A NEW exhibition exploring the textiles of Lakes designer Annie Garnett is set to open this weekend.

Treasures from the archive of the entrepreneur, who became a key figure in the revival of hand spinning and weaving in the Lake District, will be on display at Blackwell, The Arts and Crafts House, near Bowness, until next year.

Annie Garnett was a talented colourist, designer and keen businesswoman in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, who established and managed the Spinnery at Bowness, making beautiful textiles using traditional methods.
A portrait of Annie Garnett from 1904

Her work was influenced by the ideas of the writer, art critic and social reformer, John Ruskin. Her colours and designs were inspired by her beautiful garden in Windermere and the landscape and colours of the Lake District.

Especially unique to The Spinnery, was the production of distinctive fabrics including rich wools, embroidered linens, and 'throwans' a mixture of flax and silk that changed colour with light and movement. Her designs and patterns won multiple awards and gained national and international commissions. Among her customers were a daughter of Queen Victoria and Queen Alexandra.

This exhibition features items from the Annie Garnett archive, held at the Museum of Lakeland Life and Industry, Kendal, and tells Miss Garnett's story through photographs, diary entries, personal objects and the textiles themselves.

A collection of newly-identified and very rare Autochrome images can also be seen for the first time, showing Annie's original garden, in glorious colour.

This show has been curated in collaboration with Professor David Ingram, who has been carrying out new research on the archive.

The exhibition at Blackwell opens on Saturday September 24, and runs until January 29, 2017.