..... sew much patching .....

There's never been a better time to join us for a last-minute-workshop and it's really not too late.  We've just checked out Ryanair and end-of-season flights are being offered at just over £30 each way from Stansted or East Midlands to Bergerac where we, of course, will pick you up and drive you through the late September sunshine to this amazing area of France.  We're very keen to make Celia Pym's first visit with us a rip-roaring success so we''ll even throw in a free night's B&B if you need to stay an extra night.   CELIA PYM's Mending, Darning and Knitting Workshop Wednesday, 21st to Tuesday, 27th September 5 Days / 6 Nights As one of our favourite workshop leaders, Julie Arkell, says:  "The early days of autumn bring many pleasures. One on the top of my list would be a workshop with Celia Pym at Les Soeurs Anglaises in the French countryside at a particularly beautiful time of the year.  Celia's work is amazing, and the opportunity to work alongside her, discovering her techniques and sharing stories about the history of textiles and their repairs, in such beautiful surroundings, is an experience hard to miss.  I feel very envious of anyone who is planning to join this event at one of my favourite venues." While invisible mending is keeping tailors and seamstresses busy around the world, Celia Pym – a London-based artist, knitter and darner — specialises in visible repairs. Using white yarn on a blue Norwegian jumper and yellow on a pair of blue jeans, Celia’s handiwork celebrates wear and tear.  Finding solutions other than throwing away clothes isn't just environmentally friendly. “I love seeing damage and holes,” Celia says. “Making mending invisible doesn’t make sense for me: things happen, stuff changes, holes appear. Let the darning grow into the old bit so that the garment can be seen to change and age.”   Through ‘The Catalogue of Holes’, an ongoing project that she began in 2007, Celia mends strangers’ clothes. Recording the items through descriptive ‘mend slips’ and sometimes photographs, has led to exhibitions at the Royal College of Art and beyond. “I find it is a way to get to important conversations quickly, with strangers,” Celia says. “As we look at and examine the garment and discuss work to be done, all sorts of stories come out. Sometimes the most important part is talking about their sweater's history.” Book now for Celia's workshop (we still have 2 places available) and we guarantee you'll not only get lost in the art of giving new life to beloved items - clothes, haberdashery, household fabrics - you thought were beyond repair, but you'll also have an opportunity to slow down, enjoy the fabulous space, light and atmosphere of early autumn in South West France before the winter months set in.   Autumn at Les Soeurs Anglaises won't come around again for at least another year.    And if October seems like a better time to get away from it all, one place has also become available on Claire Wellesley Smith's Weekend Workshop here from 7th-10th. Don't tarry if you can join us...... Katie x "Don't chase the butterfly.  Mend your garden and let the butterfly come!"

...... summertime time

We've hosted two fab workshops since our last newsletter. The first was a Knitting Masterclass led by Åsa (pronounced Awsa) Söderman of Åsa Tricosa fame;  we - and I include myself as I was lucky enough to spend a few hours watching and learning - discovered new and exciting ways to knit pullovers and cardigans, in the round, and from the top down which makes sizing and shaping sooooo much easier.  Asa is an ebullient and thoughtful teacher and one we very much hope to have back next year for a longer stint.           The second event was with Julie Arkell, our perennial favourite. This year she was helping participants put together a bird table, demonstrating papier maché, knitting and stitching skills with her usual flair and enthusiasm. A smaller group than usual but even more fun, if that's possible.  The smaller group also gave Les Soeurs a better opportunity to get to know and enjoy, the participants and our view is that in future we will try to keep numbers to a minimum.  More time and attention for everyone.           This last photograph was taken by a young and very gifted photographer, Alexander Hamdy who was here at the beginning of Julie's workshop to take pictures of the property.  The weather was only periodically sunny during his visit, but Alex managed to produce an album of detailed beauty and we can't wait to see all the photographs together on our new website in September.   The next few months are going to be quiet ones at Les Soeurs Anglaises - unusual for us during the summer months, but not unwelcome.  2017 will be our 10th year offering workshops;  we were amongst the first in this part of the world but are one amongst many these days, and our plan for next year is to shake things up a bit (or slow them down).  We'll keep you posted, but in the meantime we have a couple of places available on both our remaining workshops in 2016. The first is for the Celia Pym's 5-day workshop, Knitting Darning and Mending at the end of September, followed closely by the gently remarkable Claire Wellesley Smith's Dyeing and Stitching weekend event in October.  Both are formidable talents well-researched in the art of recycling, repairing and using cloth, dye and stitch as carriers of the natural and social history of place, heritage and memory.  We are thrilled that they will both be joining us and look forward to inspirational teaching.        To book a place on either workshop go to our website booking pageor email me directly We generally only sell our aprons in the wee brocante we have on site, but if you're in the mood this summer to wear a pretty, comfortable and one-off apron, we currently have a few of our wrap-over linen aprons for sale in various colours and each trimmed with vintage fabric, on  Etsy.         All the best Katie   7 things to check out this month: Visit Chris Manning's Pinterest page and wonder at her exquisite quilts.  Chris has been a participant at several of our workshops and we are hoping one day she will join us to teach her own quilting workshop. There's still time to join us for Lizi Bolton's Silver Yoga this month (23rd to 29th June).  Come as our B&B guest and you'll get your yoga classes at half-price, bring a non-participating partner and enjoy a relaxing week away from the stresses of everyday life!  Contact Lizi directly for more information. If you're around North London during the third week of June, we recommend a visit to GROW, the brainchild of entrepreneur Will Ramsay, founder of the hugely successful Affordable Art Fair, which is now a global brand with fairs in 14 major cities around the world.  There will be a myriad selection of plants and other garden ephemera, and say hello to stall holders All the Fun of the Fair where you'll find everything from vintage buttons to knitted cacti. We have long admired the machine embroidery of Linda Miller if you can't make it to one of her very popular workshops, you will find her and her work at the Contemporary Craft Festival, Bovey Tracey, Devon UK this upcoming weekend (10th/12th June). We recently bought 4 skeins of Gotland 4ply yarn from The Little Grey Sheep mail order company and have already started knitting a Julie Arkell original cardigan pattern with this absolutely delicious soft wool which is hand sheared, spun with care and expertise, and finally hand-dyed in scrummy colours! Voices of Industry offer organically grown cotton yarn for weaving and crochet, spun by a family mill in North Carolina. Their credo is:  "We consider the farmers who grow our cotton and wool as co-conspirators and friends.  Our work is an extension of agriculture and we care deeply about that origin."

