Fabric Friday - Amy Butler New Collection - Lark

Morning! Friday again already? Bit of a mixed up day here today as my daughters have a day off from school as it's a PD Day (Professional Development for teachers) but I think it's just a special Christmas shopping day for the teachers really!  Anyway it's Friday and that means we can indulge in some fabric heaven here and I realised earlier this week that Amy Butler's new collection, Lark, had hit out shores and the virtual shelves of many fabric websites here in the UK.  You all know how much I love Amy Butler designs but I am going to admit I am now entirely convinced I like the new collection.  I'm not sure why and maybe it will grow on me.  Although I do like some of the designs just not all of them.

The Lark collection is split into two, Glamour and Dreamer, with the designs in the Dreamer collection are more preferable.  I usually love Amy's designs but feel maybe one reason I haven't automatically fallen in love with them is that the colour palette is bright and bold but my thoughts are for warm colours of winter.  Perhaps I will like Lark more in the Spring when I want an injection of colour?

I would love to know wat you think of the new Amy Butler collection.  Do you love or loathe it? 

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Zoe

x

Fabric Friday - Amy Butler Soul Blossoms

image courtesy of Amy Butler Design

It's Fabric Friday and it seems only fitting to start the year with one of my favourite designers.  Amy Butler launched her new collection, Soul Blossoms, towards the end of last year and is as inspiring and vibrant as her previous colections.  Inspired by her travels through India, Amy has used a rich jewel palette and features large floral patterns throughout Soul Blossoms.  Amy describes the collection perfectly on her website as an "interpretation of an enchanted modern passage through the floral delights of India". 

image courtesy of Amy Butler Design

There are three colourways within the Soul Blossom collection, Passion, Joy and Bliss that mix perfectly, giving you a tresure chest of colour and pattern to create with. 


So let's see the lateset creations from Etsy using the fabulous Soul Blossoms collection.

from Sew Fun by Monique

from Faith on Earth

from Sugar Pie Chic

from Blake & Bailey's Little Boutique

from C W Creations

Fabric Friday - Amy Butler

It has been a short week here in the UK as we had a bank holiday on Monday and life is fairly manic as the children in most parts of England have returned to school this week. Of course it is Friday and that means it's time for some fabric eye candy for all of us fabric addicts! For todays Fabric Friday I have choosen to feature Amy Butler.  I know that I feaured her new wallpaper collection a couple of weeks ago but I realised I had not written a full profile about this fab designer for Fabric Friday.

Amy Butler has become a global household name, especially with people who desire bold patterns that don't shy away from a pale colour palette.  However this did not happen overnight and her success has taken time and alot of energy.  Amy Butler started creating small passport sized bags in the late 80's whilst living in Kansas City, which were well received by small boutiques across the country.  The boutiques were handpicked by Amy herself and her bags were only sold in boutiques that she had choosen and built up a rapport by making personal introductions to each store.

In 1992 Amy Butler returned to Ohio with her husband, David, renting a 150 year old cabin/house in 190 acres of rural farmland. From this home they started their Art of the Midwest studio with approximately $1200.  Amy created surface designs for her friend who became a design rep in New York City, often designing and creating into the night. 

After fixing up two houses and being a contributing editor for Country Living magazine, a fact I was unaware of, with thoughts of her little bags that she had made previously, Amy decided to design sewing patterns. And thank goodness she did, I have several Amy Butler patterns, incuding the Anna Tunic above and two books with plans of adding her new book, Style Stitches:12 Easy Ways to 26 Wonderful Bags, to my collection very soon. I am also going to have to buy the raincoat pattern, as I love coats!

Amy Butler also designs for Rowan Fabrics, having produced several collections, the latest being Love

and a new collection, Soul Blossoms, is due for release in December, including Twilight Peony that is pictured below.

And also incudes the Passion Lily design below

It is visible in this new collection and in previous collections that Amy Butler is inspired by vintage fabrics and she happily admits that she loves flea markets and the hunt for treasure at these markets.  Amy Butler's inspiration comes from the rich texture of everyday life and avoids sticking to trends.

Yet Amy Butler does not take all the credit for making her brand so successful. Aswell as her husband she lists many people instrumental in her brands success.  And what a brand - fabric, wallpaper, sewing patterns, books, wool and knitting projects, papercraft products, towels, bedding and rugs, amongst others. There really is a bit of Amy Butler design magic for everyone, whether you are a crafter, designer or just want fabulous things for your home.

Fabric Friday - Amy Butler Wallpaper

I know that it is Friday and should really be Fabric Friday but something very exciting has happened, Amy Butler has launched her wallpaper range.  As you all know I am a huge Amy Butler fan, so this news is fantastic.

Amy Butler has collaborated with Graham & Brown to produce an ecologically responsible range of wallpaper that has been printed here in the UK.

