Tag: textiles

Auction alert: Finery and Fans

Festival of Britain souvenir fan

When I read the title of the upcoming auction – Finery and Fans – my interest was sparked. What could that sale be about? 392 lots from the 19th & 20th centuries will be for sale; primarily hand-held fans, but also antique fashion, textiles and other hand craft items.

I’ve never seen this quantity and variety of fans in one place. They’re all beautiful works of art; there are ones made from peacock feathers, some fashioned out of silk. Many others were created by Ann Collier, a world renowned lacemaker.

The sale is being held by Morphets of Harrogate Ltd on Thursday 1st Dec 2022 from 11am.

All lots are subject to a buyers premium of 20% which is subject to VAT at the standard rate.

Please note lots purchased online via the-saleroom.com website will attract an additional charge for this service in the sum of 4.95% plus VAT of the hammer price. This charge is made by and passed on to the-saleroom.com
Lots purchased via easyliveauction.com will attract an additional charge for this service of 3% plus VAT of the hammer price. This charge is made by and passed on to easyliveauction.com. Alternatively you may pay a flat fee of £3 (inclusive of VAT) to register with easyliveauction.com for an individual auction with no additional internet bidding surcharge for lots bought via easyliveauction.com at that sale.

Morphets do not undertake the delivery or postage of items as in our opinion this is best left to the experts. Unfortunately current legislation prohibits us from recommending couriers.

A campaign green silk cockade table fan
Lot 18: A campaign green silk cockade table fan
In fitted red leather case, and very ornate base, which folds away for travelling, used by the military at camp
Estimate: £40 – £60

Art Nouveau: an extravagant and colourful fan

Lot 90: Art Nouveau: an extravagant and colourful fan
Portraying two robed ladies on a terrace, at dusk, a fountain to the left fed by a gilded dolphin, two peacocks to the right with magnificent tails, the lady to the left wearing a gown which emulates the shading and form of the lower bird, details highlighted with gold sequins, the silk leaf mounted on pink mother of pearl, gilded, carved and shaped, a peacock on the upper guard, and a young man doffing his hat to the centre of the gorge, contained in a gilded fan shaped display case guard approx. 26cm
Estimate: £300 – £500

Peacock feather waterfall fan

Lot 100: A waterfall fan

Salmon ostrich feathers with knotted extensions, in a lighter shade, mounted on faux blond tortoiseshell, giving a span of 66 cm
Estimate: £120 – £180

Orange ostrich feather fan

Lot 108: 1920s vibrant orange ostrich feather fan

Large and showy, the monture of tortoiseshell, frothy feathers with a gentle backward curve, fitted with an extravagant gold knotted tassel with long fringe, overall height approx. 65cm, span 84cm
Estimate: £100 – £150

Festival of Britain souvenir fan

Lot 110: A paper fan commemorating the Festival of Britain in 1951

Mounted à l’anglaise, a souvenir in red white and blue, and dated
Estimate: £25 – £35

Ann Collier: A large and unique handmade lace fan

Lot 163: Ann Collier: A large and unique handmade lace fan

Leaf created by Ann Collier, 20th century, the leaf inspired by a sepia photo of Brighton Pavilion, and worked to commemorate the International Lace Festival held in Brighton in 1986, the bobbin lace background and borders, in cream, are applied with a needle lace building in front of which stroll couples and one child in Victorian dress, the wood monture, lightly incised, complementing the colours of the Pavilion and figures, to the left side the wording “International lace Festival 1986”, the AC initials in brown applied top left, guard length approx. 36cm
Estimate: £400 – £600

Two 19th century pincushions

Lot 225: Two 19th century pincushions

In box form, each with a drawer for holding threads and tools, one drawer marked on the side with the name K Staht, the other with a coloured paper inside at the back with part of a costumed body, both with detail/stringing/crossbanding to the wood, perhaps walnut and burr walnut features, surmounted by velvet or silk cushions for pins (2)
Estimate: £60 – £90

Honeycomb basket

Lot 295: A Victorian lady’s honeycomb basket

In oval form, a work basket for sewing requisites, wood frame, double handle, decorative straw work, height approx. 24 cm, length approx. 29cm
Estimate: £40 – £60

Miser's purses

Lot 317: Four good 19th century miser’s purses

To include a green example incorporating gold metal thread to one end and to the rings and tassel; a ruby red example with green and cream bands, and additional beaded scalloped panels to one end; a navy-blue purse worked with mustard and cream, fringed; and a longer purse in ginger and cream, the cream sections worked with flowers and leaves (4)
Estimate: £60 – £100

1920s and earlier hat stands

Lot 333: 1920s and earlier hat stands

Mostly in turned wood, two very tall, two extending metal bars, 17 in all
Estimate: £70 – £120

Top hat leather carrying case

Lot 339: Deep double top hat leather carrying case

French, lined in red silk, with interior supports and straps, travel destination labels to the exterior, marked in gold inside “isolement complet du chapeau” and “systeme Aeroport” seemingly meaning that as the hat is suspended in the case, air flow is improved, together with 4 period hat brushes (5)
Estimate: £120 – £150

Designer Desire: Ege Rya

Montage of Ege Rya rug designs

Last week we took a look at Scandinavian rug designer, Ingegerd Silow; this week we’ll explore the genre a little further.

