" We Brits have pattern in our blood " - Lesley Jackson

New cups for the studio. I found these in Broadway Market on Saturday - made by a potter from Hamburg. Delicious colours.

At the risk of sounding all William Morrissey, it is all about using beautiful, considered, well-made objects in our everyday lives...

... And speaking of William Morris I was really thrilled to be included in Lesley Jackson's 'A Brief History of Pattern' for this month's Elle Decoration. Starting with pattern of the 1860's and running through to the Modern Eclecticism of today the article is a whistle stop tour through Arts and Crafts; Art Nouveau; Proto-Modernism; Art Deco; the Contemporary Movement; Op, Pop and Psychedelia; Reaction and Counter-reaction finishing with today's anything goes Modern Eclecticism which encompasses Orla Kiely's retro prints; Timerous Beasties' flamboyant incongruity; Margo Selby's 'signature multicoloured... dot-patterned fabrics'; and our pattern led designs blending tradition and modernity.

It was especially gratifying to be cited as I count Lesley Jackson among the very best design historians . And as she says - We Brits have pattern in our blood.

Sensing Spaces

Lovely trip to see the Sensing Spaces show at the Royal Academy on Sunday.

Exciting to climb right up to the top on the gallery on the tower built by Pezo von Ellrichshausen. You are up face to face with the gilded plaster angels. Beautiful details you rarely notice like these ventilation grills.

The spaces by Kengo Kuma were magical - fragile delicate structures just catching the light.

And I also really liked the dark space by Grafton architects. It felt wonderfully calm and uplifting.

Finishing Touches

We are sticklers for detail. All of our blankets are finished with a blanket stitch edging. We like the traditional unfussy feel - the clean functional look marries well with our aesthetic and approach.

We think that the stitching looks best when it is done in the same wool that the blanket is woven in. We don't want to add in a different fibre or texture for the stitching - it is a matter of keeping things looking clean and simple. 

Before we can start the stitching the yarn is wound into hanks for washing. We use this handsome old green hammerite hank-winder for this.

After washing the hanks are wound off an umberella swift back onto cones for the stitching.

Once all the winding and washing is done we are ready to stitch...

The blanket stitching is done on a specialist Singer machine. It is an old model from the 1950's or 60's and although it sounds like a tractor when it is running we think there is no machine to match it for the quality of the finish.

After the stitching is done the blankets are all checked and folded before the labels are sewn on. We add a swing tag and they are ready to ship.

Some of our blankets are sewn in the mill by Janet. Here in the studio most of our stitching is done by Catarina. 

Catarina is a very talented weaver and produces a beautiful collection of hand-woven scarves throws and cushions. You can see more about her work and studio practice on her website at www.catarinariccabona.com

Photos: Kangan Arora, Alex Wallace and EP

Blanket Spotting

Here is the Climping blanket spotted in the Guardian weekend magazine on Saturday. The feature is about Jill McNair's beautiful London home which is full of lovely midcentury details.  

Also spotted this 405 Line blanket an earlier Guardian weekend feature on a house in Margaret River, Australia - the exquisite home of architects Michael and Britta Sorensen.

Spring has Sprung

Here are the 405 Line, Quail's Egg, Northerly and Easterly blankets and cushions in a lovely spring shoot by Living Etc. 

Things which caught my eye in Stockholm

We are just back from visiting the Stockholm Furniture fair. It was great to see the show and to get a bit more sense of the Scandinavian market. Stockholm is full of beautiful shops - and I was so pleased to see our work in a couple of the most lovely - Malmstenbutiken and Nordiska Galleriet

Pattern Spotting