September at Village Haberdashery

I've just about got time in September for a sneaky visit to Village Haberdashery where Annie has rather mysteriously managed a world exclusive by being the first shop worldwide to secure the delivery of Carolyn Friedlander's newest collection, Doe.

It was all down to a chance meeting at with a fabric rep!  So Village Haberdashery has the whole collection months before it arrives in USA- that never happens!  Stand out prints include

Lined Dots in Carrot- this looks to be the accent colour in the collection:

And I am pretty keen on this print, Lined Field in Sage.

And this one, bias check in colour options, Blue and Sky and Meringue.

 

Is is a low key, understated collection.  Lots of sketchy, soft geometrics in gorgeous colours.  I  was having a conversation with Jo from A Life in Lists  a few weeks back ( we live within relatively easy travelling distance) and we were saying how Carolyn's collections have totally changed blender and background fabrics and made them so much more desirable, thoughtful and exciting!   Annie has put a Kona build a bundle selection together to co-ordinate with Doe. And you can build your Doe prints bundle here.

There are Carolyn Friedlander quilt patterns available in the shop too- this one caught my eye, 'Focal':

A few weeks back I ordered a Figure Eight Scarf kit from Annie which featured Kim Kight's Home Body Window Vine print in silky lawn from Cotton and Steel paired with Roberty Kaufman Cambridge Lawn in Mango.  The aqua bobble trim can be found here.  The tutorial to make it is here- my only change was to use a zipper foot to manage the bulk of the bobble trim.

 

This is the result- modelled by my daughter. A soft, silky very wearable scarf!  I have a lot of blue and a growing quantity of coral colours in my wardrobe so it is perfect for when the summer finally leaves and the cooler weather kicks in.  These kits need a bit of prep as the fabric is cut down the length rather than across the width so click on the link to sign up for a stock notification or email Annie so that she knows more kits are required!

Now let's talk a dressmaking favourite, Chambray!  I have a big stock of chambray in my wardrobe and dressmaking fabrics, but there's always room for more!  This time, spotty dotty reversible chambray:

You can see the right side more clearly here (it looks a little brown in the photo above, I suspect the photo below is more representative). 

It is a lightweight but a little heavier than the floaty Chambray Union fabrics which are a little see through when used as a single layer.  I suspect these reversible chambrays would make great shirts, shirt dresses and gathered skirts as well as kids clothes and even quilts.

These are some of the available Chambray Union fabrics, Slub chambray in Indigo:

This fabric is beautifully shown off in the Lisette Traveller Dress made by Zoe Edwards for Annie's window and a class in November that she is teaching on how to make the dress at Village Haberdashery.

I suspect that this Green Bee 'Dylan' children's pattern would work in a selection of the chambray fabrics.

Chambray dot (not reversible) is back in stock.  Not the easiest fabric to sew with but floaty and washes and wears beautifully.  I made an Alder dress in this fabric and it was my most worn summer garment! 

I know for some, a change into the cooler seasons brings out tapestry and needle point.  I used to do a lot of tapestry- crewel wool and canvas to make cushions.  I love the Emily Peacock kits- huge choice but these two were calling me, Mexican Heart and Tree of Life- simple and vibrant:

 Wow, those colours really sing and make my eyes very happy!  Enjoy x

September at Seamstar-

For my September visit to Seamstar I am going to use one of the website features to take a colour  journey through the shop linking one fabric to the next link.  I am using the Find Similar Fabrics by Colour: links

I was drawn to the Dashwood Prairie prints to start my journey.  Starting with Prairie Spirals by Rebecca Stoner.

Which looks like it would play very nicely with, Monaluna  Marin Poppies.

Which takes me to Enchant, Birdies in Celery

Leading on to Michael Miller, Birds of a Feather

The grey in this print lead me on to this Studio E Robots Print

And then on to a favourite, Lecien Sunbonnet Sue Cross Stitch Alphabet (which is on offer too!)

The grass green took me on to Hello Tokyo Flowers,

And on to the autumnal Norwegian Woods Mushrooms, 

Next, to the very pink elephants, Ann Kelle's Zoologie

And ending with this incredibly cute Timeless Treasures Yeah Sushi print- haven't ever noticed this one before!

There are lots of handy link tools- collection, colour, group which make some lively and fun fabric combinations rather than just buying from the same range.   There is also an ideas page to inspire you with lots of links to free patterns and projects.   Enjoy the journey!

