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As soon as I saw this very distinctive Brush Paint fabric by Kokka Fabrics, I knew that I had to have it for our online store.

The contrast border and painterly brush strokes in subtle tones are what drew me to this fabric. I could see such a lot of potential in this design simply by cutting the fabric on the "cross-grain' and turning the contrast selvedge edge into the border hem of a garment.

As the Black and Gray colourway has proved to be as popular with our customers as it is with me, I've just added another two colourways, Blue and Light Beige and Dark Green and Light Beige, as shown above.

For my first project with this fabric I chose to make The Scout Tee by Grainline Studio. For me, the fabric is so striking that a simple silhouette is all that's needed in order to allow the design to take centre stage.

I'm so pleased with the end result, it looks even better than I'd anticipated, so much so that I'm now busy planning what to make with one of the new colourways...

Other styles that I think would work equally well by cutting on the "cross-grain" include The Willow Tank, The Trapeze Dress, The Raglan Dress & Top and The Strand Coat. I think a skirt could also look very striking in this fabric, the Colette Zinnia Skirt for example would look stunning.

That said, you can, of course, use this fabric effective by cutting along the grain-line. A centre seam, for example, could be put to really good use to create an interesting design detail.

If the style you have in mind doesn't have a centre seam it's really easy to add one in. Instead of cutting your pattern on the fold, simply cut 2 separate pieces, but remember to add on the seam allowance through the central seam.

Alternatively, you can position the contrast selvedge border to one side of your garment which would look equally striking. In the image above, I've laid a length of the fabric vertically over the top that I made to try and give an idea of how this might look.

As you can see there are lots of interesting possibilities with these fabrics... when I started writing this piece I had in mind to make a Willow Tank with the border selvedge positioned at the bottom, like my Scout Tee. However, having spent some time exploring the various possibilities for this statement fabric, I now think that I'll make something with the selvedge border detail to one side of the garment. I'd love to see what you make with yours, please do send in a photo via the contact page.... happy sewing!

We've been desperate to get our hands on the new 2017 Collection by nani IRO for weeks now! Numerous inquires and emails later, and we've at least managed to get hold of these three to tide you all over until the main delivery arrives next month.

Firstly, there's Saaaa Saaa in Shimanto, pictured below, which is an update of one of Naomi Ito's original designs. We particularly like the hand drawn and sketched quality of this new print, in tones of purplish blue on a soft cream, it really is a beautifully fresh design!

The second fabric is a new colourway of the over-sized statement floral design Komoreb, Sea Sing, a rich vibrant print in rich tones of teal, with flowers in whote with pops of purple which together make a great summer colour combination.

Last, but by no means least, we've the new colourway of Ori-Some, Kujakuao in vibrant teals on soft aqua.

As we mentioned before we'll be adding other new fabrics from the 2017 Collection in the coming weeks and months, in the meantime you can keep up to date by following us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. 

We love seeing what our customers make and we were delighted when Shirley, from Handprinted, paid us a visit to buy fabrics and patterns for a couple sewing projects that she had in mind.

Her plan was to customise her makes by printing sections of fabric with ready made Thermomax screens. These screens are great, and an easy way to make your garments truly unique to you.

For her first project, Shirley chose The Top #64 by Merchant and Mills in Robert Kaufman's Yarn Dyed Essex Linen in Steel.

Before doing any sewing, she printed the pre-cut lower panel pieces with the Grid design as shown above.

Once the ink was dry Shirley then made sewed up her top as you would any other make. We're sure you'll agree that the end results look really effective, this process is such a good way to make your handmade garments even more special.

Shirley's second make, was the top from The Raglan Dress & Top by The Avid Seamstress. For this project Shirley used our 8oz Indigo Denim, again by Robert Kaufman.

As before, Shirley cut out the pieces as you would with any sewing project, she then hand printed sections of the front and back body pieces, this time with the Inkspot Ready-Made Thermofax.

This finished Raglan Top looks fantasic, we love the addition of the print, and it's great to see this top made to too!

If these makes have inspired you to have a go, why not take a look at Handprinted's Blog for a detailed tutorial, and if you're local to Chichester why not take a moment check out their workshops too.

Photo credits: Handprinted

We're always on the look out for contemporary fabric labels to add to our select range of designers and as soon as we saw the Atelier Brunette Collection we new it would fit perfectly with the other brands that we stock.  

Their modern hand-writing and contemporary aesthetic fit our remit perfectly and, at the same time, they add a new dimension to our fabric range.

The fabric bases too, are new to us. Firstly there's the 100% Rayon Viscose used for the two colourways of the iregular geo print called Halo, as shown above, which we've chosen to stock in both Dusk and Brown. It has a soft but substantial feel to it, with a weight of 130g/m2, making it ideal for dresses, tops, shirts etc.

Styles that would work particularly well from Merchant and Mills are the Camber, both as a top and the dress, Factory Dress, & Trapeze Dress. From Grainline Studio, the new Farrow Dress would look sensational, and for a more understated look so would The Scout Tee.

The other four designs that we selected are printed on to a 100% Cotton Cambric. Pictured above, choose from, clockwise from top left, Lili, a modern take on the ditsy floral with its clusters of seedheads; Twist, a geo diamond design, Chalk in Charcoal, and finally Bye Bye Birdie in Navy, with the origami-style birds.

A lighter-weight than the Viscose, this fabric has a weight of 85g/m2. It's closely woven and, if it's not a fabric that you're familiar with, then it's similar to a voile. The softness of this fabric really is something else, and it has a beautiful drape to it too.

These fabrics are ideal for tops, tunics and dresses including both Keilo Wrap Dress and Leini Dress by Named Clothing to name a couple.