Women at Work

One of the really rewarding, long-term results for Les Soeurs Anglaises is the new friendships that participants develop during their stay with us and which endure long after their departure. We are always delighted when individuals have enjoyed their break with us so much that they return to repeat a workshop or try a new one, but there is something particularly gratifying when a few movers and shakers put together their own community blog to keep in touch and keep up the inspiration.  

 

The Pantry Violets  is just such a case;  the blog was set up three years ago by some 10 of these women and it now has a quickly growing group of followers, many of whom have been introduced via the Les Soeurs Anglaises' network, by a friend or colleague who may have been on one of our workshops, or serendipitously arrived at the site through a link and simply decided they would like to join this hugely creative (and entertaining) "community" from all over the world and all walks of life; from housewives in Sidney to judges in Seattle,  food store owners in Washington to illustrators in Stockholm, GP's in Durham to professional ballet dancers in Korea.  


The latest project organized by the Pantry Violets is called the inchies. Those volunteers  involved each decorate (knit, sew, weave etc.) a set of identical 1" linen squares to match the number of participants;  one is then sent out to every other member of the inchies, who then can sew them together to produce a blanket or textile picture or whatever inspires them.   Nobody sees what anyone else is doing until they arrive on their doorstep and the results are always unexpected and  always beautiful.


Being unable to say no to a creative challenge we  joined in the latest fun and now, six months later, anticipate with pleasure what might be delivered in the post every day.  Here are just three of the inches that have already reached us.

And once they have all been collected, the next creative challenge will be how to put them all together.  Who says the life of the needlewoman is easy? 

Speaking of needlewomen, do you have a sublime piece of needlework that an ancestor of yours made?  If so, do email us a photograph of it and your name will be entered into our COMPETITION for a free place on one of our 2012 workshops! (travel not included). 

Pictures need to be with us before Easter, 6th April 2012 and the prize place will depend upon availability on the workshops.  We would also like permission to publish the photograph on this blog.

Picture Perfect........

Our first workshop, The Fabric of  Photography, is only two and half months off and we are so looking forward to introducing for the first time Jasprit Singh, a curator from the VandA museum, London, our charming and enthusiastic workshop leader.  We had an opportunity to catch up with him during a recent visit to The Big Smoke and question him about his views on photography:

Felice Beato

What is your first memory of taking a photograph?  At the young age of six.  The image was of my grandfather in his garden picking plums.

What was your first camera and how old were you?  My father owned a PentaxME Super which is the first camera I learnt to use.

Who are your all-time favorite photographers?  Bill Brandt, Felice Beato, Ragu Rai and Bourne and Shepherd.

Bill Brandt

Which photographer has had the most influence on your work?  During my academic life I spent most of my days looking at Beato's work on Amritsar.  Since then I have had a number of influences, including colleagues, Justina Burnett and Simran Kaur.

Justina Burnett

Where do you think the future of photography lies?    Sadly, the digital SLR camera seems to be becoming more of a fashion statement than as an apparatus for creating images.  My greatest fear is that quantity will win over quality, so my golden rule in teaching is to, "capture an image with your mind not your eye".

Ragu Rai

What is it that you enjoy most about teaching photography?  Every student has a subtly different agenda.  I take great pleasure helping each individual master their cameras in order to produce the results they are looking for, and at the same time demonstrate the infinitely flexible and creative possibilities of DSLR photography.

Why are you particularly interested in Macro photography?  There are many reason for my interest, but the main one would have to be the obvious one of its ability to reproduce subject matter in minute detail.  Apart from images generally being incredibly beautiful, the Macro invariably allows us to further understand the subject's construction and mechanics. 

What single piece of photographic equipment would you recommend as a useful addition to the DSLR?  A 50mm 1:8 Legend lens reproduces precisely what the human eye sees.  I have taken some of my favorite images with my 50mm, and the best part of it is that it is the cheapest lens I own.

What are you looking forward to most about your workshop at Les Soeurs Anglaises?  From a purely selfish point of view, I am anticipating meeting interesting and creative people who are serious about learning how to make the best use of their DSLRs.  I expect to be exposed to new and challenging attitudes to the various arts and crafts whilst in the supportive ambiance of Les Soeurs Anglaises, cradled in the inspirational landscape of S W France.

Thank you, Jasprit for sharing your views.

Cover Story

A new friend of mine sent me this Brief History of the Apron from Australia.  Thought it would make a few people smile.  (Thank you Jan!)

I don't think kids today 
know what an apron is.  

The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath because she only had a few.  

It was also because it was easier to wash aprons than dresses, and aprons used less material.  

But along with that, it served as a potholder for removing 
hot pans from the oven. 


It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears.


From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.


When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids.


And when the weather was cold, Grandma wrapped it around her arms.


Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, 
bent over the hot wood stove.



Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron.


From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. 
After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.


In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.


When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.  


When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron and the men folk knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner. 


It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that 'old-time apron' that served so many purposes.

And can't you just think of a hundred more good reasons for wearing a pretty apron?  Even if it's just a fashion statement.......

as shown by our lovely Julie Arkell - aprons don't get any more stylish.