Why Muslins?

After designing for fashion, home and gifts brands, those near and dear did wonder ‘why start with muslins?’

It was something back in my university years that had briefly caught my attention when researching products to design for, but at that time I chose to design for interiors. Then a few months later my mum mentioned my patterns would look good on muslin squares. Other than agreeing, I didn’t think much more of it as I focused on finishing the interiors collection for my textile design degree.

Fast forward to a year ago, when one of my friends announced she was pregnant, and as friends do, you search for a gift for the new arrival. Being the first friend to have a little one, the whole baby section in stores was still pretty unknown to me. I wanted to find something that was a little bit of me, and be both practical and essential. I came across muslin squares!
They were something I loved as a little girl, and used as a comforter all through my early years. They weren’t something that got put on a pile to hand down to my cousin once I had outgrown their use for burping, feeding and general mopping of spillages. They were carried on holidays, snuggled to at night, and even accidentally taken into school. Now this was a product I wanted to give that new little one, so that he would have those same fond memories (if he chose to become as attached to them as I did).

Don’t get me wrong, there are some lovely muslin squares out there, but I was looking for one bursting with pattern, showing more colour than the white muslin, super soft, and beautifully presented. Every box I found was just missing that one ‘thing’ I was looking for that would show my friend the colour-clashing pattern-bursting creative mind I had, and wanted to share.

And there it was, that lightbulb moment.