Wednesday 15 September 2021

Je suis au jardin.


I bought this small embroidered 'cushion' from amongst the few small items of an elderly lady's boot sale stall. She had made it when she was small, had used it all her life, then told me that she had no further use for it.

In the country it's traditional to hang messages on the front door saying where one is; this one simply said she was in the garden.

Its naiveté is charming. A short message, a few flowers, and a butterfly; none of which is particularly well executed.


Children no longer make such things. They no longer embroider 'samplers', or messages such as the above. Boys no longer make pipe racks for their fathers in woodwork classes. Such things are from a bygone age.

When I bought the above (for a few centimes) the elderly lady looked quite sad. It was as if part of her life had ended. I told her that I would look after it, and use it when required. In fact it hangs by our fireplace in the sitting room. Our visitors pass Haddock's before getting to the house, so they would see me if I was there; making its use unnecessary.

Every time I look at it, I'm reminded of her kind wrinkled face, her traditional widow's weeds, and her natural warmth and charm. I suspect she'd been 'selling-up' in preparation for her next great adventure.

 

40 comments:

  1. It's a beautiful little cushion and very well made for having been made by a child.

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    1. It's also extremely soft, I think she must have filled it with down.

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  2. I love the memories that are tied up in this piece. I am guilty (many a time) of buying "stuff" (as my eldest daughter calls it, yet she is JUST as guilty) for sentimental reasons. Perhaps she was only parting with this as she could no longer garden? Sad.

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    1. Thinking back, I would think she was at least 90 years old. Her gardening days were well and truly over.

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  3. That is lovely and it has found the perfect second home. XXXX

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    1. Yes, I look at it daily, and often think of the lady who made it.

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  4. How charming . I just want to say that even today those little works take place at school. As you live in France already for so long, your children probably were born in France and also attended school there. You must have known what is called "travaux manuels" and is still part of instruction today. In Germany handmade things are a big tradition and at the end of the school year pupils have their arms charged with whatever you can imagine and at home you have to find a shelve to expose all those nice things . I have tree branches decorated with wonderful coloured Origami birds, done with special Japanese papers , by my grandson when he was only 7. Anyway your garden cushion is just a touching souvenir remembering the old lady.

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    1. I have one son who was born here, and the two older ones both went to school here; but I don't think we have any art work of theirs other than drawings. I was myself an Art Teacher, and I always sent children home for the holidays with masses of objects, paintings, and drawings. I bet their parents loved me!

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  5. I made beer glass coasters out of used matchsticks but then the teacher disappeared. We couldn't understand why until years later when we found that his peccadillo for having seven year old girls sitting on his lap was frowned upon. Bet the dirty sod still kept his pension.

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    1. We had one of those at my Prep' School, and the nasty man went on to marry the poor boy's mother. Imagine that!!!

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    2. I suspect all schools have at least one.

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  6. Although she may have been sad to part with it I expect she would haven been pleased that it went to a good home.

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    1. I did try to reassure her that I would treasure it. I've never done that before.

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  7. I knit sew and make embroidery, which I though was dying out, but look on the net and it is thriving, not in the numbers as when I was a child, but it's still going. I love the simplistic design in your cushion, it has everything it needs.

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    1. It was that simple design that appealed to me. I once found a very cheap 'Home Sweet Home' embroidery, of a very similar naiveté, and I didn't buy it. I've regretted it ever since.

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  8. This cushion found the best home it could find.

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    1. It's safe here for a good while to come. I'm pleased about that.

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  9. It's nice that the unique cushion found a new home. Ever thought about embroidering a cushion of your own? I wonder what you would write on it.

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    1. My youngest son embroidered one at school, which we still have somewhere. I can't remember what's on it.

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  10. I am so pleased that you promised it was going to a good home.It must have been hard for her to part with.I have a few things still that I made at school...a felt chicken,a sampler and a pot hedgehog that sit on my wall unit,Along with all the other stuff Ive kept from the 60s.I love things with memories to them!xx

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    1. I kept all my schoolboy drawings, prints, etc, in a small folio; then someone stole the whole lot. I'm still furious.

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  11. It's beautiful. I can understand the lady's sadness.

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    1. I think she was genuinely upset at seeing it go.

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  12. Such a sweet thing. She must have been happy to think someone else was going to treasure it.

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  13. A very nice story of amateur art. Who will you pass the cushion on to?

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    1. I expect it will simply stay here in the cottage.

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  14. The ills from which we suffer most are those that never come

    That’s mine
    https://disasterfilm.blogspot.com/2006/07/ills-from-which-we-suffer-most.html

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    1. That's a tad more sophisticated than mine above. My late mother used to collect Georgian Samplers, and had some real beauties. She sold them all.

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  15. It's sweet. I had forgotten about such things.

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  16. Charming Cro and your telling of it makes it more so.

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  17. Such a sweet piece, and a beautiful story behind it's existence.
    I love embroidered home goods, tablecloths, samplers, cushions, they are a rarity nowadays.
    ~Jo

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  18. I think it's a treasure. I hope you over paid for it.

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  19. Hand crafted and designed pieces like this are so very cherished.

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  20. Thankyou for cherishing her work. I teach and practise many handcrafts. Look up the work of Cecile Francone, she is French & her work is amazing!

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  21. Very moving post. I can feel her sadness.Thank you for being kind to her.I see very little of it. Going to use this in a poem.

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