In 1990 Annabel Lewis closed her flower shop in Parsons Green and opened a specialist ribbon shop – V V Rouleaux. If it was the era of specialist shops it was definitely not the era of haberdashery shops. Ribbons had lost their lustre and department stores no longer stocked them. Annabel, however, was certain that it was not the demand for ribbons that had fallen but that it was the quality and variety. Furthermore she knew from her days as a florist that to sell one begonia you should have a display of five begonias, and in a whole range of sizes and colours. Small ribbon areas in old department stores were not doing anything for the product.
I collect… anything to do with ribbons, ribbon embroidery, vintage ribbons. All types of bits and bobs that are quality of their era like, old French jewellery, old tassels with exquisite workmanship. Interesting colour combinations in fabric and ribbon, paper magenta with donkey brown, fluorescent pink with plum and aubergine. Ribbons with pale pink satin edged in brown fur, all 180mm wide.
I can’t live without… a sewing box full of bits and bobs including wire in all gauges. Colour.
My guilty pleasure is… a sleep in the afternoon at the weekends.
Our house is filled with… old vintage everything, tassels, furniture, pictures, fabrics. Glass chandelier bits, boxes of ribbons. Children.
I treasure my… collection of ribbon design documents from 1840.
Right now I can’t stop thinking about… how relieved I am that the shops are busier than last Christmas.
Currently I am reading… the Anthony Blunt story.
My favourite item of clothing is… a black skirt embroidered with thousands of raffia flowers in every colour clashing, all up one side and down the other. Made in the Philippines in the 60’s for the American ambassadors wife. It was long and high waisted and I chopped off the top .
At the top of my furniture wish list is… new sofas covered in my own fabrics designed and inspired by my ribbon design documents all English made .
The last thing that really inspired me was… old French linen thread in musty dirty pink with a logo of a bee hive and bees, with old French script writing all wound around a card like a star, buttons covered with wishy washy mauve silk. What a great colour. This has inspired our new collection of gift packs for retail.
My comfort food is… chips and millionaires cake, the one with layers of biscuit caramel toffee topped with chocolate. I could eat a whole tray.
On my desk are… feather samples of partridge, pheasant, duck, reeves, lady amherst and golden pheasant - pom poms, a seashell and pearl necklace with wax cord, scissors, wire and a glue gun.
This weekend I will… go fishing, walk up a hill and make something exciting like a tassel or invent a new scarf for the shop.
Tonight I must… dust the cottage, feed and play with the ferret, be domestic.
I love what I do because… it’s making, inventing, finding unusual things, discovering people with skills to make special things for us. Like a military ribbon braid woven in Yorkshire which is used for a ceremonial belt with tassels on. The metallic gold and burgundy 80mm horizontal stripe ribbon is a winner for Christmas, last seen around the waist of the queen on ceremonial duty at trouping of the colour. How exciting is that?
My Inside Life…The Biscuiteers
My Inside Life… Helena Amourdedieu
My Inside Life… Kate Mooney
