A Fresh Approach to Embroidery on Irish Linen

Almost 2 years ago I was searching for unusual Irish Linen pieces to decorate a house in an old linen mill and Deborah Toner's cushions really caught my eye. I commissioned her to create a pair of cushions with an embroidered design inspired by an early 1900s postcard of the mill.

Deborah is a talented designer in my home city of Belfast.

Trained originally as an architect, she has chosen to use her architectural drawing skills to create beautiful embroidered pieces for the home, all stitched on locally woven Irish Linen.

As part of her degree thesis Deborah stitched a series of maps showing the evolution of the city of Belfast, and these pieces were purchased by the Ulster Folk Museum in Cultra. That was just the start…..

Inspired by the buildings and landmarks of Belfast, Deborah began to hand draw a range of images, which she then machine embroidered to form the first collection. A Belfast skyline, the City Hall, the Albert Clock, Samson and Goliath - the iconic twin gantry cranes of the shipyards are just a few of the subjects adorning a range of cushions, panels, lavender bags and cards.

www.deborahtoner.co.uk

When the Queen visited Belfast in 2014, the City of Belfast chose 2 of Deborah’s Belfast Skyline cushions as their gift to Her Majesty.  What a wonderful recognition of her skill and talent.

Now Deborah has an eye to a wider audience - she has just added Dublin to her collection. The intricate details of the front of Trinity College, a series of Georgian doorways of Dublin, the city skyline and the General Post Office all spring to life on fabulous neutral shades of linen. And I hear there are plans on the drawing board for London, Edinburgh and even further afield!

In the midst of all the drawing and stitching and stretching of linen, Deborah also finds time to offer her Bespoke service. I chose to have an image of the mill stitched as a cushion, but there are lots of possibilities.

Deborah can be found every Sunday at the ever popular St George’s Market in Belfast and later this month she will be adding an online shop to her website www.deborahtoner.co.uk

It is really inspiring to see a traditional fabric like Irish Linen used in such a different fashion. 

Linen Journey 2015 Part 2

As promised some more about my recent visit to the home of Irish Linen.

Thankfully in addition to the artefacts being preserved in museums, there are one or two individual collectors who are doing a great job of saving important linen-related materials and machinery, which might otherwise be discarded or destroyed.

One such collector is a gentleman near Gilford in Co. Down, who has amassed a huge collection. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to visit him and be shown some fascinating memorabilia, machinery and documents. At last I stood in front of the type of machine that would have been used by my great aunt, when she worked as a linen yarn winder in 1901 in Belfast.

Her job involved transferring the linen yarn from the large spools to the smaller pirns or bobbins, which were then inserted into the shuttles and passed to the weavers. She would have worked from 6am to 6pm Monday to Friday and 6am to 12.30 on a Saturday! Long hard hours, for sure.

I have talked about point charts before; but I had never seen ones of the size in this collection! 

Below the chart you can see the salesmen's cards showing the style of the tablecloth designs, each one with its design name and pattern number printed to the top.

And then there were pattern books full of beautiful damask cloths and napkins. Each design was stamped with the pattern number and the size. I thought perhaps these too were salesmen's samples, but apparently it was more likely that they were archive records. The quality of the weaving was just stunning and there were 100s of designs!

So there I was in a huge barn in the middle of a field in the heart of Co. Down (an unlikely place for me, as anyone who knows me will tell you!) and I couldn't believe what a great time I had. So many new facts learned and so many stories recounted. I think I need to go back for another visit sometime soon!

More tales from the laundry!

Been absent for too long - apologies! There's been lots going on including my giving a talk to an embroidery workshop in Diss in Norfolk last week. A really interesting couple of days with a delightful group of creative ladies.

Whilst there we popped into the local auction house and of course there was a box of linens to be bid on and I was pleased to win the lot and bring it back to London with me!

Well at least I was pleased until I began to unpack the box!! The condition of some of the pieces was pretty bad, lots of pale brown mould and I honestly didn't think I could remove it.

I hadn't seen this type of marking before but lo and behold a good overnight soak and several cloths and a wonderful petticoat flounce were sparkling white again, plus lots of beautiful sets of Madeira stitched coasters. 

One of the worst pieces was a gorgeous cutwork cloth. I was so keen to get working on it that I forgot to take a "Before" pic, but it was covered in the same brown mould as shown above. A friend dropped in that day and insisted on taking a picture of me admiring my handiwork!! I must say I was pleased with the final result!