Ege Tæpper (Tæpper translates as ‘rug’ in Danish) was founded in 1938 in Herning, central Denmark by Mads Eg Damgaard. The company continues to produce carpet to this day. Although this series is entitled ‘Designer Desire’, Ege Rya wasn’t actually an individual designer, but a successful subsidiary of the company. During the 1960s & 70s, its machine-made, colourful, often groovy, patterned floor rugs in a range of sizes – in rectangular and circular shapes.

‘Rya’ is a traditional rug made of wool with a thick ‘shag pile’ finish. In Finland, this type of rug is known as Ryijy.

Some of the funky Ege Rya designs were entitled Ada Orange, Ballade 30, Serenade 90, Tronheim 10 and Route 66 (this last one is shown in two colourways at the top of the montage above). There were a number of ranges; including Boutique, DeLuxe and Polar.

We’ve found a few genuine Ege Rya and Ege Tæpper rugs currently for sale on 1stDibs, Etsy and Pamono.

There were a few other companies around the world who were manufacturing this kind of thick pile woollen rugs at the same time; These included Norden in England, Højer Eksport Wilton in Denmark, Hayim & Co in New York and Svängsta Slottsmatta in Sweden.

There’s a little more information to be found about Ege Rya on the Classic Modern website.

Image credits:
Etsy

Auction Alert: Prints and Editions 1500-2021

Yayoi Kusama 'Pumpkins'

Welcome to our brand new weekly Thursday series, Auction Alert, where we feature interesting lots from upcoming auctions.

We’ll be choosing auctions with online bidding facilities; so anyone, wherever they are in the world, will be able to bid on items.

This week’s auction is Prints and Editions 1500-2021 which takes place on 21 July 2021, starting at 1pm. Here are the stand-out lots for us:

Sybil Andrews 'Mowers'

  • Lot 93: Sybil Andrews (1898-1993) Mowers
    Estimate: £4,000-£6,000
    Linocut printed in colours, 1937, signed, titled and inscribed ‘4 EP’ in pencil, one of 6 experimental proofs aside from the edition of 50

Robert Indiana 'Chosen Love' rug

Damien Hirst 'Spot' clock

  • Lot 195: Damien Hirst (b.1965) Spot Clock
    Estimate: £1,500-£2,500
    White-powdered-coated metal, 2009, with the Artist’s printed signature and studio stamp, published by Other Criteria, London, in the original brown cardboard box, 350mm in diameter

Yayoi Kusama 'Pumpkins'

  • Lot 219: Yayoi Kusama (b.1929) Pumpkins
    Estimate: £1,000-£1,500
    Two painted cast resin multiples, 2016, each stamped with the artist’s name on the base, published by Benesse Holdings, Japan, both in the original printed, fitted, box, each 100x 80x80mm

3 tips for making your own curtains

3 tips for making your own curtains

If you’re a first-time home-owner turned curtain-maker, the pastime can prove to be quite a learning experience. However, with these three tips, you should be able to avoid at least a few of the major mistakes on your first attempt at making your own curtains.

Person cutting fabric at a sewing machine

Measurements are crucial

Measurements are crucial for any DIY project, and curtains aren’t an exception. There’s a certain degree of flexibility, of course, however it’s best not to stretch that flexibility any more than necessary. A few factors to keep in mind when measuring fabric for curtains include:

  • Keep the dimensions of the window and the purpose of the curtains in mind while shopping for fabric
  • Add an extra 30cm to the length or drop of the curtain (from the rod to the bottom hem) when measuring the amount of fabric you’ll need
  • If there are to be folds and/or pleats, the usual rule is to multiply the width of the window by 3 when ordering the fabric

Bolts of fabric

Choice of fabric: cheap or expensive?

Even if you have a little prior sewing experience, we’d advise against buying very cheap fabric as it can be harder to work with than more expensive options. However, if this is your very first time, you may not want to order luxury silk just yet! Pure cotton is a mid-range textile that offers ample opportunity to experiment your initial tailoring skills on, while thick polyester offers excellent insulation during those cold, winter months. Then of course, there’s corduroy which deserves its own discussion, because of the material’s distinct texture that sets it apart from everything else.

Cheap, medium-range and premium options are all available and ready to ship internationally through reputable suppliers like the Yorkshire Fabric Shop who have a fabric finder to help you choose the right material for your project. Instead of randomly picking what you like without the necessary knowledge, we suggest a prior consultation with the experts to arrive at a more suitable choice. They can help steer you in the right direction to ensure you don’t buy the wrong thing.

Fabric with tape measure, scissors, bobbin and cotton reel

Go with close-weaves

As a final tip, it’s suggested that beginners avoid material with an obvious motif or decoration that requires perfect pattern matching because that’s not a job for an inexperienced sewer, by any means. Making mistakes on the front will be difficult and time-consuming to put right – if not downright impossible. Plain and closely woven fabrics, on the other hand, are much more beginner-friendly and won’t end up looking like an amateur job.

Setting aside the learning curve and some of the inevitable beginner’s mistakes, rest assured that making curtains can be a very rewarding experience. Not only will you be able to create exactly what you want to complement your décor, but they’ll always be hanging around, receiving regular admiration from guests. It’s also an excellent way to market a new business, should you choose to go professional with the curtain-making idea at a later date. Happy sewing!

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