Beautiful Summer Sheers exhibited at Salts Mill, Saltaire

My lovely Madras Lace woven by MYB Textiles has been on display as part of the Bradford Textiles Society Annual Awards Ceremony and Symposium.

The sheers pictured below were exhibited in the David Hockney Gallery alongside his '25 Trees And Other Pictures'  exhibition. 

A contemporary twist on a traditional fabric. 

The prizes were also awarded in the gallery and there was an excellent presentation by Tony Glenville, the Creative Director of London College of Fashion entitled “Technology is not the only tool” . The closing remarks were by Richard Poole, president of the Bradford Textiles Society.

Translucent cotton mesh sings of Summer.

How exciting to be showing my work in the gallery space next to David Hockney.

Beautiful cut thread work - similar to fil coupe 

The long established Bradford Textile Society Competitions are open to textile designers and textile students and is supported by the generosity of The Clothworkers Foundation, The Dyers' Company, Prestigious Textiles Ltd, The Woolmark Company, the British Wool Marketing Board amongst others. 

Fabrics find a ready market at Interiors UK

Last week my fabrics received a great deal of attention at Interiors UK. They were praised for their modern bold aesthetic and striking colours. The designs were based on my research drawings of ancient artefacts, buildings and ceramics but have been translated into soft geometrics and clean graphics. 

My new fabrics on the stand at Interiors UK

My new fabrics on the stand at Interiors UK

All of the fabrics have been woven here in the UK and I'm delighted to report that all the silks are now in commercial production with the prestigious David Walters Fabrics of Sudbury (contact Richard Norris 01787 466677 for more info) who have included my designs and colours in their new collection.  

Silks and Lace

Silks and Lace

Wool and Cotton 

Wool and Cotton 

I am now in conversation with a British mill, hoping to produce my heavier- weight fabrics and make them available to purchase. These large samples pieces were woven at the University of Derby on the Jacquard loom and are fine wool on a cotton warp. They would be ideal for upholstery and created quite a buzz with prospective buyers - they were definitely favourites at the show. These will of course need to be tested for durability prior to becoming available for sale, in line with furnishing industry normal requirements and I can't wait to see them in production .

One of four fabulous Scottish Madras Lace panels 

One of four fabulous Scottish Madras Lace panels 

The lace, above, woven for me by MYB Textiles in Ayryshire, was also widely admired. This unique voile fabric has a fine base (in this case cotton) into which the pattern is gradually woven. Once complete, all the non-woven threads are snipped away leaving the pattern as if floating in the gauze. My striking designs and this age-old technique are united to create a contemporary translucent fabric which would work well in both modern and traditional spaces. I would love to experiment further with this beautiful fabric.

In addition to working with the companies above I also had invaluable help and advice from DHJ Weisters of Darwen. They worked with me on a number of other designs, one of which was on show with my small samples. I am still working with Weisters, so hopefully there will be more to show here soon.