Bonfield Block-Printers

Patched Linen Cushion

£315
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Artists Cameron Short & Janet Tristram of Bonfield Block Printers’ have made The Merchant’s Table an exclusive range of ‘Somerset Song’ hand-block-printed cushions.

The cushions are block-printed by the artists, in the Bonfield workshop. Central to the whole operation is their trusty 1904 proofing press. The process is intensive but they feel the results are worth it.

Each block-printed cushion is unique, and they say this with conviction! The cushions are of the same dimensions and shape but feature a mix of patched-on block-printed illustrations.

How the cushions are made:
The chosen fabric is washed before printing (to allow for shrinkage and to remove any sizing) and then ironed. Once this is done, it is laid on the bed of the press to await the inked block. Linseed-based relief ink is mixed by hand to the desired colour before being applied to the block (using an artist's hand roller). The inked block is then carefully placed face-down onto the fabric, before the press's heavy cylinder roller is passed over it. The block is gently removed to reveal the design on the fabric.

The printed textile is taken away to cure (dry); it's then whisked up to their sewing room to be cut to size and transformed into the cushions you see here.

Dimensions: Length: 70cm Height: 40cm

Material: A fine, Japanese linen cushion. The cushion pad is 100% cotton and feather-filled.

The illustrations are spirited from the folk songs famously collected by Cecil Sharp in Somerset, England in 1903.

 The block-printed images patched onto the cushions are a mix of:

 ‘Down by some crystal spring, where the nightingales sing...’

This image emanates from the Somerset folk ballad, ‘The Crystal Spring’. The lyrics of the first verse are particularly evocative, transporting the listener to a cool, verdant Arcadia: ‘Down by some crystal spring, where the nightingales sing, Most pleasant it is, in season, to hear the groves ring...’ The print’s symmetry is inspired by a C17th carved Bible box.

‘Then she became a hare, And he became a greyhound dog...’

This image is conjured from ‘The Two Magicians’, a folk song believed to be unique to Somerset. Song-Hunter Cecil Sharp heard it from just one source - a blacksmith by the rather apt name of William Sparks. A beguiling song, it tells the tale of a girl who refuses to marry a ‘husky, dusky, must-y, fusk-y, coal blacksmith...’ The song takes a surreal turn as the girl resorts to shape-shifting to escape his advances. Little does she know that he, too, has the power to transform himself.

‘What care I for my money, O?’

The image is derived from a lyric in the Somerset folk song, ‘The Wraggle Taggle Gypsies, O!’.

‘She’s gone with the wraggle taggle gypsies, O!’

This image is conjured from the popular Somerset folk song, ‘The Wraggle Taggle Gypsies, O!’ It tells the story of a wealthy, landed lady who eschews her ‘privileged’ life to run off with a band of Romanies - by doing so, she frees herself.

SONGS OF SOMERSET

The story behind the ‘Songs of Somerset’ prints celebrates the exploits of song-hunter Cecil J Sharp in 1903. Over the course of a few years, Sharp roamed Somerset on his humble bicycle, amassing more than 1,600 songs from 350 singers.

We aim to make ordering from us as straightforward as possible.

Once your online transaction has been completed your order will be confirmed by email within 24 hours. If your order is placed on a Friday, or over the weekend, your item will be shipped within 3 days from the Monday.

Using Royal Mail our shipping rates are calculated based on the estimated weight and size of the items. 

You have the option of First Class Delivery (which cannot be tracked), or Tracked delivery ( to enable you to track your package through all stages of the delivery process)

UK CUSTOMERS

Please allow 3-5 working days for delivery in the UK. In most cases it will be less.

INTERNATIONAL CUSTOMERS

We do ship outside of the UK and are delighted to do so, but we ask you to email, susanna@themerchantstable.co.uk, so we may give you an accurate shipping cost to your destination.

Any customs or import duties are charged once the parcel reaches its destination country. These charges must be paid by the recipient of the parcel. Unfortunately, we have no control over these charges, and cannot tell you what the cost would be, as customs policies and import duties vary widely from country to country.

DUTIES

We recommend contacting your local customs office for current charges before you order, so you are not surprised by charges you were not expecting.

Please be aware that your parcel can be also delayed by customs and subsequent charges can be applied. We have no control over this, and cannot supply any details why or for how long your parcel will be delayed.

If you wish to return a purchase please notify us at susanna@themerchantstable.co.uk

If you are unhappy with our products in any way, they can be returned provided they are in saleable condition.

If you wish to return your item and receive a full refund items need to posted/couriered back to us within 7 days of being received by you.

Please note refunds to Debit/Credit Cards normally clear in 1/2 days after receipt of the returned goods.

Returns received outside the above time frame will not be accepted. For all returns you will be required to arrange and pay for the return of the products to us.

We will only accept returns provided the goods are received by us in the condition they were in when delivered to you.

ADDRESS FOR ALL RETURNS & EXCHANGES

Please returns items to: 

The Merchant’s Table
10 Church Street
Woodbridge
Suffolk IP12 1DH

The Maker

Bonfield Block Printers

Bonfield Block-Printers, is the brilliantly inspired collaboration of block print-based artists Cameron Short & Janet Tristram. Home is a crooked Georgian house, complete with its own shop, in a corner of West Dorset, England.
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In the market town of WOODBRIDGE, SUFFOLK, on CHURCH STREET is a double fronted Georgian shop, fronting a 16th Century merchant’s house. Within this beautiful building, layered with merchant’s tales and trading, we opened The Merchant’s Table.

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