Look At This - Liberty of London Corner Store Display - Liberty Foxes Unite!

Photo by Corner Store

Check out the new Liberty of London window display at Corner Store. Isn't it magical?

So much effort has gone into covering the 'animals' in fabric, and creating a colourful forest. It looks innovative and exciting - I wish I'd been invited to the garland-making party!!! Give me a dacquiri and a pair of scissors and I'd be happy for hours!!  

Photo by Corner Store

The pictures look dark and mysterious and I think taking them at night (to eliminate day-time glare) was genius!!

The whole window display tells a story and I was captivated the minute I saw it. It's like I'm lost in the woods at night - freaking out because right there in front of me is 2 foxes (aaaargh!!!!). But alas, they're distracted by a delicious looking bunny rabbit. What do I do... Rescue bugs? Stare with awe at the garland canopy all night? Relax in one of those gorgeous chairs until the foxes come back? Or run for my life? 

Photo by Corner Store

I'm so impressed with the use of Liberty fabrics. I'm going to have a guess at the fabrics used. It's difficult to tell from the distance and darkness, but I think the left fox is covered in Clarricoates and I think the right is covered in one of the Hello Kitty prints Blue Karenkubo.

I'll just have to go in and have a closer look (wink!). Especially at that pillow on the right - it looks like one of my favourite prints, Angelica Garla?? I can't wait!!!

CORNER STORE*

201-205 Stirling Highway

Claremont WA

OPENING HOURS:
Mon – Sat: 9:30am to 5:30pm
Sunday: CLOSED or by appointment
Email: claremont@cornerstore.net.au

* There are also showrooms in Mt Lawley and Fremantle. 

Look What We Made - Shoulder Bag using Liberty of London & Linen Fabric

This bag surprised me to be honest, because I would not have chosen the Liberty of London Mrs Robinson print in these shades. But the linen really brings out the soft shades of lemon, teal and taupe, and the rich chocolate throughout. These colours are showcased in the top band through the positioning of half a sunflower, and mum did a great job with the rosette bow embellishment. The darker linen rosette adds depth, and the positioning of the bows give the bag an overall look of class and elegance.

 

Photo courtesy of Rhapsody and Thread

Photo courtesy of Rhapsody and Thread

Photo courtesy of Rhapsody and Thread

Liberty Fabric Colour Matching

I was jumping into all sorts of cyber rabbit holes this afternoon - looking at Liberty of London prints - and I stumbled upon Purl Bee - a fantastic and inspiring craft blog associated with the fabulous New York craft store Purl Soho. As a sidenote - I am SO jealous that mum gets to visit whilst in New York in October (sniff sniff)... but I'm excited to get presents :o).

There are so many great projects to see on Purl Bee, but I was especially thrilled to find more kindred spirits equally obssessed with Liberty fabrics and I spent hours trolling through their journal entries. 

I particularly love these "Swatch Portraits". It's quite a famous picture and it's no wonder why!

Picture from Purl Bee

What a fantastic concept and unique wall display! I have considered framing my favourite Liberty prints, but I can't hang anything on the walls in this house. And to be honest, I wouldn't be able to choose a favourite :o). My house would look like a framing shop with frames all over the walls! hah!

I also loved the Rolled Hem Handkerchiefs entry - not just because I love the gift idea, but more because I loved the colour matching. It inspired me to do some colour matching myself. There are so many prints in the Liberty of London repertoire and I get so lost in the different prints and colours that inspire me... And sometimes I have found that the fabrics I love are quite difficult to match - for our purposes of bags and accessories...

These are some Liberty of London fabrics that I think work really well together:

From left to right, the prints are Viola, Childhood Treasures (Mustard), Childhood Treasures (Navy), Beryl, Milliner, and Mawston Meadow - all on the Dust Flowers background.

Gorgeous!

Look What We Made - Shoulder Bag using Liberty of London & Linen Fabric

Mum did an incredible job with this bag for me - don't you think?



Photo courtesy of Rhapsody and Thread

I'm just an apprentice at this stage so I cut the pieces out and helped with the design, but mum pulled everything together for me and I'm so proud. We matched the 100% linen with Liberty of London tana lawn in the Mistral Pink print.

And we had even more fun making the flower embellishment. I was inspired by the flower print, and mum embroidered hot pink streaks on the linen leaves. The navy fabric was once my grandmothers - it's very sheath or scarf-like and frayed well - I'm obsessed with frayed edges at the moment. It created a kind of fluffy look behind the button and flower. It's gorgeous.

Photo courtesy of Rhapsody and Thread

Inside there are 3 pockets including a mobile phone pocket. Mum added a fabric strip on the top of each pocket to add some colour and spice to the inside.