Latest Madeira linen finds!

Recent acquisitions have included some really stunning pieces, mainly Madeira work. I never cease to be amazed by the needlework skills of the ladies who produced the cloths and mats.

One really unusual set of mats had me full of admiration. A 13 piece luncheon set of round Irish Linen mats, a large centre piece and then 6 mats and 6 coasters with the most wonderful scalloped embroidery pattern to the outer edges, almost resembling fish scales.

The cutwork was done with such precision and there was no damage at all, even after all these years. In an inner row to the edge of the linen were tiny works of art. The tiniest of flower heads worked in French Knots in gorgeous shades of blue, purple, yellow and pink, with teeny green leaves to each side.

I really want to bring these right up to date by teaming them with freshly dyed Rainbow Damask napkins - it would make for such a colourful table.

I am often asked how I can bear to part with the linens I find and I have to admit on one or 2 occasions recently I have succumbed and decided not to sell some pieces. The set of Madeira napkins below is one of those! I washed and ironed them, photographed them and even got around to putting them on the website - but the following morning I saw them sitting on the shelf in my office and I knew I couldn't let them go! 

Aren't they just fabulous?! So unusual and quite irresistible! I am hoping to set a table mixing cranberry and peridot glasses on a plain cream cloth and then let these beauties speak for themselves!

And finally a quite breathtaking piece of Madeira work - a huge square tablecloth with the most stunning embroidery and cutwork. Quite a masterpiece!

Some say that Madeira work is not fashionable at the moment, but I disagree. With a little clever mixing and matching I think it can be just fabulous. Whether by mixing with brightly coloured accessories or layering a masterpiece  such as this over a darker cloth, I believe they can be brought right up to date and be enjoyed and admired.

Granny McBurney and Granny Black

Well I thought it was time that I introduced you to the 2 wonderful ladies who were the inspiration for my shop name. I was recently sorting through old family photos, a lovely thing to do on a damp and grey January afternoon and I found a couple of snaps I hadn't seen before.

 
Here is Lizzie Black looking very stylish as always. Don't you just love the cloche hat?!

And here is Granny McBurney with the most wonderful hairdo ever! How long did it take her to do that each morning I ask myself. The child on her lap with the pretty frilled petticoat is my Dad aged about 9 months! And how handsome is my Grandfather?! Dad had helpfully noted on the back of the picture that this was taken early in 1911, a typical studio portrait of the time, with everyone looking splendid in their Sunday best.

I think you can tell that both my grannies had an eye for fashion and a sense of style. Granny McBurney died before I was born, but my grandfather would tell me how she loved to select fabric for him to make her suits and coats. As a master tailor he had access to the most wonderful Irish linen, Donegal tweeds and fine suitings.

Granny Black would visit us in Belfast during the summer each year from her home in Scotland and loved nothing better than a visit to the Moygashel linen shops in Dungannon, Co. Tyrone. She would usually leave at the end of her stay with an extra suitcase bursting with brightly coloured linen dresses and fabrics.

So no need to ask how I inherited a love for textiles!

Irish Linen washes without worry!

I recently bought a lovely set of Irish Linen Double Damask linens, a tablecloth and 6 napkins in the traditional Chrysanthemum pattern. Still in its box, and dating from the 1970s I think, I opened the package to find inside the most delightful leaflet entitled "Irish Linen washes without worry".

Here is it and it was full of great hints and tips, but also made me smile as it harked back to different times. Some of the descriptions are just charming, such as:

"You can wash Irish Linen any way you like - by hand or in the washing machine, with plain soap and water or your favourite washing preparation."

and

"Irish Linen is simple to iron - and so rewarding too".

Now I happen to agree with that, I love nothing better than ironing linen, to see it come up smooth and gleaming, but I know not everyone shares my passion!

I learned a few things too. It tells me that an ironing board cover made of Irish Linen and used for Irish Linen only, will help keep that lustrous sheen on tablecloths and linens, practically for ever! Now I know what to do with that cloth I found which sadly had a large hole in it.

There was lots of information on stain removal too, and one that I found interesting was for removing lipstick marks. These sometimes appear on napkins, and the suggestion was as follows:

"Rub lard into the stain. Sponge with dry cleaning fluid. Wash in warm suds and rinse as usual."

Sounds unlikely, but I must try it sometime......

