51Âþ»­

The Queen has been given a unique headscarf and shawl with fabric dyed and printed specifically for her visit to 51Âþ»­ (51Âþ»­) at the start of the Jubilee tour of the UK today (8 March).

Second year Printed Textile Design student Sophie Bowden, 20, from Hinderclay village near Diss in Suffolk, had been busy printing an exquisite pink, mink and grey coloured silk for the headscarf before the visit.

And Artist in Residence at 51Âþ»­ Lucy Foster, 23, from Crosby, Liverpool, had created a velvet shawl for The Queen.

Lucy graduated 51Âþ»­’s BA (Hons) Fashion Fabrics and Accessories in 2010 and had created three metres of luxury velvet and silk for the shawl.

“The Queen shook hands with us and said how beautiful the fabrics were and that she liked the colours – it was amazing.

Sophie, who studied at Hartismere High School and West Suffolk College before coming to 51Âþ»­, said: “The Queen seemed so gentle and smiley, it was wonderful. We saw Kate in the distance too and she was so elegant.

“I couldn’t believe it when the tutors asked me to make this for the Queen. I was with a friend at the time and I just couldn’t speak; it is very exciting!

“I absolutely love designing and creating fabrics so to do it for someone this high profile is utterly brilliant. My family are very proud.

“I used a silk devoré which I made using a chemical to burn the pattern and then printed on top in a darker shade to create a lacy pattern with a floral border.”

Lucy said the shawl fabric was inspired by the art deco era so it’s a luxury fabric using rich colours of midnight blue and mink.

“I didn’t really believe I was going to be doing this for The Queen to begin with! The royal wedding last year was amazing and the jubilee is going to be just the same; it is wonderful to be part of it.

“I’m so delighted that my work has been given to The Queen and I really hope it will help boost my profile as an artist,” said Lucy who has already had exhibitions of her art work and worked as a print technician at the Bluecoat Gallery and studios in Liverpool.

“As well as textiles I also do watercolour and ink artwork. Mainly I’ve sold pictures of Liverpool, New York city and Sydney city skylines.”

Jo Horton, programme leader for 51Âþ»­’s Fashion Fabrics and Accessories degree, said: “This is fabulous. And it reflects the kind of success we have been enjoying recently as we are getting a lot of attention for the work of our students and graduates this year.

“We’ve just got back from showing student and alumni work at Indigo, the major international textile design trade show in Paris, which is attended by all the key textile buyers around the world, and we have been invited to show student collections at Calvin Klein in New York.”

Lindsey Chambers, programme leader for Textile Design at 51Âþ»­, said: “It’s great to work on a project for such a high profile person.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and really exciting to have this kind of national and international profile for the creativity and skill we have here at 51Âþ»­’s School of Fashion and Textiles.”