Textiles were where espanyolet began - with old linen and hemp we found in markets across Europe. Some pieces had been woven in the 1920s; others had spent decades as household linens, washed and used until they softened in ways that new cloth rarely does. We were drawn to the weight of them, the unevenness of the weave, the hand-stitched seams and occasional embroidered initials. A patch or a worn edge could be as compelling as the fabric itself.
Each find gave us a different starting point. A narrow roll of hemp suggested panels joined together; a blanket with a beautiful seam invited us to keep that seam visible. We learned to look closely before deciding what a piece might become. The dimensions, texture and condition of the cloth all had a say.
Over the years, this work became blankets and bedcovers, pillows, upholstered benches and headboards. Some pieces were made to stand on their own; others grew out of a particular room and the way someone would use it. Working with textiles brought us into homes, and working on homes gave us new reasons to return to the textiles.
We’ve since closed the textile business, but we still find ourselves wanting to make things. This collection brings together pieces from those years - a record of materials we found, colors we explored and the many directions a length of old cloth could take us.
