{Fabric Friday} Wonderful Textile Archive

Andrea Aranow Textile Archive from Aaron Rayburn on Vimeo.

I learned about Andrea Aranow's textile archive last week on the FORTPORT blog. It's such a great project & truly amazing collection - I felt the need to share it with my fellow textile enthusiasts. Pop on by to read the article if you have a chance- it's a great blog as well. Can you imagine having all of your fabrics organized & archived like that? Well, maybe you already do- but I don't & I'm in awe. Happy Fabric Friday! I'll be doing some sewing this weekend. Will you? 

Also, a big thanks to the men & women that have & continue to serve our country. Happy Veteran's Day!

{via here}

{Fabric Friday} Sweet Nostalgia...

As you may know, I've been stashing away fabrics for quite awhile. Sometimes, I don't know why I'm drawn to a pattern but I feel a strong attachment to it & get a little bit to save for the right occasion. I decided to put together a few bundles of fabrics for hutch studio the other day that consisted mostly of vintage reprints but that are all really hard to find now. I think I started stashing most of these when I was thinking about being a mom someday.

These fabrics are sweet, nostalgic, & perfect for baby quilt or any other fun project for your child. There are 2 bundles available here. Happy Fabric Friday!  Do you have any fun & creative projects planned for the long weekend?

{Fabric Friday} Owls & Nests...

In my studio I have a stack of square, screen-printed pieces of fabric that are waiting for that perfect project. While I've had many ideas for how to use them, time is tricky these days. I've been nothing short of impressed with recent klt:works collaborations & I think they may have inspired an idea. I've decided to start selling some of my owl & nest screen-printed fabric squares in the klt:work etsy shop.  These squares are perfect for quilts, clothing, pillows, framing, you name it!  I really love seeing what people create so I thought it would be fun to start a flickr group called "friends of klt:works" with the thought that if anyone wants to post what they make with these fabric squares, they'll have a place. Who knows, there may be a contest somewhere down the road. Happy Fabric Friday everyone! Any creative projects planned for this weekend? 

{Everyday Inspiration} Thirtyfive Flowers...

It's no secret that I have a love of fabrics & have a particular fondness in the history of iconic textile designers. So does Louise who makes cushions out of vintage & new fabrics for her shop called Thirtyfive Flowers. I've purchase four cushion covers from her in the last few months & felt that deserved a mention here. We have them scattered throughout our home- I love them! Here is how we live with Thirtyfive Flowers....  

My latest purchase from Louise made me a little giddy. They were cushions made with the Marion Mahler "Mobiles" vintage fabric & one made with the Lucienne Day "Perfecta" vintage fabric (the end two in this last photo). I felt it was necessary to own fabrics from these two British, Mid-Century designers & was thrilled to receive these cushion covers in the mail. So if you love vintage & gorgeous new fabrics, check out Thrityfive Flowers - you are bound to find a treasure... 

Hope everyone enjoyed their weekend! We are off to an arts festival in a nearby town. What did you do?

{Fabric Friday} Mr Rabbit Rawlinson ...

I have a stack of special fabrics in my studio- the stack is reserved for just the right project. A lot of the stack consists of the hand printed textiles that Helen Rawlinson makes. I've posted about her gorgeous designs before I know, but you can never get too much of a good thing. When I was thinking about making my Rabbit Plushies, I knew right away what fabrics I wanted to use on their backs... three of my saved Helen fabrics (lime spot, fuchsia ABC, & charcoal pebble). 

I'm really drawn to the modern, vibrant, & clean aesthetic of Helen's work. As to not reinvent the wheel, I'm going to give you links to the other posts I've written about her designs too. I've been a fan for quite awhile now.

{Fabric Friday} From an Old Chocolate Factory in London

{mobiles} New Collection,

Fabric Friday (one of my first ones) , 

{Everyday Inspiration} Storytime

I love to work with handprinted fabrics particularly when I have a face to the name . So, these little Rabbits were extra fun to make- it's like they really did magically pop out of Cardboard Man's hat. Happy Fabric Friday! Have a great weekend! Do you have anything fun planned?

{Fabric Friday} CourtneyCourtney...

Courtney Chu is a magician with repurposed or "upcycled" textiles. She creates unique, "visually striking", & comfy pieces of art to wear. This lady knows her stuff when it comes to designing these cool clothes. Her background includes an Industrial Design major from Carnegie Mellon University & she has a full time job as a product designer for a children's rainwear & accessory company. She masterfully creates clothes that show her enthusiasm for  design, sewing, upcycling, & textiles. 

I recently sent Courtney a few of my "oops" prints for her to incorporate into her designs & I LOVE what she came up with. I really want this first dress in my size! 

("oops" prints: are prints that have irregularities in either the fabric they are printed on or in the screenprinting.)

KLT owl image used from this.

KLT owl image used from this.

KLT nest image used from this & owl image from this

KLT dog image from this.

I'm so thrilled that our paths crossed & I look forward to sending more prints her way in the future. If you are interested in purchasing some of her creations, make sure you sign up for Courtney's emails here so you can see fun new photoshoots & all of the new courtneycourtney dresses that are available for purchase. Thanks for the inspiration Courtney! I love to see KLT through your eyes.  Check out courtneycourtneyon FB too! 

