Friday Design Focus #3: Folly Cove Designers

I was a huge reader as a kid. Do you remember those reading challenges libraries used to have in the summer (I don’t know they still may)…I would just devour books! So I was really fascinated to discover that one of my favorite author/illustrators from those (too long ago) summers also headed up a design collective. Virginia Lee Burton whose works include Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel and, my all-time favorite, The Little House, started the Folly Cove Designers, where she and several other talented women created lively wood-block prints in the spirit of Liberty or William Morris.

The looks soon drew enough attention that they were retailed in Lord & Taylor and a deal was struck with F. Schumacher (I wonder if they still have the screens!)

Although the collective disbanded after Burton’s death in 1968, their works is part of the permanent collections of both the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and the Cape Ann Museum in Gloucester. Even better, the children of several of the Folly Cove Designers have launched Folly Cove Designers II where 17 of the original blockprint designs are now offered for sale.

How fantastic is that? Take a look at the Folly Cove Designers II website. I had a hard time deciding what patterns I wanted to show on this post, because I really loved them all!  (Photos courtesy of Folly Cove Designers II)

(Photos courtesy of Folly Cove Designers II)