.... bring a partner for free .....

Those Romans really could nail an attitude with just a word or two, as illustrated by their maxim, Carpe Diem. Let's face it, life is way too short to sit around listening to the increasingly raucous Brexit canvassing when you could be out there getting on with your life, learning something new and expanding your network of like-minded crafters/friends.  Now is exactly the right time to get away for a weekend of sitting blissfully unconstrained by "in" or "out" questions, whilst learning innovative knitting skills from someone who understands the important restorative joy of creating with style and colour.    Åsa Söderman's Knitting Masterclass  here at the end of this month (April) will provide the perfect break from it all, and with this in mind we'd like to make an eleventh hour proposal to our European followers (or from further afield if you're feeling adventurous):  If you book and pay for a luxury room ("B" with twin or double beds) and can persuade a non-participant friend or partner to just tag along for a taste of the good life they can experience the quiet joy of sitting around the pool reading a book or taking long walks in the beautiful countryside of South West France, free of charge, whilst you get on with the knitting job at hand.*  The only expense would be their travel to our local airport (Bergerac) or train station (Angoulème) - and having just checked out Ryanair, flights are still looking incredibly cheap.  Local transport, accommodation and all food for them would be included in the offer! Don't delay though..... email usASAP as we only have two rooms now available and we hate disappointing.   *Price includes a shared twin/double luxury room, local transport, all meals and the Knitting Masterclass workshop for 1 person.  Offer open until Thursday, 21st April 2016 only. KNITTING MASTERCLASS with Asa Tricosa 30th April / 1st May 2016 Suitable for intermediate & advanced knitters Following Åsa's Knitting Masterclass we will be welcoming back the lovely Julie Arkell.  One of our participants has had to drop out for health reasons so we can offer a place on her workshop here 1st-7th June.   No need to go on about Julie and her workshops - she's one of the most creative and generous and popular workshop leaders around.  Contact us for accommodation options now available. All the best Katie

7 things we've loved this month: How To Be A Craftivist: the art of gentle protest.  Sarah Corbett, creator of the Craftivist Collective, has published her second inspirational book on how to change the world one stitch at a time. A very good reason to visit Australia, The Craft Sessions website based in the Yarra Valley Estate, Victoria, offer a myriad of mouthwatering textile workshops. We've long admired Alabama Chanin's view of the fashion business and her Aria organic cotton, nylon and elastic socks are the perfect spring accessory.   Dawn Nicol's website is full of calligraphy treats both free and not so free.  Visit her website for 10 Hand Lettering Practice Workshops and sign up for her newsletter If you're a fan of Theo Jansen's exquisite beach Strandbeests then you'll be as excited as us to find you can now purchase small model versions to make at home.  We know several men in my family whose birthday presents are now sorted.  Forget the birthdays, we want to make one ourselves! We love the esprit de coeur of these two ladies, as well as the Maltese musician Ozzy Lino who began to sing along with them on a Frankfurt train last week.  Now that's community! Our bold and beautiful Silver Yoga workshop leader, Lizi Bolton who also happens to be one of Les Soeurs, is currently walking from the Dead Sea to Petra in Jordan, to raise funds for Cambodian Children's Fund UK, a children's charity we have supported for over 5 years. If you'd like to make a donation you can do so at Just Giving.

