"Award winning hand weaver, dyer & milliner specialising in unique luxury accessories for men & women"
- Fruitbat Textiles

How did the collaboration occur?
The very talented Charlotte at Fruitbat Textiles reached out to me for a collaborative project. I was so excited the moment she got in touch, her work is amazing... (see more HERE)

We discussed how we would start the project and she then asked me to choose my favourite photographs of the glorious countryside during Autumn/Winter to use as inspiration for the pieces. Last year I took a magical trip to Scotland during Autumn. I managed to capture some beautiful photographs of the landscape during this time so my initial thoughts were to use these as inspiration as they meant a lot to me and I personally think these define my idea of our Great British countryside during A/W.

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"It can be passed down for generations and this just makes me feel all fuzzy inside."
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Who are Fruit Bat Textiles?

Fruitbat textiles is an award winning hand crafted textiles company based in the heart of Somerset.

Charlotte Martin, creative director of the business, is Somerset born and bred and her work, colours and textures, are totally inspired by her local surroundings.

She mixes her own dyes and weaves the fabrics. She is a trained milliner. Charlotte is based in her workshop in a creative corner of Ilminster, South Somerset. She is hugely passionate about keeping traditional crafts alive within the country and she works hard to educate society about the skills and standards needed to create traditional hand crafted pieces.

Charlotte’s designs are made using natural fibres. She believes this approach is kinder to the environment and allows her to replicate the colours and textures that inspire her throughout the year.








"Living in an area of outstanding beauty, Charlotte’s work is motivated by the seasons - whether it’s the bluebell fields of spring; the beautiful dusk light on a ham stone building during summer; the leaves and trees and rich, rusty oranges of autumn; or the magical light of a frosty, winter morning - Charlotte manages to capture the look and feel of these stunning environments in her dying and weaving."

Details
CLICK HERE to see the full collection

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"It's like being softly hugged by Autumn and all the goodness she has to offer."
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The Process
Take a look at how our beautiful scarves have been made... It's fascinating!

Painting
First up, the virgin wool is painted by hand using the inspirational photographs above as reference. This is then threaded onto the loom...

Threading up the loom

Weaving
The painted and threaded wool is then woven together on the loom in an traditional way...

Charlotte weaving her little heart out

Those colours

Close up detailing of a woven scarf

Large warp in progress

Large scarves straight off the loom

Finished
The finishing touches are added to the scarves and aren't they amazing!



The Finer Details
Charlotte in England x Fruitbat Textiles large scarf up close and personal...

Sizing & Fit
Scarves
Large - approx 1m x 2m + tassels
Small - approx 25cm x 2m + tassels

Accessories
Headbands - 54cm - 57cm head
Cocktail Rings - Adjustable (fits all)

Material & Design
Hand crafted, hand painted, hand woven limited edition British lambs wool fabric.

100% unique and one of a kind!

Scarf Colours
Bright Green
Purple
Burnt Orange

Headband Colours
Green / Burnt Orange
Gold / Green
Yellow / Green
Green / Orange

Cocktail Ring Colours
An elegant bronze toned cocktail ring with the addition of our exclusive fabric.
Only 13 available - View them here




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Why I love it & My thoughts

What's not to love... When it arrived I was at a loss for words, it is beautiful and even better in the flesh. It came beautifully packaged and smelled gorgeous.

These delicious scarves and accessories are completely handmade. Hand dyed, hand woven and inspired by the British countryside. The tones were visualised by myself & Charlotte @ Fruitbat Textiles. With this in mind, this creative collection has been thoughtfully put together with the Autumn Countryside at the heart of the project. Oh and how we love it so! 

You can't buy these on the high street.

The older I get (gosh, I do sound like an old fogey now...) the less I feel drawn and sucked into 'fast-fashion'. Not here! And there is nothing fast about how they have been made. 

Each one of our scarves has been made with passion, love and skill in Charlotte's workshop in Somerset. Don't forget, when you buy from a small business a real life person does a little happy dance. This is just one reason why I love them so much.

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"You need one of our scarves as your countryside companion"
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Something like this is 100% unique because of the process the wool has been through. It results in a completely one-off design. See full colour range above.

The tones really pack a punch, they're really vibrant and colourful. Just like Autumn. There's nothing dull about these beauts. It's like being softly hugged by Autumn and all the goodness she has to offer.

The texture is absolutely gorgeous too. It is soft and ever so warm! This is because Charlotte has used 100% British lambswool. With autumn in full swing and winter just round the corner, you need one of our scarves as your countryside companion. This will last you a life time, it can be passed down for generations and this just makes me feel all fuzzy inside. The tassels finish off the scarves nicely too. (each one has been de-tangled and knotted with Charlotte's own fair hands!)

I'm wearing the 'large' scarf, so it doubles up as a shawl / wrap. Perfect for those who feel the cold, like me during fall and winter. This also means you can expand your wardrobe a little too as there are two functions.

It truly is a work of art and I'm ever so proud of our collection.

Lovely words from a lady who has bought one of the scarves

Charlotte also "creates hand woven and dyed luxury accessories for both men and women. Her often bespoke, unique pieces range from scarves and wraps, flat caps and other casual style hats, to occasion wear such as hats and fascinators. She also takes commissions."

I'd be delighted to know your thoughts! If you have any questions please drop me a message.

Personal thank you to Charlotte for your hard work, passion, and generosity. You are amazing and a true inspiration! x

All my love,

Charlotte
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Find Fruitbat Textiles online here

You can contact Fruitbat Textiles HERE

Facebook: /fruitbattextiles