Welcome to Penelope Textiles

Vintage and Antique Textiles - Penelope Textiles

I can not remember a time that I was not both passionate about and fascinated by textiles.

My Family's textile history can be traced as far back as the weavers in Shoreditch, London in the 17th century. My mother taught me to sew, and I always felt it to be an important skill to preserve and pass on for future generations to appreciate.

Penelope Textiles offers a carefully curated collection of delights for all kinds of discerning textile lovers, from the creator to the collector, the novice to the expert, or for those looking for something slightly different for the textile lover in your life.

The Nottingham Lace is produced in the UK and has been made by the same family for 10 generations, since the 1700’s. Their laces are used by Haute Couture fashion houses and were chosen by Catherine, Princess of Wales for the trim on her wedding dress and on the Bridesmaids dresses. The ribbons that I sell are woven on jacquard looms in Germany, the same looms have been used for over 100 years. Up to 850 individual cardboard pattern cards are required for just one pattern.

Sajou is an iconic French brand that focuses on quality and history. Their scissors are hand made and hand paired by Master Guildsmen, their threads are produced on the same machinery that has been used for over 100 years and are used to embellish the collections and leather goods of Haute Couture houses. Their embroidery charts and kits are history based, many using archive materials.

DMC (Dollfus-Mieg et Compagnie) was created in Alsace, France in 1746. Their enduring popularity as a household name is a testament to the reliable quality of the brand. Everything you need to create your own heirlooms of the future.

I have a selection of vintage and antique textiles available in my shop. Textiles have their own personal, social, and cultural histories interwoven and worked into the very fibres from which they are made. I strongly believe each piece carries its own importance, be it an fine example, exquisitely worked and intended for religious or civic purposes, a commemorative piece marking a specific point in time, a young brides trousseau meticulously worked by an army of female relatives for several years, or a more humble piece, well used, loved, darned, mended, and re-used, masquerading as its latest owners needs depict.