As a big Laura Ashley fan, I find it next to impossible to find the names of the vintage fabrics.
I have been collating some of them as and when I see them, and my daughter had the inspiring suggestion to set up a board on Pinterest.
This I have done, and will add to it as and when I see new patterns.
Please take a look here.
Hi Karen .Pleased that you have happy memories of laura ashley .I don't as about
39 years ago I met someone from laura ashley who said she wanted to open a new shop in the rue de Rennes in Paris and to sell childrens clothes and she asked me to make about 25 pieces dresses dungerees jackets etc for ages 3 months to 12 years which I did and then I posted them off to wales.After about a month or too I got a call saying that she loved them but they were far too "french" for her type of fabric!! Which was ok by me but unfortunatly she never returned my collection and 6 months later I found at least 10 of my clothes copied and selling in the shop and of course I never recieved any payment and then she fell down the stairs and died so that was that Anyway it was really my fault as I was very naive and should have taken the collection myself instead of posting them .I was put off sewing for a while but finaly found plenty of work with a magazine called "100Idée" which unfortunately doesn't exist anymore.It was a brilliant magazine
I'm always on the lookout for LA fabrics for my quilting Jane.......think of me if you want to find a new home - for a price of course!
Do I own up that I used to work for Laura Ashley as a textile technologist?! Once upon a time, I could have named almost every print we did, past & present, but I'm ashamed to say I would really struggle to name more than a handful now :( If you want to know the name of a particular print and have a swatch, why don't you attach a photo of it to an email and send it to L.A., I'm sure they would be happy to help identify it. Make sure you mention if it's dress or upholstery fabric as they are handled by different departments and it will make it easier for L.A. to pass it to the right person.
I have a cupboard full of offcuts,(dress fabrics, not upholstery), some have names on, so if you want upload a photo, I will see if I have it. I collected them during my time there with the intention of making a quilt one day. They have moved with me to France and still live in a cupboard! I also still have my wedding dress toile although I've used bits of it over the years for other projects. It is a bright pink and white polka dot fabric, (can't remember the name of this but was probably something like Dot - Bt. Pink!) and was donated by the printing factory in Wales. My mother nearly had a heart attack when she saw it as she thought it was my actual dress! She then told me off for using good L.A. fabric for a toile, she couldn't be convinced it was rejected cloth. Happy memories :)
We still have curtains from UK that will not fit here.
Hi Jane - mine were Rose Trellis - I think that's what the fabric's called. Must look - I still have them. (I moved house a lot so I never discarded curtains though I doubt I'll use these again!)
Hey Kathleen - Are you interested in selling your Laura Ashley Fabric? I may be interested, as I am getting into quilting big time, plus doing dressmaking for my daughters after a 26 year break.
I have added you as a friend, so send me a private message if you want to talk.
Helen
Thank you.
they were beautiful I agree with you but the problem was that every one seemed to have laura ashley in the house and unfortunately every thing was in the same pattern .Lampshades cushions curtains etc.
Just for you, Jane!
yes kathleen .I know about that special paint but its ok to use it on tiles which are on the walls but I all my sufaces would ahave to be painted aswell and I know withe experience that its scratches and burns easily and doesn't resist hot pots and pans etc.So I am stuck with laura ashley for the time being
I remember making curtains in the rust coloured Shepherh’s Purse.
Ah! Fond memories! At least your tiles are inoffensive.
I had practically the whole house papered with LA papers some of which I felt quite nostalgic about when I came across some scraps in an old art folio. A friend and I reminisced that we both chose the same design - hers brown, mine pale blue.
I still have yards of dress fabric too and I have just realised that it must be over forty years old!
However, did you know that one can buy special tile paint? The kitchen in my last house had the most disgusting olive green tiles which I painted white - and a huge improvement it was too. It's best applied with a roller but brush marks don't show if carefully applied.
this made me laugh as 30 years ago I made a big mistake and had my WHOLE kitchen tiled in laura ashley "nutmeg" God I'm so fed up with them and would love to have the money to change the whole lot but I must say they are in perfect condition not even a crack or loss of colour