Kathleen & Dek Tillett

Four generations of Tilletts have created beautiful fabrics for the home, using time-honored screen-printing techniques and a fresh perspective on pattern and color.

When Kathleen and Dek Tilled moved their manufacturing operation from Housatonic to the Whip Shop in 1983, they brought with them the essential element needed to continue printing their signature hand-screened fabrics: an extensive library of original-design printing screens that date back to the 1950s, On the Whip Shop’s third floor, they constructed two 100-foot-long tables for printing on fabric (seen here in this 1983 photo).

As the 3rd generation of Tilletts plying their mastery of hand-screened fabric, their time at the Whip Shop was a productive stop on an odyssey that began in Mexico, moved to New York City, and finally the Berkshires, spanning decades.

And now, the fourth generation of a family devoted to their art has transitioned leadership to Patrick McBride, Kathleen Tillett’s son.

Patrick McBride. Presiodent of Tillett Textiles at a print table in the company factory Photo Brad Holland

Today, in Sheffield, in a building simply known as “the factory,” Tillett Textiles continues to print gorgeous hand screened fabrics from their vast library of original designs. Part of a rambling manufacturing building, the space measures some 8,000 square feet and holds innumerable screens.

Exterior view of Tillett Textiles factory in Sheffield MA. Photo Brad Holland

“We have screens that date back to the 1950s,” says Patrick McBride, who represents the family’s fourth generation producing screen-printed fabrics for the design trade.

Patrick McBride in the screens archive at the factory. Photo Brad Holland

In the studio, he's often joined by his mother, Kathleen Tillett, who lives adjacent to the factory and has dedicated her life to screen-printing, much like D.D. Tillett. "I'm the happiest when I'm in here, printing," she says. “I have the same passion I had back in our days at the Whip Shop.”

Kathleen Tillett and her son Patrick McBride outside their Sheffield factory.Credit: Shana Sureck for The New York Times

A little more Tillett history

used for dresses worn by Jackie herself. This notable recognition marked a significant moment for the brand, making Tillett Textiles a part of influential fashion narratives.

In the 1940s, designers D.D. and Leslie, the grandparents of Patrick, relocated from Mexico to New York. Their charming home, a former carriage house on East 80th Street, housed both a retail shop on the ground floor and a workshop above. Here, their globally influenced fabrics caught the eye of chic trendsetters, solidifying Tillett Textiles as the preferred choice for printed clothing among society fixtures such as Brooke Astor, Babe Paley, and Loulou de la Falaise.

The company's big break came a few years later when its floral patterns caught the eye of an iconic tastemaker: Jackie Kennedy. Tillett Textiles' fabrics found a place in the living quarters of the Kennedy White House and were even

Tillett and Rauscher Inc., via The Museum of the City of New York

While honoring its rich history by continuing to work with iconic designs created over decades, Tillett Textiles remains a hub of innovation. Patrick McBride, representing the family's fourth generation, shares that the company has introduced twenty-five new designs in the past sixteen months alone. McBride has also ventured into a new fabric line, T4 Textiles, paying homage to four generations of Tilletts. T4 Textiles serves as a canvas for experimentation, a platform to explore new aesthetics and possibilities. “T4 is our way of trying different things,” he says. “We use the line to discover new aesthetics. For us, it’s the fun part: exploring what to do next.”

For the past twenty-eight years, Tillett Textiles has remained at its current location in Sheffield, Massachusetts. With a team of four dedicated employees, the company has cultivated a clientele that spans far and wide. It's hard to believe that the site, now a hub of creativity, was once a pig farm before the Tillet family took it over.

Patrick McBride, who assumed leadership in 2010 after twelve years of co-heading the company with his mother, seamlessly embodies the natural succession of tradition. Reflecting on his early connection to the business, McBride shares with a smile, "I always liked to go to the factory to play when I was young, and I still do." This enduring passion ensures that Tillett Textiles continues to thrive as a beacon of creativity and craftsmanship.