Friday, July 07, 2006

New Sewing Rolls


When I started Twice last year, I already had a long list in my head of products that I wanted to develop for the company. The way I work has always been to create things that I would like to have in my own home or to replicate and improve things that I already know and love. Our sewing rolls are just that - a Twice version of a sewing roll that belonged to my husband's grandmother. She always had it near to hand, filled with sewing basics and ideal for taking with her when she travelled. The Twice version is slightly larger than the original, mainly because we wanted to fit in a really good sewing kit. We use vintage fabric for the outside and our twist is that we line it with vintage blanket, which makes a perfect built-in needle case. These are heirloom pieces that should be with you as long as ours has been with us - currently on it's third generation! The reason I am writing about them now is that a particularly gorgeous batch have just been finished, using vintage German household linens. These fabrics are so pretty and have a pretty story to go with them. In the late 1800's, new fabric printing processes meant that it was suddenly possible to have patterned bed linen. In Germany families started not only buying the new patterned linens, but also taking their existing white bed linen to the printers. A mass of incredibly pretty patterns in pinks, blues, lilacs and reds sprang up. As time went on the patterns became more and more intricate and multi-coloured. They are also wonderful to work with and lend themselves perfectly to our sewing rolls.

Not only do our rolls make a wonderful present (teenage girls particularly like them!) but I think it is a thoughtful touch to leave one in a spare room for guests to use. No more fumbling around for safety pins at the last minute!

I am off to France for the next couple of weeks hunting out fabrics and china - I hope to report back on lots of exciting discoveries! Until then -

Best wishes
Caroline