Exciting New Hotel Frederiksted Collaboration

Recently, I was offered a very exciting opportunity to make a Rhapsody Bunny Doll with Jennifer Paganelli's new range of fabric - Hotel Frederiksted - before the fabric has even been released! The offer came from the incredibly talented Sarah of Piccolo Studio. I've been a fan and follower of Sarah's for a long time now, and I knew that her vision for the fabric and subsequent photo shoot would be stunning. The following photos were taken by Angela Lisman of Angela Lisman Photography.

Sarah created this quilt... Breathtaking!

The combination of prints and colours are stunning! I'm sure that this collection of fabrics will be very popular. And the quilt pattern designed by Sarah herself is so unique. I just love the addition of the pom pom too.

I was honoured to make this bunny for Sarah's daughter Hannah. 

Just look at them together, best friends.

To see more pictures from this whimsical photoshoot 

and learn more about Piccolo Studio, follow this link to Sarah's blog.

xxTabatha

||Rhapsody and Thread||

Liberty Picture Frame

Liberty 'Garden Wonderland' Picture Mount (Rhapsody and Thread) surrounding First Think Print (Tall Blank Wall)

It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of the very talented Claire at Tall Blank Wall.

Her prints are both inspiring and stylish.

 

This is one I bought myself, to have on my desk as a reminder to believe in myself. And I couldn't resist framing it in this gorgeously bright and fun Liberty Art Fabric print 'Garden Wonderland'.

 

I asked Isla to repeat after me: "You must always believe in your yourself".

 

My hope is that she never forgets xx

 

Operation: Spoil Mum For Mothers Day

 

This is a look back at all the treats I made mum for Mothers Day.

 

Of course Liberty was involved, with gusto!! I even tracked down coffee mugs from Kitchenware Direct because they have the most beautiful Strawberry Thief print on it. I know it's a William Morris print, but it's also a Liberty Art Fabric print - and one of our favourites. See below.

 

 

I also wanted to make something new for mum for Mothers Day. She has seen the picture mounts and the cushions that I make. And she loves Betsy print - so I made her a cushion in pink Betsy print. I also made her a Liberty Picture Mount in teal Betsy. I'll show you below.

 

But I wanted to make something different, something she didn't already have. So I searched fabric basket tutorials and came across this sweet little Gathered Basket pattern on A Spoonful Of Sugar Designs. The pattern was fun and easy to follow. I made this sample below for myself first to check the size and simplicity of the pattern. I chose Liberty print Gallymoggers in pink for the outside, and Garden Wonderland for the inside. I chose them because they match the candy stripe ribbon that I've been saving for yeeeeeears!

 

 

So perfect, I just had to make more! So I decided on two large and one small. I picked Betsy prints for the insides and coordinating colours/prints for the outsides.

 

 

Voila!

 

 

 

Then I was hooked! I had to go bigger! So I searched for "buckets" and came across this great Fabric Buckets Tutorial on Apartment Apothecary. Mum and I actually worked on these together. She created this Liberty Strawberry Thief bucket (not sure of the details for the overhang fabric) and I made one out of my treasured Liberty Marina Seaflower print with Liberty Ciara fabric overhang. The tutorial was easy to follow and didn't take long at all. I think it took longer to decide on which Liberty prints to use! LOL

 

 

Here's a shot of the Betsy Liberty Picture Mount I made mum, to frame this beautiful watercolour print I found on Etsy via TeaDesigns1. The quote from movie The Help have always, and will always, be meaningful.

 

 

So a happy Liberty-filled Mothers Day bundle for mum!

 

My Mothers Day gift for mum 2015

 

And an extra-special Mothers Day bundle for me. Enough Liberty to make me want to squeal. But even more magical is that little glass bottle of sand that my baby girl made at school. What a beautiful surprise it was to pick her up at school and see the look of excitement on her face. That was the best gift I received this year.

 

My mothers day bundle 2015

 

Beauty Is In The Frame

'Betsy' Liberty Art Fabric Picture Mount

Covered in beautifully bright Liberty Art Fabric, these A4 picture mounts are perfect for surrounding your pictures with vibrant colour. Try a black and white print, or something colour-coordinated like the combo above. The print was a freebie to all Tickle The Imagination magazine newsletter subscribers last month. Matches that beautiful Betsy print perfectly.

 

Buy your own here in my Etsy store. Only AU$30.00 plus postage.

 

Custom orders welcome if you'd like a particular print or want to match a colour scheme.

See below for available mounts.

Liberty Art Fabric Picture Mounts - Print names clockwise from top left: Pinky, Betsy, Mauvey, Gemma

Liberty Art Fabric Picture Mounts - Print names clockwise from top left: Betsy, Mauvey, John, Poppy & Honesty

Liberty Art Fabric Picture Mounts - Print names clockwise from top left: Strawberry Thief, Phoebe, Pepper, Charles

 

Liberty Backpack for Isla

So my baby girl, who is now three and not a baby anymore, started pre-kindy this year! Unbelievable. I'm still coming to grips with the realisation that she's growing up so fast, and spending most of two days a week with people I don't know. So I wanted a project to keep my mind distracted and I wanted to make something for her. I originally had thought I'd make her a library bag, but that's not the case now - for two reasons. Firstly, I now know that they don't visit the library at this age. And second, it's so beautiful that I'm not ready to let it out of the house!! So I've hung it in Isla's room to enjoy it and only bring it down when Isla wants to be a turtle and carry her unicorns around on her back.

 

So, I hunted for a pattern and remembered a really fun backpack pattern on The Purl Bee Blog a while back. Click here for link to pattern. I adapted the pattern in three ways. I personalised it with felt letters on the front. I swapped nylon chord for braided chord, and for this reason I had to double the height of the channel pieces and holes at the base to fit the bigger size of the braid.

