Colours from the season - Ginkgo Biloba green

It's been a while!

When I was teaching a short course in textile design at West Dean College last week, one of the students very kindly brought me in a small branch from her Ginkgo Biloba tree because I'd mentioned that I had always wanted to draw it. So there was nothing to be done but make time this weekend to draw a few leaves and document their beautiful colours for a bit of brain therapy...

Colours from the top: Leaf green; leaf stalk yellow; fruit green; young fruit blue/green; branch brown.

Many thanks to Sally

...from my seasonal colour sample notebook

Colour Stories 2017

My year so far has been mainly in the print studio developing colour stories selected from a few of the many hundreds of colours I've documented over the past 5 years (hurray!!!). I feel so excited about the latest development in this journey that's gone from flora/fauna, to colour, to sketch, and now lastly to print. A body of work informed by the colours I've collected and noted from the North Devon landscape, my garden, other peoples gardens! Every colour reminding me of times past, people I've loved and days out and about with our lovely dogs.

Here are the first two colour stories...

The first colour story is from my daily walk with Luna. Brambles, ferns and perturbed pheasants as I scramble through the banks looking for her!

Once I had decided on the colours, they were then developed and recorded as Reactive Dye recipes so that I will be able to re-produce the colours over and over. This takes time, carefully adjusting the dyes and colour balance, allowing for the underlying grey tone of the natural linen, until I'm completely happy with the colour and feel its the best that can be achieved.

The second colour story is from the sand dunes. Club Rush, Marram Grass and Magpie feathers, all from the extensive dune systems in North Devon. Subtle, sandy, coastal. Working from the principle that the colours from the landscape will be as harmonious and uplifting to look at and live with inside as they are out. 

I may mix and match these colours i.e. not only work with them in their individual colour stories, but the really important thing is - that the colours above are now translated into dye recipes and therefore onto my textiles!!

I'm recently using Instagram to show more of my print and product developments, find me  @sampickard_textiles

Screen Printing - Bronze Fawn cushions and Villa San Michele, Capri.

I'm feeling revitalised after a short holiday in the Campania area of Italy visiting the ancient sites of Pompei and Ercolano. I also peered into the crater of Monte Vesuvio, and walked the narrow streets of old Napoli (all lived up to my expectations).

Straight back to printing rows of my favourite Bronze Fawn cushions. There's something very contemplative as well as addictive about repetition, maybe this is why I opted for a career as a textile designer. Repeat pattern and form even at it's most simple is of endless interest and inspiration.

Here's what's involved to make a Bronze Fawn cushion.

Plaid background - Natural linen is screen-printed with a Black Reactive (Procion) print paste.

The cushion pieces (above) are then steamed to fix the dye before first a cold, then a hot wash until the excess dye is removed. They are then re-pinned to the print table and the Fawn is printed with a textile adhesive (below). The shrinkage/movement of the fabric during washing is allowed for in the original plaid print, but exact registration is impossible, therefore each Fawn is an individual..!

The adhesive is allowed to air dry and a sheet of textile foil is cut to cover the adhesive print. This is then heat pressed for 30 seconds (I have an industrial sized press that I use for this), and the foil peeled off.

Two by two...

The above are soon to be made up, in the meantime, here's one that I prepared earlier. Every one is wonderfully unique and available in my shop priced £59.00 (here).


The Villa San Michele on the Isle of Capri was particularly inspiring. Former home of the Swedish Doctor, Philosopher and animal lover Axel Munthe. It's a house of pattern, order, beauty and extreme calm. Now preserved in its original state as a museum, it's a tranquil and unhurried oasis amidst the claustrophobic bustle of Capri.

Here's a few details from the Villa (from a textile designer's perspective)...

Dining room vista...

Indigo, Pewter, Alabaster and Umber colour...

Rabbits detail...

Nice jugs...

Kitchen vista...

Every one different! Copper and blue view...

Bedroom vista...

Lastly, (before I bore you with my holiday snaps!) - the Sphinx vista...

“What you keep to yourself you lose, what you give away, you keep forever.” 
― Axel Munthe

Inspiration - Pocket Squares

There's no doubt in my mind that digital printing is an amazing technical print innovation in the textile industry, however after solely designing and digitally printing furnishing fabrics and accessories for about five years, I realised that what actually motivates me to get out of bed in the morning is hands on making - and screen-printing in particular.

This week the studio's been brightened by a new screen-printed accessory in development - pocket squares.

The idea of printing these originated a few months ago when my son Josse bought his first bespoke suit from the tailors 'Gieves and Hawkes' of Savile Row fame, and asked if he could come down to Devon and print a silk pocket square to set it off.

He looked through my screens and decided the Bamboo design would be perfect. I then gave him a crash course in mixing dyes, found a length of silk that he could use and after sampling printing colours, we printed one for him and one for my nephew/his cousin Tom (who's 30th it was the following day).

I've stayed with the Bamboo imagery, although I've re-jigged the design a little; after all it was much admired and intensively market tested on Josse (graphic designer) and later Tom (product designer)!

Here are a few of the new colourways...

These satin squares are heading off to be beautifully hand rolled and with a fair wind, will be packaged in presentation boxes and on sale in my shop in a few weeks (priced £38 plus postage). If you would like to order one, please email me directly for postage costs worldwide at sam@sampickard.co.uk

Thanks to Josse for the inspiration! X