In a Dusty Old Bookshop - Quilting Fabric Collection

This quilting fabric collection is inspired by the Livraria Lello bookshop in Porto, Portugal. They capture the old-fashioned coziness of the shop, complete with sunlight and dust streaking across the scenes. Perfect for cozy quilt themes featuring books, reading, or Dark Academia.

I have been wanting to do designs inspired by the Livraria Lello for a long time, but never felt that I had the skills with this software to pull it off. I got thinking about it last week, and thought - I know how to do this now. So ta-da!

Available printed on fabric, wallpaper and home decor items at my Spoonflower shop.

The Quilting Fabric Collection designs:

The first design is inspired by the bookcases at the first floor, up near the ceiling. I scabbed ideas from the woodwork and design, making my own interpretation and design. I love the woodwork of the grilles for the glass in the doors. I tried to capture the dust and dirt on the old glass, sparkling in the sun. Great for a craft or quilt project that needs books or the aura of coziness.

The second design features inspiration from the famous stair. This fabric design is inspired by the swayback bridge at the second floor when you are starting down the stair. The background is red in honor of the stair. The red swooshing stair is the star of the bookshop. So this design swooshes and undulates, too. And again, a streak of sunlight spilling across the design.

The third design is inspired by the decorative woodwork in the first floor ceiling. I hope to make more decorative woodwork ceiling designs inspired by other historic architecture. This one makes me think of wagon wheels and clock faces.

The fourth design is loosely inspired by the decorative scrollwork wood designs on the walls of the second floor, and reprising the red flowers.

The fifth design is stacks and stacks and stacks of books. A bookshop - or fabric collection inspired by a bookshop - or a cozy Dark Academia inspired quilt - is never complete without stacks and stacks and stacks of books.

And the sixth, and final design in this fabric collection, is a design inspired by the decorative wood floor running between the front doors of the bookstore and the stair. The dark vertical stripes are inspired by the tracks for the book trolley. A bit old, grungy, and perfect for Dark Academia themed quilts or rooms.