Hidden Treasures

 

It is a late autumn morning. Fluffy white nimbus clouds hang in a painterly sky above hedgerows the colour of pumpkins. The road straightens before a sharp turn onto a private road leading to Swallow Studios. I am in Co. Monaghan.

I am visiting the textile designer and weaver Liz Christy. She welcomes me in to her large and ordered studio space. Nothing , not even the natural artistry of late October landscapes prepares me for the burst of colour. The looms are in bloom. A newly tied off warp glistens with an extraordinary richness , rainbows simply don’t match the enchantment.

Here, like in so many tiny ateliers and workshops cast away around corners, up country lanes, behind reclaimed cottages is hidden treasure.

I gasp in admiration.

I pick up the trial pieces for her new collection – in silk and merino wool, cashmere and silk or cotton and silk blends. Soft to the touch, sensuous as skin on skin, options in pure luxury.

‘Monaghan is an odd place’ responds Liz. ‘There is a whole lot of stuff going on in sheds up here. We are not good at telling people what we do and what we do well’.

Well now you know.