Category Archives: LIFE LOVERS

Asafo flags are one of Ghana’s most fascinating historical artefacts, telling vivid, colourful and intimate stories about Ghanaian culture. These vibrant and spirited flags are a 400-year-old tradition of making that has been passed down through one generation to the next, and amazingly, they are still being made today. Older flags act as cultural emblems…

Aline Willemin, producer of the 1560s-set independent film Albert and Claude, knew the production would have to be smart with money. But she also knew it needed absolutely authentic clothes. She found them thanks to fabrics-store.com, a Los Angeles-based company as passionate about fabric as Willemin is about film. Albert and Claude is a psychological…

To be completely honest – most of the time I buy fabric without knowing what to make with it. Highly excited, a bit overwhelmed yet with no plan in sight. This leads to either: – too little fabric -too much fabric Let’s not talk about too little – this always hurts my heart. But too…

Andy Warhol is the undisputed king of American Pop Art, creating some of the world’s most iconic and emblematic works of art. Multiples, seriality and repetition were key themes in his art – think Campbell’s Soup Cans or Marilyn’s face – so perhaps it’s no surprise that among his many creative ventures he turned his…

Our lovely Patterns Consultant Lauren who you might have already had the pleasure of corresponding or working with over zoom, or via emails has created a new FS Sewing Group over on Facebook- a fun place to share your love of sewing (and its corresponding frustrations) with fellow seamstresses all over the world. A space…

Vivid, striking and bold, Asafo flags are part of a three to four-hundred-year-old history, and they are still being made today. Originating from 17th century Ghana, hand-made Asafo flags are filled with powerful symbols, stories and metaphors. Much like quilts, these flags have often been passed through families from one generation to the next, holding…

British artist Eduardo Paolozzi might be best remembered as the pioneering godfather of Pop Art, a master of cut-and-paste who mashed mass media imagery with modernist art. But there are other elements of his legacy that can often be overlooked, most notably his ground-breaking work as a textile designer. Much like his art, Paolozzi brought…

As the word “sustainability” becomes more mainstream, it is important to understand what it means and how to recognise true sustainability. We need to look after our planet, our resources and our people to ensure that we can live sustainably. What is Sustainability? United Nations defined sustainability as “meeting the needs of the present without…

‘Nothing, ever, is worth closing your heart over.’ Michael A. Singer By the age of 19 I found myself alone in a foreign country, I needed an algorithm to survive the whirlwind of decisions I didn’t know how to make. Intuition became my guide. When something felt right, regardless of common sense, societal expectations, I…

British artist Lubaina Himid makes art with an immediately striking impact, featuring riotous displays of clashing pattern and print. Her love of bold, bright textiles is evident throughout the many strands of her practice, which have varied from painting to sculpture, drawing and installation. These dazzling textiles are, on the one hand, a theatrical device…

Embroidery is deeply entrenched in South American history, spanning from ancient times all the way up to the present day. Its history is fascinatingly diverse, demonstrating the great skill and ingenuity that has been passed on from one generation to the next through the millennia. Over the centuries, South American embroidery has evolved into a…