Textiles play an integral role in creating an Arts & Crafts home, introducing color, pattern, warmth and comfort into the decorating scheme. Working in techniques used at the turn-of-the-century, hand embroidery, printing and stencilling, this studio creates textiles for the home in period designs and their own Arts & Crafts inspired designs. Items include curtains and other window treatments, pillows, table linens, bedspreads and wall hangings. Yardage and curtain hardware are available and the workshop produces a line of embroidery kits which are marketed through many historic house gift shops as well as their own catalog. They also execute designs for other artists and architects as custom textiles.
Arts & Crafts Period Textiles was founded in 1987 by Dianne Ayres and Timothy Hansen. Dianne learned the trade of custom sewing of interior textiles from her grandmother who operated a workroom in her home in Indiana. Dianne also studied textile arts at Indiana University. Timothy began collecting Arts & Crafts antiques in the 1970s. The couple continues to refine their collection for their Berkeley brown shingle home and also collects books, ephemera and textiles to further their research on turn-of-the-century design. In addition to the production of the workshop, Dianne and Timothy write and lecture nationally on the topics of Arts & Crafts textiles and design.
Draperies for the McDonald Mansion Master Suite, Santa Rosa, Ca. Linen with hand-embroidery and metallic stencil, which co-ordinates with Bradbury & Bradbury Burnaby wallpaper. Photo: Mark Citret.
Portiere of linen, hand-embroidery, and leather, graces the entry hall of a Berkeley brownshingle. Table linen hand embroidered conventionalized daisy design on heavy linen. Photo: Nathanael Bennett.
Portiere of linen, hand-embroidery, and leather, graces the entry hall of a Berkeley brownshingle. Table linen hand embroidered conventionalized daisy design on heavy linen. Photo: Nathanael Bennett.
Conventionalized floral motifs in hand-stencil & hand-embroidery on linen folding screen panels. Photo: Nathanael Bennett.
Conventionalized floral motifs in hand-stencil & hand-embroidery on linen folding screen panels (detail). Photo: Nathanael Bennett.
Playroom featuring our Stencilled Tree and Animals pattern on a curtain panel, and White Bunnies pillow. Also hand-embroidered Batchelder Cats pillow, Stencilled Poppy Pillow and a custom piecework quilt. Photo: Nathanael Bennett.
Hand-Printed Curtain Panels commissioned for the cottage at Jack London State Historic Park, recreated from historic document photograph by Dianne Ayres of Arts &Crafts Period Textiles.
“Honorable Saurians” a quote by John Muir, hand embroidered panel by Dianne Ayres.
Edge of Extinction – California Condor: Hand Embroidery & Applique in Cotton, Linen, Silk; Polymer Clay; Onyx. 44.25″ x 44.25″ c. Dianne Ayres, 2020. With only 22 wild California Condors in the 1980’s, the effort to recover the species is an environmental success story. This panel honors the work to save the largest flighted bird on Earth from extinction and the puckish majesty of the birds themselves.
Letters of Transit – Passports for Birds: Collaboration of Alisa Golden and Dianne Ayres, 2019
Letterpress with photos tipped in; rubber stampings for passport entries; hand-painted wooden eggs; satchel of linen & silk embroidery lined with cotton collagraph.
