Lilac

Today I'm playing "Liberty Camouflage" with lilac. One of my favourite Liberty prints teamed with my favourite shrub.

The print is “ArchiveLilac” by Liberty of London: “Taken from a tiny paper sample in the Liberty London Archive, this Liberty London Fabric takes inspiration from Alice’s journey through the Garden of Live Flowers, where flowers talk and chatter and help her on her way.” It’s interesting that the design survived originally as a paper sample as I can absolutely imagine it as wallpaper. The first time I saw this fabric in this colour, I was reminded of a print my sister had in her kitchen, of Van Gogh’s Almond Blossom, and I still think about the painting every time I wear this top.

I bought the fabric on a fun day out with Rebecca from Poshyarns and we got lost in the rain because we were chatting too much (not the first nor the last time!) and spent hours browsing the amazing selection of Liberty fabrics in Shaukat. I am so lucky to have a friend with a similar love of Liberty fabrics!

I have made many tops with Liberty tana lawn, but I tend to use different prints to those I use in my work. I prefer bolder, often more geometric Liberty prints, whereas the colourful gifts I make for my shop tend to use the smaller, ditsy floral prints. That being said, I still only work with fabrics that sing to me and make me happy.

I love this time of year when the big blousy shrubs bloom – the bouquets of rhododendron flowers, brilliantly-coloured azaleas and, best of all, the heady scented lilac. Today is, I think, “peak lilac”: the flowers are all out, perfectly white and scented with fresh green leaves.

It is so transient – I know that by next week, individual flowers will be browning, leaving each bract looking singed and past its best, so I am spending time breathing in the sight and smell of them. I’ve cut some lilac to bring indoors, although it never lasts quite as long as I hope. The wonderful Jane from Snapdragon wrote some tips on her blog on makingspring flowers last longer and she kindly gave me some advice for lilac longevity.

I certainly don't have green fingers, particularly indoors, so I need to make sure to make the most of these gorgeous blooms outside for the few days they have left.