A visit to The Shop Floor Project in April

A gorgeous range of textile are available at the The Shop Floor Project.

Much coveted LOVE morse code blankets by Holly Berry (more love for Holly's blankets here)

Holly Berry blanket with cat leather bag by Dutch designer La Lisette

Emily Mackey cushions

De Mont & Wright Studio - geranium waffle blanket ooo yum

delicious green scarf by De Mont & Wright Studio

Textiles at The Shop Floor Project: Samantha Allen, Bonbi Forest, Holly Berry, Angela Thurston and Emily Mackey

A visit to The Shop Floor Project: no winter holiday (this is the moment when you imgine that it is snowing, rather than the constant rain and / or high wind) is complete without a visit to my favourite store, to see new designer-makers peices. They have some fabulous textiles in stock:

These are gorgeousLSamantha Allan silk printed cushions, seaweed intertwinned with beach finds, cassette tape (how very C20th) and fishing line

scarves by Bonbi Forest - these are new since I last visited. They are 100% viscose, printed with environmentally friendly inks. Beautiful designs - pictured here are the horses and birds designs

woven cashmere and merino Holly Berry shawl and printed wool scarves from Angela Thurston

 

And cushions by Emily Mackey

Holly Berry morse code blankets @ MADE London

Having admired Holly Berry's blankets at The Shop Floor Project  (blogged about here) on many visits I was really pleased to meet the girl herself, and her blankets, at MADE London in October. Holly designs super gorgeous soft cashmere and merino wraps and blankets decorated with morse code which spells out LOVE, and new for this season HOLD ME. These are pieces to treasure, something for your hope chest (they would make excellent wedding presents - but I'm not suggesting you need to be entangled in the institution of matrimony to have one of these blankets in your life).

The Shop Floor Project - bags by Swarm

One of my most favourite destinations for a spree is The Shop Floor Project in Ulverston - last blogged about here. Denise and Samantha Allan have a fine selection of unique and special pieces by designer-makers, mainly from Britain, some from lands afar. The most recent addition to their carefully curated collection are bags from Swarm, an Amsterdam-based designer-maker who takes vintage oil paintings from flea markets and turns them into bags. While it's unlikely that you'll be lucky enough to snag an undiscovered Van Gogh, you can be assured of having a bag that is one of a kind and a piece of wearable art. This is eco-fashion at its finest.

The bags have shopper-style handles, and a removable long strap to go cross-body when you need both hands free for other things. I have long prattled on about the importance of having both types of handles to any bag designer who will listen - if you care about this sort of thing as much as I do, check out handbags designed by Mimi as she 

Bag by Swarm - made from vintage oil paintings from Dutch and Belgian flea markets. You can read more about Swarm here.

More Swarm bag-art - with Holly Berry Morse Code cashmere love blanket above left, and Emily Mackey cushion

A few other goodies: digitally printed scarves by Angela Thurston

clutch bags by Dolapo James

Mrs Osborn's favourite shops: The Shop Floor, Ulverston

I love The Shop Floor Project, the on-line shop that has a fantastic selection of products by talented designer-makers, so I was very happy to find their bricks and mortar shop in the market town of Ulverston, Cumbria. I met Denise and Samantha, the mother and daughter team, behind The Shop Floor Project and it's sister-site The Secret Arcade, and found some lovely things by British designer-makers. Denise and Samantha both have a training in Fine Art - it explains their excellent taste.

The Shop Floor, 60 Market Street, Ulverston

These are a few of my favourite things:

softest cashmere throws by Holly Berry

(the pattern uses the Morse Code symbols to spell out Love)

leather bags made by GDH Leatherwork in Wales, in collaboration with The Shop Floor Project

(Not available on their website - contact them directly on 01229 584 537)

Throws made in Wales, especially like the red and tomato orange combo (hmm didn't write down the name of the designer-maker - contact the shop directly about these)

Emily Mackey Maxemilia cushion

(and clutch bag by Urban Knit - using bold Nigerian fabrics - not sure these are made in the UK)