Bohemian was inspired by a
walking holiday in Morocco’s Atlas Mountains, with her daughter, Rose, 25.
Vanessa says it is a celebration of
her love for the simpler things in life. “We watched a little mountain goat
trying to reach the last few leaves on a tree,” she says. “When we came home Rose
recreated the scene for me in a drawing and I added a shepherd and some goats and chickens and even my own whippet, Ruby,” That particular toile which is part
of the Bohemian collection is called For The Love of Rose. “It’s a bucolic, rural scene showing
a couple living an idyllic life on the land,” she says. It is complemented by some French
ticking which is a stylish stripe, Gypsy Garland, a delicate floral trail with Scandinavian style cream flowers, Leaf Dance, a block-print leaf design, Pretty Maids, a dainty spot motif and Stockholm Stripe, a statement stripe alternating with a pin stripe and two dotted lines. Last year House Beautiful
magazine gave Vanessa an award for her 2012 collection and this year she has been invited to be a judge at the awards. Despite her runaway success,
Vanessa is still putting 100 percent into the company and can often be found working at 11pm. She still worries about how a new
collection will be received. “I have always believed in my
product,” she says, “but I would never allow myself to become complacent. “In a way, it is harder now than
when it was just me to worry about, I have to pay wages, people depend on me, so it is good to keep myself on the edge.” Open days at Vanessa’s showroom
can resemble the first day of the Harrods sale. “We have cars queuing in the
lanes,” she says, “it is quite incredible. Vanessa is also keen to put
something back into the community. She holds printing classes once a month and has thrown open the doors of her home to a constant stream of young people over the years.
There are currently five artists in residence living there, some of who wander in and out of the garden while we sit drinking tea.
“They work on the land here in
return for their board and keep,” explains Vanessa. She also offers art therapy to The
ISIS Womens Centre and the Nelson Trust, to people coping with drug misuses and Cirencester Stroke Club. She also promotes Xavier Project
Duvets through her company which helps helping Congolese refugees to work in Kenya And she is keen to do more. “ I would like to do something close
to home - If anyone has a disabled child locally I would be more than willing to help them through some sort of creative learning,” she says. “Art is so healing. People get lost in
it and for a while they can forget about everything. “It is good for the soul.” And as Vanessa discovered, it can
also change your life. For more information about
Vanessa Arbuthnott fabrics Call: 01285 831437 Fax : 01285 831119 Email:
enquiries@vanessaarbuthnott.co.uk
Sam Mason measuring a roll of material
Vanessa
24
COTSWOLDESSENCE
ESSENCE | September - November 2013
www.cotswoldessence.co.uk
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