I thought it only fitting, that my first feature should be about the thing most people recognise Paisley for - the good old Paisley pattern! (Shown below). It also seems to be making a come back recently, which I am loving! So, the Paisley pattern wasn't totally ours to begin with.. we kinda pinched it from India. Buuut, the Indian fabrics & shawls at the time were awful expensive, so the good old Paisley weavers copied it so that it was available to everyone! Yay weavers :).
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So, the teardrop shape originates from India and is thought to be inspired by the Cupressus evergreen tree, which symbolizes life and eternity (isn't that lovely!). It is traditionally know as the "boteh". The pattern first became popular in the 18th century, appearing on luxury shawls. Soldiers returning from colonies brought back these exotic Indian garments, and there was a rush to create the best copies in the UK. Paisley's shawls stood out so much as they could weave up to 15 colours through the pattern, where as some other producers were still only able to weave 2!
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There was a massive demand for anything featuring the pattern in the infamous "Summer of Love" - '68. The Beatles visited India, & sparked curiosity in Indian culture & spirituality. It was SO popular Fender even made a customized version of their popular Telecaster guitar, how stunning is this beauty!
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There's some great looms & shawls in the Paisley museum, I'm hoping to make it along there soon & will expand a little further on this :) Thanks for reading!
Peace & Love,
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