..... spring into colour......

We've learnt over the years that creativity doesn't always follow an obvious route, and having just come to the end of yet another fabulous, week long Silver Yoga workshop here we're all feeling renewed, recharged and ready to spread our creative wings!

As luck would have it, the weather was mostly glorious, allowing us a few sessions on the terrace overlooking the fabulous surrounding countryside, and we were able to stretch and extend and discover our inner strengths after the long wet winter months.  There is another Silver Yoga week planned for the middle of June so if you are interested in discovering (or rediscovering) the joy of yoga, with intelligent and creative morning classes based on Hatha and Iyengar disciplines, book now as we like to keep classes small and personal.. Our Yoga expert, Liz Bolton, carefully designs each session for mixed levels, offering modifications for beginners, and greater levels of challenge for advanced students, always  with an emphasis  on safety, awareness, intelligence and ability. Residential guests can enjoy fresh mornings walking in the countryside followed by yoga, and afternoons free to lounge about the pool, visit local markets or explore a classic French village.  For prices contact Lizi directly.

For us, Spring's softness and simplicity and pastel colours always suggest northern Europe, more specifically Scandinavia.  If you are similarly smitten, then you won't want to miss our first event of the season, aKnitting Masterclass with Åsa Soderman.  Asa combines her quintessentially Scandinavian colour palette with a lifetime of knitting knowledge to produce her stylishly beautiful designs. With only a few weeks to go now and to give you a taste of what's in store over this Weekend Workshop we have chosen one of her shawl patterns, together with some fabulous yarn - of your choice -from a favourite hand-dyed yarn supplier, Dye For Yarns, as a free gift if you book within the next week (Wednesday, 30th March).  

  

With  Easter weekend upon us we were tickled pink by the possibilities of these delightful, non-fattening Easter eggs for all the family (tutorial on We Are Scout).  It surely wouldn't take long to decorate individual Easter bunny vases filled with tiny flowers for each place setting .... using the eggs themselves to serve up a delicious frittata with spring vegetables?

We're getting news trickling in from some of those lucky people who made it to this year's Edinburgh Yarn Festival by all accounts a roaring success.  Asa Soderman, (see above) was there of course giving classes, as was another favourite knitter of ours, Kate Davies who now has an on-line store selling her (moderately complicated) but entirely gorgeous fairisle inspired patterns and wools.  Shame we couldn't make the Festival this year, but we have it ear-marked for 2017.

Kate Davies and Ellen Mason in their own home knits

To continue the seasonal note, it's not to late to join us for Julie Arkell's workshop, Birds on a Table, at the beginning of June as another place has recently become available.  If you can step in we're extending our offer of a 10% discount but you'll probably need to contact us quickly as places are picked up quickly for this very popular teacher and event. 

   

You may have noticed the new logo for Les Soeurs Anglaises, designed by multi-talented calligrapher/graphic designer, Anja Savic, better known as "The Letterist".  Anja generally works on commission - business cards, wedding invitations, book covers, websites and so on - but you can find some cards with her favourite quotes for sale at her web shop.  If you don't need her services just at the moment, we recommend you file her name away somewhere safe for the future.  She's a joy to work with, bubbling with creativity and happy to discuss any project!

Have a happy, hoppy Easter!
Katie  Susie  Carol
xxx

... march deals…...

Julie Arkell - ONLY TWO SPACES LEFT! Julie will be returning to Les Soeurs Anglaises from the 1st to the 7th of June 2016 to lead another of her immensely popular workshops here, this year entitled, "Birds on a Nature Table". Participants will be encouraged to bring nature books, a favourite shell, dried flowers as well as any other nature find they love, all of which will be used to populate their unique nature table. Julie Arkell is one of the UK's best recognized contemporary folk artists working in papier-maché and mixed media. She combines these with stitch, knit, ephemera, and vintage fabric and papier maché to produce her own distinctly personal and sophisticated "creatures". Everything is produced by hand using knitted adornments, curious accessories, ribbons and found objects. The results are magically creative and appealing.  Her work has been exhibited at the Crafts Council of Great Britain and the Contemporary Applied Arts, and is collected in the UK, USA, Japan and Australia. Her 2 bestselling books,"Home" & "Away" are published by the Ruthin Craft Centre. We have only two spaces left so book now to avoid disappointment! We're offering 10% off if you sign up by March 10th! Fiona Rutherford (31 Aug - 6 Sep) 15% OFF! Tapestry weaving has a rich historical tradition of storytelling. It is a craft that takes time and Fiona's workshop with us, Tapestry Weaving, is about learning, playing, and exploring your creativity at your own pace. Over the course of the five day workshop participants will be helped to discover their own personal tapestry "story", returning home with a little woven magic with a taste of France. You will be using lightweight wood frame looms and a vibrant range of Fiona’s Swedish cotton and linen yarns to weave beautiful colours and shapes on a small scale. Whether you are new to tapestry weaving or you want to take time to expand your ideas and weaving technique further in a creative environment, Fiona will guide you through the steps of how to create a tapestry, mounted and ready to take home. Sign up with a friend and you both get 15% OFF! Åsa Tricosa (30th April - 1st May 2016) 15% OFF! Swedish born Asa Soderman is widely celebrated as a problem-solving knitter and designer, and over this 2 day Masterclass (her first for us and this part of France), she will be demonstrating how to tailor beautifully crafted, top-down garments using the ziggurat technique, with special attention to all those details that make for an expertly finished garment. Participants will consider intricately constructed pockets, advanced hems with unusual pickup techniques, stitch patterns and quirky design details.  They will be guided through the process of incorporating bust darts, waist and sleeve shapings as well as  the clever use of colour - in fact, the weekend will be packed with inspirational knitting techniques. Book by 10th March and get 15% OFF

