Print Story: Creating our Vintage Floral Print
Every so often our Print team packs their bags and heads out to explore lost corners of the British Isles. As they wander through leafy woodlands or past weather-beaten houses, it is often the little things that catch their eye: a lone flower, prints left in the earth or the way the light filters through the valley. It was the colours of the Cairngorms in the Scottish Highlands that sparked the idea for our Vintage Floral print, which was then made using techniques from the Arts and Crafts movement.
No matter the print or pattern, the Great British countryside and British traditions are our inspiration. For this particular print, we wanted something that would have us hearkening back to The Highlands as well as to the Arts and Crafts movement which originated in Britain.
The Arts and Crafts movement began in the late 19th century and soon spread across Europe and to America. It stood for traditional craftsmanship and resulted in the establishment of many associations and craft communities. Our Print Team revisited these traditional methods in the form of block printing. The technique has long been used in textiles to make bold and impactful designs and we loved experimenting with it!
To create our Vintage Floral print, the leafy pattern was first hand-drawn by our Print designers. It was then etched into lino to create a “stamp”. In the past, wood was the traditional material of choice but sponges, foam, and linoleum are now also popular materials.
Ink colours were then rolled onto the lino or stamp and the block pressed onto paper. It took a few tries to find our favourite design and then we started experimenting on fabrics too. There were lots of inky fingers!.
Once the design was finalised it was time for the big decision: the colours. We wanted this print to have both a modern and vintage feel reflective of its inspiration and how it was made.
We certainly had our pick of shades! The rich greens and mossy slates were all calling our name but in the end, this wonderfully inky blue was a declared the winner. Not only did we like the shade itself, but it reminded us of the coolness of the changing seasons and the vibrant blue skies of The Highlands, where it was first dreamt up.
So a trip to The Highlands and many an inky finger later, we can at last introduce our Vintage Floral print. Eye-catching and beautifully British, we’re rather pleased with how it turned out.
Why not try your own hand at block printing? And in the meantime, we can’t think of a better way to welcome cooler evenings and blue skies than with our splendid Vintage Floral print.
Louise O’Neil
27.08.2020 at 10:06I love the story behind this print. The journey from inspiration to finished pattern is really interesting. I cannot wait to get my hands on this dress (and hope you use the print on other clothing items too)!