Paisley n. 1 a pattern of small curving shapes with intricate detailing, usually printed in bright colours. (Collins English dictionary)
I might beg to differ about the bright colours bit…
I’m a creature of habit and I like my 10 am flat white in my favourite paisley cup…I try to stick to one coffee a day, but sometimes the aroma gets the better of me.
Its textile origins are Indian and Persian but the East India Company brought the Paisley shape to the rest of the world in the first half of the 17th century and production soon after began in Europe when the demand became too high. Marseilles in France was the forerunner (1640) but England and Holland soon followed.
Indian wood block for block printing fabric.
New Zealand doesn’t really have a textile industry but in the 1970s New Zealand’s own Crown Lyn pottery produced these beautys which I have now aquired from my Mum…yes these have survived in her cupboards for that long. Cute huh?
A little bit of Kiwi nostalgia.
But I digress…back to fabric
The industrial town of Paisley in Scotland was a centre for the manufacture of thread and linen in the 19th century and also the production of Paisley Shawls…the name taken from the town’s name.
I don’t know why I love paisleys so much…but I always have and I got some of my faves out to show you.
I couldn’t find a skerrick of this one in my stash when I went looking…but there must be some left because I had metres of it, metres and metres. However, here it is in a finished quilt.
A classic selection of Paisleys…anything in here you recognise? Some have been in the stash a while.
Red is probably the colour I use most in quilts and I have some lovely red paisleys.
I hope you’re not getting giddy…it’s visual overload isn’t it.
Got to have some light ones
Some I bought metres of with grandiose intentions of making something long since forgotten.
A serious paisley collector also needs a selection of different scaled paisleys…some small, some big, some inbetween.
I usually stick to only buying reproduction fabric but I really can’t go past a good paisley so if even if it’s modern I frequently succumb.
I even wear Paisley…
You won't lose me in a crowd.
And I haven’t even started on the two tubs of French Paisleys plus the Indian stuff
To be continued…
I love paisleys too, but no way do I have as many as you do.
I may have to search for more now!
what a great post, very fun
can’t wait for part 2
Kathie
Many years ago, I collected paisleys. Especially if they were mainly in the brown tones.
I love paisley almost as much as Toile. My husband adored paisley and had several paisley ties.
Lovely interesting post Margaret.
Lovely collection. I too am addicted but don’t think I have such an impressive collection.
Ady
I’m glad you’ve all liked the post…it was quite a fun one to do. I ‘ve got all those paisleys back on the shelves and will get the ‘Tub’ ones out in a day or two. looking at the photo’s again I see some that actually work well together which I hadn’t noticed before…I can feel a quilt coming on
All those paisleys are making me giddy, in a good way. There are some real beauties in your collection.