Wallpaper and Amy Butler: A match made in heaven

You know I love Amy Butler, and that I adore wallpaper so this is a no brainer...the new wallpaper collection by Amy designed exclusively for Graham & Brown is simply gorgeous!

Wallpaper selection: Georgia in Stone, Fountain Damask in Midnight, Lacework in Field, 

Temple Tulips in Ocean, Momento in Sunset and Field Poppies in Moss.

Amy's approach to design comes from being "passionate about color and forms inspired by nature and I love mixing prints that create surprising design stories. That's what I want my collections to show. I want to share a fresh perspective that highlights the confident personalities of the people who adopt them. Your home says so much about who you are, and what you care about. I want people to feel inspired, and treat their very lives as a work of art." via Graham & Brown

I am besotted with the Momento pattern both in her fabric collection and here in its wallpaper incarnation. I use Amy Butler fabric in pretty much all of my sewing projects and have visions of decorating a craft room with a selection of these prints, even if I just use some to decorate book shelves with, or use as drawer liners? Bravo Amy, you have done it again!

HANDMADE THERAPY

Project 8: Tote Bag

I have been dying to post about my latest handmade adventure, but since I am making everything I give as gifts this year I didn't want to spoil the surprise. However, the first handmade tote I created for the festive season was gifted today for my Step Mother's birthday so I can let you have a look now that she has opened it up.

As an aside, I wanted to commit to a handmade Christmas for lots of reasons (I have the time, the fabric stash and the commitment to handmade) but one thing it is NOT, is cheap! I will have spent more money this year than in many others despite not venturing to the stores for my gifts because of buying patterns, trims, threads, equipment (a rotary cutter, ruler and mat blew my budget straight away). Anyway that is not the point. I want all of my loved ones to have something unique, heartfelt and personal and we all know that is the allure of handmade and I fully support it as a philosophy and industry.


So, a reversible tote bag. I bought a wonderfully inspiring book called One Yard Wonders to get me going. There are so many useful projects and many that even I could do with my limited sewing experience. Plus, the presentation of the book and the accessible instructions (and patterns provided) made this a perfect project for me. The pattern was for a basic tote bag that could be rolled up and stashed for easy storage but I took a little creative license with it and made it reversible with no little tab to roll it up. Let's just say it is my interpretation in the spirit of the design!




What I love about projects like this is the opportunity to use beautiful, bold, colourful, fun fabrics, threads and trims. I want the contrasts and choices of the fabrics to make an impact and this tote was a perfect way for me to showcase these gorgeous choices from Amy Butler (I used her Arabesque and Memento designs from the Love collection).

Not to spoil the surprise for my near and/or dear but I guess the secret is kind of out! Tote bags it is, with each one using a carefully and lovingly chosen selection of fabrics and other little details. Some of you might even get a little extra handmade goodness if I can work out how to do anything other than a tote!! Back to the sewing machine....

P is for Paisley

Set to be the next big trend, I am not sure I ever saw paisley disappear but I am a fan none the less. Paisley's history goes back centuries and has it's origins in Persia and India, but this famous "twisted tear drop" shape pattern gets its European name from the Scottish town of Paisley where the fabric was printed for a mass market in the 19th century. This design can get a little busy, and often has a more masculine feel to it (I am thinking Ralph Lauren 80/90s velvet smoking jackets and slippers with paisley print).

For an updated and decidedly more feminine Paisley look, you don't have to look far...

Amy Butler's Love Collection

Cole & Son Wallpaper, Contemporary Collection Rajapur

(Image from Time Magazine)

Liberty Paisley Collections

Mark, designed in 1999.

Bourton, designed in the 1960s using archive designs for inspiration.


Liberty Print Bourton Shirt

As usual, you can't beat the Design*Sponge potted history for a comprehensive and eye candy filled guide. Enjoy!

HANDMADE THERAPY

PROJECT 2: FRAMED FABRIC
I am ridiculously excited about this project as it is so simple and creates a fabulous effect. I discovered this great trick of framing beautiful fabric in embroidery hoops to hang on the wall providing an instant burst of colour and pattern easily, and more importantly cheaply. My talent is firmly in the "No Sew" arena so it is right up my street. Your choice of fabric does all the work, and there is no shortage of beautiful choices out there. As you can see my wall needs a huge splash of colour!

