Like the secret sale you’re uncertain you want to tell friends about, the discovery of Live Auctioneers might test your magnanimity — at least it did for me! But here goes nonetheless.  It’s not showy, and there’s a fair bit of detritus to sift through, but for the keen eye this site is full of hidden treasures. Case in point: this painted Indian fabric depicting multiple Krishnas under a moonlit sky. Starting bid, $50.

With just the smallest bit of investigation this 32″ x 42″ piece of fabric ephemera on sale at Ro Gallery for $1450 opens up a world of 60’s – 70’s era pop culture history. One might immediately assume (as I did) that Peter Max – the artist behind the print – also created the artwork for Yellow Submarine.  Max was a huge influence on counter culture graphic design of the era but it was Heinz Edelmann who provided art direction for the famous Beatles inspired cartoon, not Max. According to Wikipedia, Edelmann and Milton Glaser – who I coincidentally did a post on last week – were the original pioneers “of the psychedelic style for which Max would later become famous.”

Just when I think all the huge talents of Swedish mid century textile design have been fully accounted for another name pops to the surface. Today it’s Sven Markelius, “one the most important modernist Swedish architects.” As a google image search quickly proves, he also designed textiles. The framed Markelius pattern pictured above was sold by Modern 50 and is highlighted here by Mid-Centuria as a “mathematic inspired” print of the 1950’s.

Despite a name that might indicate otherwise, Yellow Velvet is in fact a “pillow gallery” — and it certainly has lots of pillows to show (and sell). Among the represented collections is Covelli Tenant; they give vintage scarves and other eye catching textiles a soft second life. Their Coronation Scarf pillow is pictured above.

According to the V&A website:

The firm of William Foxton Ltd., founded in 1903, produced some of the most innovative artist-designed textiles of the 1920s. It commissioned artists such as Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Claude Lovat Fraser, F. Gregory Brown and Minnie McLeish.

The fabric above (so fresh!) was designed by Constance Irving in 1926.

Click here for a Minnie McLeish panel now for sale at Vintage Textiles.

Collector’s Weekly – undoubtedly old news for auction pros – offers edited and more refined access to the often overwhelming behemoth that is EBay. Above, a vintage tablecloth found through the site.

Existing at a clearly demarcated crossroads between textile design and fashion, decorative scarves distill so much of what is interesting and alluring about the combination of fabric, pattern and color. The new book Scarves from Thames & Hudson (highlighted in the July issue of The World Of Interiors) is dedicated to their history. And, following one keyword to another, the World’s book announcement led me to this very interesting article by Artes Magazine on Ascher scarves. The scarf pictured above features a design by Francoise Gilot, produced by Ascher circa 1947.

I’m flying off tomorrow for a two week trip to Europe — which means it’s time to put Fibercopia on a brief break too! More on June 20th.

Above, a detail of a 1930’s era quilt. Click here for more.

Appearances would indicate that Folksy is the British answer to Etsy. As such it’s yet another site to search for textile sundries, like this bit of upholstery fabric above.

Vera Neumann (1907 – 1993) was an artist and textile designer most famous for her scarves, each marked by her name — and a ladybug. Now almost twenty years after her death Vera items populate the web from Etsy to Ebay. There’s also a biography,  Vera: The Art and Life of an Icon.

Image via Dooce.