Wednesday, July 29, 2009

In For A Penny

This is what started it all - for years I have wished for my own business but several things have held me back, not least of which was picking a name. How can one word sum up a whole intention?

One day in my sewing room I was thinking about our trip to France and how much I like the French language and what fun I had trying to remember everything I had learned in school when "recherche´" popped into my head. It was a true "A-ha" moment. Recherche´ means (among several meanings) to seek that which is special and that is what I have tried to do for years with my needlework. A doodle on a post it note later and I had the name - and from that followed clarity. You see, it wasn't just a name, it was also a definition, and there is an old saying that when you name something, it becomes real.

Serendipity lead me to a young woman named Lauren who designed the banner you see now, and a button which I am in the process of trying to add. I think you will agree she has done an amazing job with my request and I am thrilled with the look she has created. The snail is her own drawing and you can see him just behind the lettering on the right. There is of course a story there...

When Marc and I were on our trip to France last year we went for walks in the evenings while staying in Provence. That was the time of day the snails would leave the grass and vines and venture forth onto the warm roadways. Marc was quite concerned for their safety (a valid concern considering the number of snail fatalities we came upon!) and so he would gather them up and gently toss them back to the grass. There were so many there was no possibility of saving them all but we did develop a fondness for the little creatures through the effort of trying to save them!

Anyway, they are quintessentially French and are evocative of "slow" and I thought an appropriate symbol of what needlework and quilting are for me - an outlet of creativity that allows me to take the time to make things that are truly special where the process is more important than the final product (in snail talk that would be the journey matters more than the getting there!).

And so that is how recherche´ came to be.

And there is more to come...

1 comment:

Lauren said...

What a great story!
I'm glad you like your new blog wear! I hope things get uploaded ok.