Introducing Pat Giddens, The Hackney Draper’s fabric aficionado

Specialising in curtain making and upholstery, Pat Giddens is the latest generation of her family to embrace the world of material craft.

 
(Image credit: Pat Giddens Workshop)

 

‘Growing up in the countryside, I had dolls dressed in gold Lamé with curtain rings as earrings. My fathers workshop was the staging post between school and home, as a result we had constant access to a variety of fabrics and materials.’ says Pat, who can trace a lineage of curtain making and fabric expertise back to the 1870s.

‘My father was a curtain maker and his father before him. When I was growing up and when friends used to come and visit, they used to comment that our curtains even had padding in them!’.

Pat founded her curtain making and upholstery workshop, Pat Giddens Ltd, in London in 1993. Prior to this, she worked in fashion buying. ‘Having worked in fashion, I began fancying a change and I also felt the urge to work for myself. I started upholstery and curtain making commissions in my flat, setting out two chairs and a bit of board balanced in-between. This was my temporary workbench at home and where it all began. I used to keep the board underneath my bed, for working on and for ironing the fabric!’ explains Pat.

(Image credit: Pat Giddens Workshop)


‘My father was a curtain maker and his father before him. Growing up in the
countryside, I had dolls dressed in gold Lamé with curtain rings as earrings.’

 

(Image credit: Pat Giddens Workshop)


‘Upholstery and curtain making really took off when Dyala Salam and I started doing ottoman-style interiors. Dyala Salam who is not only a great friend but also a wonderful Turkish-Lebanese antique specialist, and really got me interested in the ottoman style. We made mainly seating in the ottoman style. It was quite unique at the time and, living and working in Notting Hill, it wasn’t long before we had our first celebrity commissions from TV and media personalities. It was a bit of 'right place - right time'. I do feel lucky. Working within your passion is surely the key to a good life, isn’t it?’ says Pat.

Pat now runs her workshop in West London and creates bespoke curtains, cushions, and upholstery commissions and projects with a team of dedicated and highly skilled colleagues. ‘Momo started here in 2007 and is virtually my right arm. He’s a french couturier by training. Having that training he is very aware of how to work with a diverse range of fabrics. He handles fabric wonderfully and he knows how to react to the fabric. He has a beautiful level of fine stitching that’s akin to a Saville Row tailor. He’s a great asset, as are all the makers that work here. Having people that stay with you long term is best for a business and I’m really proud that we are all highly skilled and passionate about our work’ says Pat.

 

(Image credit: Pat Giddens Workshop)


‘Having previously worked in fashion, In 1993 I began fancying a change and I also felt the urge to work for myself. I started upholstery and curtain making commissions in my flat, setting out two chairs and a bit of board balanced in-between. This was my temporary workbench.’


It seemed a natural step for Pat to found The Hackney Draper in 2014. Whilst she is happy to leave the day-to-day running of the drapers to her East-London colleagues and focus on her work at the Pat Giddens workshop, she takes a keen interest in the products and service The Hackney Draper provides.


Will Jones, Manager at The Hackney Draper, says ‘We have an extensive collection of vintage Ikat cushions in a variety of shapes. These are made from indigo-dyed African Baule cloth, complete with a woven ikat pattern. Pat Giddens backs these with colourful linen remnants in her workshop.’

(Image credit: Cushions, The Hackney Draper)

(Image credit: Napkins, The Hackney Draper)


The cushion selection at The Hackney Draper is always a smorgasbord of tasty textiles and design choices. Pat points out that the fabrics in which the cushions are manufactured are sourced from a variety of countries, and often family-owned textile producers. ‘I source a lot of the fabrics from makers in Vietnam, India, and North Africa. I did a trip with my daughter six years ago to Vietnam and we met wonderful families of fabric makers. They have been weaving fabric for generations. We still buy fabrics from the families we met, and I’m really proud of the strong relationship that we have with these friends and suppliers.’


Will says, ‘The cushions and fabric items that Pat Giddens’ workshop makes for the store are a really important and popular line for The Hackney Draper, and there are also linen napkins - crafted using end of roll fabric pieces from our House Washed-Linen range - making them a beautiful addition to any tabletop, with the additional advantage of knowing they are made with reuse in mind. They come in a range of both bright and neutral shades. The Terracotta, Yellow, and Gold fabric hues are particularly popular, so look out for those!’

Feature: Rory Robertson for The Hackney Draper