Author: Virginia Till

There has been so much debate about all aspects of face coverings.

It is clear that a well fitting mask that follows the contours of the face and securely covers the nose and mouth is best. 

As a textile design graduate (many years ago) I have some knowledge of textile properties and fabric construction, both important factors in creating the effective barrier desirable for cloth face masks.  

Masks made using multiple layers of tightly woven, breathable, cotton fabric have repeatedly done well in independent testing and appear high up the recommendations for most effective face coverings.

Here’s a link to recent advice from the World Health Organization

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public/when-and-how-to-use-masks

Our print and Damask masks are made with 4 layers of 100% cotton fabric, including 3 lining layers of high thread count cotton poplin. Adjustable ear loops add to the personalised fit of our masks.

Our 100% cotton denim masks have 2 additional lining layers. Denim is a very tightly woven twill weave which is one the most dense and closely woven fabrics.  We use premium quality 10oz denims in black and deep indigo and these have been amongst our best sellers.

NEW – filer pocket and nose clip masks

Using the same contoured shaping as our original design these masks include an internal pocket to insert a filter and also a concealed insert for an aluminium nose clip. The nose and mouth are protected by 3 layers of 100% cotton,  so this mask can also be used without filters.

All of our masks are made to order and available in a range of sizes. If you have any specific requests or requirements please do drop us a line and we’ll see what we can do

#staysafe

Modern stained glass windows are the inspiration for our latest design; the bold outlines around the jewel-like pieces of glass; the contrast of colours and the way the light shines through to illuminate the design – beautiful!

Then I got to thinking how I could create a similar effect with the Aso-oke fabric in my store cupboard… what could I use for the leading effect? How many colours would I need? I couldn’t wait to get home to scribble down the design.

I am a big fan of combining fabrics using patchwork and applique techniques, but that’s not the effect I was looking for this time. I wanted to create the same bold contrast as the stained glass pieces held in place by the leading.

For the prototype I used a selection of Aso Oke fabrics made with Lurex warp and cotton weft yarns. This composition produces a shimmering and iridescent fabric that I thought would give me the illuminated effect I was after.

After free-styling the pieces together I appliqued the satin bias ribbon to represent the leading and then piped the edges with the same bias ribbon. I used bronzed brown denim for the cushion back.

Following a couple of other design revisions I finally decided to use brightly coloured 100% cotton Aso Oke. I mounted the pieces onto a fusible interfacing, I then appliqued grosgrain ribbon strips, in specific order, to ensure that all the ends were neatly covered. With the front panel completed I tried a number of reverse fabric options and settled on denim – it ticks all the boxes for design and durability.

We are planning to add the ‘Stained Glass’ design to our Bespoke Templates, so that you can choose your own fabrics and create your own unique cushion/s.

We currently have a range of ‘Stained Glass’ cushions in the shop and all are available on back order.

I think many business start-ups may agree – things always take longer than you think they will!

Building a website with bespoke functionality is quite a challenge.  Olu has 20+ years in corporate IT under his belt and he built a simple website for me a couple years ago!  But we’ve discovered that trying to create an e-commerce website with bespoke functionality is not as straightforward as we had originally thought!!!

Getting to grips with WordPress and WooCommerce and lots of other plugins, alongside tools like Inkscape and Gimp to create the content, has been a challenge.  But Olu does love a challenge; and slowly but surely he is overcoming the obstacles one by one!

I have designed and started production on a range of cushions for the Afrique Fabrique shop. These include; our ‘Matrix’ range, colourful 16 square patchworks using a range of traditional printed fabrics from Nigeria;  also our ‘Column’, ‘Bi-line’, and ‘Trilogy’ cushions, which feature appliquéd strips of hand woven Kente from Ghana.

I’m currently working on some more complex, pieced, designs using some dazzling Aso Oke fabrics from Nigeria

Watch this space…..