la fete du muguets
May 1, 2015
it is traditional in France, on May 1st, to give bouquets of lily of the valley to friends
it started with King Charles IX in 1561
it seems a little strange as all parts of the plant are considered poisonous
a corner of my back garden has been taken over – they are invasive!
for a brief time the scent is breathtaking
lily of the valley and linen seem made for each other
I found this wonderful Irish linen in my favorite consignment store
the label said tea towel but it is 40″ X 29″ (101 cm. X 73 cm.)
never used – $8.00
lovely!
Happy Spring
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I, too, grew up with May Day bouquets of lily of the valley!
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Creaturecomfort-s – I love the scent but it does seem rather strange to give the flowers as gifts when every part of the plant is poisonous.
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I was just in France where I saw little bouquets of Lily of the Valley for sale on every street corner. Thank you for telling me why!
That lovely old linen looks like a perfect canvas for some shibori or katazome!
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Heather – how lovely to be in France in the Spring. the linen is like an empty canvas, difficult to touch it’s pristine whiteness
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The towel has beautiful handwork.
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Barb – I’ve looked at the border through a loop, don’t think it was done by hand but all the same it is lovely.
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Lily of the valley was my mum’s favourite flower! They won’t grow for me for some reason and I’m allergic to the lovely scent so I just enjoy other people’s for a quick sniff.
I have a number of those antique linen “towels” and use them for tablecloths. They fit perfectly on my small kitchen table.
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Louisa – the towels seem too big for tea towels, not sure if it will be used maybe just added to the linen stash.
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i remember a spot in my hometown where there was a large bank of them, so beautiful.
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Velma – they do tend to spread! for me they are the essence of Spring.
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What a lovely post! Happy Spring to you too.
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Diana – Spring is such a lovely time of awakening.
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You got a great buy on that linen towel–it’s beautiful! Don’t be cutting that up for weaving! đŸ˜‰ We have one corner of the yard given over to lilies of the valley, too, and I love them–they can invade as much as they want!
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Kerry – I got a second towel for a friend, it is only the old damask linen that I cut up. My lilies have to compete with bamboo, they grow into the lawn but get mowed down
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A lovely tradition. I picked a bunch yesterday and they smell heavenly.
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What a lovely memory this triggered … thank you for a perfect May Day gift
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Liz – happy it brought back memories.
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Yet another lily – they won’t grow in my yard, unfortunately (I think).
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Kjerstin – if you ever want to give them a try I can give you roots – but they do spread! love the smell.
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