Toile de Jouy

Toile de Jouy originated in France in the latter half of the 18^th Century. Imported originally from the East before being manufactured in the town of Jouy, near Versailles in France. It is a beautiful, vibrant fabric, and is as popular today as it was in Louis XIV time in France.  I love the French “Indienne” collection of fabrics.  They are lively, colourful and joyful and Toile is one of my favourites. Some of the vintage or antique Toiles remind me of Marie Antoinette and Versailles with their royal, aristocratic rich red and blue backgrounds and colourful designs.  Toile is so wonderfully French.

These four photos are taken from Pinterest

My love of fabric gives me so much joy. My favourites are floral chintz and toile de jouy. I love a fabric that tells a story, just like the willow pattern china my mother had on her kitchen dresser.  Apologies while I digress, one of my jobs growing up, we all had them, was to regularly clean and wash our kitchen dresser and its beautiful delph.  A job I really enjoyed doing. I loved the sense of achievement at gleaming delph and rearranging it back on the dresser, to my Mother’s delight.  As a result, one of the first items of furniture I bought when first married was a kitchen dresser.  I love this humble piece of furniture and over the years enjoyed collecting china for it to add to my collection. I find that I can play with it for hours sometimes, to get it right.  It always reminds me of the poem we learned at school as children which read :

“A dresser filled with shining delph,

Speckled and white and blue and brown”
from Padraic Colum’s moving peom "An Old Woman of the Roads".

While I am sure there is probably a willow pattern fabric out there somewhere and the willow pattern is so pretty.  I think I prefer Toile de Jouy.  Toile de Jouy is special and very inspiring. It is beautiful and colourful, with it’s busy story pattern, told in reds, blues, greens, browns etc, which we can all relate to.  It is used in material and wall coverings.  It depicts a story, sometimes a couple having a picnic beside a river, or maybe a shepherd with his sheep or a man serenading a young lady under a tree, no matter what they are, all the designs are lovely. 

I used a Laura Ashley Cherubs Toile in our bedroom about 10 years ago, although a busy wallpaper to look at on the roll, when up on the walls, it had a very gentle effect, partly because of it’s light pink colour, it was so lovely that I hated parting with it, but our bedroom walls had to be insulated, so down it came, much to my chagrin.

Toile has to be, in my opinion, the least boring wallpaper ever made.  Its appeal is universal.  I only have a little left on the walls of our ensuite, it is again a Laura Ashley blue toile wallpaper, it looks as fresh today as it did when I put we put it up nearly 10 years ago. I love toile de jouy so much, that I would love to put a little bit of it in red somewhere in the house, (maybe I’ll create a little alcove, there’s a thought, a little project for another day). 

Red toile de jouy is really gorgeous.  

Red is a colour I do not use in our home, except at Christmas.  I think a room decorated with red, apart from toile, is really lovely, it is so tasteful and interesting.  I adore it in other people’s houses and in interiors in general, but, I have discovered that it affects me in a less than positive way, so I limit it to little accessories in our home.  I prefer to surround myself and my family (who don’t get a choice, I’m ashamed to say) with soft colours which soothe and calm the body, mind and soul, particularly, at home.

Fabric has such a comforting effect, I find.  It can invoke memories of childhood.  Dresses and clothes worn by parents, aunts, siblings and ourselves.  Curtains and cushions, patchwork quilts and eiderdowns in pretty fabrics and colours. I just love the way fabric makes me feel.  Joyful, warm, comfortable and safe, imagine - from a little piece of material.

Toile de Jouy can be used for anything, anywhere and in anyway. I came across this photo from Sex and the City some time ago, I think it captures the beauty of how to wear Toile (I'm not sure if it is Toile, but I think it looks like it, I am open to correction). Carrie and Big in Paris - Carrie wears a beautiful Toile coat and notice the Eiffel Tower handbag, gorgeous. Her whole ensemble is fabulous.  

Toile is also great as wallpaper, china, clothes, gifts such as hearts, handbags and purses, used in the home as curtains, bedspreads, cushions, upholstery on chairs, couches etc and even bed canopies.  I hope that my love of Toile de Jouy will help to inspire you in some way.

