Sweet Shades of Pink
When it was my birthday last year, a very dear friend who enjoys photography as much as I do, and knows that I collect beautiful and vintage pieces, gave me a wonderful selection of antique ribbons, buttons, buckles, lace and other fine notions. She also gave me three follow up tins of similar delightful gifts for Christmas. Those wonderful gifts have inspired me to create a series of still life images showcasing them along with spools of brightly coloured cottons from my vintage bobbin collection.
The theme for "Looking Close on Friday" on the 5th of April is "pink on a white background", and I immediately thought of my bobbins of pink cotton in various shades. In this case, the wonderfully rich pink vintage grosgrain ribbon used in the image comes from my own collection of antique notions and dates from the early Twentieth Century. I have accessorised it on a 1930s white embroidered lace table runner with a selection of Dewhurst's Sylko reels of cotton in shades of Rose Pink, Pale Pink, Salmon Pink and Light Pink which date from between 1938 and 1954 and an Edwardian miniature reel of multicoloured pink cotton from Coats. I hope you like my choice for the theme, and that it makes you smile!
Belle Vue Mill, commonly known as Dewhurst’s, was built by Thomas Dewhurst in 1828. It opened in 1829 as John Dewhurst & Sons and was one of Skipton’s largest spinning and weaving mills. The mill’s position next to the Leeds Liverpool Canal meant that raw cotton could be shipped in by boats from Liverpool. Finished goods would then be sent back the same way ready for distribution. Coal to power the machine’s steam engines was also delivered by barge. In 1897 Dewhurst’s was bought by the English Sewing Cotton Co. It continued to produce Sylko, one of the mill’s most famous products. It was produced in over 500 colours and sold throughout the world. Sylko cottons are still available at haberdashers today.
In 1802 James Coats set up a weaving business in Paisley. In 1826 he opened a cotton mill at Ferguslie to produce his own thread and, when he retired in 1830, his sons, James & Peter, took up the business under the name of J. & P. Coats. In 1952 J. & P. Coats and the Clark Thread Co. merged to become Coats & Clark's. Today, the business is known as the Coats Group.
Sweet Shades of Pink
When it was my birthday last year, a very dear friend who enjoys photography as much as I do, and knows that I collect beautiful and vintage pieces, gave me a wonderful selection of antique ribbons, buttons, buckles, lace and other fine notions. She also gave me three follow up tins of similar delightful gifts for Christmas. Those wonderful gifts have inspired me to create a series of still life images showcasing them along with spools of brightly coloured cottons from my vintage bobbin collection.
The theme for "Looking Close on Friday" on the 5th of April is "pink on a white background", and I immediately thought of my bobbins of pink cotton in various shades. In this case, the wonderfully rich pink vintage grosgrain ribbon used in the image comes from my own collection of antique notions and dates from the early Twentieth Century. I have accessorised it on a 1930s white embroidered lace table runner with a selection of Dewhurst's Sylko reels of cotton in shades of Rose Pink, Pale Pink, Salmon Pink and Light Pink which date from between 1938 and 1954 and an Edwardian miniature reel of multicoloured pink cotton from Coats. I hope you like my choice for the theme, and that it makes you smile!
Belle Vue Mill, commonly known as Dewhurst’s, was built by Thomas Dewhurst in 1828. It opened in 1829 as John Dewhurst & Sons and was one of Skipton’s largest spinning and weaving mills. The mill’s position next to the Leeds Liverpool Canal meant that raw cotton could be shipped in by boats from Liverpool. Finished goods would then be sent back the same way ready for distribution. Coal to power the machine’s steam engines was also delivered by barge. In 1897 Dewhurst’s was bought by the English Sewing Cotton Co. It continued to produce Sylko, one of the mill’s most famous products. It was produced in over 500 colours and sold throughout the world. Sylko cottons are still available at haberdashers today.
In 1802 James Coats set up a weaving business in Paisley. In 1826 he opened a cotton mill at Ferguslie to produce his own thread and, when he retired in 1830, his sons, James & Peter, took up the business under the name of J. & P. Coats. In 1952 J. & P. Coats and the Clark Thread Co. merged to become Coats & Clark's. Today, the business is known as the Coats Group.