Liberty and Sewing
Yesterday, Cornflower posted about a visit she made to Liberty in Regent Street. She commented that there was surprisingly little fabric for sale. What a shame! In my youth I made so many dresses from Liberty fabric. Amazingly, I still have two of them (I think the rest must have gone for patchwork). This is Liberty Tana Lawn from the late 1960s:
Here is a later fabric, early 1970s, in a crisp cotton.
Perhaps I hung on to these because of the amount of work in them. Just look at those self-covered buttons and the bias-cut bound button loops! I can hardly believe that when I was working full time and had a very busy social life, I would still spend a weekend making a dress like that one.
I’m sure that in the sixties there was a small outpost of Liberty in Croydon but I’ve scoured the net and can’t find any mention of it. I think it was in Katharine Street. If anyone else remembers it, do tell!
Here is a later fabric, early 1970s, in a crisp cotton.
Perhaps I hung on to these because of the amount of work in them. Just look at those self-covered buttons and the bias-cut bound button loops! I can hardly believe that when I was working full time and had a very busy social life, I would still spend a weekend making a dress like that one.
I’m sure that in the sixties there was a small outpost of Liberty in Croydon but I’ve scoured the net and can’t find any mention of it. I think it was in Katharine Street. If anyone else remembers it, do tell!
(Liberty's in Regent Street is, though, several times. The author is a fan!)
Liberty's has always been a fascinating shop but as I just said, I haven't been there for years. I read a history of it once, very interesting.
Re. outposts, we even had one here in Edinburgh for a time, and I'm sorry that it closed (there was plenty of fabric, and the gorgeous notebooks which I didn't see in the London shop last week).
What a pity you lost your shop. I suppose it wasn't making enough money.
Strange, the things Ihang on to!
Yes, you'd still see Liberty lavender bags etc. made of a similar fabric to the first one but the second is highly original, don't think I've ever seen anything quite like it.