Yikes! This wall needs serious help.

Simply buy a scrap or fat quarter of fabrics you love. No piece that I chose cost more than $3.00, and I had some left over (next project: what to do with scraps of fabric?). Heather Bailey, Amy Butler and Kaffe Fassett have fabrics that I would gladly sell my soul for.

Embroidery Hoops: I used both Plywood (top) and Hoop-La (bottom) hoops.

Embroidery hoops come in all shapes and sizes, as well as prices. I can't see a reason to spend anymore than $3 on a simple wooden hoop that is up to 12" in diameter. Try Michaels for a great selection. If you want to splurge and create a different effect, then go for the Bates Hoop-La range in vibrant candy colours (the biggest are only just over $3.00). These are also much sturdier and make more of a feature of the frame.

Once you have your chosen fabrics and hoops, simply layout the fabric over the inner hoop and pass this inside the outer hoop. Tighten the screw at the top to create the right amount of tension on the fabric and then tidy up any wrinkles in the framed fabric by pulling gently from behind.

If the fabric has an irregular pattern you will want to make sure that the frame encloses the area you like the most. Remember, the screw at the top will be your hanging hook. Your pattern should be placed the right way up when framing it, so that it hangs correctly in the end.

Turn over the frame and trim off the excess fabric, leaving approximately an inch that will later be tucked behind the frame when you hang it up. Alternatively you can trim away all the fabric neatly so you have no bulk or stray threads.

My fabric choices, framed up and ready to hang.

I am literally like a kid in a candy store when it comes to choosing fabric. I have a bundle of gorgeous fabrics I bought from Purl Soho that I am dying to do this project with, but they are currently on a boat somewhere across the Atlantic. For my fabrics I went to the Waterwheel House Quilt Shop in my neighbouring town of Londonderry, Vermont. I promise you I will do a feature on them as they really do have a spectacular range of fabrics and create the most amazing quilts with them. Anyway, I ended up choosing a range that didn't exactly compliment each other in their contrast but they will have to do for now.

The Finished Look!

As you can see, I don't get allot of natural light sleeping up in the eaves of our house. I do love how this came out and can't wait to try our different colour combinations and patterns. Can you believe each of these framed pieces cost on average no more than $3? I am discovering my inner-thrift and loving it.

All right, I think I am on a roll now...Next Project?

COLOUR THERAPY: Amy Butler

This lady's work will not be new to many of you, but it took me a while to get easy access to Amy Butler fabrics since I was not in the US when I first discovered her. A fabric designer from Ohio, Amy takes her influences from her love of flea markets and travels abroad. I love the fact that she designs without looking at what is "in style" or current but still manages to be fresh and new. Amy takes her inspiration from the vintage fabrics she collects and uses her own sensibility and flair to design patterns that are a riot of colour and beautifully detailed. Read her story here.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that I just adore her work and am crippled with indecision when I try to pick out my favourites. I try so hard not to be predictable by instantly choosing the pink or green palette, and in her work I really am steered in all kinds of colour directions. I must also say that I am not a sewer, although I BADLY want to be. One day I will create the quilt of my dreams by my own fair hand. For now, I just pick up scraps of beautiful fabrics in the hope that I will conquer this dream. It was Amy's work that started my collection. Go on, see her work for yourself.

In the new collection entitled LOVE by Amy Butler, she has literally bottled the essence of the colours and designs I love the most. Amy describes this collection as, "a marriage by design coming from a love affair of rich, soulful, organic florals and architectural prints passionately inspired by my recent trips to Indonesia and England. Rich tropical colors with ethnic imprints, and elegance found in over the top florals like full roses and exploding peony blossoms join together in an optimistic celebration of print and color."

I do indeed LOVE this collection, don't you?

OK, so this image (pink and green heaven) is my favourite, I can't help it. The wall covering is called Paradise Garden in Mint. LOVE!

(Gorgeous Images courtesy of Amy Butler Design)