Product Overview
In Quilts of Provence Kathryn Berensonthe recognized expert on the subjectlays out a richly woven narrative of these intricately detailed heirlooms. This sumptuous book documents the exceptional beauty of the traditional craft practiced by needlewomen in southern France, covering both history and how-tofrom the production of this exquisitely detailed work to techniques and patterns for recreating quilts, throws, and apparel. This story of the art of corded and stuffed quilted work . . . nally gives Provence its rightful place in history, writes Michel Biehm in his foreword.
Berenson chronicles the long history of Provenal needlework, highlighting the crafts players, among them the artisans who created these revered quilts and the queens and average French women who treasured them. Along the way, she reveals the intriguing politics surrounding French textilesincluding a seventy-year prohibition outlawing printed cottons during the eighteenth century. Berensons extensive knowledge of traditional quilting also leads her to groundbreaking conclusions documenting the inuence of Provenal needlework on quilting around the world.
Quilts of Provence provides guidance to readers for creating these artful quilted pieces, with ten projects perfect for intermediate or expert quilterswork sure to inspire beginners as well. Projects include an elegant babys bib and an infant lap piece, a comfortable womans vest, a quilted pillow sham, and a range of exquisite bedcovers and quilted throws, some of which merit display like the works of art they are. Also included are a detailed resource section, which provides information on how to care for and hang quilts, where to see them displayed, and where to buy antique Provenal quilts. Full-color photographs capture the charm of tiny, hand-stitched infant shirts, the elegance of all-white bedcovers, and the feminine appeal of colorful quilted petticoats.
