There are no details of personal contacts between Elisabeth de Saedeleer and da Silva Bruhns. Since the design is a very faithful representation of the motif of the "Normandie" carpet, it is hard to imagine that the Saedeleer was not in possession of the design. One wonders how Elisabeth de Saedeleer got it, but the fact that she clearly has interwoven her signature in it, indicates that it is not a copy made with malicious intent.
The de Saedeleer family got in touch with former weavers of the Arts and Crafts Movement during a long stay in Wales (1914-1921).
After their return, daughter Elisabeth started a weaving workshop in Etikhove with the help of her sisters. Father Valerius de Saedeleer is very closely involved in the process.
They aim for high-quality, artisanal and exclusive labour. Designs are provided by a wide array of artists such as Gustaaf De Smet, Ossip Zadkine, Jaap Gidding, Albert Tytgat and Albert Van Huffel, but also by father Valerius.
Brothers Luc and Paul Haesaerts join the workshop around 1925, and by the end of the 1920s Paul Haesaerts is pretty much the only designer left.
In the 1930s, the workshop’s production loses much of its lustre and originality. The high cost of the carpet making forced them to shut down the production in 1935.
Elisabeth remains a leading figure in textiles, including through her work at La Cambre/ Ter Kameren (Higher Institute for Decorative Arts in Brussels), where she has led the Textile Art class on the request of Henry Van de Velde since the very beginning.