Fabric Friday - New Collections

I thought for the next three weeks I would look back at designers I have featured on Fabric Friday and take a look at their new collections. 

Birch Fabrics

Birch Fabrics launched their first collection, Circa 50 last spring and I first featured them nearly a year ago -

Fabric Friday - Birch Fabrics - March 2010

Circa 50

Circa 50

Since then Birch Fabrics have release two further collections, Marine by Dan Stiles and Circa 60 Beach Mod, which is another collaboration with Monaluna.

Marine

Marine

Circa 60

Circa 60

Birch Fabrics have another collection, Avalon by Jay-Cyn Designs, launching in April.

All Birch Fabrics collections are printed onto 100% organic cotton.

Monaluna

Monaluna collaborated with Birch Fabrics to produce both the Circa 50 and Circa 60 collections.  However I shared Monaluna's own collections, for Robert Kaufman, with you back in April last year.

Fabric Friday - Monaluna - April 2010

Urban Blooms

Flitter

Metro Market

Last Summer saw Monaluna launch their own collection, Monaco, which is printed onto organic cotton.

Monaluna will be launching two more collections, Anika and Marin, later this year.

Fabric Friday - Quilt Market

There has been a buzz coming across the Atlantic as the annual Quilt Market started in the US, with both major players and new entrants displaying their gorgeous prints for both trade and the general public. Quilt Market is pure eye candy for anybody who loves textiles as you stroll through stands displaying the latest designs from the likes of Valori Wells, Anna Maria Horner, Heather Bailey and many many more.  I have been patienetly waiting more updates being delivered to my inbox via the journal posts on The Fabric Shopper, offering fantastic photos from the show.  Having worked as a student in the marketing department for Ramm, Son & Crocker several years ago I can remember the amount of time taken putting together a stand for a trade show, such as Decorex and the buzz of excitement as it all comes together when it should...usually just in the nick of time!


Of course I could not keep these gorgeous photos to myself, so here you go, eye candy for all you fabric addicts!!

Anna Maria Horner

Valori Wells

Keri Byer

Patty Young

Sandi Henderson

Pillow & Maxfield

Michael Miller

Birch Fabrics

I have previously featured Birch Fabrics for Fabric Friday and am very excited to to see the preview of the Circa 60 range, due to be released later this year.

The Circa 50 range is now available to purchase from Fabricworm and other farbic retailers.

I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate Jennifer of Monaluna, who was the designer for the Circa 50 range, on the birth of her first daughter a few days ago.

Fabric Friday - Window Shopping

Hip hip hooray it's Fabric Friday!!  I have been digging around my studio this week looking for some patterns as I have felt inspired to create some new clothes for myself and maybe my girls too....if the boys are lucky I may even run them up some PJ trousers!  Whilst my Boden wish list is as long as my arm I know I am capable of running up some fantastic new clothes, especially as there are so many gorgeous fabrics available. I have some great Amy Butler patterns and Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross  which has some great clothes patterns and Seams to Me by Anna Maria Horner even teaches you to make your own skirt pattern, so I'm sure I can add to my summer wardrobe.  Obviously the next stage is fabric shopping....ohh I love this part!  So I am now going window shopping and will share some of my favourites with you.

Groove - Caleb Gray

Heather Bailey - Pop Garden

Heather Ross - Mendocino Seahorses

Echino Nico - Furuya Cars

Michael Miller - Zoology

Alexander Henry - Birdseed

Amy Butler - Tumble Roses

Amy Butler - Paradise Garden

Kristopher K Designs - Daisy Garden

Birch Fabrics - Cars Circa 50

I could list many many more but this post has to end sometime!

(Appologies to regular Fabric Friday readers that I have not focussed on a specific designer.  Business as usual next Friday, with a feature about Cath Kidston to celebrate St. Georges Day).

Fabric Friday - Monaluna

Hip hip hooray...it's Fabric Friday!  Sadly the only fabric I am likely to see today is in the overflowing ironing basket but I have snatched a little time to indulge again. A few weeks ago I wrote about the fantastic new range, Circa 50, by Monaluna for Birch Fabrics and have decided today to find out more about Monaluna.

Monaluna is the design studio based in Oakland, California created by Jennifer Moore.  Like many young girls Jennifer enjoyed painting and sewing and then went onto study anthropology and studio art at university.  This provided further inspiration and led to a career in design providing an outlet for Jennifers flair for bold designs and prints.  Whilst Jennifers work is used in a number of projects, including homeware, stationary and illustration her favourite medium is textiles, allowing others to be creative with her designs

I adore Jennifers work for Robert Kaufman Fabrics and Birch Fabrics yet I am really looking forward to Jennifers own collection, Monaco, which was previewed earlier this week on her blog.  Jennifer writes reguarly about her own work awell as crafty projects she is working on and adds little snippets of her life, which really makes a great read.

My eldest daughter loves giraffes, sadly she is 9 years old so will not be needing this! Maybe I could try a similar for a t-shirt for her.

Using Mingle Polka Dots in Tangerine

Available from Oliver

The housework suddenly doesn't seem such a chore!

Metro Market fabric

Available from Buttercuppity Design

This would make any packed lunch more appealing!

Mingle fabric

Available from Rosy Und Posy

These are adorable!

Available from Seamingly Possible

The possibilities are endless with these gorgeous, bright, fun fabrics.

Monaluna fabrics are available from:

Fabricworm

Seamstar

Jennifer Moore / Monaluna can be found at:

Website

Blog

Fabric Friday - Anna Maria Horner

It' Friday, which means it's time to indulge my passion for print with Fabric Friday!  I have had another successful trip to the library and came home with Seams to Me by Anna Maria Horner.  I love sewing books, especially one by textile designers so was thrilled to find another great book full of projects.....I am hoping on my next trip I will find a magicial book explaining how to make a couple of extra hours a day so I can try out the ideas in my growing collection of books! (This expanded yesterday as it was my birthday and my lovely husband listened to the hints for Poppy Treffry's new book & Sew by Cath Kidston).  I will start writing reviews for my collection of books very soon....watch this space!!

Anyway back to Fabric Friday. Thoughts of Anna Maria Horner's designs automatically conjures images of bright colours and bold prints.  The latest range 'Folksy Flannels' is Anna Maria's first flannel collection and is inspired by the much admired 'Little Folks' and 'Good Folks' collections, that leave me thinking of cosy nights in a cottage reminiscent of fairytale books I read as a child.  I can almost sense the wolf knocking on Grandma's door.  Yet the 'Good Folks' collection makes me think of the gorgeous quilts hanging to dry in the 'Mamma Mia' movie. No surprise then that Anna Maria is of Greek heritage embracing the vibrant mix of colour and pattern that can only make us think of warm summer nights on Greek islands.

Whilst I automatically think of Anna Maria as a textile designer I was surprised to learn that she graduated with an Honours Fine Art Degree in Drawing and then went on to open a clothing and homewares boutique, Handmaiden, with her mother.  This gave Anna Maria the opportunity to design and make a clothing range which was later available wholesale to several stores across the USA.  She stills paints and exhibits aswell as colaborating with many retail outlets to produce collections in various mediums, including homewares and gifts alongside designing fabric collections.  Most amazingly Anna Maria does all this whilst being mummy to six children.  As a mother of five who always needs more time to get things done I feel inadequate looking at Anna Marias porfolio of accomplishments.  She is truly inspiring and the next time I think how am I ever going to find the time to run a business, home and family, my new mantra will be 'If Anna Maria can, so can I'.

Available from Pinnikity

Available from BellaLou

Available from Lindy Lou

Available from The Purple Fig

You can find more details about Anna Maria Horner's work here

Website

Blog

Birch Fabrics

It's Fabric Friday.....the best day of the week!  Today I want to focus on Birch Fabrics who  are releasing their first 100% organic printed cotton range, Circa 50, this month.  Birch Fabrics is the brainchild of Cynthia Mann who started selling bright, funky fabrics on Etsy from the comfort of her home office 18 months ago.  The company has now grown into its own store, has two full time employees, a website and Cynthia still has the original Etsy shop, Fabricworm.  The Circa 50 range is fantstic, taking inspiration from from the Eames era of the late 1950's, creating simple yet colourful designs.  For this collection Cynthia collaborated with the Monaluna designer, Jennifer Moore, who took charge of designing and ensuring the pattern repeats worked.  The pair are now woking on designs for a Circa 60 collection and Beach Mod collection, to be released later this year.  Cynthia is also planning two further collections with new fabric designers. 

Aswell  as adoring the ranges that Birch Fabrics sell and design I admire Cynthia as a working mother creating a business from her home and expanding this to create her own collections. I shall be eagerly watching Birch Fabrics over the coming months.

Cars Pool - Circa 50

Cars Strawberry - Circa 50

Chairs Multi- Circa 50

Houses Multi - Circa 50

Pebble Lines Citron - Circa 50

Space Multi- Circa 50

Starburst Pool - Circa 50

Starburst Strawberry - Circa 50

Woodland Chain Pool - Circa 50

Woodland Chain Strawberry - Circa 50

Woodland Friends Multi - Circa 50

Tree Stripes Multi - Circa 50

You can find the Circa 50 collection at - http://www.birchfabrics.com/

Circa 50 and a great selection of other designers, including Amy Butler, Heather Ross, Joel Dewberry, and Japanese import fabrics are available at

http://www.fabricworm.com/

http://www.fabricworm.etsy.com/