Roger Limbrick
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Textiles

textile designs for Hull Traders, Heals and Fedelis - three British companies producing hand screen-printed furnishing fabrics in the 1960's

HullTradersPalace2W.
"palace" - a time present fabric - 4 colourways
design: Roger Limbrick 1966
produced by: Hull Traders
Photograph: Ferens Art Gallery, Hull Museums

Hand screen-printed furnishing fabrics were Hull Traders’ speciality in the 1960's. Shirley Craven, who designed textiles for the company also acted as their art director, selecting designs by many freelance textile artists. Designers included Doreen Dyall, Peter McCulloch, and Cliff Holden and Roger Limbrick.
Sculptor Eduardo Paolozzi and photographer Nigel Henderson, collaborating under the name Hammer Prints, played a prominent role at the outset, along with textile designer John Drummond. Artist Ivon Hitchens was another early contributor.
HullTradersQuadrilleW.
"quadrille" - a time present fabric - 4 colourways
design: Roger Limbrick c.1961-62
produced by: Hull Traders

This design derives from a modular series of shapes using small printing blocks which were cut from foam rubber. On playing around and printing these blocks on paper Roger said he discovered a way of producing never ending colourful structures, of which Quadrille was but one design. Many others, looking quite different, were bought from the collection by overseas manufacturers

HullTradersRoundelW.
"roundel" - a time present fabric - 6 colour ways
design: Roger Limbrick 1964
produced by: Hull Traders

roundel was created by rubbing and scribbling a wax crayon across a hand cut stencil

HullTradersStardustW.
"stardust" - a time present fabric - 3 colourways
design: Roger Limbrick 1962
produced by: Hull Traders

"stardust" was was a series of lines drawn directly onto Kodatrace with wax crayons

HullTradersPleasaunceW.
"pleasaunce" - a time present fabric
design: Roger Limbrick c.1960-61
produced by: Hull Traders

"pleasaunce" was created using torn up tissue paper shapes

HullTradersTableMatsW.
tablemat and napkin
design: Roger Limbrick c.1965
produced by: Hull Traders

HealsRippleW.
"ripple" - 5 colour ways
design: Roger Limbrick c. mid 1960's
produced by: Heals

FidelisIxionW.
"ixion" - 3 colour ways
design: Roger Limbrick c. mid 1960's
produced by: Fidelis

TextileHangingDesign1W.
textile hanging
design: Roger Limbrick c. early 1960's

TextileHangingDesign2W.
textile hanging
design: Roger Limbrick c. early 1960's

HULL TRADERS EXHIBITION & BOOK

A touring exhibition organised by the Ferens Art Gallery in Hull celebrates Shirley Craven's creative partnership with Hull Traders. Running from 3 October 2009 onwards, the exhibition is curated by design historian Lesley Jackson, author of a new book 'Shirley Craven and Hull Traders - Revolutionary Fabrics and Furniture 1957-1980'.
Visit the Hull Traders Exhibition website at:
www.hulltraders.co.uk - where you can find references to all the designers, including Roger Limbrick


DESIGN MAGAZINE 1966 issue 208

The 1966 Design Journal includes a photograph of "palace" aspart of an article on design entitled "New Thinking". Next to "palace" is a photograph of "tomotom" cardboard furniture designed by Bernard Holdaway, also produced by Hull Traders. Bernard was married to Shirley Craven and a good friend of Roger. See the article at:
vads.ahds.ac.uk/diad/article - and click on the second page



DESIGN MAGAZINE 1965 issue 196

An earlier article also makes reference to "roundel". See the article at:
vads.ahds.ac.uk/diad/article - and click on page six



V&A MUSEUM ARCHIVES

The V&A museum archives also includes information about 1960's furnishing textiles, including Hull Traders & Shirley Craven - see:
vam.ac.uk/collections - 1960s textile designers