A Reminder of Provence

So how did I spend my gift of a day? Remember all that blue and yellow fabric I bought in Provence several months ago? I finally had time to start a sewing project.

My idea when I bought the fabric was to make a set of 8 placemats, but I didn’t have a design in mind. Instead I bought several types of fabric in coordinating patterns. Last night I called my friend and traveling companion Kris to find out the dimensions of the placemats she bought. So I started with 12-1/2" by 17".

I knew I wanted the placemats to be reversible. On the rather plain side, I added corner decorations of the cigale (grasshopper) and olive motifs. The other side was already busy enough. A bias binding around the outside then finished it off.

After making a pattern, cutting out pieces, trying out ideas, and constructing, it took about 2 hours to make one placemat. The time-consuming part was the bias binding, which had to be hemmed down by hand on one side. But I figure I need about 8 hours of work to make the other 7 placemats.

This is the perfect kind of project for me – one that doesn’t really take a long time and shows immediate results. I love the idea of making something I actually need and can use.

But the best part was that it brought back memories of buying the fabric at Boutique Vincenette in Arles and then starting to notice how the grasshopper dominated much of the design in Provence.

Later on at lunch with friends as we described our trip to France, which now seems like an eternity away, I was a little nostalgic for the simple life of Lourmarin and the freedom to just get on my bicycle and explore. The placemats will continue to remind me of this gem of a trip.