Drawn in Wax: The Secret Language of the Pisanka.
Long before chocolate confections and pastel packaging, the Polish decorated egg—pisanka—was a coded object, its surface inscribed with meanings that outlasted the hands that made it. In the grammar of wax and dye, people once drew their hopes for spring—and, perhaps, their delight at its return. The origins of pisanki predate Christianity, reaching back to ancient seasonal rites that marked the thaw after winter’s austerity. At a time when survival hinged on the rhythms of the land, the egg became a natural emblem: sealed life, poised to emerge. Early makers adorned shells with symbols of fertility, light and renewal such as solar motifs, sprouting branches, and grains, and used beeswax and dyes drawn from the natural world to create them. There is even an enduring legend that each completed egg strengthens a chain restraining an ancient evil beneath the earth, as though decoration itself were an act of protection.
Weekend Read: The Wonder of Wool by Justine Lee and Jess Morency.
The book is a guide to 30 of Britain’s pure sheep breeds, but it reads as something richer than a directory. Each breed is approached through its landscape, its history, and, crucially, the character of its fleece. In a culture accustomed to soft, uniform yarns, this emphasis on difference feels refreshing. Wool here is not a single idea, but a spectrum: dense or lofty, wiry or fine, shaped by generations of adaptation.
Stories of Mohair and Angora knits in the Fashion world.
Frances V.H Mohair, is a women-led textile studio rooted in the vast landscapes of the Karoo in South Africa. Working closely with a team of women artisans, the studio creates textiles that honour place, provenance, and process — drawing inspiration from the rhythms of the land and the life cycle of the Angora goat. These textiles are Inspired by the shifting tones of the Karoo landscape.
If you are in London this year………..Selvedge’s Quilt Jamboree is at the Museum of the Home, London, Friday 19th June 2026. And, for all things textile: celebrating craft and thoughtful making, whether through textiles, vintage pieces, handmadeobjects, books or beyond, Selvedge’s Winter Fair will be held on:
Sunday 22 November 2026, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m
The Royal Horticultural Halls, The Lindley Hall, London SW1P 2PB
An article on Charlotte Wainwright, bookbinder. From her East London studio in Walthamstow, Charlotte works across bespoke re-bindings, hand-marbled editions, branded commissions and the careful restoration of well-loved books. A fascination with the mathematics of box-making underpins much of her structural thinking, while a taste for unexpected covering materials — designer fabrics, distinctive wallpapers, gold-foiled cloth — gives her work a contemporary edge.