I am writing today's entry, as I rest in my garden on another magnificent Summer’s day. I am resting, because I pulled my shoulder (the pain has rendered me useless) while moving our umbrella – ouch!! a very silly thing to do, so take note and please do not think of doing it. 

We are still enjoying our wonderful long, hot, glorious Summer and it is so pleasant sitting in the garden that I am quite comfortable with the help of a few paracetamol, thank goodness.

My husband just home from work is busy in the kitchen making dinner. As I write this, the smell wafting out towards me is mouth watering, I will be spoilt shortly with a tasty meal. I am very grateful to have a husband who enjoys cooking and is a very good cook even better, lucky me.  

On that note, I will close today with a little quote from Marcel Proust : " Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom".

Have a lovely weekend.

S. 

Greetings from a Sunny Summer in Dublin

Here in Dublin, we are having the most beautiful weather, with clear blue skies and scorching sunshine. The temperature today reached 28 degrees. The weather is so gorgeous that it gives me ♫a peaceful, easy feeling♫, as the Eagles song goes. I make time to sit in the garden and just enjoy the sunshine, feeling warm and relaxed.

I also find that good weather can make me very proactive. Washing the windows, Spring cleaning or rather Summer cleaning (I'm late this year) the cupboards and wardrobes, washing the curtains and bedspreads, clearing things out and making some Summer crafts. I have put the quilt making away for the Summer and instead made and finished some smaller projects, i.e. handbag, a few different Iphone cases and a special co-ordinating handbag, Iphone case and tissue holder as a gift. I also made a few cushions, there are two red, white and sand patchwork for my patio set and two more patchwork made from Cath Kidston's gorgeous material.

This patchwork Iphone holder is made from tiny scraps of pretty fabric.  The new Iphone is longer, hence the longer style.

  

The finished cushion from Helen Phillips book with back made from Ikea fabric.

Two pretty little cushions for my patio set.

Two patchwork cushions made from Cath Kidston material.

This warm magnificent morning, I had breakfast on the patio as usual, I stayed outside to enjoy the sunshine and get my daily dose of Vitamin D, but today, instead of sewing, I decided to paint our garden furniture to freshen it up.  It dried almost immediately. 

I had the Eagles playing in the background and their songs always remind me of my brother Denis, sister Eileen, my husband Noel and I, all enjoying sunny and romantic Summers in the 1970's.  There I go again, showing my age!!

"To the outside world we all grow old.  But not to brothers and sisters.  We know each other as we always were.  We know each other's hearts.  We share private family jokes.  We live outside the touch of time"    Clara Ortega.

The cake below was made for my brother-in-law's birthday, isn't it fun?  He's Canadian and off to Canada to celebrate his big birthday with his childhood friends at the end of July.  His birthday is the 7th August and my sister organised a surprise party for him last Saturday night.  He's a car enthusiast, plays golf, enjoys life to the full and never wastes a minute of it.  I hope they have a great holiday.

      

I hope wherever you are, that you are enjoying the Summer and that the weather is as glorious as it is here.  May you find peace and joy in whatever you are doing.

Happy Summer.

S.

A Father's Gift

Today 2^nd July,  is my Father’s 23rd anniversary.  My big, strong, wonderful father whose presence filled a room and who made his eight children, feel secure both emotionally and physically.  He was always there for us. He taught his daughters to insist on being treated well by their boyfriends and husbands. He protected and valued us and in return we valued ourselves. He treated all girls and women with respect, particularly my Mother.

My first love was my Father. I believe that he taught me to value myself and he always made me feel very secure. I also had loving and kind relationships with my brothers. I have always felt and continue to feel psychologically, emotionally and physically strong, and I attribute this to my Father. 

Many years ago, following my usual Christmas performance of O Holy Night at the Christmas party, a male colleague out of the blue, asked me “where did I get my confidence”.  Without thinking, I said my Father. I surprised myself with the answer, as I had never thought about it before. 

So a very very belated thank you Daddy, for the special gift you gave me, a gift I didn't realise I had, until you were gone.   We all still love and miss your guiding light every day.

Your loving daughter. 

Siobhán Ní Shúilleabháin