16è grande Foire à la Brocante à Ribérac

Edit - heading has been altered.  It wasn't the 19th, but the 16th and, yet again, I got my French wrong!  Think I'll give up trying :-). 

This is one day in the calendar that is kept clear.

The first year we were here we bought the huge armoire in the salon and a beautiful Art Deco carving set. Since then there has been not much to write home about. Prices are rocketing and it is more of an amble round the stalls constantly saying "I wish".

Today there were quite a few stalls selling antique fabrics - the beautifully embroidered linen sheets, night clothes, French toile, curtain fabric, upholstery etc. The prices are "don't even think about it" level, but there were some stunning pieces.

Take this for instance. The prices was 250 Euro. The material in the centre is over 200 years old. It has been hand quilted. Not in a fancy design, just to keep it together. There was an English woman and her Mum looking at it. They were quilters cos they were talking about backing and basting (don't you long to join in!!) and when they had finished verbally taking it to pieces I managed to get a look at it. That's when I found out how much the stall holder was asking. It screams out for sympathetic restoration, but not at that price.

There was another stall selling antique quilts - prices weren't as high, but the quilts weren't in such good condition. Still out of my reach though.

How much do antique quilts sell for in the US? Nothing less than about 100 Euro over here. Fabric is usually in one piece and the quilting is exquisite in some cases.

Funnily enough. Whilst I was rummaging about on a stall having a field day going through musty fabrics, there was a woman standing next to me buying a really heavy brocade. Alex and I edged a little closer trying to catch what she was saying as she said she wanted this heavily embroidered, weigh a ton fabric for "patchwork". Wonder what she is going to do with it? Hang that on the wall and it will pull the wall fixings out! Sleep under it and you are liable to suffocate!



And then oh joy of joys. The rummage produced something that really did hit me in the eye. 5 Euro this was. I'm not going to cut it, just baste it, back it and then hand quilt it to produce a wall hanging. Black border don't you think?

Fanfare please - Little Acorns is quilted. Although pleased with it, making this quilt has really dragged me down. Don't know why, but it has made me feel a bit depressed. Now to get it bound, washed and parcelled up and then perhaps the feeling will go when I start piecing Tamzin's quilt.

DS-D and her partner arrive tomorrow lunchtime at Angouleme so won't be around much until the latter part of next week.

Hope you are having a good weekend.