New pillowcases Rachel Castle.  Bed and bedside table by Jardan.  Heart print also by Rachel Castle.  Photo - Jason Busch.

New pillowcases Rachel Castle.  Bed and bedside table by Jardan.  The painting is also by Rachel Castle, for an upcoming show of her paintings Koskela in August (it's not for sale until then eager beavers!).  Photo - Jason Busch.

It's no secret we are big fans of Sydney artist and bedlinen designer Rachel Castle, and so we were pretty pumped to see her cheerful new pillowcase and sheet designs, which just hit her online store this week!

Rachel doesn't put out new designs very often.  That's simply because she really isn't into making new stuff just for the sake of it.  Instead, the design and production cycle for Castle is very intuitive, and closely tied to Rachel's art practice - after all, her painted canvases, prints and embroideries are where all her designs are born.

'We bring out a few new things every now and again when we just can't STOP OURSELVES from making something good into a pillowcase or a little cuff on a sheet' explains Rachel. 'We don't follow the seasons or make a new range because we have to, we add new pieces when we absolutely can't wait a minute longer to have something new on our beds. Everything works back with our white cotton quilts, so its never about reinvesting in a whole new bed range, just about adding some new sheets, pillowcases, or a couple of new cushions. That's all you need and voila happy new bed!'

I think this approach really sums up what is so unique about Castle - at the end of the day, it's very contained little range, put together in a very gentle, joyful, measured way.

Having said all that, we're pretty glad to report that the latest pieces from Castle are a brilliant addition to the collection - an effortless extension of Rachel's much loved (and much photographed!) polka dot designs.  We've got a feeling the new candy-coloured diagonal stripes, and multicolour 12 spot pillowcases will become instant Castle classics.

To celebrate the launch of these new pieces, Rachel would love to offer one lucky TDF reader a gorgeous giveaway to spruce up your winter bed!  One winner will receive a full set of Castle linen - including a fluoro pink spot fitted sheet, a fluoro pink spot flat sheet, and two pillowcases of their choice (total RRP $368.00).

To be in the running, simply leave a comment on today’s post before 10.00pm Melbourne time this Friday 3rd June 2013.  

Please be patient if WordPress behaves a little slower than usual this morning, as you have a few more days to enter! A winner will be selected at random and contacted by email next Monday. *Update the winner has now been contacted, congratulations comment Anna (comment 469), we hope you enjoy your new bed linen!

Big thanks to Rachel Castle for this sweet giveaway!   Do pop over to her website for a good look at the new range!

New pillowcases Rachel Castle  Photo - Jason Busch.