leg),

But then sometime mid afternoon there was a group of women walking
around with my bag in their hand inquiring at each table if they knew
who made the bag. My friend saw what was happening and asked me "Isn't
that your bag?" Well yes it was so I was literally grabbed by this mob
of women and sat down off to the side discussing in German (I do not
speak French yet, with Elizabeth there to translate French where
German did not work) on how the bag was constructed. It was a big hit.
They wanted to understand the thread mostly as well as how the tree
trunk was constructed. How did I get that background there and is that
metallic thread and how do you use it? My next trip home I am going to
have to bring back puffy foam and 12/30 weight blendables to show the
ladies what I am talking about and how it can be done. Working with
the small interested group I would not mind teaching them. They are
very interested in learning how to use the threads and stabilizers. I
never thought I would be teaching in France,

The woman who is president for the Mosele chapter insisted that I join
(I did - 40 euros - comes with a real nice magazine, in french of
course that looks a lot like the AQS magazine) and later she wants me
to come back and teach fabric painting. That was a whole different
topic that came up. This and I do not speak French yet. I think I was
the most popular person in the room. Go figure! All I was going to do
was go and quietly watch.

Jean

How wonderful, Jean! There's nothing like being able to "connect", is
there? And to have been so enthusiastically drawn into the group makes
it so special. Félicitations!

--
Sandy in Henderson, near Las Vegas
sw.foster1 (at) gmail (dot) com (remove/change the obvious)
http://www.sandymike.net

Jean!

That is fantastic news. How wonderful for you! Sounds like you had a
wonderful time and they were fun and friendly,

Wow!

Piece,

Marsha

Jean, how fun. Always good to find kindred spirits.

Could you post a pic of your bag? I can't remember it if you showed it
off before and now I'm seriously curious.

Sunny

Well done! I'm a member of a little group here in South France, but
there are no Patchwork France groups here as far as I can tell from
their website. I know what you mean about the members, quilters are the
same the world over! I was welcomed with open arms and like yourself I
have little spoken French. Some members can speak English, but I
struggle on in French. The awkward bit is the translation of the
quilting terms, but charades works very well!

Happy quilting

Janner
SW France


jeanga6 wrote:
I was invited by a new French friend here to go to Patchwork France's
Moselle chapter for journée de l'amitié. We quilters find each other
you know!

This is a meeting they do every quarter or so on a Saturday to bring
quilters together. It is called "friendship day "and I was invited to
go to the meeting as a guest. I was required to bring sewing supplies
and some fabric and if I had it my latest projects to bring that for
show and tell. Well, I don't really have projects here yet, but I do
have the bag I made in the Sulky training last November. I brought
that to show. Showing meant that you placed it in one of the
designated show areas so that people could go by and look at them and
take pictures.

Observation about French Quilting guilds is that if it were not for
the language it is literally the same. The women look the same! They
meet to do group projects though not to have a classic guild meeting.
Tables were set up and there were about 50 women in attendance.
Everything had to be done by hand because of the nightmare of
logisitcally how they would have the power to be able to run sewing
machines. We did mini patches in the afternoon and "inchies" in the
morning. This was new to me, but look at
http://katesquilting.blogspot.com/20...e-inchies.html
I needed to bring hand sewing supplies and some fabric scraps to
paticipate. Oh ya, I needed to pay 3 euros for entry and for the kit
of things they gave us to constuct the top of the inchies with.

They had a "valise" or "trunk show" for those of us who speak
English. They showed off about 30 small challenge quilts from another
group in france. For 2 euros I got a "brown bag" filled with confusing
directions (in french) and two of the ugliest fabrics I think I have
ever seen in my life! I need to do this...One is a off white
background fabric with blue and red circles, some filled in others
not. the circles are about 1 inch.Then there is auful orange based
stripe fabric. It has got to be my "American" taste. except my friend
thought they were really ugly too. There was a "mini patch" foundation
paper piecing (I think) that I need to incorporate somehow into the
design. It is about 2 inch square. I need to use two of them, I can
resize one of them...hmmmm... Oh my...the other group had something
easy, they had to do birds and trees with a fabric that looks like
autumn trees. I would be so lucky.

I have not mentioned the food! Everyone (except clueless guests like
me) were asked to bring food. either "salty" or "sweet" that meant we
started with coffee cake type things in the morning with coffee and
then lunch was salads and main courses people had brought, followed by
cheese and then desserts...more coffee. I needed to bring my own
knife, folk spoon and plate as well as anything I was going to drink
besides coffee.

I was already pretty popular due to the sweater I was wearing that the
French thought was really really nice (they took pictures) and checked
the construction. I bought it at Talbots a couple years ago. It is
orange/yellow/green crochet squares all sewn together. It zips up the
front. I was also wearing a pair of green embroidered jeans that I
had actually done the embrodery on (more pictures and questions as to
how I got it so nicely on the leg),

But then sometime mid afternoon there was a group of women walking
around with my bag in their hand inquiring at each table if they knew
who made the bag. My friend saw what was happening and asked me "Isn't
that your bag?" Well yes it was so I was literally grabbed by this mob
of women and sat down off to the side discussing in German (I do not
speak French yet, with Elizabeth there to translate French where
German did not work) on how the bag was constructed. It was a big hit.
They wanted to understand the thread mostly as well as how the tree
trunk was constructed. How did I get that background there and is that
metallic thread and how do you use it? My next trip home I am going to
have to bring back puffy foam and 12/30 weight blendables to show the
ladies what I am talking about and how it can be done. Working with
the small interested group I would not mind teaching them. They are
very interested in learning how to use the threads and stabilizers. I
never thought I would be teaching in France,

The woman who is president for the Mosele chapter insisted that I join
(I did - 40 euros - comes with a real nice magazine, in french of
course that looks a lot like the AQS magazine) and later she wants me
to come back and teach fabric painting. That was a whole different
topic that came up. This and I do not speak French yet. I think I was
the most popular person in the room. Go figure! All I was going to do
was go and quietly watch.

Jean