Chez Beccy

I went to visit the Warners Textile Archive last saturday. What a fascinating experience. We began with a talk given by Charlotte into the history of Warners and how the company evolved. Then we were given a small glimpse into the textile archive. Jan, a volunteer, talked about some of the amazing fabrics that were woven at Warners, velvets, damasks etc, some a hundred years old, some slightly newer ones and we were shown a few samples. There was one very opulent velvet with a silver background and a raised 3 dimensional design. The skill and time involved in creating these fabrics is phenomenal. The design archive is incredible. There are designs dating back hundreds of years, some designed by Warners own in-house designers, some are collaborations with well know designers and others that were acquired by Warners when they took over other companies, check out this link warnertextilearchive.co.uk/products/wallpaper to view a few examples.

Jan had actually worked at Warners and gave us an amazing insight into what it was like and how well thought of Warners was for its dedication to good quality designs and techniques. Fabric for Queen Elizabeth II coronation was woven here. My mum remembers going around Warners on a school trip to see the fabric being woven. Amazing.

To see the archive and have a talk you need to book onto a tour organised by Invitation to View, or you can visit the Archive's Gallery every Wednesday 10am - 4pm see their website for more information www.warnertextilearchive.co.uk/

Now as its coming up to the wonderful festive season I'll be taking a break from my blog. I may however have time to post a few pictures on facebook.com/chez.beccy if I do have time to create anything interesting!

Merry Christmas and a
Happy New Year.