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.

 

Green Tea And Sweet Beans Quilt by Marina Forgiarini || Pattern By Jen Kingwell

This quilt is stunning! Mum did an amazing job and it is so jam-packed with Liberty fabric that I want to frame it. The picture above is the finished quilt top. And below are pictures of the individual blocks.

The pattern is Green Tea And Sweet Beans - designed in Australia by Jen Kingwell of Amitie Fabrics in Melbourne.

The pattern book

Mum bought the pattern book whilst in Melbourne last year. And I have loved watching her piece together her version using... dun dundanah... scraps! You wouldn't think so to look at it, but this quilt has been created using Liberty of London and other fabric scrap pieces from many a past project.

Here is a look at the twenty-three different blocks used in the quilt.

Wedding Chain Block surrounded by Checkerboards

Propellar Blocks

Lozengers Blocks

Garden Paths Block

Pinwheels Blocks

Churn Dash Block

Drunkards Path Block

Poppie Block

Tulip Block

Hexagon Panel

Orange Peel Block

Orange Peel Block

Orange Peel Block

Day Lily Block

Baby Carriage Flowers Block

Igloos Block

Berry Basket Block

Square Daisy Block

Double Pinwheel Block

Double Drunkards Path Block

Flower Blocks

Flower Blocks

Flower Blocks

Appliqué Block 1

Appliqué Block 2 above Liberty of London filler strips

Appliqué Block 3 - Clam Shell

Appliqué Block 5

This is a few different perspectives showing the blocks sewn together.

Gorgeous isn't it? I can't wait to see it finished and quilted.... but that will probably be in... 2015/16! Mum plans to hand-quilt it. Yep. Hand-quilt. It's going to be a masterpiece!

#jenkingwell #greenteaandsweetbeans #libertyfabric #quilting #rhapsodyandthread