Indian block printed fabric

I have a great selection of fabric scraps for sale in my Etsy shop. Most of them have been bought on my travels and this fabulous selection of block printed cottons was bought on a trip to India. Each piece is a has been hand printed and I've combined a palette of oranges and yellows that work really well together.

Each fabric piece is large enough to use on a small crafting project and could go towards making a quilt or could be used on small sewing projects such as bags and purses, or even cushion covers.

I love this simple chevron design in orange and red. The block print style of it means the lines are uneven in places, which gives it more movement.

Stylised yellow ochre leaves sit on a burgundy background to create colour contrast.

A lovely geo print in shades of yellow and ochre.

These fabrics work well together, with the colours complimenting each other. It would make a fabulous quilt or cushion cover, with the pieces sewn together and then stitched with a kantha stitch (running stitch) on top.

All fabric pieces are packaged in a plastic envelope and gift wrapped in pink tissue paper. If you are sending it as a gift, it can be sent straight to its recipient with an optional gift message included.

 

Splendid sari fabrics

I sell a wide selection of fabric scraps in my Etsy shop, mostly consisting of vintage Japanese kimono fabrics and vintage Indian sari fabrics and I love it when I get feedback from a happy customer. These gorgeous sari fabrics were bought from a customer in Enfield, London recently and this is what she had to say:

"Exactly as seen, lovely colours and in mint condition.

Arrived safely and well packaged. Thank you."

With each of my fabric scraps packs, I carefully choose the colours and combinations so that they complement each other. In this pack I combined vintage sari fabrics in tones of pink and purple. Each one has a bold design and a decorative border. 

I'm loving this bold purple sari with a contrasting orange border. It could be used for craft projects such as quilting and patchwork or for making into cushion covers.

This pink sari uses a geometric motif made up of dots. The green border adds a lovely contrast to the pink of the main design.

This hot pink is a fabulous colour. Some of my customers have used these fabric scraps to make into dolls dresses.

Each collection of fabrics is sent in a plastic envelope and gift wrapped in pink tissue paper. It would make a great gift for a crafter of for someone who loves sewing.

You can find more fabric scraps in my Etsy shop here.

 

Celestial

 I recently designed this collection called Luna for Makower UK, based on celestial imagery. The main print contains moons, suns and stars which are surrounded by decorative elements.

The collection includes metallic gold to give it that extra bling and it looks great against the deep navy and teals of the collection.

Co-ordinates for the group include moons and stars, zodiac signs and Art Deco-inspired scallops.

Some of the backgrounds are textures and I included lilacs and pink to add depth.

This design includes moths and butterflies.

I also included a burgundy and lilac colour palette to add richness to the collection.

The moons and stars look great on this lilac background.

A lighter lilac on this moth print brings a variety of tones to the collection.

The co-ordinates look great in these rich burgundy, pinks, lilac and purple.

Getting busy

I'm starting to gear up for my trip to Tokyo in November! I'm a tad excited about it as I'll be revisiting a fab city, meeting up with old friends and, of course, doing a bit of shopping! The main reason I'm going is to sell my bags at the International Bazaar at the Tokyo American Club, something I've been doing for the past four years. 

This is a selection of new coin purses that are cut out and ready to sew.

London calling

This year is a big year for London, with the upcoming Queen's Jubilee in June and then the Olympics in August. With this in mind, I recently designed a group of London designs for Makower UK and here is the result. I'm looking forward to making some coin purses and cosmetic bags out of them, so watch this space.....

You can see the whole collection here.

Beetle juice

I recently added this coin purse to my Etsy store. I love the fresh clean colours of the teal and white on the outside and the lime green polka dot on the inside, but my fave part is the fab VW Volkawagen  Beetle car print which is such an iconic image. You can find it on my Etsy store here.

Heiwajima Antique Market

On friday I went to the Heiwajima Antique market that is held once every few months. It has over 250 vendors and is heaven for anyone wanting to find beautiful Japanese items at good prices. Needless to say, I didn't come home empty handed and theses are some of my finds. I can't wait to start making them up into bags, but it will have to wait until I come back from England in January.

After a rather fruitful morning of shopping, we went for a scrumptious sushi lunch in a fab little restaurant in Ginza. You can read more about it here.

It's a hoot!

I couldn't resist buying this owl print recently from one of my fave fabric shops here in Tokyo. I love the combination of colours and decided to mix it with a pink and brown polka dot lining. It has now been made into a little make up bag and can be found on my Etsy store here.

Keeping It Dark

I have been coveting this fabric for a while and love its haunting ethereal feel, I'm just not sure what I would do with it - quite different in feel to the fresh leafy creations by Ella Doran that I mentioned in an earlier blog. Maybe the rain is taking its toll on me.

This fabric is designed by Larsen and is called "Wind". Larsen draws inspiration from textile traditions from around the world, using traditional and modern weaving techniques to create unusual pocket weaves, printed velvets, silks and sheers as well as wallpapers.

Cottonfield

I went to one of my favourite fabric shops today - a shop called Cottonfield. It's in the lovely area of Kichijoji, which is about a 20 min subway ride out of Shibuya and has a lovely selection of little streets to wander around as well as a beautiful park with a lake in the middle. The streets were heaving today as it was the height of the blossom season and everyone was out to view the trees in the park and celebrate the coming of spring with a blossom party.

Cottonfield has a wonderful selection of printed cotton fabrics from around the world, as well as a wonderful ribbon and bead shop across the street. It's a feast for the eyes for any crafty person but can make one hysterical with the amount of choice that there is. Needless to say, I scurried away with some purchases - a selection of juicy ribbons to play with. Now I just have to decide how to use them.