(all images property of Courtney Chu)

Happy 4th of July weekend (or Canada Day weekend) everyone!

{Fabric Friday} cut out & keep...

Last November, I posted about my love of Skinny laminx textiles here. So, it will be no surprise that I was excited to discover that Heather Moore (aka Skinnylaminx) designed a new line of organic fabrics for Cloud9 that debuted this April.

"Cut Out & Keep ~ The first in our Designer Series for 2011 features South African surface and product designer, Heather Moore who works under the brand name Skinny laMinx. Cut Out & Keep is a striking collection of 8 prints based on her paper-cut designs. This is the first range of fabrics of this type for Heather and we're really excited about this collaboration." -Cloud9

You can purchase these directly from Cloud9 or from here. Aren't they nice? I particularly love them in the stacks that Heather photographed for her blog. 

I've been pondering these fabrics for awhile now- thinking of using some in a new mobile. I just can't seem to make a decision, although I may be close. Do you have a favorite?  Happy Fabric Friday! Any plans to sew or create this weekend? 

{Fabric Friday} Rainbow Bundles...

On this rainy Friday before Memorial Day, it seemed appropriate to create a rainbow of destash bundles for my Etsy Shop.  I set myself up with scissors, yardstick, fabric & the Tina Fey audiobook, Bossypants that I got for Mother's Day. I have to say, it was an enjoyable afternoon laughing & bundling- & for the record, Tina Fey is the perfect studio mate. 

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend - & those of you in the US, enjoy your Memorial Day (long) weekend! If you feel like this rainbow of bundles is in need of some red or you just want to read about what my family I partake in every Friday night before memorial day weekend.... 

click here to see the Fabric Friday post from a year ago. The only difference this year is that my brother & sis in law won't be joining us but my father in law will be.  Happy Fabric Friday! What are your weekend plans?

{Fabric Friday} quinnknits...

I first learned about Jess Quinn's textile creations via Kickcan & Conkers. I was so drawn in by her quirky & unique style. The legs of some of her characters reminded me of the artwork of my old roommate in grad school- which gave me a nostalgic smile. I've been following the twisted yarn blog ever since.

While I'm particularly fond of the quinnknits stuffed sculptures, the illustrations are gorgeous too. Excitingly enough, I just learned that Jess has been experimenting with Spoonflower lately!

I know I've mentioned this many times before, but this is a process that I'm particularly intrigued with - I love the idea of merging illustrations & textiles. I have had hopes to experiment with this process using my thread drawings, sometime in the near future. When I have a window of time open up (whenever that may be). Here are some examples of the fabrics that may be popping up in the quinnknits etsy shop soon. Aren't they cool? Happy Fabric Friday everyone! 

{Fabric Friday} Marimekko for Spring...

Bears hibernate during the winter, but I collect Marimekko fabric. I stash it away like a squirrel stashes nuts. I've kept my eye open for vintage & hard to find Marimekko remnants for my plush for months now. My stack is growing & my ideas are flowing. 

These three cheerful amigos joined the other colorful slugs yesterday (in honor of Cinco de Mayo). They really mimic the gorgeous color of the many tulip fields that I'm surrounded by in our valley. 

While I certainly have lots of plans for klt:goodies using my Marimekko fabric, for some reason, I love making slugs with these happy textiles. The idea of a kiddo toting around these vibrant & cheerful friends make me smile. I have to say, Sayer has already adopted one from this new stack. Can you guess which one? I knew right away which one he would be drawn to. He already has two slugs, but they could use a little break & a new friend. Happy Fabric Friday! Do you have a favorite fabric from the stash? 

As a side note:

klt:works loves moms! To celebrate you lovely mommas out there, everyone gets 25% off the entire KLT etsy shop this weekend  with the code "KLTMOM" (offer ends Monday Morning at 8am PST)! Happy Mother's Day! 

{Fabric Friday} fabric smiles...

Do you remember Kari, the winner of the Creative Bundle Contest? Well, she's been busy creatively making smiles on her son's face lately with a new fabric creation that  I just had to share! She made this soft flip book for her son, Max, for Easter. Each face represents someone in their family! I was so tickled when I saw her blog post about it yesterday. 

She even used some of her prize klt:fabric bundles for this project. Isn't this the greatest photo? I love how he's so into his family of faces. He also looks adorable in his new squirrel tee! Kari, Max is one lucky kid! Thanks for sharing your cool project!! Happy Fabric Friday everyone! Do you have any fun projects lined up for the weekend?

{Fabric Friday} Earth Day Favorite...

 

Happy Earth Day! On this Fabric Friday, it seemed perfect to feature one of my favorite eco- conscious fabric designers/makers, Umbrella Prints. I discovered this lovely fabric last year & it continues to be on my top 5 list. Amy & Carly's gorgeous fabric is printed by hand  on hemp & organic cottons, with water based, solvent free inks.

The palette & imagery used, is beautiful & truly able to inspire any sort of project. There is also exciting news for you quilters out there. Umbrella Prints has some new quilting weight fabric called "Oasis" that will be out in May! You can pre-order it on the Umbrella Prints Etsy site now.

Pop by Amy Prior's blog for more inspiration & beautiful photos here. It's one of my favorites. All photos used for this post are from her blog & etsy shop. Happy Fabric Friday! Hope you all have a wonderful Easter Weekend!