Tag Archives: Colour

Rowan Day Out at the FTM

Liberty1

Liberty in Fashion. Photo: Daniel Lewis

7:printSamples

Zandra reviewing some of the Free Spirit fabrics she designs for Rowan

It’s time for another day out with Rowan. Last time we went to the Clothworkers’ Centre in Kensington. This time we’re going to the Fashion and Textiles Museum in Bermondsey to see the new Liberty in Fashion exhibition. The exhibition celebrates the 140th anniversary of the iconic design store. This is the first major retrospective of the 21st century on the pioneering retailer and design studio Liberty. At the cutting edge of design and the decorative arts since 1875, Liberty is celebrated throughout the world both as a department store and for its distinctive textile prints.

LibertyHat

Hat and scarf combos never look this good when I wear them. Photo: Daniel Lewis

DeeHardwicke

Intarsia design by Dee Hardwicke

We’ll also be meeting and hearing from the indominatable Zandra Rhodes, designer extraordinaire and founder of the museum. Her studio is next door so she won’t have far to come.
Coming all the way from Herefordshire is artist Dee Hardwicke who will be giving us a workshop on designing an intarsia pattern with Rowan Tweed (all materials included of course). After all that inspiration there has to be an outlet (and some knitting). I can’t wait, which is okay as it’s on November 24, so really soon.

Read my article in Rowan Magazine 58
Book a place on trip here Rowan website

Agave silk

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

IMG_3833

Agave plant outside MarrakechIMG_3920Deutsch-Ostafrika, Sisalfabrik

On a recent trip to Marrakech we went out towards the Atlas Mountains and came across this cactus-like plant. It looks a bit like an aloe, but apparently its an agave plant.   Each leaf contains long fibres that are used to make a local silk. Breaking down the fibre, retting or decortication, is probably done in the countryside by machines as in this image of processing sisal from Tanzania from 1906 and 1918.

In the souks in the heart of the medina, piles of this spun yarn are dyed and hung up in the sun to dry on long poles that reach across the streets below. The salesman was confused about someone wanting to buy the yarn rather than one of the woven scarves on sale. I’m sure I paid over the odds, but we did have a tour of the dyers’ quarter. Back home the task is to untangle the huge slippery skein. I can’t wait to knit some swatches and I’ll post them here when they’re done.

IMG_4142

Blaenavon

Half term break in South Wales, and we visited the Blaenavon Ironworks. Going around what is now a visitor ‘attraction’ was fascinating, depressing and inspiring all at once. Now part of the post-industrial landscape, the Ironworks are derelict and part of the new tourist industry. However, if Mary Portas did interpretation she would have a field day here (though to be fair, some of the spaces were closed for re-jigging.)
The cottages, that would have been home to some of the workers, were cramped. Nevertheless the colours were astonishing. This hazy purple, acid yellow and rust painted interior doesn’t translate too well here, but the combination was enough to get me excited. Sometimes inspiration is in the oddest of places.IMG_1121