Feathers and Faded Grandeur

Have you tried anything out for the first time this month? If you have, you are in the right place to share your triumphs (or tribulations!) as another New to Me link party opens for submissions today.

My New to Me's in September are a bit of a mixed bag, but aren't they always :)

I used a New to Me "fabric" - cereal packet inner - to provide "crinkle" for my ribbon tag toy for the smaller gorgeous grandson.

I had a go at creating a hat for the bigger gorgeous grandson to go with the woodcutter's outfit I also made, but as you can see whilst it sort of fits it wasn't exactly what I had hoped for, so that one might have to be revisited!

A while ago I came across this tutorial from Pillar Box Blue for making denim feathers and finally found a chance to have a go this month.

The tutorial uses Jute twine for the spine of the feather and thanks to our trip to Dundee and the Verdant Works earlier in the year, I had the exact supplies needed on hand :) Another New to Me too, as this was the first time that I had used Jute twine, and as you can see I have enough twine to make a an entire pillow of denim feathers :)

I found the tutorial really easy to follow and as I have a whole stack of used denim waiting to be upcycled I am sure that I will be making more of these soon.

My final New to Me was my first visit to the once magnificent Chateau de la Mercerie above. The Chateau, which was originally a 19th Century hunting lodge, came into the possession of two bachelor brothers, Raymond and Alphonse Rethore, in 1925. The wealthy brothers then set about extending the original building, to the grand structure that you can see in the photos. According to the guides, however, the brothers were notorious for becoming bored with projects so many of the planned developments were never fully completed. The structure to the right of the terrace, for example, is just a facade, albeit a fairly spectacular one!

After their deaths in the 1980's the Chateau changed hands a couple of times and eventually fell into disrepair, whereupon the local Mayor negotiated a deal to lease the Chateau for a nominal sum for the local community. Work to restore the Chateau and grounds is now undertaken by volunteers, who have themselves become experts in the crafts that they employ to repair and restore the building and interiors.

 

 The tiled paintings above adorn the entrance hall and are apparently unique in France. They are up to 6m in height and were made in Portugal and then shipped to the Chateau before being reconstructed in their final location in the Chateau. There are over 30 of these painted panels in the house and gallery, although they are not all of the same quality as some of the smaller panels were fabricated in France in the style of the original Portugese tiles. 

The Chateau was an extraordinary place to visit and a project it will be interesting to follow in the coming years. 

So, that's my New to Me's this month now it is your turn to share your trips (successful or not) 0into the uncharted territory of new places or experiences in September. As always, the link party will remain open until the end of the month and please visit your fellow linkers to encourage them in their endeavours! I would love it if you mentioned the link party in your post too :)

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Fine feathers

Recently I visited a wonderful exhibition of feathered fashions in the beautiful Bowes Museum.

Even with several family weddings under my belt I am not sure that I have, or have had, anything with feathers in my wardrobe. So, it was fascinating to see just what can be done with a sackload of feathers, limitless time and a sprinkling of genius.

One of the stars of the show was definitely this glorious butterfly dress by Thierry Mugler. The dress, which represents the transformation of a chrysalis into a butterfly, is undoubtedly stunning, but dare I say it not very practical!

Equally spectacular and impractical was this dress for Rochas by Olivier Theyskens. The skirt is made of dyed rooster feathers, which were very spiky and looked incredibly uncomfortable to wear.

Much softer but no less impractical was this goose and ostrich feather dress by Sarah Burton (the royal wedding dress designer) for Alexander McQueen. You cannot really see in the photo thanks to the light, but this was the most beautiful blush pink colour, and was absolutely my favourite dress of the exhibition. It was part of a display of dresses inspired by the Black and White Swans of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, and was without doubt the standout exhibit.

As well as dresses the exhibition included shoes, fans, bags and hats made from feathers. I could not see me ever wearing it but I just loved this Macaw hat by Stephen Jones. It would certainly cause a stir at the next Race Meeting I attend :)

I was somewhat surprised to see what looked like mini quilts hanging in the exhibition and even more surprised to find that these were in fact samples of feather processing created by the Maison Lemarie for designers to select from.

Wouldn't they make great quilt patterns though?

The exhibition is open until April 19th, so if you are in the vicinity I can definitely recommend a visit. There is another fashion exhibition coming to the museum in July, this time all of the works exhibited are by Yves Saint Laurent, so I am definitely planning my return visit :)


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