Liberty of London opened in 1875 by Englishman, Arthur Lasenby Liberty. It started as a small shop on Regent Street specializing in quality rugs, furnishings and fabrics. Today, while Liberty is now a large and famous London department store, it is still synonymous with oriental rugs, furnishings and dress fabrics.

Liberty’s top-quality cotton fabrics come in an overwhelming variety of prints. If you live in London, it’s worth a trip up to the top floor of the department store, where all the prints are on display — truly amazing.

Liberty prints are recognizable everywhere. Designers like Dries van Noten, Helmut Lang, Alexander McQueen, Yohji Yamamoto, Jean-Paul Gaultier, and Cacharel all use Liberty prints. I’ve even seen them at J-Crew!

Liberty prints are characterized by their floral templates and unique detail. Because of their beauty and light-weight texture, they are perfect for children’s dresses and accessories.

I just love looking at all of the different prints. They make me long for a sewing machine (and some lessons from Esther and Emilie)!

If you don’t live in London, you can see (and buy) a good selection of prints on-line at Purl. But good luck choosing…

-Courtney