Hi All Back again after a great day out in Garrucha yesterday. More of that later
However, back to lace in France. Having collected the 'passsport' in Arlanc we discovered that there was another lace museum in Briode which not too far for us to drive so decided to spend the afternoon there. This turned out to be a fantastic treat. In the 70's a local lacemaker, Madam Arpin, realised that lacemaking was in danger of dying out and decided to do something about it. However, instead of just teaching traditional local lace, she took it one step further and started using colour and 3D techniques. Some of the stunning results are on display in the museum, along with traditional antique lace. All beautifully laid out and lit. Once again an assistant showed us round, making sure we didn't miss anything. The museum has a website http://www.hoteldeladentelle.com/ It's all in French but some of the pictures are good (if you find the one of the salmon - it's actually about one metre long). There were actually 2 place to visit, the school and the museum which are about 5 doors apart. There was a gentleman doing a 'bracelet' (made a change from the snake or 'bandage' which I started with) in lovely chunky thread. Apparently he's been in the museum in the morning , was so taken with the concept and that he had signed up for a afternoon lesson on the spot! Brilliant day and long suffering DH actually seemed to enjoy it. Next day and it was off to Le Puy in the morning and then on to Retournac in the afternoon. Le Puy turnrd out to be a bit of a disappointment. We visited on Saturday and there were no students in the school and not a great deal of lace on display. Unfortunately the Atelier Conservatoire National de la Dentelle du Puy-en-Velay is currently shut while the building is completly renovated and it's not due to re-open until Feb 2007. Talking to lacemakers in some of the shops, this would appear to be a conservative date - they reckon it's more likely to be 2009!!!!!!! I'll just have to go back again in a few years time :-) The lace shops are real 'tourist traps'. A very tiny amount of locally made lace, lots of handmade lace (probably imported from China) and an awful lot of little 'machine/chemical lace' motifs. The later were hardly ever marked as being machine made and there must be an awful lot of people who buy them convinced that they are buying hand-made lace. Great shame. Retournac is an hours drive from Le Puy along a stunning road which follows the Gorge du Peyredeyre. The day out was worth it just for the drive. Saturday afternoon was definately the best day to visit Retournac as the local lacemakers meet up to make lace within the museum. The museum was fascinating, lots of really good 'information' sheets along with the exhibits, even DH stopped to read them! The group of lacemakers were great, a mixed bunch of old and young including a couple of little girls. My very rusty French got a good battering as I tried to explain Bucks techniques to them (I carried a bucks bookmark to show that I was a lacemaker). Then followed a discussion on Spanish lace (as I'd told them that I lived in Spain) which ended with a demontration of how to do 'leaves' 'in the air' rather than 'on the pillow'. An interesting afternoon and well worth the trip. The shop had all the 'pattern packs' available as well as a good selection of books and other supplies. I was good and didn't treat myself to any more 'essentil supplies'. However, having done 4 museums in 2 days, DH's patience was wearing thin and I had to promise 'no more lace' for the rest of the holiday. If you happen to be in this very beautiful area of France then please make the effort to visit one or more of the museums - you won't be disappointed. Retournac is also closed at the moment for 'works', I'm sure they'll let the list know when it re-opens. Report Lace Day in Garrucha coming later Pam Mattioli formally from Poole, Dorset, UK but now in sunny Vera Playa, Almeria in southern Spain, where the temperature is a comfortable 24 degrees. - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
