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Annemarie hand quilting in her kitchen.  Photo by Jim Burt

The Threads That Bind Us All
by Lilo Bowman

A tiny, picturesque village in Burgundy might seem the least likely place to find a woman who, while fine-tuning her French language skills, has also become passionate about quilting. However--as we all know--quilting has a way of finding us, no matter how distant (or circuitous) the journey. Over the years, TQS has featured many guests--including John Flynn, Pat Holly, Rami Kim, David Taylor--who pursued entirely different careers before they discovered quilting.

Shortly after leaving a recent European Patchwork Meeting, our roving reporters, Jim and Melinda Burt, were surprised to discover that the owner of the Bed & Breakfast where they were spending a few days just happened to be a "newbie" quilter!  

Becoming owners of a B & B in the small village of La Motte-Ternant, France, was not the the original plan as Annemarie and John Williams passed through on their way from London to Italy each year for their annual vacation. However, they soon realized that this lovely spot in the French countryside, only a day's drive from London, would suit them perfectly as the location for a family vacation home...or so they thought!  After carefully scouting the area, Annemarie and John found an 1872 merchant's home that had been occupied for the last 40 years by a spinster. If that alone doesn't make for a great opening for a romantic movie, the house--of course--was in desperate need of updating and repair. (Does Under the Tuscan Sun come to mind?) 

La Chouette qui Chante and surrounding gardens.  Photo by Jim Burt

Not easily set back by the prospect of a little hard work, Annemarie and John hired a local project manager to oversee the renovation. The intention was to spend six months of the year in London and the rest of the year at the house in France. Trained as an interior decorator, Annemarie was in her element when it came to making the necessary curtains, bed coverings, and other textiles, while John's skills at furniture repair and refinishing meant that an unexpected find at a local flea market could be transformed easily into a beautiful and functional piece of furniture. 

Once the house was completed, the couple moved in for what was to be the intended six-month stay. But, as in any good romantic film, the house had other plans for the new owners.  Annemarie and John fell in love with the area as well as the house, and made the choice to stay on permanently. John's early retirement (due to illness) from his job as a computer engineer made the decision to spend more time with family even easier. The couple also decided that--given the number of bedrooms and a newly converted barn--they would become Bed & Breakfast proprietors. Once the heating had been updated, it was time to get going on their new "jobs," and to settle into village life. 

The sitting room

Armed with only high school French, Annemarie and John soon discovered that they would need to brush up on their language skills. A chat with an ex-pat friend prompted Annemarie to join a local quilting club (Patchwork Club). The weekly meetings in Semur-en-Auxois offered a her a way to improve her French while learning quilting at the same time. The group of 20 members meets at the social center for several hours of chatting, sewing, and--of course-- "show and tell."  Annemarie has only been quilting for about three years, but finds that creating something beautiful and functional is very rewarding. As she says, she is definitely hooked.

                                              Members of the Patchwork Club.  Photo by Jim Burt

You'll notice in these photos of the club that there are no sewing machines in sight...because the ladies in this group do all of their work entirely by hand!  Paper templates, thread, and bits of fabric are scattered around each person's work area. Sometimes members of the group will take a trip to the big quilt shows in Paris or Ste-Marie-aux-Mines. They also meet occasionaly with other quilting clubs from around the region.

                                               Patchwork Club member working on their projects.  Photo by Jim Burt

Life as B & B owners mean spending many hours around the house. Often Annemarie steals snippets of time to work on a quilting project while waiting for clients to come to the dining room for breakfast or an evening meal. The kitchen offers the perfect place to get a bit of sewing done. During the warmer months, the open kitchen door allows the resident cats to stroll in, and provides a glimpse into the garden area.

Who knew that an annual vacation stopover would lead to a new life, language, and creative outlet? Annemarie's dream is to have small groups of quilters come to stay for a mini-retreat, to explore a bit of the local area, and to meet other French quilters. What group wouldn't want to spend a few days in the French countryside at a B & B owned by a fellow quilter? Where do I sign up?

To learn more about La Chouette qui Chante, visit their website http://www.b-break.co.uk/ or click here.