Christine's Color Connection
A newsletter for quilters who love color
August, 2019
Je suis allé en France, pour coudre!
"I went to France to sew," and oh, what a splendid trip it was! I met up with a lovely group of women for a workshop at Chateau Duma s , in southern France, taught by Linda Lee of The Sewing Workshop. If you love garments with flair (made using excellent sewing instructions), you must check out her patterns, fabrics, notions, and tutorials. Linda is a fabulous teacher, and I learned SO many new tips and techniques. Nancy Shriber co-taught the workshop, sharing her expertise in painting, stenciling, and dyeing with Pebeo paint. Her work is exquisite, and though my stenciling wasn't the best, I'm motived to pursue it. Thank you, Linda and Nancy for an experience that will be with me the rest of my creative life!
Come with me . . .
I flew to Paris, then to Toulouse, the fourth largest city in France and the center of Europe's aerospace industry. It's an ancient city, with a historical district full of great shops, restaurants, and galleries. Most interesting to me were the many amazing architectural features. Here are some pics from our two days there, starting with a mind-blowing fashion-fabric store, "Docks des Tissus."
I love their logo!
When I walked in and saw this fabric, my thought was, "I'll take three meters, please." Gorgeous, but certainly wouldn't fit with my lifestyle or budget.
See the colorful handwoven piece below? Chanel used it in a spring collection, and I bought this remnant. And yes, it was expensive, but hey, I'm not going back anytime soon.
I'm not big on animal prints, but I couldn't resist the juxtaposition of the fainting-couch fabrics and the black piece laid on top. So sophisticated!
No need to translate this—summer sales are universal.
A drizzle made the Toulouse streets glisten.
Doors in France are works of art. I love the contrast of the colorful shops on either side.
French window display is stunningly minimal.
In the same shop was this classic shirt with a chic cuff and a concealed pocket (above the stitching).
After two nights at Le Grand Balcon , our boutique hotel in Toulouse, we went by bus to Chateau Dumas. I can't believe I didn't take an overall shot of the buildings—what was I thinking?—but here are three images from the chateau website. The building on the left is the chateau itself; on the right is the coach house, which has an apartment, other rooms, and the two workrooms. Being there was like living a dream.
Below, looking toward the coach house.
The court between the chateau and the coach house, an art class.
My shot of looking from the court toward the chateau in the early morning (or evening—i don't recall.) It's a bit out of focus, but so was I.
A view of our workroom, courtesy of my fellow attendee Laurel (thank you!). And yes, the workrooms had AC. It was hot that week, but we were not deterred.
Lizzie, the owner and genius behind the events, gave us a bit of chateau history: Its foundations date to the 13th century. After the French Revolution, the chateau was destroyed by fire and rebuilt, then occupied by the Nazis in WWII. After renovating the property and furnishing with pieces from local markets and antique stores, Lizzie opened the chateau to art/craft/design workshops in the summer months. Check out the Workshops page on the website. Trust me, you'll want to go!

But I digress, as usual . . . Below is the entrance to the chateau.
The stairs, lined with shoes.
A hallway vignette.
The dining room
In a storage room.
Blue shutters are everywhere in southern France. The color was originally derived from the leaves of the plant woad, also called dyer's woad. It's a beautiful, cool contrast to the mostly warm colors of the region.
The view from the porch where we ate most meals.
Thank you for staying with me so far. I'll continue my adventure this coming Friday, when I show more of our week—and go into the sewing workroom to see what we did! By then I will have finished one of my project garments.

I hope you sense some of the delight and excitement I experienced. It was enchanting, memorable, inspiring—and so much more. Until then—that is, soon—avoir!
Contact Info
Christine Barnes
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