Last of the summer wardrobe

The extended summer has been a joy here and some summer clothes that I made towards the end of August are still seeing lots of wear,  These are both patterns that I've made before, stalwarts if you like, where I have perfected the fit or style to just how I want it.  

Starting with the Belcarra, made like this one and this one.   I used a metre of Nani Iro double gauze Pon Pocho in cream peach.  I did have to do some creative cutting to squeeze it out of such a short length and make the most of the pattern. 

The only change was that I sewed the raglan seams down around ¼" either side of the seam line and I made the sleeve cuff slightly bigger along the long edge and it attaches just that little bit more easily. 

I have made three Belcarra's- and considering it was a pattern that I wasn't especially taken with on first glance, it has been the perfect summer top and uses such a small amount of fabric.  It is especially good to use with an expensive fabric that you can't afford to buy a lot of!

The skirt is my second version of Grains De Couture Opale Maxi from this book.   I made the pockets slightly deeper and did a different zig zag of stitching to hold the front pleats.  The fabric is Oakshott Seasons shot cotton in pink early rose and is currently on sale at Oakshott.  It is the same weight as the Colourshott fabrics and needs a good prewash as some of the colour will be lost on the first couple of washes.  The piping was a scrap of Elements in a very pale pink.  I made my piping using a little fusible hem web rather than sewing it together- I saw this tip somewhere ages ago, makes it all come together a little faster!

Instead of my usual helper, Mindy came in for a few photos.  She is generally pretty camera shy and a bit of an old lady at fifteen, but age has made her increasingly mellow and she still has a kittenish side.

I'm hoping to get a dress sewn by Saturday to wear at the next local sewing meet up, something with a hint of Autumn ...

Time for Tea Teaset Trio : Love Patchwork and Quilting

Self promotion is not my favourite thing but I am really proud of this project so I want to share here  A few months back I had a commission email from Jenny Fox-Proverbs, editor at Love Patchwork and Quilting and this project was the result, 'Time for Tea' trio of tea cosy, coasters and a divided teabag caddy. The instructions to make it are in Issue 13, out now. 

This project combines foundation paper piecing, appliqué and a little hand quilting and is a great skills builder if you want to try any of these techniques for the first time.  Everything has been beautifully photographed and the instructions are attractively laid out.  The templates are included at actual size in the magazine and are also available to download.   I love my tea so this project was a pleasure to make from beginning to end.  My daughter has already bagged the caddy for her own tea selection.

There are lots of familiar faces sharing techniques, advice and projects large and small- Lynne Goldworthy, Karen Lewis, Jeni Baker, Manda McGory, Lisa Lam, Sarah Fielke, and many more familiar blog names.   You can see the projects on Pinterest here.  The team at Love Patchwork and Quilting are a delight to deal with, helpful, efficient, friendly and enthusiastic.  I met Jenny, the editor at Fat Quarterly retreat- she is such a bright happy and involved person and it comes through in the tone of the magazine.  This is issue thirteen- you can find it in WHSmiths, supermarkets etc and there is more info about buying a copy here.

All photos from Love Patchwork and Quilting Issue 13

September at Eternal Maker

A slight variation for my September visit to Eternal Maker- this post is all about a limited time offer.  They are selling Elizabeth Hartman's (Oh Fransson!) patterns:  Fancy Fox, 

Preppy the Whale,  

Hazel Hedgehog

and Pointy arrow.

All at £10.95 each with free postage until Sunday 21st September.   To order, you will need to email sales@eternalmaker.com and they will send you a paypal invoice. These patterns are all constructed through basic patchwork construction- use of half square triangles, corner squares etc rather than foundation piecing or templates.
Eternal Maker have put together some fat eighth tonal bundles to go with these patterns- again I think you need to email for these, I couldn't spot them on the website.  They are £16 a bundle and available in Red, Purple, Green, Yellow, Cream, Pale Pink, Bright Pink, Black/White and Orange.

On the website you can find the Elizabeth Hartman Kona Solids Palette Roll up- 40 x 21/2" fabric strips. 

And a generous selection of neutrals and basics for backgrounds from Essex linens pictured below, 

To Kona solids including the new colours

Peppered Cottons which are a shot/ two tone cotton.