Brambles & Bobbins

Hello, my name is Molly and I have just finished my Contemporary Textiles BA (Hons) degree at the University Centre at Blackburn College.

For my Final Major Project I wanted to create a collection of my own prints inspired by childhood nostalgia and memories. My relationship with my little boy has been my main inspiration, as since becoming a parent, I find myself recreating memories that I hold dear for him to enjoy too . My designs have been created with almost a childhood innocence about them with the intention that hopefully adults and children alike can enjoy and resonate with them too with their own personal memories and experiences.

One of our favourite past times is going for walks in our local woods with our dog Doug. We enjoy noticing the brambles, berries and pinecones in the Autumn/Winter months. Foraging and taking photos of these walks inspired me to start drawing and painting designs which went on to become my first collection “Sunday Strolls”. I have used quite a deep and opulent colour pallet, as I wanted to create a warm and comforting feel to the collection, to create the same feeling that we get when we walk through the front door at the end of a long day. Home for most for most of us is where we feel our most selves and is a place we like to make personal and a space we enjoy being in, creating a life and memories of our own.

With my collections, I have created timeless prints that can be applied to homeware or even fashion as the collections flow with all the prints working harmoniously together.

Over the last few years, the pandemic helped us to work and live at a slower pace and let ourselves take time to soak in and appreciate our beautiful natural surroundings.  I enjoy taking images that I later draw and paint using watercolours. These designs are then scanned and digitally worked on to create seamless patterns. This is something that I have never done before and I have really enjoyed learning about the process this year and how this can be altered and refined for different situations and placements.

My designs have been heavily inspired by nature and in wanting to maintain its natural beauty and protect it, I have had my designs printed onto Sustainable cotton linen. This is quite a study, hard wearing and natural fabric which is perfect for objects that will be used a lot as it will stand the test of time. Its lovely texture also works wonderfully with the vintage inspired colour pallets that I have used in my designs.