Sari fabric scraps

I have a great selection of fabric scraps in my Etsy shop and they are great for using in sewing projects such as quilting or dress making. This selection consists of three pretty sari fabrics in shades of pink, purple and terracotta. They are soft and fine and each has a unique border design. 

This purple and pink sari fabric is an ikat design which means that the threads are dyed with the design before they are woven. The main body of the fabric is a stunning purple colour with a geometric design running through it.

The border is a stunning hot pink colour that contrasts beautifully with the purple.

The terracotta sari fabric also has an ikat design, a simple cream geo motif with a stripe.

It also has a border, in the same colour with a simple geo edging on either side.

The hot pink sari fabric has a geometric design printed onto it in orange and purple colours.

The border to this sari fabric has touches of metallic gold.

This sari fabric selection makes a great gift for a sewing lover. The fabrics come sealed in a plastic sleeve and gift wrapped in pink tissue paper. It can be sent straight to its recipient with an optional gift message included.

Shop other fabric selections here

Charmed

 I recently designed this collection for Makower UK. It's called 'Charmed' and includes black cats and celestial images in a pleasing colour palette of purples, lilacs and teals.

The main print has black cats in a variety of poses, mixed with moons, stars and suns as well as the odd butterfly and scroll design. It includes metallic gold elements to give it a bit of bling.

This crowded foliage print is a great colour carrier and I combined lilac and cream leaves in with the teal background.

Mini black cats stretch and strut on this allover print. The scroll background adds an extra element of decoration. This print also has metallic gold.

Pretty star print on a purple background.

A melange of moons, stars and other celestial images on a lilac background.

The main print also looks great on a black background.

And the cat design looks great on a purple background.

Who could resist this stunning foliage print on black?

A scroll design is a great inclusion to this collection.

It wouldn't be a celestial print without stars on a black background. This one looks extra blingy with the gold metallic detailing.

Kimono fabric love

When I lived in Japan I collected a lot of amazing kimonos and kimono fabric pieces. They come in such stunning colours and are great for using in sewing projects, or just for looking at and enjoying. I now sell these fabric pieces as a selection of scrap fabric bags and each bag contains a selection of fabrics that are similar in colour.

This kimono scrap bag contains fabrics in a selection of reds, pinks, oranges and browns. There is a variety of sizes and weights of fabric, but they are all vintage kimono pieces.

This is one of the larger pieces of fabric in the collection and uses a pretty ikat-style design on a brown background.

I love this bold geometric design that is often seen in Japanese motifs. The bold red and white colour palette is very pleasing.

It's great to include softer colours too and this fabric is very fine, taken from the lining of a kimono. I love the soft pink watercolour-effect.

I love this bright orange colour and the 1930s style flowers randomly scattered on it. It has a very painterly feel and the colour makes it very bold and modern.

Stunning flower on a bright red background. This kimono fabric is cotton and includes a small geometric print around the flower.

Stunning chrysanthemum in a painterly feel. I love the antique cream ground colour.

This is such a sweet stork print, almost abstract in feel. It's a very small piece of silk but adorable! It would make a great piece in a small crafting project and I love the antique pink and cream colour palette. Some customers have used these fabrics to make doll's dresses.

Often the lining fabrics are more interesting than the outer kimono fabrics. This orange and cream fabric was taken from the lining of a kimono.

Pretty ombre flowers on a pink and yellow background. Although this fabric is obviously a vintage piece, it has touches of modernity with the bright green leaves and I love that injection of bright orangey red in the background.

 

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.

 

Sewing Love

 This week's Spoonflower design challenge is called 'Home Hobbies'. My home hobby and my work both involve sewing and so I naturally had to do a sewing design for this challenge. I fell very lucky to work at something that I also enjoy.

In this design I've used a colour palette of red, orange, blue and pink and have included sewing items such as scissors, thread and pins as well as the obligatory mug of tea and a few biscuits to keep me going.

This design could be used for home accessories such as cushion covers or a tablecloth, or you could go really bold and use it as a wallpaper print in your sewing room.

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Japanese kimono fabrics

I love it when I receive an order of fabrics in the post. These beauties arrived recently, all the way from Japan. They are vintage kimono fabrics, in varying shades of blue, terracotta and cream. These will be made up into stunning decorative scarves - the perfect gift for a Japanophile!

Indigo blue

 I love Japanese indigo fabrics and collected a lot when I lived in Japan. I love the way that the dye soaks into the fabric and I love the bold, stylised designs that are often used in indigo textiles.

I have a selection of traditional and modern indigo fabrics and decided to use both of them in one design, combining a geometric print with a traditional floral motif.

These fabrics are so dark, they almost look black and were perfect for making into clutch bags.

The clutch bag is lined and lightly padded, with a zipper closure to keep everything safe.

For the lining, I decided to use a modern geometric cotton Japanese fabric in shades of cream and navy, using the reverse of the colours on the outer bag.

The bag also has a lovely silky black tassel attached to the zipper pull.

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Ikat clutch bags

 One of my favourite trips abroad was a long weekend in Istanbul. I went with two friends and we stayed in an apartment in the heart of the old city with a stunning view of the Blue Mosque, where we could hear the evocative should of the call to prayer drifting through the warm air. The city really left an impression on me with its strong influence of both East and West and friendly locals. I long to go back one day.

Needless to say, I loved trawling the bazaars for juicy finds and spent a lot of my time foraging for ikat fabrics, which is the iconic fabric from that area. Ikat fabric is created when the threads are dyed with the design before they are woven which then creates a blurred effect once the fabric is finished. 

These fabrics come in many different colours and styles, but I gravitated towards the brightly coloured ones. In each case, the store owner would invite us into his shop and serve us tea whilst we rifled through the endless choice of fabrics. I came home with a rather full case after that trip and am still creating gorgeous clutch bags from the fabrics I bought.

I love the blue and yellow combination of the fabric used in this bag, It's the perfect size for storing makeup in.

Each bag come with a tassel attached to the zipper pull, in a colour that compliments the fabric.

These make great summer clutch bags and are the perfect size for all the essentials.

Up close you can see the blurred effect that is caused by the weaving technique. It must be a pretty painstaking process, making sure that the threads match up in the right place to create the design.

Each bag is fully lined in a complimentary colour. This pink one has a pink cotton lining.

The tassel is detachable and can be easily removed if needed.