Sylvia’s life was made up of millions of small steps and small achievements that collectively and accumulatively resulted in a great legacy.

Sylvia came to Piggs Peak with Coral Stephens in 1948.  She was born in Butterworth and attended St. Cuthbert’s Mission School in Tsolo in the Transkei.  There she was taught to weave by Swedish nuns who ran the school and she always kept her Swedish weaving manual with her.  This manual provided some of the original loom threading for what were to become signature Coral Stephens’ patterns.  Together with Coral, Sylvia provided much of the technical knowledge needed to set up the spinning centres around in and Piggs Peak that they eventually did.  She also began her dyeing career which saw her spend many hours perfecting the mohair colours that made Coral Stephens so sought after.

Sylvia’s consistency with her dyeing, her quality control with the spinning the centres produced and her extensive knowledge about weaving made her pivotal in the growth and success of the business.

I did not know her in these early years and only met her in 2000.  She had stepped away from all this responsibility as our processes changed, but she never really slowed down…she always wanted to remain part of our core work.  She spent much of her time sorting through the mohair and gently pulling it apart in preparation for carding.  She would consult with the spinners and travel with me regularly to the Lesotho border where she would assess the mohair before we purchased it.  I think she enjoyed these trips and would sit tightly bundled up in the car, and look straight ahead for the duration of the journey – and never once fell asleep in a six hour car ride.

Sylvia was always the first at work every morning and only up until the very end of her life took a day off ill.  She was in such good health, a recent cardiogram produced a set of results a person a quarter of her age would have been proud of.  It was her mind though, that was her real strength, her sense of esteem and purpose, her unwavering commitment to the tasks at hand.  She was truly an enigma in that her ego never seemed to make an appearance, yet she never doubted herself.  While firm, she never demonstrated any self-importance or arrogance over any matter.   People wold turn to her always when needing support and she would easily recognize when a staff member was not well and bring it to my attention.

She shared everything she had and even had a little cat that used to get half of her dinner!

I could go on forever about Sylvia, there are so many good things to say about her.  It was such a privalege knowing her and we at Coral Stephens are saddened by her death but will remember her life and will be grateful for every day she spent with us.

Thank you, Syl.

Also recovered an old sofa with some vintage Coral Stephens fabric…a wool mohair natural fawn colour mix…looks wonderful….

Textured Throws in silk, wool and mohair

Sofa upholstered in wool/mohair mix

Wool Mohair upholstery

Thank you to Jackie Gant and her team at Mohair South Africa for inviting us and putting on such a superb show.

Enjoy the photos….

Jane is weaving a throw that incorporates stripped cotton, cotton yarn and mohair…it has some texture and a nice repeat and we will put it into production if it comes out well.

We are also going to weave some curtains which capture the clean, open spaces of the Karoo, think tranquil, natural colours with some subtle texture and a soft, gentle repeat.  Nothing beats mohair curtains – for their regal, glamorous stance and their superstar performance (they drape beautifully, glow energetically and are completely natural!)

Four student weavers also cut off their first carpet last week, a flatpile mohair in a bright chartreuse was their first effort.  It took them about 3 weeks to weave but we are all thrilled with the result.

“Around the world villagers and shepherds are dependent on their animals providing meat, milk and material to keep them nourished, healthy and warm.  Their relationship with sheep, goats, lamas and yaks has always been one of respect and reverence.

Our new world turns to the noble and ecological richness of fiber with the added advantage of natural shades of neutrals that bring variation without the destruction of the environment.  Mohair is a major driving force within this movement.

Its characteristic natural tones in the warmest sustainable fibers on earth are able to cuddle us in blankets and scarves.

Suddenly luxury and ecology will merge in an attempt to seduce the consumer in the economy of purchasing a durable and timeless piece of fabric.

Investment dressing and living as never seen before, this philosophy will provide the original and personal style the consumer will be craving after the credit crunch”

We look forward to Li’s involvment in our fiber.

A recent issue of WILD FIBERS magazine focused on mohair (www.wildfibersmagazine.com).  The editor of the magazine, Linda Cortright visited Coral Stephens and will be featuring us in an upcoming issue.

These are used extensively in home, corporate and hotel décor.  Curtaining is our core product, hand spun and woven mohair is something unique and special and has a highly individual and sophisticated look.  We began weaving mohair curtaining more than sixty years ago so are quite practised in it.

Raffia curtaining is a relatively new development – Wintergrass and Frosted Grass are our raffia curtaining fabrics.  These are textured and visceral fabrics – and naturally have an organic feel while being tough and performing well.

The hand made nature of the fabric gives it a unique look and edge; it is highly individual and combines a modern feel with an age-old manufacturing technique.

Coral Stephens undertakes commissions and is able to work closely with decorators to achieve customised colours, textures and patterns.  We specialise in carpets made from raffia, twine and cotton as well as mohair and stripped “rag” cotton, each item is made to our customers’ size and colour requirements.

We have an extensive archive of shades, patterns and combinations and can develop something completely new or revert to classic fabrics that remain in vogue.