We are delighted to be working in collaboration with Pat Albeck, the renowned fabric designer and local artist. She designed an exclusive print for us last year that is back by popular demand! Read on to find out more about Pat and her beautiful print.
Pat Albeck has led a very interesting life and with a career in the textile design industry spanning over six decades, she is something of a national institution. She started out in her career designing for Horrockses in the 1950s, including beautifully feminine dresses like the one pictured below (perhaps you may remember them?), she designed the 'Daisy Chain' print for John Lewis and she is famously entitled 'The Tea Towel Queen' having designed over 300 for the National Trust (check your drawer, you may own one!), amongst other famous brands.
It seems creativity runs in her family, her late husband was the famous stage designer Peter Rice, her son Matthew Rice is a designer & author and her daughter-in-law is the renowned ceramic designer Emma Bridgewater, whose pottery fills her home. She lives in a picturesque cottage in the Cotswolds (the extensions were designed by her son) where she does all her work.
Her studio is overflowing with fabulous prints that she is working on and overlooks her garden. She credits the longevity of her career to "never stopping" and maintains that “everybody should keep a creative space in their home.” When asked if she has ever designed something she did not approve of, she answers that she has not and sagely advises to “never do anything because you think it will sell. Do it because you like it and hope they’ll want to buy the things you do." She feels she is experiencing her own renaissance as vintage prints rise in popularity.
Her Cotswold cottage and garden provide her with plenty of inspiration for new prints. She is devoted to her passion: going out everyday to pick a flower and draw it, except at the age of 87, she "finds it harder to bend down and pick tiny flowers." She loves drawing vegetables, flowers and cats and says that "the more I learn about flowers, the better my drawings become.” When asked which was her favourite flower, she said that she likes "each flower as it comes", especially zinnias, sweet peas, lupins and waterlilies but her favourite flower is the rose, so we were not surprised that the print she designed for us featured an abundance of gorgeous roses.
In collaboration with a family-run mill in Cheshire, Pat's design was then printed onto swathes of pure cotton for the skirt and a silk & cotton blend for the scarf. The fabric was then cut and sewn into the beautiful pieces shown below, according to our in-house design specifications. So from the initial design right through to the final product, these pieces are true examples of British craftsmanship, supporting the British textile trade.
Add a touch of timeless charm to your outfit with this versatile accessory featuring Pat Albeck's exclusive print. Printed on to a square of delicate fabric, this superb silk-blend scarf features a floral garland border and is finished with the artist's signature.
Elevate your look with this feminine, figure-flattering cotton skirt. Showcasing Pat Albeck's gorgeous print to full effect, this striking print skirt features a full lining, pockets, side back waistband elastication and a mock-button-front.
Do you have a favourite Pat Albeck print? Let us know by leaving a comment using the box below.
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