The Macclesfield Silk Museum looks to house an interesting collection of approximately 4000 items which includes items large and small from 26 jacquard handlooms to silk covered buttons.
The collection is described as containing silk machinery, equipment, tools, textiles and costume but the items that caught my eye is the ” pattern book archive contains approximately 1000 volumes from various Macclesfield based silk manufacturers. These date from 1804 up to the 1980s when many firms finally closed down.”
Boy would I like to have a poke around those!
I’ve had an opportunity to do so, and they are wonderful. I spent 2 hours looking and photographing, but am not allowed to share the pics on the internet. Some bits on my blog refer to them. The museum is having a competition next year for work based on print blocks and pattern book items, open to anyone. But would need to see the source material.