Floral Fabric by British Printmaker Molly Mahon
Shop our collection of floral patterned fabric,
exclusively designed by British printmaker, Molly Mahon and
Ethically block printed in India by expert craftspeople.
Discover our most popular floral fabrics
Taking inspiration from the British countryside and trips to India, Molly Mahon’s range of floral print fabric has been created so that you can bring the vividness, variety, and joy found in nature into your home.
Discover a World of Print, Colour and Pattern with Molly Mahon
Molly Mahon is a British printmaker who is well-known in the industry for her bold use of colour and application of heritage techniques.
Her stunning designs have appeared in publications such as House & Garden, The World of Interiors and Country Life, and she has collaborated with clothing company Boden on a spring print range for both women and children.
Alongside fabrics and wallpaper, Molly's designs are also available on a range of other homewares including mugs, cushions and quilts.
Each print is designed by Molly Mahon before being brought to life using traditional block printing techniques. Skilled Indian craftspeople hand carve Molly’s designs into wooden blocks before expertly applying them manually onto premium organic cotton and other plant-based fibres including viscose and linen.
Akin to nature itself, Molly’s fabrics allow your imagination to run wild in creating innovative interiors, practical accessories and vibrant, bespoke apparel.
- Cath Kidston MBE"Molly Mahon has a magical, modern eye for block printing. I have long been a fan of her work"
Let your creativity blossom
Flowers have long represented renewal and beauty. They have the power to invoke memories of spring times gone by, uplift spirits and inject delight into any setting. Fresh bouquets are often given as a gift to friends and loved ones, and flowers are known to feature heavily in celebrations across the globe.
In India, flowers and the natural world have a particularly special significance. For example, in Hinduism, one of the most widely followed religions in the country, it is believed that humans and nature are intrinsically linked as we rely on our natural world for survival.
Molly Mahon has expertly captured the lifeblood of the most beautiful flowers found on our planet with a range of block-printed fabrics that can be used in any way that your heart desires. Whether you want a fresh, tranquil space finished with curtains and soft furnishings in blue hues, or a colour-filled bedroom with clashing prints featured in the bedding, lampshades and finishing touches, Molly’s fabrics will speak to your creative side.
Bold blooms or dainty ditsy print?
Whether it's vintage style floral fabric you’re using to make a retro-inspired outfit, or you have your eye on a colourful floral fabric that you feel will suit a space, the scale of the print is something that you might be considering.
There are no hard and fast rules with using floral fabrics, and people are finding fun and innovative ways to use them to style themselves and their homes. Our mood boards are a great place to get inspired, as is our Pinterest if you are still undecided on how to best use printed floral fabrics.
For floral dressmaking fabrics, smaller patterns may work better as they can make pattern matching easier. That’s not to say you can’t use big, bold prints but you might just need more material to guarantee you can align the design throughout the garment.
Smaller patterns also work well for home and personal accessories such as bags, headbands, cushions, and tea towels where full appreciation of a large size design may be harder to achieve.
For home interiors, you can really experiment with scale, pattern, and colour. Choosing a large floral print for chairs and curtains, for instance, can help you to make a statement and you can pull out colours from the designs for decorative accents. Smaller, ditsy prints, on the other hand, can help bring cottage core dreams to life or inject colour and interest into a room with a neutral base.
You can even try a maximalism approach by mixing patterns, flower types, sizes and colours!
Block printing: An ancient art
Block printing has a long and vibrant history. As one of the oldest forms of printmaking, it has its roots in India, China and Japan, and there is evidence to suggest that the technique was used as early as the fifth century BC.
Essentially, it involves using a carved material, such as wood, linoleum, or rubber, and covering it in ink to then transfer the design onto fabric or paper.
It is an artisan craft that takes a tremendous amount of skill, accuracy, and patience. There are so many steps involved from carving an initial sketch onto the transfer block, to mixing dyes and the application.
The process results in a design that has perfect imperfections but also a texture and life that cannot be created by more modern printing techniques.
The human connection of craftsmanship
One of the reasons why hand block printing is so integral to Molly’s designs is the human touch that it embeds into each and every finished piece.
Molly’s fabrics weave people and creativity together at every step. They begin with drawings that Molly adds to her sketchbook. Expert craftspeople in Jaipur then take these initial ideas and hand carve the designs onto blocks. Using dyes, the designs are applied block by block onto fabric or paper. This takes a monumental amount of precision with regard to placement and pressure.
After agriculture, craft is the city’s largest employer, and it is well recognised for its economic and cultural importance. Many organisations support Jaipur’s creative industries and are championing the improvement of working conditions and preservation of time-honoured techniques.
The finished products are finally picked by people across the world, based on their own unique tastes. Molly’s fabrics, wallpapers and homewares allow people to explore their creativity and create homes that suit their style and bring joy to their hearts. Without human involvement at every step of the process, bringing these ideas to life just wouldn’t be possible.
Each collection is made in small-scale batches as this allows us to focus on the details and create premium products, whilst limiting waste. Even when there are leftover materials, every scrap is used at some point in our process to avoid anything going unused.
Plastic packaging is only used where insurance insist with fabric & wallpaper shipment. However no plastic is used in any of our other packaging. We're also conscious of our air miles and we have sought to balance this aspect of our business by supporting local communities in India and crafts that are at risk of falling by the wayside as a result of mass manufacturing.
Feeling inspired? Browse our collection of floral fabrics and allow your creativity to flourish!
Planet-conscious prints
Our fabrics come in a fabulous range of colours but when it comes to our processes and materials, we really do think green.
We only used water-based products, opting for natural pigment wherever possible. We print onto organic cotton or other high-quality, plant-based fibres such as linen and viscose, that have been carefully sourced, and we pay above the average cost for these materials as we feel we are paying a fair and reflective price.
Are you a budding designer?
If our flower print fabric has got you thinking about other ways you can take inspiration from nature in a creative capacity, why not come along to one of Molly's next workshops or events?
"We need to make time to be creative. It feeds and nourishes the soul.” Molly Mahon
In taking part, you’ll learn all about the ancient art of block printing, including how to make a block carving and application techniques. You can enjoy experimenting with colour, shape, and textures to create something bespoke that is a true reflection of your own personal style.
Each workshop includes all the materials you need as well as refreshments throughout the day.