Amy has designed her fabulous new wallpaper so that you can mix and match to create many combinations throughout your home.

In this new collection there are six colourways, Moss, Midnight, Sunset, Ocean, Field and Stone.  Within each colourway there are six designs, hence 36 fantastic new wallpaper designs.

All the designs are printed on responsibly sourced FSC base using water base inks.

So all I have to do now is persuade my wonderful husband that we need to decorate.  Maybe he will be persuaded by the fact that you can just put the paste on the wall and hang the paper dry!!

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).

A secret to share with designers who use fabric

Shhhh! Let me tell you a secret.  If you use a lot of fabric in your designs/work you may well benefit from a designer account with fabric distributors.  Whilst all fabric addicts can name drop....Amy Butler, Heather Ross, Michael Miller, Anna Maria Horner, Blake Riley...to name a few, but many of these design for 'fabric houses' and are distributed by big companies.  This then got me to remembering when I worked for Ramm, Son & Crocker an upholstery producer several years ago and they offered trade accounts to interior designers.  So I set about checking websites for different designers and looking into the wholesale details with their distributors.  After contacting several distributors it became apparant that designer accounts are available to people like us!

Obviously there are some catches, like minimum order quantities (MOQ), buying designs by the bolt and shipping, duty and customs when the fabric is coming from outside the UK.  But if you use alot of fabric this maybe beneficial. I have compiled a list of the companies I contacted and details of any MOQ.  To qualify for a designer account you will need to provide details of your business and you cannot just resell the fabric, it has to be used by you.

Amy Butler & Freespirit Fabrics (Anna Maria Horner, Valori Wells & many more)
http://www.coats.com/ (Rowan Fabrics)
£200 MOQ
Buy the design by the bolt or half bolt
Price per yard - approx. half RRP
Form to complete providing business details

Cath Kidston
15% designer discount
You will need to provide a copy of your letterhead

Alexander Henry
http://www.ahfabrics.com/
Distributed by a company in Denmark http://www.adlico.dk/
One bolt minimum per design, 20 yard bolt, approx. half RRP.

Designers Guild
25% designer discount
You will need to provide a company profile on letterheaded paper and complete a trade account form.
No MOQ, buy by the metre.

Birch Fabrics
http://www.birchfabrics.com/
This is a new company with their first collection being available in the next 6 weeks.
4 bolt MOQ

Michael Miller
http://www.michaelmillerfabrics.com/
UK distributor http://www.eqsuk.com/
Awaiting response, will update.

Robert Kaufman
http://www.robertkaufman.com/
Awaiting response, will update

So I hope this helps some of you keep your costs down and increases the profit margins!

Patchwork Quilt

This Saturday sees the opening of the V&A's Quilts 1700-2010 exhibition, including recent works by Tracey Emin and Grayson Perry.  The museum has also comissioned a number of contemporary artists to produce work for this exhibition.  There will be 65 beautiful handcrafted quilts on display, many from the V&A's own collection, dating from 1700.  The museum's shop, http://www.vandashop.com/  will also be selling precut lengths of fabric, wih a 50cm x 75cm piece starting at £3.50. 

If you are inspired to make your own quilt, Liberty's have also produced a new range of fabrics specifically for patchwork quilts.  This limited edition range can be found at http://www.liberty.co.uk/, costing £11.50 per metre.

A patchwork quilt is a labour of love, taking many hours to produce, which makes this beautiful addition to our homes out of our reach because of this very reason.  Yet there are some gorgeous quilts available to purchase, made by crafters / designers who will even accept commissions to ensure you get the design and colours you want.

Available from Handmade by Louisa

Available from Fannie-Lou's

Available from My Sweet Rose

Available from A Lucky Child

Feeling inspired?

Quilt patterns can be found :

'In Stitches' by Amy Butler

Moda Fabrics

Fabric Friday

I have decided to declare Friday as a fabric indulgence day.  As a self confessed fabric addict what better way to spend my time looking at fabric or items created with the gorgeous stuff.  Yet the list of fabrics are endless so I need some focus here. With it only being a couple of weeks since Valentines and Mothers Day fast approaching where better to start than with Amy Butlers new collection, LOVE.

The perfect way to brighten up a very boring but necessary chore.

from Etsy shop http://www.citychiccountrymouse.etsy.com/                  

I only wish I had this changing/ diaper bag when my children were tiny.

from Etsy shop http://www.retrofied.etsy.com/

I think these would be the perfect addition to my picnic basket this summer.

from Etsy shop http://www.campcupcakedesigns.etsy.com/

Where I buy Amy Butler Fabric
http://www.fivevalleysdesigns.com/

Other places to buy Amy Butler fabric & patterns
http://www.etsy.com/
http://www.ebay.co.uk/
http://www.gonetoearth.co.uk/

Amy Butler Website
http://www.amybutlerdesign.com/