Linwood Introduces Hula: Printed Fabrics and Hand Embroidery Come Together

This autumn, Linwood introduces Hula, a new geometric fabric collection that brings printed linens and richly worked embroideries together for the first time.

Drawing on archive references dating from the 19th century to the early 1930s, Hula reimagines scallops, zigzags, stripes and decorative motifs for contemporary interiors. Each pattern has been redrawn and repainted in Linwood’s Hampshire studio, preserving the movement and individuality of the original hand-worked lines.

The collection explores how the same motif can take on a different character through print and embroidery. While the printed fabrics retain the fluidity of the painted mark, their embroidered counterparts introduce texture, definition and subtle variations in tone. Selected designs go a step further, combining hand block printing and hand embroidery on the same cloth.

Leading the collection is Ahoy There, inspired by a decorative design from the 1920s. In the printed version, playful zigzags meet a crisp striped border with a subtle nautical note. Hand-drawn lines and unexpected colour combinations soften its graphic structure, while a weighty linen-and-cotton ground gives the fabric a substantial texture.

Ahoy There Embroidery combines hand block printing with three embroidery techniques on pure linen. The block-printed elements preserve the rustic individuality of the original artwork, while expressive stitching adds depth and finely worked detail to its bold bands of zigzags and stripes.

A quieter geometric rhythm can be found in Nimbus, a printed pure linen inspired by a monochrome design from the 1930s. White scallops move across coloured grounds, with subtle tonal variations retaining the lightness and irregularity of the original hand-worked line.

In Nimbus Embroidery, the signature scallop is reinterpreted in satin stitch on dyed pure linen. Tonal threads respond differently as the light moves across the cloth, allowing subtle variations in shade and texture to emerge.

Adapted from a 19th-century Japanese design, Ravioli arranges softly rounded squares and playful dots into an orderly geometric repeat. Its quieter colourways feature tonal motifs against neutral grounds, while its multicoloured versions introduce layered washes and expressive shifts in colour. Printed on a tactile cotton, linen and viscose blend, Ravioli balances bold pattern with a relaxed, versatile character.

Ravioli Embroidery brings further depth to the design through hand block printing and hand embroidery on pure linen. Blocks of colour alternate with dotted details, while expressive stitching emphasises the pleasing irregularity of the original artwork.

Completing the embroidery-focused story is To The Point, a dramatic, large-scale design combining hand block printing and embroidery on chunky linen. A bold circular medallion is framed by radiating stripes, dashes and painterly marks, creating a confident architectural rhythm that remains unmistakably hand drawn.

Hula’s embroideries are suitable for curtains, blinds, cushions and decorative upholstery, while the coordinating printed fabrics extend their versatility across curtains, blinds, cushions and upholstery.

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