We like to 'Bougie'

Over the past few months we have been working with a British manufacturer to make the perfect velvet stripe. After countless samples we found the perfect deep red and putty pink, colours that sit beautifully amongst our more wintery Liberty fabrics. The stripe is printed on a thick and luxurious velvet base weighing 425gsm, robust and durable. Printed in the London in a zero-to-landfill facility using 100% renewable energy,.we think our new velvet ticks all the boxes.

Now if you are wondering how our new fabric got its rather opulent name. A sample was shown to my 10 year old nephew who immediately responded ‘Bougie!’ Here are some wonderful images taken and styled by Dee Campling and Ness.

Bolster in ‘Bougie’. Cord Cushion made with Liberty fabric ‘Capel. Quilt made with Orgic Liberty Fabric ‘Misti’

Cushion made with Liberty fabric ‘Wiltshire’ with ruffle in ‘Bougie’

Ruffle cushion and bedding made from Liberty Fabric ‘Shirley Smith’

Three unique books to read this Autumn

Down here in Cornwall, we have been brutally plunged into a premature winter. The mornings are chilly and it seems extraordinary that a couple of weeks ago we were all wafting around in flip flops, drinking ice coffee in the sunshine However one major benefit of damp and dingy weather is that it gives you a carte blanche to go to bed on a Saturday afternoon, with a cup of tea and a good book : no FOMO whatsoever. Here are some great books to kick off your hibernation. Each of these amazing stories has something so uniquely special at their core and I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

‘James’ by Percival Everett

‘James’ by Percival Everett is a reimagining of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. Everett brilliantly flips the original story on it’s head making James (the slave) the narrator and protagonist with his friend Huck as an accomplice. James is self -educated : full of wit and enterprise, stealing books from Judge Thatcher to advance his knowledge.

James and his family speak better English and have more ingenuity than their enslavers. However, he has spent his entire life masking his skills around the white community to keep himself safe : an accomplished and educated slave would pose great threat to hierarchy and segregation in 1830’s Mississippi. This is beautifully demonstrated by the way James alternates his language from Pidgin to standard English according to his company. There is also a wonderful scene where James steals and hides a pencil to write his stories.

‘James’ is a quick read and the author takes you speedily down the Mississippi with the boys on their makeshift raft. The plot isn’t particularly complex and the joy of the book lies in the creation of wonderful characters. Due to the horrific brutality and treatment of slaves, this isn’t a particularly easy read however the richness of the language and the comraderie of James and Huck make ‘James’ a wonderful novel.

‘The Names’ by Florence Knapp

This beautiful and heartbreaking book tells the story of Cora, her abusive husband Gordon and their two children. When Cora goes to register the birth of her newborn baby, the story splits into three alternating narratives that span over the course of thirty years. Each of the three versions of the story differ depending on the name that Cora ultimately chooses at the Registry Office.

I found this novel so compelling because it raises the question of how much of our lives are inevitable and how much we can actually control. In each of these duelling stories the outcome is fundamentally defined by the the horrific and pervasive impact of domestic abuse. There is no real escape.

This stunning and tragic book highlights the strength of mothers and the lengths that they will go to protect their children. Keep the tissues handy!

‘Albion’ by Anna Hope

This book is set on a glorious family estate in the Sussex countryside. Following the death of the family patriarch Philip, a ‘Succession-style’ squabble ensues between the siblings regarding the families inheritance. However, an unexpected guest shows up at the funeral to announce that the families generational wealth has been built off the backs of exploitation and empire, thus reparations are due.

Throughout the story, the author throws out the question ‘Who does the land actually belongs to in the first place?’. Daughter Frannie is a passionate environmentalist committed to rewilding the estate and has just reached a pivotal stage where species of plant and animal are starting to return. Frannie believes that her project is intergenerational justice but not everyone agrees.

This is an interesting and thought provoking story set amongst beavers and woodlands in beautiful Sussex.

September in the studio

September feels like the beginning of the year to many of us who have grown up here in the UK. Memories of stepping into a new school class in shiny new shoes with sharpened pencils has firmly placed September as the month of fresh starts. January is definitely not qualified to fulfill this role with such short sluggish days that make us want hide from the world in our burrows under blankets and eating biscuits. September in the Poppy and Honesty studio will be a month of developing new ideas including our Autumn range as well as working on minimizing fabric waste.

We are currently curating and road testing our Autumn range to be launched in early October with Dee Campling. Alongside our perennial favourite Liberty fabrics and linens we will be adding more patterns and textures. You can look forward to floral prints in warm palettes of terracotta pink and greens alongside cosy checkered linens and sumptuous velvets. We will be bringing out a full collection of bed linen that will enable our customers to create their own aesthetic whether this is mix and maximalist or a paired back scheme. We will also be launching a new range of linen napkins and tablecloths perfect for candle lit meals together as the nights draw in. Our OekoTex Linen is an ideal choice for everyday dining as it is very absorbent and easy to launder.

Poppy and Honesty are also working on developing an online fabric shop. We try our hardest to minimize remnants and develop our range to make best use of the fabrics that we have. However we do have a large stock of Liberty of London Tana Lawn pieces that range in size and are not currently suitable for our purposes. I hate to see these beautiful fabrics piled up in boxes on the studio floor and would love to think of them worked into patchwork and other textile projects. Autumn is the perfect time to kickstart a new creative project and patchwork quilts are my absolute favourite things to make and keep.

We will keep you up to date with all the happenings at Poppy and Honesty here on our blog as well as on our social media channels.

Sending love to all of of you taking new steps and getting used to new things this September.

Sophie xxx