An absolute treasure trove of 1950’s design, these textiles have seen many lifetimes !
I purchased the origional textile last year from a textile society event, at that point she was a curtain, beautiful hand pieced diamonds that had been placed together with such precision that still alowed such a beautiful drape.
Since then I have added a cotton wadding and quilted the piece to provide stability and warmth in its latest incarnation.
The piece is made up of various iconic prints of the 1950’s. We can see classic story book prints such as the gnomes with toadsytools which would have most likely initially been used as nursery curtains or pjamas.
We can see prints designed for the very first teenagers, 1950’s rock and roll inspited prints, with stylized musical notes and fun conversational prints such as bananas and foreign travel.
Abstract prints with starburts or “atomic era” prints which were popular at the time inspired by space age facination and a cultural push to modernise domestic life.
Such a fun, beautiful piece of history.
Teal mongolian wool detachable collar to finish.
Dual sized for future proofing, to best fit a UK 8-22
Width 148cm
length 67cm
Armhole 52cm
A beautiful piece created from a handmade quilt dating back to the 1970s. The original textile has been hand-appliquéd and then hand-quilted under the guidance of a specific design and transfer template, if you look carefully along the stitched lines you can see faint blue lines — these are the transfers the maker used to guide them.
When this textile arrived it was apparent she had been very loved and many of the foliage and floral appliqués had started to come away. I have spent hours and days restoring this piece, meticulously tracing the steps the original maker would have made some 50 years ago. Restored to immaculate condition, she is ready for her next adventure.
Detachable teal Mongolian wool collar to finish.
Dual-sized for future-proofing to best fit a UK 8–22.
Width: 158 cm Length: 78 cm Armhole: 52 cm
Created from a vintage 1970s sleeping bag, this piece is one of a kind.
I can only imagine the adventures it has seen: sleepovers at friends’ houses, nights under a full moon and a sky full of stars.
Crazy quilting was made popular in the Victorian era, when quilters wanted to express their creativity beyond the traditional quilted blocks — a perfect design for someone who wanted to upcycle all the beautiful fabrics salvaged from worn or damaged dresses.
Crazy quilts often include more luxurious fabrics such as silks and satins, and this piece is no exception. Faded florals, ditsy chiffon-printed patches and sumptuous satins are hand-quilted using the traditional herringbone stitch onto natural calico cotton.
This piece has been restored meticulously by myself; where fabrics had worn over the years I intricately replaced patches using the same techniques first used 50 years ago by the original maker. Satins have been reinforced with additional sashiko stitching techniques, adding stability and endurance for years to come. All repairs use original 1970s fabric for authenticity.
Although quilted, this piece does not have a wadding finish, which means it is more suitable as an indoor jacket or cover-up in lighter weather. The drape has a wonderful fluidity that is beautiful to wear, finished in 100% silk sateen with a Mongolian wool detachable collar in ivory. Dual-sized for future-proofing — to best fit a UK 8–22.
Width: 158 cm Length: 71 cm Armhole: 54 cm