“Paris”

Boutis Design
by
Kumiko Nakayama-Geraerts and Hubert Valeri
for France Boutis

Currently on my “BIP” list (Boutis in Progress) is “Paris”, a design jointly developed by Kumiko Nakayama-Geraerts and Hubert Valeri.

It is a limited edition boutis pattern that was designed exclusively for France Boutis and presented at the Salon du Boutis that was held in Caissargues, France in 2022.

Both masters of the art of boutis and long time residents of Paris, Kumiko and Hubert have combined their individual design sense into a masterful collaberation of traditional and contemporary design where the two complement each other to create a tribute to the story of both Paris and boutis.

From the central focal point to the outer perimeter, every design and motif was carefully chosen to tell the story of the early beginnings of the city.

The centre of the design, the focal point, features “la nave”, a ship representing the significant role that early merchants played in the development of the city.

”La Piaf”

(a sparrow- stylized)

Parisians feel an affinity with sparrows, in that they recognize a similarity in character.

The flag on the ship represents an heraldic coat of arms of Paris - a reminder that Paris was a merchant port.

Outside of the central motif, surrounding the ship (below), channels are woven to represent crossroads and possible intersections, symbolizing lakes of love and the friendships that developed between the travelling merchants and local Parisiennes.

Knot

Symbolizes the lasting friendships made among the various encounters.

As the city’s favourite tree, chestnut leaves and blossoms form the border of the design, encircling the city.

For my colour palette, I have chosen white cotton batiste as the base (both layers), which is being stitched with three varying shades of a bronze silk thread. On the reverse side, the plan is to attach bronze-coloured silk dupioni with reverse applique prior to stitching the leaves.

Attaching the silk dupioni to the back while the stitching is already in progress is a technique that I have not attempted before, so there will be some trial and error (but hopefully not many tears:). I will post progress reports when I come to that point, but first, there is much more stitching to be done.

I have recently updated “Defining Boutis” if interested in further reading.