New Liberty Prints!

Liberty has got new prints out!! They have released some prints from their archives for their new Sixties Print Collection. Here's a taste:

And my two faves:

Unfortunately these will set you back more than most other Liberty prints..they're priced at £24.95/metre (yikes!) but so worth it..in my opinion Liberty makes THE best cottons. Check out the whole range at Liberty.co.uk.

I must be living under a rock..

I realize that the reason I'm probably in shock and awe about this is because I'm the only person left on the planet who has never been to an IKEA (yes, seriously..), but did you know they sell fabric?? Not just home furnishing fabric, but sewing fabric?? They have a really great selection of interesting prints..here's a few I'm digging:

Anelli collection

Fredrika

Cecilia

Prices are really great, mostly ranging from £1.99 - £3.99 and are usually 100% cotton or a cotton/linen mix..the only kicker is you can't buy online, and not all are available at every store. I'm thinking I may have to make a trip, but I admit I'm a little skeptical about the quality. Has anyone used IKEA fabric before? What do you think of it? Would you recommend it?

London buying trip

The day after my pattern drafting class ended, I returned to London with Shawn for a mini “holiday.” He was there on business, I was there on pleasure! My instructor gave us the Saint Martins student supplier list (with all of the best shops to go for fabric and trimmings – I think it may be worth more than gold) so I spent the week scouting them out and building up my stash. Let me just say, I have never seen more beautiful and strange fabrics in my life! I picked up some cheap chiffons, habotoi, and a waterproof fabric with an interesting texture, but I’m only going to feature the crème de la crème of my buying trip; I promise it will not disappoint!

First up, this interesting 97% cotton/3% elastane print I found:

It is heavier and stiffer than I would have liked (I originally wanted it for a dress), but I couldn’t resist the print so I went ahead and bought it and think I will use it for a lightweight summery rain-type jacket.

After 2 trips to Liberty and about 2 hours debating, I finally settled on this Classic Carline cotton lawn:

All of their fabric is high quality and they have some of the best prints, but it is very dear (£19.95/m (~ $30/m) for cotton lawn, £35.95/m (~$56/m) for silk satin). I’ve got a vintage dress pattern in mind for this and I know it will look great with my red heels!

And finally, my favorites! All of these are haute couture fabrics from Italy, and they were worth every penny because they are absolutely stunning. Upon seeing each of these, it was one of those “I have to have it” moments..luckily the husband approved..

100% cotton lawn flower/zebra print:

100% silk chiffon in same print:

100% silk satin fur print (I love how it looks so real!!):

I have no idea what I am going to do with the flower prints (any suggestions?), but the fur print is going to become my Navy Ball gown. I don’t know the design yet, but I’ve got plenty of time to mull it over.

Although I didn’t buy this silk, I feel I should include it because it is just so beautiful..(you can tell it’s a Valentino!)

I ended up coming back with a lot of fabric to keep me busy, but I am already dreaming (and saving up) for my next buying trip!

Score!

Earlier this week I went to a local fent shop to get more fabric for my stash. The main reason I went is because they sell fents of Liberty fabric, but I also wanted to dig around for anything else interesting. I ended up with all of this for £55!

The black is a poly/viscose blend for my self drafted skirt , and the others in the top row are some heavier cottons I plan to make some cropped jackets with. On the bottom..8 metres of Liberty Tana lawn (3 of them are discontinued prints!) for £48..now that's a bargain! I have some cute shirt patterns in mind for these, and I think I am going to make a dress with the print on the far right, but I will have to go back and get another fent.