One of my favourite things about shopping trips to Dublin as a child was going into the Laura Ashley shop on Grafton Street. I know it is a brand that many consider old-fashioned and terribly floral, but it has always been special to me. I used to go in with my mother. She had some gorgeous pieces from the store. I remember the first time I saw their wedding dress range. I was mesmerised. Mostly I’d wander over to the occasion wear and stroke the dresses. So it was no surprise that when my school debs was coming up, I headed for Laura Ashley and found the perfect dress.
Back then dresses interested me a lot more than interiors did. Nowadays it is quite the reverse. That said, another happy memory I have of that store is of buying a pack of patchwork squares to make a quilt. Sewing a quilt was a challenge I set myself at 14. I went in to it full of energy and determination, hand-sewing hexagons to card templates and stitching them together as neatly as possible. In my naivety I underestimated the level of patience and perseverance that making a full sized quilt would entail. Oh how those pre-cut little squares from Laura Ashley saved me!
I changed my design, keeping the hexagons as a centrepiece and surrounding then with squares of various floral Laura Ashley fabrics. For years and years my quilt topped my bed at home in my parents’ house. Eventually I took it to Germany with me and since then it has mostly lived a quiet life in a drawer. Now and again it gets taken out when we have overnight guests and the regular duvets aren’t enough. Sad, really, considering the six months of work I put into it.
So I’ve made the decision to use my Laura Ashley quilt as the basis of our guest bedroom makeover. A patchwork mood board, if you like. With all the pinks, greens, greys and whites in those intricate little patterns, I’ve a lot of inspiration to work with. But if you know me at all you’ll know I have an eclectic mix of styles and colours throughout the house, so why should the guest room be any exception?
While I ponder how to style the room based around my quilt, I’ve a few little repairs to tend to. Getting up close and personal with my patchwork again should help me identify the colours I want to pick up on, the mix of styles I want for the room and, hopefully, inspire me to finally finish another I have on the go for several years.
Wow, that looks great – l keep meaning to make a memory blanket but not there yet! #homeetc
Such pretty colours! My mum gave me a bag of those pre-cut hexagons from Laura Ashley – I think she bought them at least 25 years ago!! Nice to have something in your guest room which really adds a bit of character and personality. x #HomeEtc
This is so wonderful, and it has really stood the test of time hasn’t it! My mum made me a patchwork quilt as a wedding present, using the leftovers of the bunting we made for our wedding. It included some fabric left over from my childhood curtains. I have hung it on the wall in Ava’s room, and it makes me smile every time I see it. So much love has gone into it xx #HomeEtc
What a beautiful quilt and so special! It’s something that I’ve wanted to do for a long time and seeing how beautiful yours looks has spurred me on to get started! Looking forward to seeing your plans for the room 🙂 Philippa x Homeric
Your duvet is beautiful. I cant begin to imagine how much patience it took. The colour way is beautiful and how lovely to get it out of storage so other people can admire it too #homeetc
Gorgeous patchwork and such pretty colours, Fionnuala. What a lovely handmade item to use as the starting point for your guest bedroom makeover. Our guest bedroom plans have stalled for the moment as we haven’t decided on a sofa bed /day bed and think something bespoke would be far too expensive!
I look forward to seeing things progress.
Oh poop! Forgot the #HOMEETC
What a lovely way to come up with a theme for the room! I can’t wait to see how you get on.
Looking forward to seeing how your decor plans turn out, Fionnu! Gorgeous quilt, I’ve never tried my hand at patchwork quilting before. #HomeEtc
It is an arduous task Keira. I don’t know if I’d have the patience for it now. But back then I had all the time in the world 🙂
You’re so clever Fionnu!! I wouldn’t have the patience or aptitude for something like this!! I think Laura Ashley are such a fab brand — my mum remembers them as being quite old fashioned in the 70s/80s but I they’ve got some really fab things that are right on trend these days 🙂 #HomeEtc
They are a great brand. I really like a lot of their stuff. They may have faded out of the limelight a bit over the years but I think I’ll always be able to find something I like in their collections.
I think you could opt for a vintage theme, you definitely need to get some of that lovely pink in there!
#HomeEct
http://www.hellonancy.co.uk/
Yes, that’s just what I was thinking.
This is lovely. I love having things around the home that have real meaning. That style really has stood the test of time too. It is very similar to the fabric of Elodie’s curtains xx
Thanks Kerry. It has lasted well, hasn’t it? Have you Elodie’s curtains on your blog? I must pop over and see.