This cheerful wallhanging is wonderfully kitsch, bright and summery. Entitled ‘Secret Garden’ it’s one of the new range of fabric canvasses from Clare Nicolson and is digitally printed on 100% cotton, £40
www.clarenicolson.com

MAY DAYS...
We may not be dancing round a ribbon strewn Maypole (a lack of opportunity more than anything) but there’s a definite spring in our step this month. It’s a fertile time for textiles and “Museums and Galleries Month” to boot. Make sure you find out what your local museum has to offer www.mgm.org.uk – 19th May is the European Nuit des Musées – a title which has a definite air of mystery and romance. Or take advantage of the sunny skies and have a Japanese family day at Lauriston Castle on the 13th, with everything from puppet to paper making www.cac.org.uk. It’s a busy and beautiful time of year– let your ideas blossom...

For urban chic without the aggression we salute textile designer Lotta Jansson. Her graphic style is bright and contemporary. Her bags, pencil cases and purses are made of the linen – perfect for accessories designed to withstand plenty of use and abuse, as linen simply becomes softer and more beautiful with use. Visit our Object Catalogue to order gorgeous organic purses from only £10 http://object.selvedge.org

Organic, eco-friendly...it’s something we aspire to and admire at Selvedge, so whenever we find innovative organic textiles we see it as our duty to spread the word. A new company that’s attracted our interest is Mokimoe, launched by Joanne Murray earlier this year. Her organic home accessories are made from the highest quality materials and are inspired by balmy summer days, strawberry picking and picnics in bluebell woods. www.mokimoe.com Another purveyor of eco-friendly textiles is the imaginatively named e-co. Their simple, chic suits, dresses, knitwear and jeans are a far cry from the grainy hemp T-shirts of yesteryear, and are aimed at those who care about the planet but don’t want to sacrifice style. www.e-co-clothing.com

Textiles in performance abound this month with Sine Language, a major touring show and new collaboration between artist Hetain Patel and musician Jason Singh at the London Printworks Trust. Fusing sound, movement, cloth and colour the project explores Patel’s notions of identity or what he describes as ‘ learning to be Indian’. 12 May-7 July www.londonprintworks.com; and the Studio Seven group of textile artists, in collaboration with choreographer Marie-Louise Flexen present a site-specific live event, Textiles in Performance at Woodchester Mansion on 19th May www.studio-seven.net, which will be a part of the Stroudwater Textiles Festival 2007, 1-21 May www.stroudwatertextiles.org.uk

Congratulations to Savile Row apprentice Roxanne Jones, winner of the prestigious Golden Shears tailoring contest sponsored by the Merchant Taylors’ Company www.merchanttaylors.co.uk. Her grey wool and worsted trouser suit was judged by tailoring and style experts including Oswald Boeteng and earned her the £2,000 in prize money. Praise is due also to Melissa White for winning a £5,000 Queen Elizabeth Scholarship. Look out for her new range of Elizabethan inspired hand painted cloths, ‘The Anticke Collection’ launching this year. www.qest.org.uk.

EXTRA ORGANIC...
Simple, hand-drawn and organic, Susan Hable Smith’s designs have become the Hable trademark. Every new Selvedge subscriber or renewal will receive a free Hable apron worth $32. The ‘clementine bead’ apron features a square pocket print on canvas and cotton twill tie.
www.hableconstruction.com
Offer ends 30 June 2007.