Block printing is a traditional method of printing fabric including silk, using blocks made up of several layers of wood with the grain running in alternate directions to prevent warping. The pattern is made by cutting away areas of wood or adding metal pins to produce the design in relief. It was common to use five or more blocks to create one design.

Curator Bryony Renshaw says: “The exhibition has been inspired by our extensive collections. We wanted to exhibit them in a way to help people understand what life would have been like in a printworks, creating these iconic fabrics. Macclesfield was at the heart of the silk industry for many years, and it played a huge part in people ‘s lives from the town, but it also had a global impact with textiles being produced for fashion houses like Liberty and Jacqmar of London.

The Museums are also working with Pinc College, a specialist college for neurodivergent young people aged 16-25 who are based in Macclesfield. The students have learnt all about block printing and have been inspired by some of the iconic designs from the pattern books in the collections at the Museums.

By taking motifs such as paisley as a starting point and looking at Macclesfield architecture the students have created a design, carved the printing blocks and then printed it on to silk. Their incredible work will form part of the exhibition.

The exhibition will look at designs from the 1940s and 1950s with examples of the blocks, the printing tables and the tools used to create the patterns.

Visitors will be able to see how the workers would create the patterned silk and the processes used to print the fabric.

Bryony added: “We will also be revealing information about the workers and their jobs as well as the social clubs that they would have been part of. Historic photographs will be on display to give a sense of the people who created the textiles.”