From sacking to silk…
Hello everyone
How excited I am to kick off the year with an event as rare as the antique pieces JOHANNA MACNAUGHTAN of LA GROSSE TOILE collects, on FRIDAY 10 MARCH.
Who? I hear some of you say! But for others, the antique textile loving peeps who collect the kind of treasures Johanna sources in France, her name is instantly familiar…and oh how I hope you will be tempted to join us! Johanna is visiting Australia for such a very short time, wrapping up the remnants of her life here, to return to France for…well, the foreseeable future.
Hence this being a one-off opportunity to meet the woman behind the narrative of those pieces she so eloquently describes, fervently pursues…and restores to life. For those who have long followed Johanna, an Instagram post or newsletter drop always holds promise – of a tale to be heard, of threads and mends, of hems and stitches…of pieces long forgotten in attic-bound trunks.
Johanna always takes us on a journey (as she’s bound to do on 10 March) not only to the likely country of origin of these textiles, but oft-times the imagined owners too, which certainly puts these precious pieces into perspective and well…why not?
Johanna is passionate about re-presenting these pieces in their very best light, in tact as found and yet, gently she tends to their needs…bathing with care, drying by air and ironing to perfection in her atelier before packing them up to send on to new, excited owners. “Please don’t cut this piece” she’s likely to say, of a valuable large sheet or cloth (as we readers envisage the horror of a hithero unblemished beauty being turned into something less). “But by all means do…” of something already tattered or flawed. Johanna’s writings often come with a good dose of the history of textiles and their trade during the centuries which can make for confronting and uncomfortable yet enlightening reading; alongside explanations of the growing, harvesting and painstaking preparation of these natural fibres for weaving. All this and more give reason to truly value the pieces that catch Johanna’s eye and pass through her hands.
When you think about it, the fibres in these pieces contain the sun, rain and provenance of the soils in which they were grown…so very many years ago. Soil…that vital stuff to which I like to draw your attention time and again. Whilst we all intrinsically know we can’t have natural fibres without it, soil is unlikely to be the first thing we think of when it comes to the like of textiles (especially these days) yet of course it has provided not just our food over millenia, but oh so much more.
So if linens, hemps and tickings are your thing; from flour sacks and tea towels to the weightiest monogrammed sheets and cloths; from napkins to handkerchiefs…smocks to silk bodices and fine embroidery (I could go on and on…buttons anyone?) you’re likely to be captivated! Johanna is also a font of true indigo knowledge…amongst a multitude of other fascinations.
In short…Johanna has led an adventurous life so far…unpredictable and filled with curiosity. Come…meet her before she departs these shores!
You will find specific details of the day and the booking form here. If you have any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to contact me. Oh and…I do believe that pure Botanical Water and antique textiles of this nature are simply made for each other! Particularly LAVENDER WATER! So if you’re coming on the day (or even if you’re not!) you can order a wee bottle here!
Very best wishes as always,
Mickey
