Tell Us it's Tuesday: Faith of Damselfly

Today we have the pleasure of a very inspiring and imaginative British clothing designer, Faith Tilleray of Damselfly. As a mum of girls Carla is always seeking dresses that make a girl feel divine, through the cut and the fabric, the movement and the thoughtful detail. Carla found such magic in Damselfly and wrote about it here. I've seen Carla's daughter wearing a Damselfly dress, and it really does make you want to go back to being a girl again and feel such clothes against your skin.

Damselfly is a collection of beautifully hand-finished clothing for 'heroines and wayfarers.' It has added much wonder to the British childrens clothing industry. Yet, industry it is most definitely not. Each dress, skirt, coat or cape is made by hand following the 'whole garment system' which means a seamstress works on the whole piece. The result is clothing produced with much love and pride.  You almost feel like these are dresses created by magical elves during the night and left draped over the chair for the morning light to shine on all their glorious detail. They are in fact made in Shropshire using sustainable fabrics sourced only in the UK, such as yarn from the Shetland Isles. The new collection for Autumn Winter 2011 is Folk Art and Fairy Tales and it is the stuff of dreams.

We have an inkling that the creator behind Damselfly has quite a romantic mind and has truly followed her 'calling' through her creative adventure of Damselfly.  We asked Faith to tell us more...

On waking the first 3 things I do are…
Put the puppy out, drink green tea,  read the Independent

If I had a superpower it would be…
Flying - definitely. I dream about it sometimes and it's exhilarating.

If I could trade places for a day with someone it would be…
Katherine Edmonds of Wovenplay.

If someone wrote a story about me the title would be…
The Unexpected

When I was seven years old…
I made my first skirt on the sewing machine.

If you open my fridge you will see
Lots of lovely cheeses, locally produced meat, baby leaves. ( trying the Atkins diet)

My favourite view is…
Standing at the top of our sloping garden, looking out across the village to the other side of the Clun Valley. Feels homely and wild at the same time.

The 3 things I will tell my children are…
Be true to yourself
Be kind to yourself and to other people
Follow your dreams

The song or musical piece for the theme tune of my life is…

Joni Mitchell - 'All I Want'. My mum used to play it when I was young and I've loved it ever since.

I used to be…
An English teacher in the UK's top state school ... huge pressure. Still have nightmares about not having read the books on the A level syllabus and having to stand up in front of my sixth formers knowing nothing.

My biggest guilty pleasures are…
Chocolate. Downton Abbey

My wardrobe is…
Small. I wear things until they fall apart.

Never have I ever…
Been to Paris. My life's dream. Am planning to make it come true in 2012

My kids taught me…
That it's always better to be honest - not to always feel you have to protect everyone else.

Life is like a…
A journey - destination not so important as travelling well.

My earliest memory is…
Going to nursery school without my knickers. It was my birthday and I was too excited to get dressed properly. Felt mortified all day as I was wearing a skirt.

My underwear drawer…
Almost completely black. I'm no good at washing pale colours separately so they all end up grey and washed out. Easier to stick to black.

I feel like running for the hills when….
I  work from a studio at home ( in the hills). It's lovely but I do get cabin fever if I work too many days without a break. Sometimes my body just will not walk over the threshold and I have to escape. I usually head for London.

On my teenage bedroom wall there was…
Nothing much apart from bookshelves. I couldn't understand the whole 'pop idol' thing.

My ideal partner would have the mind of .....and the skills of
Sorry on this one - has to be my partner. Wouldn't change a thing.


Thank you Faith, your answers are fascinating - flying dreams and previous career as an English Teacher, wow! Chocolate and Downton Abbey, yes! Also, you've reminded me of Carla's no-knickers-at- school experience when she was in the Infants.  We had to share with everyone the 'All I Want' song as it's one of our favourites as our mum played Joni Mitchell too - maybe it's growing up with her words that makes for minds that meander on love, beauty and adventure! We hope you enjoy your trip to Paris - inspiration for the next Damselfly collection maybe?x  

---

This is part of our new series of Tuesday blog posts where we ask you to tell us all. We wanted a fun way way to get to know the people behind the blogs and businesses we follow. We have more people lined up to reveal themselves and may be asking you too!


We also publish other series in our blog including our Monday Makery, Wednesday we show you our favourite seasonal pieces and Thursdays is dedicated to the 'Art of Living' in which we share ideas and inspiration from places to visit, things to see and articles about things that enrich our lives.


www.sistersguild.co.uk