I think the reason I have always been drawn to paisley fabric is, that I loved how the paisley creates two designs. There is the outer pattern of each paisley drop that can vary in size and direction creating a wonderful pattern, and there is the inner design in each drop that draws you further into the design.
The distinctive tear drop shaped paisley design can be found in various textiles for apparel and home decor. The drop shaped pattern is over 2000 years old, originating in Persia it was called Boteh meaning bush. The design was thought to represent a cypress tree or floral bloom. The designs also sometimes represented flames, they could be found on carpets, furniture and carved in stone.
These unique designs were woven into shawls, made in Kashmir India and became very popular in western countries when they were exported by the East India Company in the 18th century. The pattern was meticulously woven into wool or silk fabrics, it was a slow process and they struggled to keep up with the demands for these shawls. By the 17th century other countries began to make fabrics with these designs. The weavers that could produce fabric with this design the quickest were located in Paisley, Scotland.
A Kashmiri bota shawl
The fabric weavers located in Paisley created an attachment for the looms in 1812 that allowed for five colors of yarn to be woven at once. They were able to create paisley fabric faster and with more detail than other weavers in Europe. The new word for boteh design became paisley as women ordered these new style of shawls from the weavers in Paisley, Scotland.
Paisley Shawl created in Paisley Scotland 1890
The Industrial Revolution in the 19th century changed the way textiles were made. Woven paisley shawls lost their popularity as fabric printing replaced weaving. Fabric designs could be printed faster and cheaper than traditional weaving. Today most paisley designed fabrics are made by the printing method.
2000 years later the paisley pattern continues to be popular in home decor upholstery and drapery designs. The paisley pattern is found in a variety of apparel items and accessories including; dresses, jackets, western shirts, ties and bandanas.
Women's Paisley Print Knit Boat Neck Dress
Paisley Dress Chadwicks Chadwick's of Boston
Today with the advancement in digital printers and the technology of computers and the internet anyone can design and print their own paisley designs. Spoonflowerhttp://www.spoonflower.com/and Zazzle http://www.zazzle.com/custom/fabricare two places were you can create your own fabric for yourself or sell it to others. Here is a paisley design I recently created on Zazzle.
Close up Cowgirl Dancing Paisley Flowers Fabric
Cowgirl Dancing Paisley Flowers Blue Brown Fabric by Hobbyhawkfabric
Browse Cowgirl paisley Fabrics online at Zazzle.com
No comments:
Post a Comment