Vocabulary

In my last post I talked about losing our produce vocabulary.   I've learned a few new words in the last month or so and they were fun, so I thought I'd share them with you.

One of them is "broderie anglaise", a French term meaning "English embroidery".  It is a single-colored fabric, often white, with small holes edged with satin stitching.  It can be an all-over pattern or just on the border.  

I realized I had some of that fabric and here it is.  Many of us call it "eyelet".   The holes are grouped in various ways, then connected with additional stitching to form a secondary pattern.  

It's hard to see in my photograph, but the pink has a floral pattern, the green is diamonds, and the turquoise is like woven ribbons.

 

I bought this fabric at the same time.  I have a vocabulary gap here - does anyone know if there is a name for this?  Rick rack and two kinds of ribbon are stitched in a diagonal pattern on white cotton.  It seems like it would be interesting for something, but I haven't come up with a good idea yet.  I might work it into a quilt with half-square triangles and use this for big blocks.

"Croquis" is the next new word for me.  In its strictest sense, it means a quick sketch of a model.  But it's commonly used in fashion sketches.  Here's a one-minute video showing you one.

 

I learned the word "enfilade" from a decorating magazine.  It means that interior rooms and doorways are aligned so you can look in one direction and see multiple rooms, one after the other.  Sorry I don't remember the magazine!  I'll find it again when I don't need it - you know how that goes.  Their point was that the decorating between rooms needed to have some continuity.

Museums and palaces, as well as railroad flats, all have this architectural feature in common.

 I'm leaving you with my favorite new "vocabulary" discovery.

Are you familiar with the Lyrebird from Australia?  Watch this video to see its incredible range of mimicry.   Be sure and watch it until the end - that's where the most surprising sounds are.