Photo courtesy of Rhapsody and Thread

And this picture of the back of the bag gives you a good view of the handles. I went for long shoulder straps to keep my hands free. We had considered structured handles but these fit more snuggly on the shoulder so I'm much happier.

 

Photo courtesy of Rhapsody and Thread

I used this bag for the first time today and I felt so proud of us. The fabric is soft and silky and it was really comfortable to wear. Happy days.

Liberty 'Symposium' Fabric Bead Necklace

I fell in love with fabric-covered bead necklaces on my honeymoon in Mauritius and I couldn't wait to try my hand at making them myself. They look like so much fun and there are so many variations - short, long, knots or not :o), layered...

This seemed to be the easiest option for my first attempt, and I love the result. The Symposium print is perfect with the black and white sketches and splashes of eclectic colours. Matched with a black cardi or jacket, it would work day or night.

I think I'm addicted... I can't wait to try a smaller bead. I'll show you what I come up with x

Look What I Got - My Liberty of London Fabric Finally Arrived From The UK

I've been itching for this delivery to arrive from the UK so that I have some pinks to work with. As you can see from previous blogs, mum and I chose more subtle, classy colours/prints from Calico & Ivy and they suit the handbags beautifully. But I want more funky colours/prints for my jewellery and for the clutches we want to make.

Photo courtesy of Rhapsody and Thread

I've been itching for this delivery to arrive from the UK so that I have some pinks to work with. As you can see from previous blogs, mum and I chose more subtle, classy colours/prints from Calico & Ivy and they suit the handbags beautifully. But I want more funky colours/prints for my jewellery and for the clutches we want to make. 

Here's what I got. The Liberty Tana Lawn - Mistral Pink:

Photo courtesy of Rhapsody and Thread

It is my favourite and I've been waiting for it so that we can get started on my first handbag. The colours are gorgeous, with the different hues of hot pink mixed with navy, lime, taupe, and a brilliant white that gives the print a really crisp look. What I love most about this print is the overall design. There is a look of hand-painted peony roses and I LOVE this print! My bag will be gorgeous, and if I can get my hands on any scraps I'll make a necklace or earrings as well :o). 

Photo courtesy of Rhapsody and Thread

The next one is Liberty Tana Lawn - Frank:

Photo courtesy of Rhapsody and Thread

This is a really unique print. I'm not sure what inspired the designers but it reminds me of an Aboriginal dot painting. I particularly love the colour combinations of blues, oranges, and purple. I'm curious to see how the shapes and colours will translate into a bag or a necklace. Stay tuned.

The next one is Liberty Tana Lawn - Clarricoates:

Photo courtesy of Rhapsody and Thread

This is a gorgeous blend of purples, teal, and mustard in small flowers and stripes. The print is quite small and it looks like a mix of beads. I'm going to make a fabric bead necklace I think!

Photo courtesy of Rhapsody and Thread

And the last print is Liberty Tana Lawn - Symposium:

Photo courtesy of Rhapsody and Thread

I'm not sure why I was drawn to this design... It has an artistic graffiti look about it with fantastic sketches of roses with splatterings of vibrant red, lime, and electric blue. I can see it working really well as a clutch, but I think I'll start with jewellery to draw out the colours and textures.

Photo courtesy of Rhapsody and Thread

What do you think of these? Do you have a favourite? I feel really inspired and can't wait to share my projects with you.

Look What We Made - Shoulder Bag using Liberty of London & Linen Fabric

This is SO exciting - our first handbag!!! Isn't it gorgeous?

Photo courtesy of Rhapsody and Thread

Mum and I had such a great time making this bag. We had so many different ideas and so much excitement, we just loved every part of this process. We love working with beautiful fabric and trying different techniques to make it feel soft and luxurious, and feel comfortable to wear every day.

The top band and handle are made with 100% linen that we loved because of its driftwood shading and soft feel. It had a heaviness that gave it a similar drape to the Liberty of London fabric, so they worked really well together. The Liberty fabric used is the Kate Ada in bold red, navy, brown, green, and grey. It is a stunning combination of colours and the print is spectacular. Mum and I are both really drawn to the bigger prints and this one stood out for us immediately.

We decided to go with unstructured handles because nothing drives me nuttier than stiff bag handles that flick off my shoulders. I tried this bag on and it fits so snuggly and feels beautiful. I'm in love.

Photo courtesy of Rhapsody and Thread

And I LOVE this bow/rosette combination. It was an experiment at first, but it looks perfect.

Photo courtesy of Rhapsody and Thread

What do you think? Do you like it? Love it? Tell us what you think?