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

 

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

 

Hyde Park Picnic And Photoshoot

So I promised to share photos of our little photo-shoot and here they are!

It wasn't a huge photoshoot and it wasn't Hyde Park in London... he he he... but it was a gorgeous setting with undoubtedly more stunning weather! We had a great day. The food was delish as usual! We do love a gourmet picnic ;o)

The real reason for visiting Hyde Park though was to capture some shots of Isla wearing some of the outfits available in my Etsy shop - to give customers an idea of how they look when worn. But Isla had different ideas!

I put her in this gorgeous little Baby Singlet & Bloomer Set and she kept running away from me!

Then she decided to start climbing all over the big roots of a nearby Moreton Bay Fig Tree.

I asked her to smile for the camera and I got a very firm "No!".

So I tried a different tactic.

I changed her into a Halter Dress and walked her down to the Duck Pond.

She looked so beautiful. And she loved looking at the ducks... until one walked towards her thinking she was holding food. She high-tailed it out of there and got busy collecting sticks.

We even think we might have seen a fairy hiding in the bushes!

It was a beautiful day.

For more information about my shop and a look at what is currently available in store, please click on the link here. Or check out my Facebook page for fabric options and custom order availability!

https://www.facebook.com/RhapsodyandThread

https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/RhapsodyandThread

 

My Etsy Shop Is Now Open --> Hip Hip Hooray!

I must apologise to my readers for my absence! I have been sewing up a storm every chance I get (i.e. when the planets are aligned in such a way that the kids are asleep and I'm not cleaning, eating or drinking cocktails). That last part could happen more often.

It has been an incredibly busy last... well 6, 12, 24 months! I still can't believe that my babies have their birthday in just a few weeks. 1 and 2 years old. I just can't believe it. And there is so much to plan and organise for their big day. I've been working out the details for months, along with setting up and opening my Etsy shop. The party theme is Peppa Pig, which I think suits a combined boy/girl party because Peppa has her baby brother George - just like Isla has her baby brother Logan. We've got mascots coming, which is going to be super exciting. I can't wait to see the kids faces. And I went crazy in Spotlight buying pink, green, yellow and blue table setting stuff, streamers, balloons... you can just imagine how crazy I went. I'm fairly certain hubby is going to look at me and say "do you think you got enough stuff?". And I am confident in my prepared response of "we can never have too much stuff for their first combined birthday party!!!". It is a very special occasion because Logan is turning one, and Isla never got to have a kiddie first birthday party because she was at the hospital welcoming her baby brother on her birthday. So we have that to make up for. Have I made enough excuses? :o)

Anyway, enough about that. I want to tell you about my Etsy shop because I feel equally proud of how that is coming along. I actually can't believe my Etsy Shop is finally open! I feel like I've been sewing for years. Technically it's been about 6 months (for the shop) but it has been a very slow process squeezing in cutting and sewing while the kids have napped during the day and after they've gone to bed at night. Thank goodness there was nothing interesting on tv over the Christmas holidays so I could just bury myself in the craft cave. It has been fun. Incredibly challenging with a few setbacks, but they have been great learning curves.

My initial focus was on creating a range using beautiful Voile and Japanese Lawn fabrics. This came from my long-standing love of Liberty of London Tana Lawn fabrics. I love how light and bright and colourful most lawns and voiles are - in particular how intricately detailed the prints are due to the extra-fine weave of the fabric.

Of course you might remember the Christmas dress I made for Isla out of Liberty of London fabric. The print is called Tresco and is covered in all sorts of bright coral. It is so colourful and just a bit Christmassy!

The trouble with Liberty fabric though is that it is very expensive. I do plan on creating a small number of items using popular Liberty of London fabrics for my etsy shop - but I'm not sure that my current customer base can afford clothing in that price range.

So I sourced a cheaper range of Japanese lawn and voiles that helped me to produce and offer more affordable clothing (that still have that lightweight look, soft luxury feel, and bright colours). I'm really happy with how they turned out.

These Halter Dresses are so gorgeous. Retailing at AU$25-$27, they are great value. Especially because they are really versatile and can work first as a Halter Dress and then as a Halter Top with jeans and a cardigan. The tops of the dresses are shirred so they fit snuggly and the dress balloons out like a princess dress. I also hand-sew the tulle flowers to add a special touch.

I also make Halter Tops (AU$19-$21) for people looking for something pretty but suited to more everyday loveliness with shorts or pants.

The hand-stitched tulle flowers are also used here on my Singlet & Bloomer Sets. The bloomers have more shirring along the waist and legs to create a sweet little pantaloon look. And the singlets have 2-3 tulle flowers in different configurations. These outfits are super-comfy and are gorgeously funky, while still looking girly. These are AU$27-$29.

I'm really happy with the styles and overall look of my products. And they look great on. We had a photo shoot at Hyde Park a few weeks ago - nothing major, just an excuse to have a picnic really. But I did get some great shots of Isla modelling an Halter Dress and a Singlet & Bloomer Set. I'll share those on a different post.

That's all for now xxo

Rhapsody and Thread

https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/RhapsodyandThread

https://www.facebook.com/RhapsodyandThread