Atelier

'Atelier' is a collection I designed for Makower UK recently and it was inspired by the timeless traditions of sewing using antique and retro images in a soft colour palette.

 

The main print is called Couture and includes sewing machines, notions and mannequins. Look closely and you will see that there is a texture underneath, inspired by dress pattern pieces.

The Spool design shows crowded cotton reels with the labels as the main focus.

Tape measures create a stripe design in this Measurements pattern.

Pretty patterned Buttons are loosely scattered, with a tonal running stitch in the background. 

An inclusion of soft blue to the Couture design adds variety to the collection.

Tiny Notions in include decorative scissors and pin cushions.

A deep grey on the Buttons design adds depth to the collection.

My grandma had a blue measuring tape in her sewing box and this Measurements print reminds me of that.

Deep blue sea

 I recently designed this collection for Makower UK and I'm so pleased with it. It's called Deep Blue Sea and comes in a bright colour palette that would be great for using for kidswear, kid's bedrooms or for making into bags - which is what I plan to do!

The main print shows an under water scene using all sorts of sea creatures and foliage. Can you spot the turtles? And the swordfish?

I thought this divers print was a fun idea. Divers with multi colour masks and tanks swim amongst shoals of brightly-coloured fish. Some are filming the fish, one is holding a starfish.

It wouldn't be a sea collection without a fish design, so I used the fish from the main design to create a crowded fish print.

The octopus print is a fun, strong image and looks great in a bright orange colour against a blue background. He is surrounded by sea foliage and jellyfish.

The turtles are a sweet image. These ones are finding their way through the sea foliage.

I couldn't resist doing a shark design. These sharks come in regimented rows and hopefully aren't too sinister-looking. I gave them a happy smile.

This design includes some of the largest sea creatures, and they create a swirling design.

Hello kitty!

I designed this kitty collection recently for Makower UK and I'm really pleased with it! The collection is called Whiskers and consists of cute cats in a variety of poses, along with paw prints and flowers in a bright colour palette.

The main design comes in two colour choices and this one is on a deep teal background.

In this design, cheeky cats play with balls of wool. I'm loving the bright pink background.

Crowded cats on a teal background.

Paw prints and hearts on a mustard yellow background.

Pretty floral print in shades of blue and yellow.

The main design also comes on a cream background.

Paw prints and hearts on a teal background.

The floral design also comes in a pink and yellow colour combo.

More crowded cats.

The cats and wool print on a turquoise background.

Hot pink, my favourite colour!

Luxe

I'm loving the latest collection I designed for Makower UK! It's called Luxe and uses a rich colour palette of pinks, purples, blues and rusts with lashings of metallic gold. The idea for this collection was to produce a series of designs with two distinct colour palettes that also co-ordinate with each other. This is not an easy task and took quite a while for the team to work out. It means that they can all be used in a quilt design as well as other sewing projects such as cushions, bags and dressmaking.

The large floral is what we call the 'mother print'. It is the driving theme of the collection and tends to be very detailed and multi-coloured so that we can take colours from that design to create the co-ordinates.

The butterflies have been printed onto this pretty blush pink ground. This print also comes on a cream background and a green background.

Birds and foliage combine on this design that was inspired by William Morris and the Art and Crafts movement. This version comes in hot pinks and rusts and gives it a luscious modern feel.

Scattered seed heads in metallic gold sit on a warm pink background with a slight shadow effect.

The floral print also comes on a warm cream background.

I love a paisley design and this one comes in shades of pink and purple with heavy gold coverage.

The butterflies are all outlined in metallic gold.

A navy blue ground on the floral gives it a more classic feel and it's been mixed with rusts, blues and blush pink flowers.

The rust background of this seed head print is lovely and rich with the gold motif on top.

The bird and foliage design on blue gives it a more classic feel.

Paisley design in rusts and cream, highlighted by the metallic gold outline.

This mini floral adds a change in scale within the collection.

Victorian greenhouses

This week's Spoonflower Design Challenge is called Victorian Greenhouse and I had a lot of fun designing the ornate greenhouse shapes and then filling them with luscious plants.

Victorian green houses are traditionally ornate in style and made from wrought iron and glass. I loved adding swirls and curlicues to the design.

Tonal palm leaves sit in the background to add depth to the design.

I used plants from my pot plant design so that they compliment each other.

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Green tree cosmetic bag

I designed this stylised green tree print for Makower UK, and decided to make it into a small padded cosmetic bag which is the perfect size for cosmetics, toiletries or handbag items.

It's big enough to store makeup in when out and about.

I love the contrasting yellow and white polka dot lining.

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Woodland

It was lovely to see my fabric designs in Creative Quilting recently, a shop based near Hampton Court. The fabric collection is called Woodland and I designed it for Makower UK. It's inspired by the flora and fauna of the British countryside and uses a pleasingly soft colour palette of blues, greys and teals. When I designed this collection I wanted it to be as versatile as possible so that it could be used for quilting, as well as for home decor projects and for dressmaking.

When I design a collection, the designs all have to complement each other, with a selection of 'mother' prints (which are more detailed and are the main designs for the collection) as well as smaller, co-ordinating designs that complement each other. The designs have to read well on the shelf of a fabric shop as well. This is how they looked in Creative Quilting and I was really pleased with the outcome!

Many shops make up a project using the fabrics that they are selling so that customers can get a better feel for how they could be used. Creative Quilting had a quilt design hanging on the wall which worked really well. You can see a picture of it below.

You can see a wider selection of the Woodland collection below. I created each design in Photoshop and used a linen texture background which gives the designs more depth.

I couldn't resist buying a selection of the fabrics and now I just need to decide what to do with them!

Watch this space....