What can I say about this weather! If you're reading this from the UK, you'll know that summer hasn't really arrived.
I am reminded of a trip made to Ireland back in April, where like now, we braced wind and rain, to visit our lovely linen weavers in Wexford and despite the grey outside, we found colour and rich weaves bursting on the looms.
Linen is the perfect fabric for this unpredictable weather. Thanks to its natural, thermo-regulating properties, linen keeps you cool in the sunshine and warm in the chill.
Family heirlooms. Emblem Weavers in Wexford was established in 1962 by Jim Conway at the age of 21. Having received money as a birthday gift from his mother, Jim bought two second-hand looms, made a winder from a bicycle wheel and started his weaving business, now run by his sons and daughter, Stephen, Seamus, and Debbie.
" We are like warp and weft, one can't exist without the other " - Stephen and Seamus Conway
Daisy and I were amazed at the history and fine technical details of the mill's huge looms that create the intricate checks and stripes of Emblem's designs.
From yarn to cloth. When we visited, the looms were set up with the cobalt blue colour used for our Petticoat Lane Dress and our gingham check Stepney and Lavenham styles. The linen yarn felt like a horses tail, dry and strong, ready to be made up into beautifully crafted cloth.
Check us out! We wore our dresses at the mill, blending well into the ambience! Every year we work closely with the team at Emblem to create bespoke colour weaves for our collection. It's a wonderful process where we look through their incredible range of colours and yarn combinations. We work with Emblem as their linen is luxurious, weighty and has a softly rippled texture without creating hard creases.
Rainbow Threads - from yarn to cloth, linen can be made into a huge array of weaves, all with natural and sustainable credentials at the core. Linen is only grown with rainwater, no pesticides added and leaves the soil enriched for the next crops.
Fun at the mill. Meet Richie, the knotter who works on the warp threads on the loom. Once the cloth is woven and checked for any flaws, it is washed at Emblem in its own laundry to create a softened, vintage look and ensure our linen will not shrink once you have received it.
Ship Ahoy! A nautical top with a difference - our Padstow Top elevates the everyday, in a fresh blue and white stripe inspired by sailboats like the ones we saw in Wexford harbour! With a square neck and loose darted fit, it's a comfortable keeper in beautiful timeless linen.
CHEERS! No visit to Ireland would be without a cheeky Guiness! We finished the day with Stephen at his local Wexford pub. Thank you team Emblem for a brilliant day and Stephen who not only runs the mill but also took all the photographs!