Going Dutch!

Hey there,

Hope you are all enjoying the summer hols.   The weather seems so mixed here at the moment that I thought it was time to mix things up  over in the sewing room, just in case you have to escape from a shower and need a little fabric therapy till the clouds clear.  I have some new curated bundles in my Etsy shop and they are just delicious.  The colours are vibrant and fun and teamed with my favourite Moda Crossweaves and a pop of yellow from Kona, it is a pretty cool combo.

The floral fabrics are designed by Petra Prins and Nell Kooiman and are reproductions of 17th and 18th century chintz fabrics.  I love vintage textiles and the history that goes with them, but sometimes I feel it can seem difficult to reconcile them to modern day life and more especially modern day homes.    These fabrics do have a pretty epic history.  Originally from India where they were made by woodblock printing and the demand for them in Europe became enormous.  European textile manufacturers seemed unable to reproduce these kinds of designs and fearful that our mills would lose ground, in England, the Parliament passed a law in 1720 forbidding the use of Chintz fabric for clothes or home furnishings.   Demand was such that loopholes still allowed the fabrics to find their way into society and in fact in the french court of Versailles, which was considered 'outside the law' they were flouted for all to swoon over.   I guess life doesn't change that much, does it - these were the 'instragram celebrities of the day' that everyone aspired to copy.   I have to say that there are plenty of surviving garments in museums around the world, including the V&A and they are simply beautiful.

I actually think that these fabrics are so lovely that I am interested to have a go at some dressmaking using them.  I rather like the idea of teaming them with denim and three quarter sleeves with a frill on them, seem rather in vogue.  For now though, my first venture with them is a rather smaller project as you will see.     

I have already been experimenting.

and I am so enamoured with the results, I think this will be a pattern and a kit soon.   In fact,  I have loads of plans for these fabrics, so watch this space!

Bundles are £25.00 plus shipping and contain 9 fat quarters.   Just click on the shop link at the top of the page if you are interested.

I'll be back next time with the next block in my Vintage Linen Revival Quilt.

See you soon,

Ruby x