Hydrangea Gathered Nightgown

Hydrangeas are my favorite summer flower. As soon as I began designing floral prints, I knew that hydrangeas would be one of my first patterns. Growing up on the North Shore of Long Island, hydrangeas were always in the background of childhood summers. It wasn’t until I would later find them mid-bloom at my husband's home in the Hamptons, did I really understand the beauty of these flowers. 

I met my husband in high school and began visiting him in East Hampton each summer after we met. His family lived in a rambling shingled house surrounded by elm trees, privet hedges, and beautiful blue hydrangeas. My mother-in-law had terrific style; she adored blue hydrangeas and had them planted throughout the backyard. Something about them struck me and stayed with me long after my visit. There’s something magical about the blue flowers of hydrangeas framed by the vibrant green grass of summer. This scene and its palette of colors are forever etched in my memory. 

Hydrangeas’ soft shape is perfectly suited for the Indian block print process. The bulging flowers in white and blue can be carved into wood blocks and pressed on cotton by hand. Watching my hydrangea prints come to life, from the workshop in which they’re handcrafted by expert artisans to finished, form fitting products, has been a captivating experience.