Nostalgic, romantic, floral. However, you decide to categorise Laura Ashley’s fabric; their descriptions also describe the mood of my artwork. I found myself collaborating with her vintage fabrics for my brand of art, Contempfleury. Rather than apologising for yet another piece of art that, ‘sorry, is a little bit floral and pretty,’ I decided it was about time to join the many social movements that celebrate these Laura Ashley qualities like Cottagecore, Fairycore, Whimsicalcore and frame my art with it. Read on to see how I use vintage Laura Ashley fabric to complement and display my artwork.
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Fabrics
The brand may have weathered a storm of challenges since the 1980s, but vintage Laura Ashley fabrics and designs are reviving thanks to the principles that define their brand: nostalgia, quality and craftsmanship.
Heritage Quality
Laura Ashley made her first fabrics from her kitchen table with a small hand-printing machine, which harked back to simpler times when arts and crafts were celebrated and valued. Laura and Bernard Ashley started their business with just £10, some screens, dye and a bucket load of passion. They made their first fabrics into napkins, table mats and tea towels. In the early years, as the business expanded from London to Wales, they never steered far from their values of craftsmanship and quality. As a result, they became a trusted British brand that people would choose for their homes, special occasions, and even weddings.
Nostalgic Designs
Their designs were always a little romantic and escapist as they looked to past eras like the Victorians for inspiration. Their style depicted this, like big, blousy collars and ruffles on sleeves. Similarly to the Victorians, there were a lot of lace fabrics with flowers in polka dot dimensions to more showy statement florals, birds, and fruit. Nature-inspired designs are the pieces most synonymous with their pretty style. Collections were also complete with candy stripes, broderie anglais, tweeds, and bright navy-blue fabrics harking back to navel influences.
Below are two fabrics I’ve chosen to use with my art:
Kew Gardens – Laura Ashley Fabric 1984
This Laura Ashley upholstery material has been described as country furnishing cotton. It is 120cm wide and has a pattern repeat of 32cm. This beautiful cotton has a background of small green polka dots, a tiny repeat pattern of a pink tulip, and larger stylised bold flowers, which look similar to hellebores, poppies, and chrysanthemums.
I used vintage fabrics to mount my artwork because I wanted to add more floral depth, history and heritage to what I hope will become heirloom art pieces. I wanted the fabric mount to be as unique as the art itself.
Lilac Sprigs – Laura Ashley Fabric UK, 1979/1980
I’m absolutely in awe at how contemporary this cotton fabric looks today with its beautiful sprigs of different colour lilacs. I purchased it off eBay from a seller claiming its 1979/1980 date, but I need to find out this date. Please get in touch with me if you have any info on this print. In the meantime, I’m still looking for a Laura Ashley fabric archive that can give me answers. Between the stylised sprigs is the repeat motif of a little purple flower and what looks like a rosebud, which joins each more prominent motif.
I chose this fabric to team with my wildflower embroidery below because the colours tied in well together, and the two styles of flowers just worked despite being different in design and shade. I like the fact they don’t match but do match at the same time! It is so difficult to get this right; I scrolled through pages and pages of fabrics.
How I Cover Traditional Paper Mounts
Choosing glue to spray on fabric is a challenging feat. First, I wanted a non-yellowing glue; second, a fine spray; third, an acid-free glue; and fourth, a CO-free option. My research led me to a Gorilla spray adhesive, which I wasn’t able to find in the UK, and second, a 3M display mount, which I decided to give a go.
Taking glue and scissors to beautiful fabrics made me SO nervous, so I first decided to practice on a finer Liberty fabric, which isn’t so rare! Then I gave my Laura Ashley Fabric a go. Before proceeding with the glue, I checked how snugly the mount fitted the frame, as the thick fabric would make extra bulk. I used a craft knife to slightly shave off a couple of mm’s of my mount. A future note to myself would be to make a bespoke mount a couple of mm smaller than my frame for thick fabrics. I sprayed my mount and placed it on my fabric before cutting through the middle, folding in, and trimming the sides.
Is Laura Ashley Still Popular?
Oh boy, yes! A current Laura Ashley revival is seeing clothes from the heyday (any time in the 1970s and 1980s) go for hundreds of pounds. Old catalogues likewise fetch surprising amounts of over £200. Check these out by visiting Classic Laura Ashley’s store, listed below.
Where To Find Vintage Laura Ashley Fabric
Like anything vintage, there are the usual online haunts for finding vintage fabric: eBay—‘ Laura Ashley Fabric’ and Etsy—’ Laura Ashley Fabric’.
Classic Laura Ashley is a treasure trove of an Etsy store dedicated to all things Laura Ashley; you will find fabulous lengths of fabric among dresses, china and perfumes.
Absolutely Laura is an incredible website that catalogues all things Laura Ashley. It offers fascinating items other than fashion and fabrics, including sample books, promotional material, packaging, calendars, magazine articles, china, and books. Karen Morgan, a Laura Ashley fanatic, runs the website from her home in The Forest of Dean. She uses her eBay store to peddle her pretty wares.
For English vintage fairs and brocantes, I have a wealth of information in the blog post The Appeal Of The French Brocante In The Search For Art And Rare Paraphernalia.
Where You Can Purchase My Laura Ashley Fabric Framed Art
I love exploring the match between vintage Laura Ashley fabrics and my artwork. I have works of art for sale in my Contempfleury shop on Etsy.
History Of Laura Ashley Timeline
1953—Ashley Mountney Ltd. is founded in London by Laura and Bernard Ashley, later to be renamed Laura Ashley. They hand-print their first fabrics and make products from their kitchen table. Audrey Hepburn wears a headscarf printed in the film Roman Holiday.
1955 – The company moves to Kent.
1961 – Company relocates to Wales.
1965 – Bernard developed printing processes that meant that they could print 5,000 meters of fabric a week
1968 – The First Laura Ashley shop opened in Pelham Street, South Kensington.
1970 – Shops open in Bath & Shrewsbury.
1974 – Stores open in Paris & San Fransciso.1977 – Won The Queens Award For Export.
1979 – Laura Ashley became the largest employer in Powys, Wales, with 13 factories, 500 shops, and more than 13,000 staff.
1982 – The Laura Ashley Book Of Home Decorating is published.
1985 – Laura Ashley tragically dies after falling down the stairs. Laura Ashley Holdings went public the same year, and stores opened in Tokyo and Japan.
1991 – James Maxmim became the CEO of Laura Ashley.
1993 – Bernard Ashley retired as Chairman and became honorary life president.
1999 – The last factory closes in Wales.
2009 – Bernard Ashley died from cancer.
2020 – The COVID pandemic led companies to collapse and file for administration.
2022 – Gordon Brothers acquire the Laura Ashley brand name.
Further Reading
Liberty Fabric Print Art – Liberty Letters
How To Make A Pressed Flower Frame
Modern Pressed Flower Art For A Unique Flower gallery
Flower Art – Collecting and Finding The Essence Of A Great Portfolio
Conclusion
I find the partnership of Laura and Bernard Ashley inspiring. Laura designed the fabrics, and Bernard created the equipment to bring her designs to life. Which factory were the fabrics on my table printed at, and from which part of the Laura Ashley story? Were they fabrics for Laura Ashley fabric curtains? I’d love to see some of the early pieces they printed by hand from their kitchen table! Where ever, whenever, I love the greater depth of history, design, and rarity they bestow upon my paper embroideries.
Contempfleury
Contempfleury is an art studio run by Leah Nikolaou from her home and garden in Somerset. She worked extensively with pressed flowers and luxury yarns to create her one-of-a-kind flower art and pressed flower prints.
