SAVE OUR BEES!

This morning demonstrators dressed in yellow and black plan to converge on Downing Street to buzz members of the Cabinet to uphold an EU ban on the use of neonicotinoid pesticides across the green fields of England. These pesticides are widely held to be behind the terrifying drop in bee populations around the world, giving rise to serious concerns about the sustainability of modern farming methods and ultimately our own food security. I had already planned a look at bees as a motif on textiles and today seems, in support of this urgent cause, a good day to post my findings.

It was Napoleon who, in the days before widespread literacy, knew the power of a symbol - a pictorial representation of an idea - when he saw one. In 1804, having decided to crown himself Emperor, he was looking around for suitable emblems with which to adorn his trappings of power. He chose the bee, symbol of immortality and resurrection, and adorned his red velvet coronation robes with gold embroidered bees. Josephine also had gold bees embroidered down the length of her white satin gown and even on the toes of her coronation slippers. The bee was incorporated into Napoleon's coat of arms and was lavishly used to decorate his palaces: on carpets, wall-hangings and upholstery.

The bee is still used today as a very traditional damask upholstery fabric, usually woven into silk surrounded by another empire symbol, the laurel wreath, like this example from Lee Jofa:

Chelsea Textiles have included a sweet embroidered bee in their small sprigs embroidered linens:

And here is a highly graphic and enlarged version from Timorous Beasties:

Peony & Sage have used the bee motif on several of their printed linens: firstly lined up in the traditional repeat, then slightly skewed and finally scattered randomly:

Barneby Gates have placed their Honey Bees appropriately in a geometric honeycomb:

And finally, Corita Rose have used bees on a vibrant printed velvet that bears little relation to the precise placement of its napoleonic predecessor:

So lets ban neonicotinoids today - LONG LIVE THE BEE!

LOVE TRIANGLES

Last year I talked about my new blinds and how, after weeks of agonising, I very uncharacteristically plumped for a dizzy abstract triangle print from Romo.  I should not have fretted because nine months later I am still mesmerised by this seemingly simple design.  The intermittent pop of random colour causes the pattern to morph from square to triangle, lozenge to diamond, egg-timer to envelope.  I find it strangely soothing, which probably says more about me than the fabric!

MORE PRINTED VELVET

You couldn't really get two designers further apart than the granddaddy of all the Arts and Crafts, William Morris, and the 80's badboy of Paris couture, Jean Paul Gaultier! But I have been so bold as to unite them here in my quest to highlight the rich detailing, and plush texture of some more printed velvets. All made possible, I have discovered, because of the wonders of modern technology and specifically, digital printing. Computerised digital printing allows colour to be applied to fabric in millions of tiny but precise dots of ink that penetrate the pile of the velvet rather than sitting, slightly stiffly, on top, as conventional printing methods were inclined to. The result are prints of amazing detail and lavish colour that lose none of the soft velvety texture of the basecloth.


Morris & Co's Forest Velvet Azure from the Archive ll print collection, based on an 1887 tapestry design.


Lelievre's Fangio Petrole from their Jean Paul Gaultier collection La Defile, a photo-realist montage complete with every fashionista's dream: a logo.


Romo's Black Edition's Pleasure Garden Velvet Bloom from the Jessica Zoob 'Desire' collection, where her impressionistic paintings have been faithfully transcribed to fabric.

Unbelievably these velvets have a Martindale score of between 20,000 and - in the case of the beautifully delicate Jessica Zoob print - 100,000 rubs so they are sturdy enough for upholstery yet fluid enough for curtains. Tempted?

THIS WEEKS THEME: PRINTED VELVET

I made two lightning strikes on design shows this week: first at the strangely deserted May Design Series and the second at a more vibrant and eclectic Clerkenwell Design Week. At both I made a bee-line to the smattering of textile offerings amongst the furniture, lighting and architectural displays, and the highlight was definitely the to-drool-for printed velvets at Lewis and Woods stunning stand in the hidden gem that is Clerkenwell's historic St John's Church:





There were more printed velvets at the May Design Series, at Ian Sanderson's:



and the fabulous Timorous Beasties: