Four days. Over 1,000 works of art. For many quilters, Carrefour feels like a family reunion. The same faces, the same villages, every September.
This year, our team was there too. Pauline managed the Aurifil stand, and Martina joined her to meet friends and customers, some of whom they’ve been seeing at Carrefour for years.
The Carrefour Européen du Patchwork is held in the Val d’Argent, in Alsace, spread across several small villages, with shuttle buses running all day between them. Some exhibitions are hung in old village churches. It’s a little surreal to walk through quiet countryside and find it full of textile artists and visitors from Japan, the Americas, and all over Europe. Funnily enough, most French people have never heard of the Val d’Argent, yet quilters travel here from around the world.
The region has a quilting story of its own, too. The Val d’Argent is considered the birthplace of the Amish movement, so each year’s show includes an Amish quilt exhibition. If you’re curious about the history, this article from Patchwork Europe is a lovely place to start.
At the Aurifil stand, we were delighted to showcase artwork from an incredible group of Aurifil Artisans, Designers, & Friends. We’re sharing a snapshot here, but would encourage you to visit the accounts of these makers for a wealth of creative inspiration.
Andrea Sauer, @and.drea1887
Her diamonds quilt was the first thing you saw, with her wolf bag hanging right beside it.
Janine Heschl, @janine.heschl
Her thread-painted lion stopped people in their tracks all weekend. Look closer and every strand of the mane is thread. The eye was stitched entirely with free-motion machine embroidery, every fibre drawn with needle and thread.
Jo Avery, @joaverystitch
Moon Trees put a whole forest into one quilt, finished with hand stitching you have to see up close.
Cécile Denis, @patchwork_inspirations
Tumbling stars and feathered sashing drew people right up to her table.
Irina Malyukova, @nordiccrafter
Her modern makes show that restraint can be the boldest choice of all, with circles, space, and texture.
Sarah Hibbert, @quiltscornerstone
Bold triangles, soft neutrals, and line after line of straight quilting make simple shapes look anything but simple.
Just around the corner, the PatCHquilt stand invited everyone to sit down and play, and we were proud to sponsor it. Every textile game was sewn by their members, each one unique, each with its own instructions.
We were also delighted to see Aurifil Designer Genesis Hall, who was exhibiting at Carrefour for the first time. Genesis created a wonderful stand display featuring projects made with Aurifil alongside her curated thread set, The Genesis of a Journey, and offered a sweet make and take utilizing a variety of the spools from her set.
We heard she had a blast chatting with attendees, enjoying the local French food, getting interviewed for a feature article, and so much more. We love seeing her celebrated around the world and believe she deserves all the accolades!
Alsace blends French and German traditions, so the food is hearty: sausage, pork, potatoes, and bretzels. Two must-tries are the tarte flambée, a very thin flatbread a bit like a pizza, and Munster, the local cheese. There is good local wine too, and on the last day our team always stops at a supermarket to bring a few bottles home.
If you have time to explore, Colmar is a storybook town and well worth a detour. Strasbourg is a beautiful city, and its European Parliament gives it a wonderfully international feel. Both are easy to reach from the Val d’Argent.
Thank you to everyone who stopped by the stand, shared a story, or showed us what you’re making.
Merci, Carrefour. À l’année prochaine.