Workshop
Created in 1998, the Severina Lartigue workshop perpetuates a know-how of excellence, that of floral adornment. Deep in the countryside of Normandy, in poetic surroundings perfect for creativity, Séverina Lartigue carries out the many steps required to make a silk flower, all by hand. Patiently she finishes, cuts and dyes her fabrics using traditional techniques. One by one, the petals take shape and are harmoniously assembled by her expert fingers to form an exquisite flower. Their delicacy and refinement make each of them a unique work of delightful creation.
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CuttingLes soieries, percales ou batistes sont apprêtés puis soigneusement pliés en cahiers de différentes épaisseurs. La découpe peut être faite à l’aide d’une mailloche ou d’une presse à col de cygne. |
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DyeingThe fabric cut-outs are white, cream or champagne in colour. The tint is determined by the flowers they are to become. Each cut-out is painted like a watercolour. The colours blend together in delicate shades. |
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ToolsThe tools in the workshop are genuine treasures for their beauty and rarity. They all have a story to tell, such as this block mould which was used to cut out orange blossom for floral bridal crowns for 50 years. |
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FoliageThere is something magical in the way a leaf is embossed. The flat fabric, now tinted and stalked, comes out of the crimper embossed and marked with the fine veins specific to each leaf, be it of a rose, jasmine or camellia. |
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PistilsThe heart of the flower is made up of pistils of cotton thread ending in small balls of different colours. Only the Moulin de la Fleuristerie Artamin' continues to make them in France. |
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Raw materialsIt takes a thousand tiny things to make a flower. The silk threads, brasses, wax buds, Venice glass beads, mother-of-pearl and lace are carefully stored in wooden drawer cabinets. |
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ShapingAll of the flowers are shaped by hand using small tools that can be equipped with a variety of tips. The balls are used to hollow out and sit the petals, while the clamp hems the fringes. The precision of the gesture gives the flower its lightness. |
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PetalsEach petal is unique in shape, be it fringed, pleated, wrinkled or shelled, but also by its size, from the smallest to the largest for the heart, and its varied colours. Sometimes it takes 100 petals to make a rose. |
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InspirationThe initial idea takes form. The white cloth fabrics that have been finished, cut-out, coloured, shaped and mounted have become the flowers imagined and designed by Séverina Lartigue. |
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FinishesThe stems of the flowers and foliage are dressed in fine silk thread called angel's hair. Tidily laid out on the worktop, the roses, foliage and tiny flowers will become headdresses, brooches or earrings. |
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OrnamentThe final stage of assembly is traditionally made using silk thread and may take a whole day. The ornament is only ready when the right balance has been achieved. |
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