This collection has been simmering in the back of my mind for a long time and I couldn't wait for to start designing for Autumn/ Winter 2024 because I knew this just needed to be created. Inspired by twilight, the transitional period when daytime turns into night and the magic which happens in between, 'Evenfall' is my ninth fabric collection in collaboration with Lewis and Irene and I can't wait to share more about this gorgeous collection with you.
This collection came together a bit like a jigsaw puzzle. I already knew which colours I wanted to use as they were very much inspired by the day softening into the darkness of the evening. I was fascinated with the concept of the landscape as we know it in the day light altering and being remade into a new terrain. I researched flowers which only come out at night and envisioned them blooming to create a completely different garden to the one we are used to seeing, while beautiful moths danced to a silent orchestra.
When writing the poem to encapsulate my collection I was inspired by the idea of using an anaphora (the use of a word referring back to a word used earlier in a text.) In this case I broke down the name of the collection 'Evenfall' and used the word 'Even' at the beginning of each sentence to emphasise the final word and name of the collection at the end of the poem. This was really enjoyable to write and slightly different from previous poems I've composed. I hope you find it as enchanting as I did.
Even as darkness comes out to play,
Twilight grips tightly to the day.
Into evening bright colours fade,
The landscape altered and re-made.
Even though the half-moon hides,
Awaiting his star-spangled brides.
Night blooms anticipate the pale moon glow,
Eager to put on their show.
Even when day flowers drift off to sleep,
The night garden awakens as shadows grow deep.
Producing a scent to allure and entrance,
The twilight orchestra begins the dance.
Moths flutter and flit to the call,
To experience the magic of Evenfall.
Firstly I'd like to introduce to you 'Evenfall'. This design is available in 'Pale Grey,' 'Dark Periwinkle' and 'Midnight Blue' and shows moths fluttering to the flowers of the night garden, dancing to the silent hum of the twilight orchestra. Using a tossed print helped the design to flow nicely and create the feeling of a 'dance.' I wanted this collection to have an ethereal feeling, beginning with the main design and continuing through the entirety of the collection. One way in which I did this was through my use of colours. The light greys, dusky shades of lilacs and pinks through to the periwinkles, deep purples, and midnight blues were all very intentional and I felt represented the stages of dusk and twilight through to nightfall well.
Originally 'Night Garden' was a one directional print, however we decided it would work much better as a tossed print, so I reworked it and am in LOVE with it. For me it has a mystical feeling about it. The flowers combined with the winter foliage and seeds feel very pertinent to the fabric name. 'Night Garden' comes in 'Light Dusky Pink,' 'Pale Misty Lilac' and 'Deep Purple.'
True to its name, 'Moonflower' is based on a species of white Morning Glory which comes out at night in the light of the moon to attract insects with its beautiful fragrance. While not indigenous to the UK, I used a little bit of artistic license as I really loved the shape of the flower and vines and wanted to incorporate it into my collection. This tossed print is available in 'Pale Grey,' 'Dark Periwinkle' and 'Midnight Blue.' I felt these three colours represented the graduation from daylight to night really well, beginning with the light grey of daylight and graduating through to periwinkle of dusk and then to the darker blue of night.
Whenever I envisioned this collection I knew that I wanted one of the fabrics to have moths dancing in the starlight on it. I had a vision of them leaving a glittery trail behind them intermingled with the stars, so if you look very carefully you can see subtle stars within the pattern. 'Twilight' was born from this concept. Drawing all of the different shaped moths and their markings, was really enjoyable and I spent a lot of time studying and capturing their details. This design can be found in 'Light Dusky Pink,' 'Pale Misty Lilac' and 'Blue Grey.'
Finally, meet 'Floral Dusk.' I absolutely adore this blender. She is a two way directional design which comes in 'Pale Grey,' 'Dusky Pink' and 'Dusky Purple.' The white on the pale grey creates a beautiful, subtle tone on tone and I can see this being used in so many projects due to it being such a versatile neutral blender. The silhouette of the seed heads was very purposeful as I wanted to translate the shapes of the flowers and plants in the half light of dusk, when everything is slightly hazy as the sun has set, yet the stars haven't let come out to light up the garden.
I hope you've enjoyed learning a bit more about the inspiration behind this collection. You can find ‘Evenfall’ in all good fabric shops from November 2024. To view the full collection just click HERE.
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