cathy of california

vera: "textile designer for a sophisticated mass market", 1964

i have been on the lookout for copies of american fabrics magazine ever since i heard that sheila hicks was briefly their art director. american fabrics was a trade publication that featured new fabrics, suggestions for their use as well as designer profiles. what makes it special is that there are actual swatches of fabric included - dozens and dozens per issue.

a friend just scored a few copies at a really great local used bookstore. the feeling of jealousy and regret that i had not seen them first was tempered her kindness when she said i could borrow them and that it would be OK to blog some of the images. the issues she found are from 1963 + 64 - not the years sheila hicks art directored but nevertheless really cool.

here are a few images from the article on vera. top left: vera showroom in NY designed by marcel breuer that features a photo mural by herbert matter. top right: vera and her husband at their studio in the printex plant. center: hand screening at the printex plant. bottom: "a small sampling of vera designs" - i'm loving that butterfly shift.

(images from american fabrics - number 63 - winter/spring 1964)

 

celia birtwell fashion sketch, late 60's

for someone sho rarely wears anything with a print on it (with the exception of stripes) i'm sure you might find it strange that i'm actually quite obsessed with textile design. one of my all time favorite textile designers is celia birtwell. celia was married to and collaborated with ossie clark and was david hockney's good friend and muse. for more on celia please go here and here.

(image from celia birtwell by celia birtwell)

dorothy liebes, 1966

 

you might have noticed that i don't post many black and white images. it's not that i have anything against black and white photography, it's just when it comes to 60s + 70s crafts + design i think a color photo really helps tell the story much better. it's probably just my frustration with not being able to see what the colors actually are and having to guess how magnficent something might look in full color. case in point is this shot of dorothy liebes from 1966. but i'm sure you'll agree that even without knowing what the colors are that's a pretty nice looking rug she made.

and speaking of dorothy liebes don't you dare miss the pacific standard time related show at LACMA. i've been to see california design 1930-1965: living in a modern way (thru june 3) twice now. one of the highlights of the show for me was the video of dorothy in her weaving studio in san francisco during the 40s.

(image via ebay)

i'm speaking @ the craftcation conference march 22 - 25

i'm very excited to announce that i'll be speaking at the upcoming craftcation conference. for more details (list of speakers, how to register, etc.) please visit the craftcation conference website. hope to see you there!