I have written before about how I love the way the interweb can bring people together.

What continues to astound me are the amazing people with whom I have connected via the virtual world of social media.

And the way that chance encounters can lead to wonderful things.

Today I got a lovely parcel in the post.

I knew there was a package on it’s way, as it was a swap planned a while ago.

But I was not prepared for the full gorgeousness of what lay within…

The fabrics enclosed are all new, but the designs are most certainly vintage.

All are by Sheila Bownas.

And who is Sheila Bownas, you may ask?

Well, it’s a bit of a storybook tale. If you’re sitting comfortably, I’ll begin…

Sheila Bownas was an artist. She showed artistic promise from an early age, attending Skipton Art School in the 1940s and going on to the Slade School of Art in London on a scholarship. She won prizes and had paintings exhibited at The Royal Academy of Arts.

Living in London during the late 1950s and 1960s, Sheila worked on surface pattern design for textiles and wallpapers, including commissions for Liberty of London, Crown Wallpapers and Marks and Spencer.

She returned to Yorkshire in later life, where for many years she continued with her passion for landscape and portrait painting.

And then she was apparently forgotten by the world at large. Her work lay hidden in her studio.

At least, until after Sheila’s death in 2007, when it was sold at auction. Chelsea Cefai bought Sheila’s entire archive, having fallen in love with the patterns and with the hope of one day bringing the designs back to life.

I met Chelsea at last year’s Pretty Dandy Flea, after we got chatting on Twitter and I had admired Sheila’s designs online.

Which led eventually to my ending up in possession of those lovely fabric pieces.

Chelsea is indeed bringing Sheila’s designs back to life.

You can now buy fabrics, prints, cards and cushions in a selection of her wonderful patterns, plus an assortment of amazing lighting produced in collaboration with Zoe Darlington, from Chelsea’s website, sheilabownas.com

But that’s not the end of the story…

A major Sheila Bownas exhibition is planned for early 2015, which will include all 200 works in the collection.

And once I have a little more time to make something for myself, I will be stitching my beautiful fabric pieces into something wonderful – to exhibit on my own sofa.♥