Around the World with You: Faith of Damselfy

Today we welcome someone who has expressed much enthusiasm for Sisters Guild and who shares a passion for things made with beauty and integrity.  Faith Tilleray of Damselfly creates the most enchanting and ethereal hand-finished clothes. She designs dresses that takes us back a century, with detail that makes us think of magical and historical places.  Faith shares her favourite place, which, quite pertinently, is very pure and stirring:

by Jonathan Rich courtesy of Natural England

Faith says:
Here is my favourite place. It's been in my mind as we did a photoshoot up there last weekend. I go up there at all times of the year- it's called Stiperstones and is very near to where we live and run the business in Shropshire. It has a very special atmosphere - slightly strange and very wild. One of the outcrops is called the Devil's Chair but the name doesn't really suit it. It feels powerful yes, but benevolent. The name comes from old times when women used to gather herbs there and celebrate the solstices - women who were named witches because they had powerful knowledge, but were not the evil hags of fairy tales.

By Michael Martin courtesy of Natural England

The other reason that I love it up there at this time of year is that it's covered in winberriers (the Shropshire word for bilberries). They are delicious little bursts of vitamin C. An old lady in the village here tells a story from her girlhood - the local landowner would pay children who picked enough winberries with a pair of shoes to wear to school. If they didn't pick enough berries they had to wear worn out hand me downs that may or may not be the right size and had been patched with whatever material were available. Another world!

The two photos here were entries in a competition to capture the power of the Stiperstones and I think they got it!  You  can see the little winberry bushes between the rocks. 

Wow, Faith, thank you for showing us this place.  I can imagine it's somewhere to sit and feel the history beneath you. With a feeling that is earthly yet intangible too. What a wonderful story of the winberries - truly something of fairy tales. 

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Where's YOUR place of joy, of wonder, of family adventure, day or weekend trip, of childhood memories or grown up romance?

Where's YOUR favourite place?  Perhaps it's a local nature spot, a far-flung island, a museum, or cafe. A building in your city, a shop window, a park bench, a glorious view.

•    Send us a picture of your favourite place
•    Tell us where it is. If you'd like to tell us why even better.
•    Email it to : carla@sistersguild.com

Each place will be presented on the blog here and entered into a draw for a £60 Sisters Guild voucher
The draw will take place on 6th November 2012

Take a look Around the World  here