The one thing that is made abundantly clear is that Irish Linen is for using and enjoying, not keeping for "best". Articles of Irish Linen thrive on regular use and regular laundering and they last a lifetime.

Sorry the body of the printed leaflet hasn't scanned more legibly, but I included it as I think the illustrations are just lovely!

To illustrate the design on the cloth without having to unfold it, a diagram was also included in the box - even showing the design number for the pattern.

They certainly thought of everything!

The Linen Museum in Lisburn

The Linen Museum in Lisburn is home to a terrific collection of linens, both garments and household linen. I took an hour or so to visit it back in the Autumn and it was really fascinating with lots of samples to touch, from the raw flax to finished cloth.

One of the most interesting exhibits was a set of linens made for Queen Mary's Dolls' House in 1912. The house was designed by Sir Edward Lutyens and was furnished with miniature replicas of the finest furniture, fabrics, paintings and books. 

No detail was ignored and even a tablecloth from Buckingham Palace was sent to Ireland to be copied.   The Old Bleach Linen Company in Randalstown was  commissioned to make a complete set of household linen for the dolls’ house. Damask napkins and tablecloths were woven in 1/12th scale and even packed and presented in a box! 

Towels carried the royal monogram and even kitchen linens were represented. 

The tiny details were so perfect. They are kept in a specially airconditioned space with low lighting, and it wasn't possible to take photos, but the actual cloth sent to London is on display in the dining room of the Dolls’ House, which can be seen at Windsor Castle today.This is how it looks.

 
I also got to see the proof cloth I mentioned in an earlier post. Good to see it first hand and admire the skill taken to produce it. 

If you ever have the chance to visit Northern Ireland and are a fan of textiles, then this museum is well worth the visit, and the Folk Museum at Cultra too.

New Limited Edition Rainbow Damask

 Happy New Year to everyone!

I've had a wonderful response to my Revived Damask vintage napkins and tablecloths. It isn't always easy to find vintage pieces that are suitable or appropriate for dyeing. Just a few weeks ago I came across a quantity of new damask napkins in the Chrysanthemum pattern and I decided to have a go at transforming them with bright and fresh colourswith Spring and Summer in mind. Nothing like planning ahead!

The sky was so cloudlessly blue at the weekend that I gave up thoughts of shopping in the London sales, and decided instead to get busy taking photos of the 6 new colours. Natural light, even at this time of year, is just perfect and I am lucky that my studio space faces South and gets a good couple of hours before the sun dips beneath the roof of the houses behind.

Here we have them, Fuchsia, Periwinkle, Wisteria, Orange Sorbet, Turquoise and Pistachio.

 I have added them to my shop on Etsy in sets of 4 of a colour so you can mix and match if you like, or choose just one colour if you prefer. I think in all I will have around 8 sets of each colour, so it is very much a Limited Edition.

I can't decide between these 2 colours to go with my pretty 1930s tea set! I suspect it'll be the Orange Sorbet, it just makes the colours pop!

So New Year's resolutions here I come, make cakes, have tea parties, search for linens, I know I will definitely be able to keep the last one. Not so sure about the cakes.....I'm hardly Mary Berry!

The Last Hand Weaver of Irish Linen Damask

The Last Hand Weaver

Sorry for the gap since my last post, but I was back in Ireland attending to family things. While I was there I took the opportunity to visit a couple of local museums, both of which have amassed a huge amount of information on the linen trade and its importance to both the cultural and industrial heritage of Northern Ireland.

The Ulster Folk and Transport Museum in Cultra, near Belfast houses a vast and varied collection of linens, some used to furnish the outdoor museum. One of the recreated buildings is the Ballydugan weaver's cottage, complete with earthen floor and thatched roof.

 

There I was very privileged to meet the last hand weaver of linen damask on the island of Ireland.  John McAtasney has been a weaver for 65 years, starting at the age of 14. His knowledge and skill are unparalleled. He explained how the designs were transferred from the artist's drawing to a point paper or chart, which then enabled the punch cards to be made allowing the damask designs to be woven on the loom. Each point or square on the paper corresponded to the raising or lowering of a weft or warp thread.

Creating a set of punch cards from a point chart could take up to 6 months for a napkin design or 18 months for a tablecloth. It would then take the hand weaver 4 hours to weave just one napkin. It really brought home to me the incredible skill and patience needed to produce these beautiful designs. No surprise that hand woven Irish Linen damask was the most prized of cloths.

