Pretty in pink

 I designed this pink sarasa print for Makower UK recently. It's part of a collection called Tropica that includes jungle animals and tropical foliage in a bright colour palette. This sarasa print comes in three colour options but the pink one works especially well for bag-making.

I mocked up a few bag styles to see how this print would look. The first one is a cute clutch bag which would make a great addition to a wedding outfit or summer party frock.

I love these cross-body bags which always seem o fit so much in, despite their size and they fit conveniently across the body. The adjustable strap means you can also make it into a shoulder bag if you wish.

I love a tote bag and this one would be great for the beach. It's big enough o fit all the essentials for a day by the sea,

Totally roarsome!

 I recently mentioned the Jewel Tones collection I've been working on for Makower UK. In addition to some juicy allover designs, we also created a panel design which incorporates eight 10 inch squares depicting jungle animals. It was so much fun to design! I can see these squares being used as a rather fab quilt of being cut up and used as cushion covers or as bag designs.

Fabric Friday

This week's Fabric Friday is brought to you from the Design Centre Chelsea Harbour. I decided to make a last minute dash there this morning as I realised it was their last day of London Design Week. They open their doors to people in the trade for the first few days, and general members of the public on the last few days, giving talks on design as well as allowing us to see inside their showrooms. It's great to dip into and I always find something juicy to inspire me, whether it's for my bag designs or for my design work. This time I gravitated towards the vibrant brights and especially loved the fabrics I saw at the Colefax and Fowler showroom.

This was my favourite design, based on an Indian sarasa design.

It is embroidered and uses hot pink and vibrant orange.

I do love a bit of kilim and why not make it hot pink?!

The pretty hot pink medallion motif in the design above is fab.

I love that it is mixed with the natural colour of the linen.

The addition of a vibrant green into the design of the cushion above really adds zest to the floral and I love the idea of pairing it with the green paisley cushion. Check out the orange piping!

Such a nice touch of contrasting colour.

The picture above and below show how these gorgeous fabrics can be made up. I love the medallion design on the cushion above and look how beautifully the fabrics work on the bag below.