Paris at a Certain Age

Falling in Love

The linguist Steve Kaufmann says that you have to be in love to learn a language well. Maybe that's why I've never learned Spanish, despite living in California where the language is omnipresent. I'm 'just not that into you', Mister Spanish Language. But French, oh that's a different story, a love story.

Sometimes it feels I'm in love with an entity who is out of my reach, like falling for a movie star. But I have the obsession that makes you think about it all the time, trying to tease out its secrets, boring other people with some new facet you've noticed, and wanting to be with it night and day. I want to inhale it, chew it, absorb it through my skin, soak it in, bathe my eyes and ears with it and live on it.

The airplane ride over to Paris was like foreplay. It began with hearing boarding announcements in French, then the flight attendants instructions in French and then fellow passengers chatting in French.

But being in love doesn't make you any smarter. I can memorize like a demon, but the accent is so-o-o hard for me. I think I have to develop a more physical relationship with Mr. French and wrap my lips around him more deeply. I have to work my orbicularis orus, depressor labii oris and levator labii muscles into a frenzy or just watch Mickelino's how to pout and make French sounds video over and over again.

Obsession

I'm not one of those people who collect Eiffel Tower tchochka's. After all, I love the view when I drive across the Golden Gate Bridge - the panorama of San Francisco Bay on one side and the Marin Headlands and Pacific Ocean on the other side - but can't imagine accumulating bridge paraphernalia. Yet now I find myself making a Paris quilt.

The design is simple: large squares of fabric imprinted with a map of Paris and triangles of contrasting colors surrounding the squares. No funny Eiffel Towers. No French poodles. Check it out!

I'm looking forward to quilting my way down the boulevards and across the rues. And then I can sleep in (or at least under) Paris every night. Stay tuned for a photo of the quilt when it's completed.

It surprises me that quilting is not more popular in France. Knitting and embroidery, yes. And of course Paris is the cathedral of couture. But on last year's trip I was unable to find even one quilt store in Paris. However, I did make it to Marché St. Pierre link which reminded me of stores in NYC's garment district with its stacks of fabric bolts. Beautiful silks and wools and velvets, but scarcely any quilting cottons. I expected to at least see Asian prints and metallics. I do like French toile, though. link And through French google link I found Association French Patchwork link which has quilting terms en français on their lexique page. The French patchwork and quilting webring has some charming personal quilting sites. link

If you know of any quilt stores in Paris, let me know.