Last week I went to pick up some new scarves for Heart Gallery from the little studio that Diane Jones works from in Thornton.
It occured to me whilst I was chatting to Diane that many of you won’t know the really involved process with these silk velvet devore scarves so here you go; feast your eyes on these images.
Using Monoprint and Devoré techniques Diane creates one-off fabrics from her own designs. She has a fascination with colour, pattern, light, rhythms and silhouettes found in the natural environment and enjoys the layering and depth that experimenting with Devoré (etched) velvet can demonstrate.
Look at her designs here on the plain colours; all inspired by the natural world. They include songbirds, butterflies, flowers, foliage, Aboriginal designs and even subtle stripes and spots.
The fabric looks beautiful just plain with the pattern all etched out ready for the next process don’t you think?
The lengths of fabric are stretched out over this dying table so that she can hand dye each piece herself. She was just in the middle of dying this one when I arrived.
Using a dazzling array of colours ranging from subdued pastel shades through to gem-like colours that shimmer in the light each piece of fabric is hand dyed and left to dry naturally.
Once dry this fabric can be made into glorious scarves on her trusty Bernina then ironed ready for hanging out in her studio.
These wonderful scarves can enhance many outfits, and are versatile enough to wear in any season, making them fabulous gifts.
I chose a good selection of new pieces we haven’t had before including some single sided scarves that have a sumptuous plain reverse. It was light and airy in Diane’s studio last week with the glorious weather we have been having and these lanterns were gently swaying in the breeze as I said my goodbyes until next time. (I do know that it can get quite cold in her studio in the winter months!).
I stopped to soak up this view for 5 minutes as I headed away from Thornton to visit my local farm shop at Keelham. I realised lots of Diane’s inspiration is right on her doorstep and with this view how can you not be inspired to create beautiful scarves for people to wear all year round? Find out more about Diane here and call in soon to see our new collection x
