Kimono fabric scraps

 I have a wide selection of fabric scraps for sale in my Etsy shop. I've divided them up into colour stories and this one comes in shades of pink, purple and cream. Each one is a vintage kimono fabric piece, some are florals, some are geometric and some are plain. They are perfect for using sewing projects such as quilting or patchwork.

This burgundy kimono fabric has an ikat stripe running through it.

Two pretty floral kimono fabrics in complimentary colours.

A stunning rose motif using the kasuri weaving technique where the threads are dyed before they are woven.

Stunning geometric kimono fabric in a deep pink and white colour palette.

Fabric Friday

I had a fab day in London today, taking in the Georgia O'Keefe exhibition at Tate Modern, and then doing a spot of shopping at Liberty. I also managed to dip into the beautiful Cloth House shop on Berwick street, an Aladdin's cave full of stunning fabrics from around the world. I could have come home with a lot of fabrics, but I was quite restrained and chose just two Indian block-printed cottons.

The two black and cream fabrics go so well together.

I'm thinking of piecing them together to use on the outside of a clutch bag, with a hot pink lining.

The fabric below could also be used as a lining for a bag.

Luckily I have enough fabric to play with both options.

An afternoon at Alexandra Palace

Yesterday I trotted off to the stunning Alexandra Palace to check out the Knitting and Stitching show. I'm embarrassed to say I had never been to Alexandra Palace before and I was impressed by its size and location - a rather awesome Victorian building sitting on a hill in North London, with stunning views of the city below. It was a lovely warm and sunny autumn day yesterday and I felt like I was in a foreign city!

Of course the main reason for going to the show was to pick up some inspiring fabric pieces as well as to see what other fabrics trends were around and to touch base with some customers. I saw quite a few of the fabric designs I have worked on for Makower UK, and it was great to see some of the fabrics I'd designed made up into quilts and hangings.

I bought these fabrics from The African Fabric Shop, who sell a stunning variety of items from Africa. I homed in on the brighter colours and came away with a collection of pink and blue fabrics that use a combination of resist and screen printed techniques.

Selvedge had a stall there, displaying beautifully delicate crocheted items. 

The Silk Route stall was a ablaze with colour and I came home with a stunning selection of pinks, yellows and turquoises.

The ribbons below would make a perfect match with the silks I bought.

I love the fabrics from KSDP and the money raised from the sales goes to a very good cause.

My lovely friend Jo had a stall there called Bazaar, selling an amazing array of items from India. I gravitated towards the embroidered ribbons.

  Such a lovely selection of woodblocks!

Fabric Friday

I was excited to see some fabric collections that I designed for Makower UK featured on one of my favourite blogs recently. The blog is Print & Pattern and is a great source of inspiration for design ideas and a place to go to see what's new in the print and pattern world.

The first fabric collection mentioned was a cute dog group called Patch, a fun collection that brings together dogs of all shapes and sizes in an offbeat colourway.

The second fabric collection is Sophia, a delicate lined floral group that incorporates stylised flowers, birds and leaves and has a nostalgic, retro feel.

A new fabric stash!

The other day I was very lucky to be given a fabulous fabric stash from Jacqueline Kilpatrick, a couture dressmaker based in Hampton Wick who runs a successful business called Jacqueline Kilpatrick Couture. She has a wonderful collection of designer fabrics that needed a new home and I was very happy to find one for them! In return, she asked me to make a donation to Kids Company, an organisation that provides practical, emotional and educational support to inner-city children.

I'm slightly overwhelmed by the selection, but am really looking forward to having a play with them all.

Patternity

I recently discovered this fab website and wanted to share it. It's called Patternity and they describe themselves as being born from a unique vision: to redefine pattern and shape. They have images of pattern found from all over the place and there is an amazing selection of delightful items on show and much foraging to do. I especially like their tights, which are on sale through their website. These ones are their Trademark design, but you can check out others inspired by totem poles, amongst others, here.

A Forage Session

Today I felt the need to go for a forage session and so I headed up to the International Forum where there was an outdoor antique market going on. It is held there once a month (most weekends you can find an outdoor market somewhere in Tokyo) and is said to be one of the biggest outdoor markets in Tokyo. There definitely was an amazing selection of Japanese antiques and fabrics, as well as quite a good array of European antiques. I was like a magpie and homed in on the shiny stuff - mostly fabrics. Needless to say, I came away with some finds to ferret away in my studio......

Juicy Fabrics

It's very hard to imagine that the awful events of March 11th only happened three weeks ago. So much seems to have happened in that time and there are so many varying points of view on the events that are still happening here in Japan. A friend recently sent me a blog posting from David Bull, a guy who has lived in Japan a long time (he incidently creates beautiful woodcut prints). I felt that he gave a well balanced view of the situation in Japan and wanted to share it. You can read it here.

Many people have encouraged us to carry on as normal here, which includes going out and spending money as we would have done otherwise. Thus, I have trotted out and spent some money on these gorgeous fabrics! I feel that I have made my small contribution to stimulating the Japanese economy, as well as satisfying my designers urge. I now hope to make some beautiful clutch bags from these juicy fabrics.