New Sommer Collection by Sarah Jane Studios

Sarah Jane Sommer Fabric Bundle

I absolutely love the magical prints designed by Sarah Jane Wright of Sarah Jane Studios. I've got quite a few of the new Sommer Collection prints coming - with these three being the first from Muddy Ruffles Fabric Addiction. I love creating dolls using the whimsical scenes in Sarah's prints.

 

This one below, I think it's called Garden In Bloom, caught my eye because of those sweet bunnies frolicking amongst the flowers. They've got "make a bunny doll" written all over them!! I'm dreaming on watermelon ears and peach tutus...

Sarah Janes Garden In Bloom fabric

I can't wait to share with you what I plan to make xxTabatha

 

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 I Got - More Liberty of London Fabrics to Play With!

Photo courtesy of Rhapsody and Thread

There was absolutely no need for us to go back to Calico and Ivy today - because we already have some Liberty of London fabrics to play with and we've got more on the way from the UK - but we couldn't help ourselves! We've got so many project ideas and we're so excited about the gorgeous Liberty prints that we've seen online that we made the hour trip to Mosman Park in the pouring rain just to look at more! And then we spent another couple of hours (i'm not exaggerating :o) pulling out almost every Liberty fabric roll we could get our hands on to look at the prints and colours. I doubt the staff were very impressed with us...

As you can see from our picks, I was drawn to the florals and paisley's, and colours like pink, grey, and yellow. And mum loves big prints in bold colours. Dilemma. As much as we love the thought of making something out of every design we love, it just wouldn't work. There are so many different patterns and colour combinations... it's a little overwhelming. So we decided to just grab 2 each again and not get too ahead of ourselves.

The first choice was Liberty Tana Lawn - Judy Rose. I absolutely LOVE the combination of pink and yellow with grey and black. And the flower drawings and dot patterns give it a contemporary but sweet look that would work beautifully on a clutch purse or handbag.

Photo courtesy of Rhapsody and Thread

Photo courtesy of Rhapsody and Thread

My second choice was the Liberty Tana Lawn - Felix Raison. This print is really unique I think. Up close it reminds me of Native American Indian handicraft, but when you spread the fabric out the image transforms into feathers and ferns... one section even looks like a mardi gras head-piece! I love it, and again there are hints of my favourite colour at the moment - mustard!

Photo courtesy of Rhapsody and Thread

Photo courtesy of Rhapsody and Thread

The third choice was a design that mum and I both love, the Liberty Tana Lawn - Meandering Chrysanthemums. It comes in green, red, or blue backgrounds, and I'm sure we'll end up with all 3 at some point but we grabbed the green one yesterday to see how it translates into a handbag. Mum thinks the larger prints will suit the bags better and I trust her instincts as she's been making them for ages, so I'm excited to see how this print works.

Photo courtesy of Rhapsody and Thread

Photo courtesy of Rhapsody and Thread

And the last choice was Liberty Tana Lawn - Bourton. This is a bright paisley in colours that remind me of Spain. I'm not sure what mums plan is for this one but I'll show you when it's done!

Photo courtesy of Rhapsody and Thread

OH, and there was another stop we made - the Corner Store in Claremont. What a funky place!! We felt like we'd fallen down the rabbit hole with Alice! They sell all sorts of things from kitchenware to bed linen, toys, books, and beauty products. We just loved it, especially their little Liberty of London section. I snatched this Liberty Book of Home Sewing up as soon as I saw it and we ooh'd and aah'd over the pillows and lampshades and little notebooks. Love it.

Photo courtesy of Rhapsody and Thread

It was a great day, despite the miserable weather.

Can't wait to get started!!!!!!!

Look What I Got - Liberty of London Fabrics Discovered

On a fabric hunt last weekend, Mum and I visited Calico and Ivy in Mosman Park. It's on Glyde Street... a deceptively boring-looking street off Stirling Highway that actually has a gorgeous little strip of boutique shops and restaurants. We saw the window display for Calico and Ivy and practically skipped across the road. It was like walking into Willy Wonka Land for the creative heart. At first, you're bombarded with the most incredible range of coloured wools. My fingers were itching and I was already planning crochet projects in my head but I forgot them all when I saw the fabric section downstairs. It was a bit of a challenge logistically because I had my baby girl in her 3 wheeler (Her name is Isla and she is a shopaholic :o). I think I heard the typical sigh that accompanies the sight of a pram and/or baby, but she was as mesmerised as us and giggled as we piled her pram up with our favourite prints.

Unfortunately we had to behave ourselves (so said our purses) as the Liberty of London fabrics are quite expensive. But the unique designs and fine, almost silky quality of the fabric easily explained the prices. So with frowns and much procrastinating, we chose 2 prints each of the Liberty Tana Lawn and a gorgeous soft linen that had the look of old driftwood.

My first choice was Liberty Tana Lawn - Kalinich:

Photo courtesy of Rhapsody and Thread

Photo courtesy of Rhapsody and Thread

 And my second choice was Liberty Tana Lawn - Mistral:

Photo courtesy of Rhapsody and Thread

Photo courtesy of Rhapsody and Thread

Mums first choice was Liberty Tana Lawn - Mrs Robinson:

Photo courtesy of Rhapsody and Thread

Photo courtesy of Rhapsody and Thread

Photo courtesy of Rhapsody and Thread

And her second choice was Liberty Tana Lawn - Kate Ada:

Photo courtesy of Rhapsody and Thread

Photo courtesy of Rhapsody and Thread

This is the beginning of Rhapsody and Thread.

Mum and I have dreamt of this day for a long time, but neither of us felt the time was right until we found the uniquely beautiful designs and sophisticated quality of Liberty fabrics. Matched with our favourite linen, we plan to hand-craft a range of bags and accessories. There are so many different designs that we want to use, I doubt any piece will be the same. We're so excited to get started.