Paisley....it's Everywhere!

I've made some Thermofax screens with a "paisley" theme, using designs that I had created in my Art and Design class at the Gail Harker Creative Studies Center http://www.gailcreativestudies.com/ a few years ago. In the class each student choose a theme to work with and develop into designs that would eventually become a handmade book. Here are some pages from my book:

Did you know that Paisley is a term for a design using the boteh or buta, a droplet-shaped vegetable motif of Persian origin. Such designs became very popular in the West in the 18th and 19th centuries, following imports of post-Mughal versions of the design from British India, especially in the form of Kashmir shawls, and were then imitated locally. The pattern is sometimes called "Persian pickles" by American traditionalists, especially quilt-makers, or "Welsh pears" in Welsh textiles as far back as 1888.

Paisley was particularly popular during the Summer of Love, heavily identified with psychedelic style and the interest in Indian spirituality and culture brought about by the pilgrimage of The Beatles to India in 1968. Also, Fender Guitars made a Pink Paisley version of their Telecaster guitar, by sticking paisley wallpaper onto the guitar bodies. Prince paid tribute to the rock and roll history of paisley when he created the Paisley Park Records recording label and established Paisley Park Studios, both named after his 1985 song "Paisley Park".
(from Wikipedia)
At the 2010 Winter Olympics, Azerbaijan's team sported colorful paisley trousers! See them at: http://www.fastcompany.com/1557207/olympic-uniforms-take-home-gold-ugly

Here are some of the images I developed during my classes, I think they make terrific Thermofax designs:

You can order them in small, medium and large sizes here: http://fabricimagery.com/category/paisley/