What a nice french word ‘souvenir’ is – and in spanish ‘recuerdo’ or memory.
Most of us associate souvenirs with tacky little doodads with “Made in (place being visited)” stamped or carved somewhere prominent on some object associated with the country being visited. So, for Australia than measns pretty well anything boomerang shaped, with or without a dotted surface, anything with the Sydney Opera House, Uluru, kangaroos, koalas playpuses, Vegemite… these and more are images or icons of Oz. In Egypt you have the choice of little leather camels, masses of little models of pharoahs sphinxs and prominent gods, pyramids of every size, technique and material you can imagine, metal cartouches to put on a chain around your neck and you can have your own made in about 20 minutes… all of these things say ‘Egypt’ . In Uruguay there are some wonderful souvenir thingies, including some really very nice hand made objects. Unfortunately here many are routinely spoiled by having “Made in Uruguay” or “Souvenir of Uruguay” painted or carved across them. There are little model candombe drummers, models of typical rural houses, some nice leather coin purses, sets of leather and wooden coasters with criollo designs, small table items like butter knives with bone handles – but many of them are ‘branded’ – it’s something that always bothers me. I think, that like me, people buy something to act as an aide memoire of the time spent and experiences enjoyed while visiting somewhere. I don’t think they are meant to present as proof that they were there. I am sure people would buy these things if they are not emblazoned with the name of the country/city. I have a thing about it.

As a maker of quilted textiles I always have my eye out in any direction where fabric lurks – here or abroad – you never know. In one nice little French town on our recent trip I spotted a table of bright, wildly printed fabrics, which turned out to be batik from the Congo. Most European countries had colonial involvement there and I imagine there is still trade, if these fabrics were anything to go by. In the pile I found this wonderful piece, featuring eggs chickens hens and roosters. Since the cockerel is the fauna emblem of France, an icon so to speak, although less in your face than the Eiffel Tower, and since they eat an incredible number of eggs judging by the menus we were faced with, I thought this wonderful 3 and 1/2m length of high quality batiked cotton fabric would be a good souvenir. What I will do with it is not really the point – but I will probably use it some time.