shopping take 1...and 2...

in further preparation for saltaire makers fair at the weekend i went to our local fabric mecca in search of some much needed supplies.

i wasn't sure i would get what i needed as it's a bit of an aladdin's cave and can be hit and miss. i knew what i wanted to make but quite what i would come home with to make it was all part of the thrill.

i came home with this pile of beauties...amongst other things...ahem. 

the denim is the most wonderfully soft indigo denim by designer paul smith no less. i wanted it to make some of these and originally bought it thinking i would be screen printing on it but actually when i had made a couple up i thought it didn't need anything adding.

i did however get some screen printing action going with item number 2 from the denim...

bistro aprons.

i did a little IG survey...knee length or thigh? 

the overwhelming consensus was thigh.

this surprised me somewhat as i originally made them thigh but thought it a bit short so made one knee (or slightly above)

personally i thought this was better...

more coverage...

but apparently not.

we'll see what the punters at the weekend say.

by the end of play yesterday and doing my usual IG posting as i made, i had already sold all those i had made...whoops, none for the fair.

so today it was back to fabworks for...

and boy was i glad i did!

check out this gorgeous emerald green braid and liberty-esque fabric...i was in love!

more denim was acquired, the emerald bag was constructed and boy oh boy i was in love!

i'm not entirely sure this one will make it to the fair either...i think i'll be claiming it as mine...but the good news is that shopping take 2 consisted of enough to make a fair few more of this one...phew ;-)

So that was the summer...

 Ok, I know it isn't over quite yet, but in terms of all the work I can do before September it is, which means all those things that had to get done in preparation for the silly season and haven't, actually now won't.

Which means....aaagggghhhhhh!

I was panicking before the kids broke up and apparently that was well justified as I got so little done. I would like to say I just about kept my head above water, but that would be a gross exaggeration...just about avoided drowning more like.

Despite not getting as far with Autumn/Winter prep as I would have liked, it is looking like with sheer hard work, grit and determination it will. (Do you like the air of positivity there?)

I have decided on the 2 autumn winter colour-ways I am working towards - Utility on the top right and Still Unnamed (let's call it Ice for now) on the left. Lists have been made, deadlines put onto the calendar. Crikey, I am so ahead of the game, it's frightening. (see what I'm doing with this positivity thing?)

So can I go away at the weekend and not have any sleepless nights or panics because everything is so in control? As we would say in Yorkshire...

Can I 'ecky thump!

P.S. After various suggestions Still Unnamed (thank you everyone who sent me alternative names - and still thinking that is a rather cool name - think it may have to be the name of my first fabric line...) will henceforth be known as Frozen Berries - thank you Charlottte - genius!

 Another new design that has been sitting waiting patiently in the file named "new designs" had an opportunity to come to life today.

I've decided that Mondays are for just that...

 ...y'know, when you've had all weekend with work being pushed into a corner for the sake of family time, but your brain doesn't switch off and by the end of the weekend it's bursting at the seams to get going on some of those ideas?

 So it seems only right that Mondays should be honoured with time for creating...time for releasing those ideas that have been cooped up and time for putting into practice some restrained creativity.  

Well that's my excuse for getting on with trialling a new design today (not all day obviously...I did some proper work too...promise, stockists...) and finally my Doily design is here.

The Doily design is a stencil screen print taken from an actual doily with the added twist of paper cutting added detail.

Whilst honouring Making Monday, I was fairly restrained and stuck to one colour, one item...

but...

...tomorrow is another day...

a day for more colours and more products...

...can't wait for Tuesday!

 So less than 24 hours from conception, so to speak, and already we have the Jewellery Pouch Mark II...

I wasn't overly happy with the ribbons and where they were placed and I wanted to be able to fold the pouch in 3 if necessary.

So now the ties, made from coordinating fabric is sewn onto the back of the pouch - you'll have to take my word for that since I haven't taken a photo of that integral detail - and the ends are free to tie big...

...or smaller.

Hopefully there won't be a Mark III, Mark IV or any other Marks and I'll be able to get on with making these guys like this.

 And in other news today, I had a very exciting delivery that I've started working on this afternoon and no doubt will get abandoned until after the weekend now, unless I can find an excuse to sneak off upstairs for a few hours over the weekend.

Hope you have a great weekend and manage some sneaking around of your own ;-)