Liberty fabric and my hand-embroidered ‘Liberty Letters’ are synonymous with quality and a romantic, nostalgic heritage. The feminine, pretty florals of the fabrics match beautifully with my pressed flower artwork. I decided to team them together by covering mounts in their flowery fabrics. The mounts will frame my liberty letters, and the liberty fabrics will complement the colours and add pattern and floral depth. Learn more about Liberty fabrics and their subtle maximalist appeal, or head to my store, Contempfleury.
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Why I Have Chosen Liberty Fabric
Pretty Colours
Liberty fabrics are all stunning and work well in an interior when mixed like patchwork. Gone are the days when bedspreads, curtains, cushions and lampshades all have to be the same; maximalism is here to stay, meaning a mash-up of many equally beautiful patterns. The scale of the prints on the fabrics also contrasts nicely with the scale of the pressed flowers I use in my artwork. Therefore, I’m enriching my artwork with an extra patterned layer to an already beautiful handmade design using Liberty fabrics. Whilst my paper embroideries have a contemporary vintage appeal, Liberty fabrics softly whisper vintage to endorse this appeal.
If you are a nostalgic, charming fabrics fan, check out our blog post Using Pretty Vintage Laura Ashley Fabric To Frame Art.
Hallmark Of Quality
Tana Lawnᵗᵐ is like the fabric world hallmark of pure quality, for which Liberty is most famous. It’s a smooth, plain weave made from ultra cotton with a thread count of 240. Indeed, Liberty has been refining its fabric quality for over 100 years. The light fluidity of the fabric makes it easy to glue neatly to the mounts.
Heritage & Notalgia
Liberty fabrics are highly covetable and so iconic that they have longevity for generations. They are warm and welcoming in their recognisable classic designs, never looking out of place in romantic homes. Consequently, by adding Liberty fabrics, I’m adding another piece of history and story to my artwork. The Tana Lawnᵗᵐ cotton was established as early as the 1930s by Liberty’s cotton buyer, Wiliam Hayes Dorell. Named after Lake Tana in Ethiopia, from where fibres originated, is how Tana Lawn cotton got its name. Below is the Tana Lawnᵗᵐ I used to experiment.
Liberty Betsy Print
The Betsy fabric was created in 1933 by the designer with the initials D.S., who may also be the creative genius behind other icon Liberty prints. I chose This pretty lilac version with green, mustard, blue, and coral in its repeat floral print. The numerous hues help it complement many design schemes.
Making Liberty Print Mounts
How To Make Liberty Mounts or Matts
Taking glue and scissors to beautiful fabric is always nerve-wracking the first time, but Liberty fabrics are straightforward to work with.
- Prepare your fabric by washing it (if needed) and giving it a good iron to remove any creases.
- Lay the fabric down flat on a table with the reverse of the fabric facing upwards.
- Spray the front of the mount with spray glue and place it down onto the fabric, making sure you line up any repeating pattern so the design will look straight.
- Turn it over and run your fingers over the whole mount, ensuring the fabric sticks smoothly and has no air bubbles or creases.
- Next, I trim around the edge, leaving enough fabric to overlap on the back. I would only overlap some fabrics, but Tana lawn cotton is so fine they don’t create unwanted bulk that would cause an imbalance.
Liberty Fabric Print Art
The beauty of the angora mohair yarns that I embroider with is their slightly muted tones. Hence, they work perfectly with the dried hues of the pressed flowers and the pastel hues of Liberty’s fabrics.
Liberty Letters
The liberty letters, in soft pink and blue, work well with so many Tana Lawn Liberty fabrics. I have listed a few other beautiful and complementary ones below.
Buying Liberty Fabrics
Etsy’s Liberty Fabrics is always a great place to start your search. C and W Supplies is also a fabulous Liberty treasure trove!
Liberty Archives
The actual Liberty print archive, housed in the iconic Liberty building, is closed to the public. Despite this, it is a source available to select privileged designers. In the hunt for inspiration, the likes of Vivienne Westwood, Mark Jacobs, Junya Watanabe, and Liberty’s design team have all used the prestigious library. Boasting over 50,000 print designs, how incredible would it be to spend the day, week, or month there? Furthermore, imagine soaking up all of that pure history of British textiles.
However, Liberty does have a different resource available to the public, which is called Liberty Fabric. You can research current fabrics according to their final use, choosing between ‘Apparel‘, ‘Interiors‘, and ‘Crafting.’
Liberty also has a fabulous Instagram hashtag called #libertycraftclub, which has many inspiring images featuring Liberty fabrics.
Where You Can Purchase My Liberty Print Fabric Framed Art
I love exploring the match between vintage Liberty print fabrics and my artwork. My artwork is for sale in my Contempfleury store.
History Of Liberty Timeline
1875 – The founder of Liberty, Merchant, Arthur Lasenby Liberty opened his first Regent Street store at 218a Regent Street. He did this with a family loan of just £2,000.
1885 – Arthur purchased 142–144 Regent Street and named the property Chesham House. As a result, he had put his store on the map as the most fashionable place to shop in London.
1917 – Arthur Lasenby Liberty died.
1920 – 1925—Thus, the Great Marlborough Street shop, the iconic Liberty store as we know it today, followed. It was built using the timbre from three old warships, including the HMS Impregnable and HSM Hindustan. Architects Edwin Thomas Hall and his son Edwin Stanley Hall built it in a mock Tudor style. However, sadly, it was completed after Liberty’s death.
1930s—Meanwhile, Tana Lawn Cotton was born under the guidance of William Hayes Dorell, the then-cotton buyer.
1950s – Liberty set up it’s inhouse design studio.
1955—Liberty opened department stores in other cities, first in Manchester, then Bath, Brighton, Chester, York, Kingston-Upon-Thames, Exeter, and Norwich.
1996 – Consequently Liberty closed 20 of its shops outside of London.
1988 – Still, Liberty sets up a subsidiary agreement in Japan.
2010 – Liberty purchased by Blue Gem Capital.
Conclusion
These iconic Liberty fabric mounts enrich the hand-embroidered Liberty letters and Liberty print fabric, adding another story to each piece. The classic prints offer a familiar nostalgic layer when mixed with other patterns and colours within an interior.
Further Reading
If fairies are your thing or your kids’ check out the post, ‘Stunning Fairy Art To Complete Your Fairycore Bedroom Decor.’
Read more about using vintage influences to style and choose colour for an interior scheme in the blog post How To Make A Vintage Colour Palette.
Discover sources for unearthing vintage treasures in the blog post The Appeal Of The Country Brocante In The Search For Art & Rare Paraphernalia.
For guidance on how to start an art collection featuring flowers check out the blog post Flower Art – Collecting & Finding The Essence Of A Great Portfolio
Or lust after our seventies style embroidered owl in the post Beautiful Owl Wall Art For A Floral Nursery.
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.
