Tree Fall

Spring Bunnies

 

Apparently I'm determined to force the start of an early spring by fabric use alone!

This is my absolutely favourite wool, ever. I love the colour and the texture and the little flecks of orange that runs through it.

I only have a limited amount of it, having bought it the year before last, so I use it sparingly, but it was perfect for a spring bunny, so I couldn't resist!

 

 

This incredibly soft lilac wool is another favourite. It makes the perfect bunny because it's soft and cuddly, plus the greyish/lilac is such a pretty colour.

I've always been happy with the patchwork bunnies, but I have to admit that I really like the soothing simplicty of these single piece ones.

Especially that mustard one!

Both are in the shop. (but I may keep the mustard one for myself!)

 

 

A little bit of Sweden

I love this swedish fabric. It's not very wide, but it's perfect for cushions and totes.

 

And this felt is destined to become cuffs amongst other things.

 

I find it interesting that at this time of the year it feels like we need to move away from the winter woolens and tweeds, but we're not quite ready for the soft cottons, linens and lawns. I think it will take me a few more weeks and a bit more sunshine before I can fully embrace the brighter colours of spring, but in the meantime I find myself drawn to fresher greens and lighter greys.

 

Nauticals...and a gift

 

I'm not sure if it's fueled by my desire for the arrival of Spring and Summer, but I'm finding myself drawn to everything nautical at the moment. The blue, red and white combination has such a classic, crisp feel to it that it never goes out of style.

 

 

So when I picked up this Cath Kidston boat fabric I couldn't resist making this little cushion.

The Blue Boats fabric is the perfect print for all things nautical, especially when it's teamed with this vibrant red and white striped cotton canvas.

But as well as cushions, I've already cut out a little blouse for Lily and a skirt for Bella and to be honest I fancy using it to make this skirt for myself to wear in the summer, with a red and white striped t shirt.

 

 

As I've just had my 5th blog anniversary I've decided to give this little cushion away as a thank you gift for all your support over the last 5 years. So all you have to do to is leave a comment, telling me what you're loving at the moment and on February 1st I'll pick a number out of a hat and announce the winner.

 

 

But in the meantime, if you want to make your own cushion or anything else for that matter, I've put a few yards of all of these fabrics in the shop.

Dots.

 

New dots.

I'm particularly partial to Amy Butler's Full Moon polkadot and the Michael Miller Ta Dot and Dumb Dot. And of course the beautiful (but often elusive) Kei Honeycomb Dot.

As far as I'm concerned you just can't go wrong with dots.

 

Or cars for that matter. Especially these Orla Kiely ones.

 

 Which are back in the shop at the moment.

  

New Linen

 

This dress is part of the new stuff that I've been working on. The collection consists of dresses, playmats, cushions and leggings and comes in 3 different colourways.

 

 

 

But all of it hinges on the use of natural and striped linens, teamed with floral cottons and natural chenilles.

Whenever I want to start something new it goes one of two ways. Either I suddenly find myself with all these ideas and images running around in my head, sparked by a glimpse of two fabrics next to eachother or a collection of random shapes, with absolutely no time to do anything about it.

 

 

Or I start trying new things, spend a couple of days working on it and then decide that it doesn't work, or that I'm just not sure about it and it gets relegated to the maybe/sometime pile. Or, thinking about it, sometimes I try something new, post it on the blog, get no comments or response to it and assume it doesn't work and relegate it to the maybe/sometime pile (it hadn't occured to me until now just how much I use the blog as a sounding board for ideas, or how much my designs are affected by the response they get when they're on the blog).

 

 

With this collection though, I've had such a strong idea of what I wanted to do that I've forced myself to find the time to actually follow through with it. And although I have the same doubts I always have when starting something new (is it boring, been done before or just plain crap!) I'm finding that the desire to finish the collection is strong enough to carry me through.

 

 

I'm trying to get it all finished before I share the full collection, rather than introducing it in dribs and drabs, but I couldn't resist sharing these pictures of Lily with you.

 

 

Hello

 

A little peak at something new. I'm really enjoying working on some new stuff and I'm really frustrated that I haven't had time to really focus on it. Really.

In other news, a couple of scrap packs are back in the shop as well as a couple of snood sets.

Another Fine Mess

 

My studio is completely over run again. No matter what I do I can't seem to stop the room descending in to madness on a regular basis.

It's not helped by the fact that it's such a compact room, or the fact that my sewing table is also my desk. So my sewing machine, my laptop and all my paperwork have to squeeze on to one poor groaning table.

 

 

Everywhere I look at the moment there are piles of books to review, emails to answer, patterns to make, write and test, fabric to use or just put away (where though, where?) projects on the go and parcels to wrap and label.

 

 

And no matter how diligent I am, I have yet to work out a routine that keeps it all under control.

I need organisational hints and tips.

Or a PA.

 

Inspired

 

 

It's almost certainly me just being overly optomistic, but there have been moments over the last few days when it's felt positively spring like.

So whilst I'm still working with the tweeds and wools, I've found myself glancing longingly at the piles of lightweight linens and noticing little stacks of sunny yellow braids and ricracs appearing in the studio.

 

 

And my mind has been straying towards brighter, spring inspired clothing and accessories.

 

Optimistic? Maybe. But I definitely spotted the sun today.

 

Anthology

 

I wrote about the new magazine Anthology when it was first released but at that point I hadn't actually seen a copy. So whilst I was excited to see what it would be like, I had no idea of just how good it would be.

 

 

Presented in a beautiful A5 bound format, Anthology looks and feels more like a book than a quarterly magazine. And with a focus on 'The Slow Life' the 125 pages are full of articles and interviews that are jam packed with beautiful imagery and interesting reads.

 

Issue 1 includes interviews with Design*Sponge founder Grace Bonney, furniture designer/maker Jason Lewis (the most beautiful chairs), artist Sherry Olson and shop owners Rod Kipskind and Kelly Ishikawa and Jen Mankins, amongst others.

 

 

There are also features about the Alpine town of Park City (where the Sundance Festival is held) an Artists retreat and a 1940's bungelow home in Lousiana.

 

 

Interspersed with regular mini features such as the Shopkeepers Finds, the Market Report and Prized Possession, the magazine is interesting, fun and inspiring. With a heady mix of eye candy and intelligent content, I really can't wait to see the next issue.

 

 

Although Anthology is printed in the US they offer international subscriptions and the next issue is due to be printed at the end of next month, so now is the perfect time to sign up (unfortunately issue 1 is sold out already).

 

Anthology is available here.

Modern Life

Family life's not what it used to be....