Ferrières-en-Gâtinais approaches its heritage through performance, guided exploration and encounters with makers. A theatrical promenade and bell-tower visit sit alongside a trail of clues and a tour of the medieval town. Houses and gardens open their doors, while master glassmaker Sophie Berecz welcomes visitors to her studio, connecting historic streets with a craft still practised there.
Tag: traditional-crafts
White Embroidery: Stitches and Touraine Lace
White embroidery reveals its precision in demonstrations by Sylvie Lezziero. A separate practical workshop introduces either a whitework motif with plumetis, sand and straight cordonnet stitches, or a Touraine motif incorporating Valenciennes lace. The small-group format connects close observation with needlework, making the techniques behind the delicate surface visible and teachable.
Les Grands Feux: La Borne’s Wood-Fired Ceramics
Wood-fired kilns set the pace of Les Grands Feux in La Borne, with loading, firing and unloading carried out in public. Ceramicists from many places exchange working knowledge around the furnaces. Studio visits, exhibitions and practical workshops extend the programme from utilitarian pots to sculpture, revealing the range of practices sustained by this pottery village.
Brenne Basketry: From Wild Plants to Woven Hoops
Wild plants gathered in the Brenne become the material for hoop-based basketry with Frédérique Ardibus. The course starts outdoors with collecting, then moves into successive sessions of weaving and making. Organised by the regional natural park, the small-group activity follows the craft from raw vegetation to a formed object, with all sessions forming one learning sequence.
Restaurer le patrimoine: Meet the Makers in Loches
The people who care for heritage take centre stage in Restaurer le patrimoine in Loches. Artists, restorers and artisans introduce their professions and discuss the knowledge and practical skills involved in their work. A freely explored meeting format gives the public space to speak with these specialists, turning attention from finished historic fabric to the expertise needed to sustain it.
L’Été Indien: Music, Makers and Heritage in Langeais
Regional performers and local makers share the gathering created by La Locale for L’Été Indien in Langeais. Tents and a festival village bring concerts and shows together with products and crafts from the area. Games and activities for different ages extend the programme, while the Saint-Laurent heritage setting forms part of a festival intended to connect the town’s inhabitants.
Claire Linard: Porcelain in Mehun-sur-Yèvre
Fine, luminous porcelain meets rougher stoneware in Claire Linard’s exhibition in Mehun-sur-Yèvre. Descended from generations of potters, she carries inherited skills into functional and decorative pieces with markedly different textures and forms. Wood firing leaves room for unexpected transformations, giving the finished ceramics a tension between technical control and the action of flame.
Tigy: Beekeeping and a Bootmaker’s Craft
Bees and leatherwork share the programme at Tigy’s Musée de l’Artisanat Rural Ancien. Annick Thais explains beekeeping techniques and the life of bees, while shoemaker and bootmaker Johnny Piot demonstrates shoe assembly and leather sewing. His Compagnon du Devoir et du Tour de France background gives a precise craft context to the handwork shown during this rural heritage gathering.
Manoir de Kerhoas: Bigouden Heritage
Manoir de Kerhoas revisits the Bigouden world evoked in Claude Chabrol’s film adaptation, which used the manor as a setting. Picot embroidery, lace-making and traditional dress accompany displays, paintings and sculpture. Talks on seaweed workers and a Breton meal inspired by Bigouden wedding feasts broaden the programme beyond the exhibitions.
Mod Coz: Breton Costume and Vintage Sewing Fair
Breton costume and vintage fashion set the theme for Mod Coz in Scaër. Specialists and collectors offer fabrics, haberdashery, lace and threads, alongside bags, shoes, hats and jewellery. The fair brings finished accessories and sewing materials together for visitors looking for pieces to collect or supplies for their own work.