Sunday 18 March 2012

Color me Crazy - Chartreuse

I was putting up some fabric online and I came across this fabric - Daisies and Dots - Chartreuse. It;s from Robert Kaufmam and designed by Piece O' Cake Designs. 


I've always been attracted to lime-yellow-greens and really Chartreuse and have now found out that it has a rather interesting history! 
 
 
Collins English Dictionary:
chartreuse  (ʃɑːˈtrɜːz, French  ʃartrøz)

n
1. either of two liqueurs, green or yellow, made from herbs and flowers
2. a. a color varying from a clear yellowish-green to a strong greenish-yellow

b. ( as adjective ): a chartreuse dress

[C19: from French, after La Grande Chartreuse,  monastery near Grenoble, where the liqueur is produced]

Kona Cotton - Chartreuse from Robert Kaufman
The word Chartreuse comes from the Chartreuse Mountains in France where the Carthusian order of monks produced a naturally green liqueur at the Grande Chartreuse monastery. This liqueur was also called chartreuse and gets its unique coloring form chlorophyll. Apparently, 130 herbs, flowers and other secret ingredients are used in its production in a recipe that dates back to 1605.

Chartreuse is the color precisely halfway between green and yellow - it's 50% green and 50% yellow - and is the most visible color to the human eye. 

1 comment:

  1. Hi Carol, I have awarded you the Leibster Blog Award. Please go to my blog and check it out.

    ReplyDelete