John has been working for both the Lisburn and Ulster Folk Museums for the past 40 years or so and you can really tell how important the craft is to his daily life.  I was amazed at how fit he is, climbing up 3 or 4 feet to fix a malfunction on the loom with the agility of a man 50 years his junior!

We chatted for a while, then with a twinkle in his eye he said - "It is lovely to talk to you, but all this chat is keeping me from my loom. You won't mind if I get back to work!" 

He was working on a beautiful design of napkins, with deer and game birds intricately woven into the cloth. It was a delight to watch him at his craft and to learn first hand of all it entails.  

Mill Marks and Proof Cloths

When Irish Linen damask was being produced, one of the most important stages was the weaving of a "proof cloth". This was a sample which would allow the design to be examined in detail and any alternations made before the weaving of the cloth would begin.

Irish Linen damask is usually white and it would have been almost impossible to inspect the design sufficiently closely if the sample had been woven in just one colour. The proof cloth would be woven in 2 contrasting colours, and it could then be viewed and inspected more easily.

On a recent visit to the Ulster Folk & Transport Museum near Belfast I was shown a number of proof cloths in their collection. Although I knew about them, I had never seen one first hand before. The plain part of the design was in an unbleached natural colour and the design was woven in a brick red colour, providing a great contrast. Although not the finished article, they were really quite impressive in their own right!

Above is an example of a napkin proof cloth, which recently formed part of an inspiring project undertaken by the BBC's Radio 4 and the British Museum. In 2010, with the collaboration of schools, museums and individual listeners, a list of 100 objects was collated and resulted in 100 15 minute programmes entitled "The History of the World in 100 Objects". A detailed account can be found on the BBC's website.

I think it just wonderful that a piece of Irish Linen Damask should have been deemed important enough to have been submitted for consideration to this project.

To each of the 4 corners of the napkin you can just make out a tiny shamrock shape. This is known as a Mill Mark. John Shaw Brown was one of the first weaving mills to include this subtle branding on their linens, and it was usually applied only to their finest quality damasks.

Each mill would have its own distinct emblem, a Fleur de Lys or a Lion Rampant for example. Sadly there was no central record kept of which mark related to which mill and only a few are known about and recognised today. 

I am fortunate enough to have come across a wonderful monogrammed set of napkins recently which carry the distinctive shamrock mill mark of John Shaw Brown's factory. Snowy white with an intricate design of irises and passionflowers, they are fine examples of the most lovely Irish Linen Damask. They have been skilfully monogrammed in red and white stitching.

They date from the 1920s I believe and are just beautiful. I would love it if they could tell us some of the dinner party conversations they have overheard through the years!

Linen laundry secrets!

I am really not a great fan of household chores, but one of the activities I do find exceptionally enjoyable and relaxing is ironing bed and table linen. I worked for a fine linens company for a few years or so, and I loved nothing better than preparing the various products for a photo shoot. Armed with a water spray and a well padded ironing board, I would happily spend hours smoothing creases from fabulous Egyptian cotton pillowcases and sheets.

OK, so really large duvet covers were a bit more challenging, but the end result of a beautifully dressed bed was more than worth it!

Then there is my ever growing collection of vintage table linens! Not always in the best of condition when I find them, I need to give them some care and attention to bring them back to life.

My best laundry tip is always to iron your linens when still damp. Particularly with pure linen, it is much easier to iron when the cloth is moist. Ironing on the reverse, the first pressing allows you to return the piece to its proper shape. Then taking a pressing cloth, you can tackle any areas of embroidery to restore them to their original raised texture, always ironing on the reverse.

If the embroidery is particularly dense, you can achieve great results by laying the cloth right side down on top of a soft towel and then pressing gently.

If you are ironing linen damask, iron on the reverse first of all, then iron on the right side to enhance the sheen of this wonderful fabric.

If you don't have the time to iron the cloth immediately I have a great way to keep the cloth at the right dampness. Fold the still damp cloth in a clean plastic bag and pop in the fridge until you are able to iron it. This is fine for a few hours, but if you need to wait for longer you can also put it in the freezer! Yes, honestly! Just allow 30 minutes or so for the material to thaw before ironing. I wouldn't recommend leaving it in the freezer for more than 48 hours.

Then you can head for the linen cupboard with a beautiful pile of freshly laundered linens – what could be more satisfying?