 

Next, I dug out a piece of Liberty Lifestyle fabric, Bloomsbury Gardens Collection - print name Catherine (purchased years ago at Calico & Ivy). I chose this heavier weight fabric for strength and durability. Then, I found a matching spotted fabric for the lining (no idea where from as it's been around for ages). The bright pink felt is a rectangle that came with an unused Mollie Makes magazine project. And I got the gorgeous pink braid from Spotlight. I went looking for the nylon chord and came home with that instead. Happens a lot.

I vliesofixed the back of the felt and cut Isla's name out. I just hand-sketched the letters (backwards).

My favourite part is hand-stitching. I picked purple to provide a good contrast. My poor fingers and thumb were shredded from pushing and pulling through such stiff felt - but it was worth it. There's nothing more personal than hand-stitched letters, and the stiffer felt holds itself up really well. So I'm still happy with the choice of felt.

 

I didn't get any photos of the construction stage. The pattern was fantastic. So easy to follow and great big pictures helped me to work out what I had to do. Unfortunately for me, it wasn't as simple as Corinne's job, because I grabbed the braid instead of the chord. The braid was thicker - which meant that I had to remake larger channels and cut the holes at the base larger to squeeze the braid in. I also found that the braid doesnt slide as smoothly as a nylon braid would through the channels. But the backpack is still completely functional and looks fantastic!

 

Job well done xx For Isla Skye xx

 

For more pictures of Isla's backpack and her gorgeously bright Liberty-filled bedroom, pop over to my personal Instagram account @Rhapsodyland.

 

There's A New Style Halter Dress In Town --> Treeyo

I thought I would share some photos of this gorgeous little dress I made for Isla a few nights ago.

I've wanted to make her a dress with pockets for AGES! She has always had this odd little habit of carrying small bits and bobs around. Her hands are never empty. It's never the same thing - but there's always something like a rock or a Dora figurine or a leaf or a sticker. So I just know that she'll get a real kick out of having pockets in her dress. It's a fun little perk and really pretty feature I think.

It still amazes me to see how this dress worked out. I'll tell you the story behind it. See, mum bought this fabric a few weeks ago. She only got a ¼ metre and I'm sorry she doesn't remember where from - it could have been either Calico & Ivy in Mosman Park or Patchwork At Homespun in Willagee. I will go hunting for it in the next few weeks because I want it for more items in my Etsy shop. So when I learn the name of the fabric and where to get it - I will let you know I promise.

So... what was I saying... oh yeah - mum only got a ¼ metre and it wasn't enough for a Halter Dress or a Halter Top for Isla :o( So I thought I would improvise and make her this new style Halter Dress with the gorgeous feature fabric as the front with coloured side panels.

I picked a hot pink Poplin from Spotlight on the right hand side.

And I made a sweet little pocket using a square with the purple flowers.

And I picked a bright light purple Poplin from Spotlight for the left hand side.

With a pocket made from a square of the fabric with hot pink flowers.

I kept the same shirring detail across the chest.

I love how it flares the rest of the dress out.

And I made halter straps from the matching Poplin fabric.

Scrumpy!

These will be coming soon to my Etsy shop. If you want to know when, like my Facebook Page. Or message/email me to request a custom order. I have an up-to-date Fabric Album on my Facebook Page if you want to DYO (design your own) dress. Just pick your front panel fabric and we can work out the best 2 side colours - you can decide what your little munchkin would like best. The price will vary depending on size and fabric choice (i.e. Designer or Premium Designer Fabric).

Thanks for reading xxo

Tabatha

 

A Bubba Quilt For A Beautiful Baby Girl

I couldn't wait to give this gorgeous little quilt to my beautiful friend at her baby shower today! I was itching to show her pictures as I was making it - to make sure the colours would match the nursery - and from what I saw of other gifts she recieved, the colours match perfectly. Phew!!!

Here's how I went:

Fabric piles cut and ready to be laid out

Laid out and ready for sewing

Quilt top sewn together and looking so beautiful

Finished view of the top

Finished view of the bottom

Rolled and ready for wrapping

Wrapped and ready for giving xx

 

Nanna's 100th Birthday Present - a Liberty Motif Cushion

 

This was such a special project for me - to make something meaningful for my great-nanna for her 100th birthday this year. As you can imagine, she has had a lot of birthdays and doesn't really want for anything these days. But we still like to get her little things to celebrate and show our love for her. I rack my brain every year and choose things like comfy shoes or a pretty shawl... comfort is the main thing we want for her. So, I thought I'd make her a cushion for her back. I know it's not completely practical and she probably won't want to use it in case she damages it. But I knew she would love it because I made it myself.

So here's how I went:

I picked this Liberty of London "Rock and Roll Rachel" print because Nan would love the colours and I loved the paisley motifs.

I cut out the motifs and ironed them to 100% linen ready for stitching.

I satin-stitched around the motifs to add colour borders and definition; and I added some french knots for pretty detailing.

Then I stitched on a linen rosette and sewed on the Liberty fabric backing.

Hand-stitching the closure was a big job because the cushion insert was jammed in there to make the cushion really puff out!

The finished front showing the top flower motif and the 100 to celebrate the special milestone.

The rosette really stood out once the cushion was stuffed!

I backed the cushion with complete Liberty of London "Rock and Roll Rachel" fabric - it was SO soft and pretty!

Present time!

Nanna's handmade birthday present stash with her congratulatory plaque from the Pope!

This last picture was a 'montage' of the special birthday gifts handmade by me (cushion on right), my mum (quilt at the top), and my sister (painting on the left). We are a crafty bunch, aren't we?!