... feeling like February......

February has arrived and for most of us it has brought with it wet weather, grey skies and a bracing wind after what had been a mild warm winter so far.

On the positive side, the time indoors will be spent productively dealing with those overdue sewing tasks, whilst making an early start on the spring cleaning chores before our workshop season arrives with Åsa Tricosa's Weekend Knitting Masterclass at the end of April. Something really exciting to look forward to (Åsa's workshop, not the chores, that is).....

 

Asa Södeman is never one to sit back on her laurels; she's off to the Edinburgh Yarn Festival in March where you will find her hosting a couple of three-hour demonstrations:  one on Collars and Cuffs, and the other on the Marlisle technique, a new system of creating decorative texture and colour shifts in handknitted fabric with a particular focus on seamless knitting in the round.  Her workshop here will concentrate on tailoring beautifully crafted, top-down garments, with special attention to all those details that make for an expertly finished, knitted garment.  As a moderately competent knitter myself, I'm looking forward to learning those professional touches Åsa is celebrated for, as well as assimilating some of her wonderful Scandinavian colour sense. 

BOOK NOW

Edinburgh seems to be the place to be at the moment for anyone into textiles, yarns, and all things  in-between. Fiona Rutherford, who will be leading her first workshop, Tapestry Weaving, with us in September this year, is starting her year with an exhibition of new tapestries at CONVERGE 2016 Visual Arts Scotland, 29th January - 20th February,  "I'm delighted that my triptych, "Familiar Rhythms", has been selected for this exciting mix of fine and applied art and design showing at the RSA galleries". She'll also be showing a selection of her tapestries under the theme "Fragments" at the Knitting & Stitching Show, Royal Highland Centre, Edinburgh, from 28th April to 1st May, when she herself will be available to talk to.  Well worth a visit!

During Fiona's workshop here, participants will be using lightwieght wood frame looms and a vibrant range of her personal Swedish cotton and linen yarns to weave colour and shape. Whether you are new to tapestry weaving or you want to take time to expand your ideas and weaving technique further in a creative environment, Fiona will guide you through the steps of how to create a small tapestry mounted and ready for you to take home.

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If, however, your neck of the woods happens to be Stateside, and Vermont at that, you might like to take the opportunity to view the work of innovative and talented "stitch artist", Emily Barletta whose work will be on view at the exhibition, Intimacy and Materiality,at the Helen Day Arts Centre in Stowe.  

We still have a few places remaining on Julie Arkell's Workshop here: Birds on a Table at the beginning of June. Julie's events here are always a joy, and participants this year will be encouraged to bring nature books they love, a favourite shell, dried flowers or any other nature find, all of which will be used to populate their unique nature table.  As usual, our regular workshop leader and firm favourite,Julie, will be sharing some her celebrated paper maché, knitting, stitching and collating techniques.

BOOK NOW

We know that Julie would just love the fabrics of Kekfesto Cotton, a small UK importing company run by the aficionado, Gilly Thomson, which sells dozens of Hungarian, indigo printed, patterned fabrics. Reminiscent of Dutch Delft, but also remarkably similar to traditional hand-printed textiles of Japan, these textiles originally came from India, delivered as presents to the French court in the C17th and immediately became fashionable among ladies and nobles .  By the turn of the C18th more than a hundred workshops were operating in Hungary with printing technology and patterns that were top secret within each particular guild.  Today only eight workshops remain, and whilst still producing  the traditional patterns they also experiment with modern ones.  Luckily for us, Gilly stocks most of them.   

   

Enjoy a fabric-full February!

Katie