Pattern Language: Textiles from a Native Cape Codder

Textile artist, RISD graduate, and former Anthropologie designer Rebecca Atwood grew up on Cape Cod year round, which means wind-swept winters, deserted beaches, and an ever-shifting sense of light (I know because I grew up on the Cape, too). She now lives in Brooklyn (“although the Cape will always be a big part of who I am”) and recently launched her debut collection of pillows and framed artwork, made from hand-dyed fabrics like chambray, linen, and canvas.

“I’m fascinated by how the water finds its way through the fabric and by the patterns it leaves,” Rebecca says of the dying process for her handmade textiles. She varies her techniques, hand-painting fabric to create her Spots pillows and using a modified Japanese shibori technique for her Grid series. To see the full line, go to Rebecca Atwood.

Photos by Nicole Franzen.

Above: A mix of designs; the boudoir-sized handpainted Spots Pillow is $175 and the Grid Shibori Pillow is $200.

Above: Exposed brass zippers add a hint of rough glamor. Prices for Atwood’s shibori-dyed pillows start at $150. The cotton canvas fabric is folded into triangles and then dyed, creating a batik-like grid pattern.

Above: Atwood’s mood board inspiration.