pattern

I know time is tight, but if you're looking for some last minute gift ideas for Mother's Day (Sunday 11th May), here are some beauties!

cushions by publisher textiles

Aren't these prints fabulous?! I found it hard to choose which fabrics to feature... The six pictured here are, at top (L to R): Botanica ochre, Bugsey white & sand, Botanica duckegg, and below (L to R): Snow Pea latte & pigeon, Botanica red, Apollo mist.

These cushions are from the Publisher Textiles homewares range. Each cushion measures 50cm x 50cm and features a quality foam feather insert. Made with natural fabrics including cottons & linens with a contrasting backing fabric, these guys are made to be used, not just looked at! They are machine washable (gentle wash, cold water) and with so many fabric print options, there's sure to be a few that would look fantastic at your Mum's place! Cushions range from AUD $48 - $160 (most are around $88).

Publisher Textiles was established in 2002 by Mark & Rhynie Cawood. & they moved into their studio & showroom in Leichhardt, Sydney. With Mark's background in screen printing & Rhynie's in textile & fashion design, they make the perfect team for producing handmade fabrics & wallpapers. The Publisher Textiles Studio is open to the public on Saturdays from 10am - 3pm or by appointment during the week. Their homewares can also be found at the following stockists:

NSW: Made590 (Newtown), Honeybee (Newcastle)
SA: Monsoon Homewares (Glenelg), Terrace Floors & Furnishings (Eastwood)
TAS: Inside Home & Gifts (Hobart)

pendants by Girls Made This

I spotted these gorgeous pendants in the Glamourpuss email newsletter last week & was really taken by the beautiful bird designs. "Crane Pendant" on the left is AUD $110 and "Swan Pendant" on the right is AUD $95. They are by oneofone, the first label developed by Girls Made This, which is a design cooperative striving to nurture, develop and promote creative endeavours by women in Australia. The collective is headed up by Jane Peacock, who is also the talented designer for the oneofone collection. For the new range, Jane found inspiration in the vintage imagery and objects of desire that were hidden away from reach at her nannas house - pretty ornaments, old buttons, jewels, kitsch paintings etc. Oneofone pendants are available from boutiques around Australia & New Zealand including:

QLD Artisan (Fortitude Valley), MOB Store (Brisbane City), Bessie Head (Brisbane City), Adrenalin (Southport)
NSW: Glamourpuss (Erskineville), Bracewell (Paddington), Tuchuzy (Bondi Beach), Mon Petit Chou (Potts Point), MCA Store (The Rocks), Orson & Blake (Woolahra), Mushu (Surry Hills)
VIC:Husk (Melbourne), Elizabeths (Melbourne), Latrobe Regional Gallery, Melody Nelson (Brunswick), To the Max, Phillips, Belki (Carlton North)
ACT: Cowboys & Angels (Canberra), National Gallery of Australia (Canberra)
SA: Naked
WA: FORM (Perth), Finity, Billy + Rose (Mt Lawley), Harry + Gretal (Leederville), Sana, Eldorado (Perth)
TAS: Inside Home & Gifts (Hobart)

padded scuffs & printed scarf by elk

Ooooh, your mum will love you for these! Keep her toes toasty with these soft padded cotton scuffs by Elk Accessories, available in black or grey for AUD $35. Or perhaps she'd prefer the printed scarf on the right (AUD $85)? Made from 15% cashmere and 85% pure wool, this light winter layer scarf comes in either dark brown or dark ash grey. Elk Accessories is based in Melbourne and designed by partners Adam and Marnie. Their bi annual ranges include so many beautiful things - knits, leather & felt bags, accessories & jewellery, and always in gorgeous, calm hues (with a few dashes of brighter colour featured in necklaces & bracelets etc!).

Elk Accessories ranges are sold through independent retailers across Australia and New Zealand in city and regional areas. Contact them via www.elkaccessories.com.au to find your nearest stockist...

tie clutch by nancybird

Nancybird makes the most delightful decorative leather bags, and these tie clutches are no exception! This soft, slouchy clutch is a versatile little beast, which can be folded down to reveal fabric, tied in a bow at the back or tied around the body as shown. The wrist strap is removable too. It measures 26cm x 16cm adn is available in desert orange (left), black (right) and fudge for AUD $128.

Nancybird bags are stocked in many boutiques all around Australia & New Zealand. Since there are too many to list here, you'll have to visit www.nancybird.com/forms/stockistlist.html to track down a stockist near you!

mothers day sponsor:

I thought I'd continue the creative fabric theme with a feature on Duckcloth, a Melbourne-based online store full of fresh fabrics for print & pattern lovers! The cute name is from the Dutch "doek", (linen canvas) and refers to heavy cotton fabric. Duckcloth's founder, Lisa Edwards, offers cotton fabric by the metre in all sorts of gorgeous prints and patterns. These cottons are ideal for heaps of craft projects - whether you're making toys or table runners, cushions or clothing, bags or board shorts. I've chosen a selection of fabrics by Australian designers to feature here... all currently in stock at Duckcloth, of course!

The beautiful work of Melbourne designer Lara Cameron is pictured above with her limited edition "Gingko" prints in Olive Green (left) and Robins Egg (right) on natural linen. This is a medium weight fabric which is AUD $40/m from Duckcloth. I love the colours in both of these prints - though I'm not sure I could choose between them!

Kristen Doran is a Sydney-based textile designer whose gorgeous fabrics are hand printed right here in Sydney. Pictured above left is the limited edition "Mollybirds in Chocolate & Aqua on Stone". This is a light to midweight cotton fabric which sells for AUD $26/m. On the right is "Lily Pads in Red on White", another limited edition print, this time on a lightweight cotton for AUD $33/m from Duckcloth.

Another Kristen Doran design in stock at Duckcloth is "Owls" (above) which is available in two colourways - Chocolate on White or Red on White. Both are printed on lightweight cotton fabric and are AUD $33/m. Our curious readers will probably also want to check out Kristen's blog, Cheeky Beaks - "It's all about the craft and a tiny bit about life..."

These are friendly faces! Shannon Lamden's quirky designs are hand screen printed in Melbourne. "Cranes" (available in black or cherry red) is AUD $33/m and "Cookies" is AUD $38/m from Duckcloth.

I fell in love with Sprout Design after I received an orange giraffe card for my birthday & subsequently discovered their range of screen printed textiles! The label is a relatively new venture for Adelaide's One Small Room, a styling consultancy/retailer with a unique concept. The show room is in fact an installation where continually changing themes unfold for clients interested in 20th century style, retro groove & vintage flair. Sprout Design fabric is available off the roll in store, as well as in the form of soft furnishings - gorgeous bedlinen, cushions, lampshades and more.. The label brings together a collection of works by clever, creative women who design something a little different for the little (and not-so-little) people in your life. Their designs are hand screen printed onto 200gsm cotton fabric here in Australia.

The bright & bold animal prints pictured are "Caterpillars Grass Green" (above left, AUD $55/m), "Elephants Ink and Green" (above right, AUD $60/m), "Tortoises Red" (below left, AUD $55/m) and finally, "Hippos Ink and Light Blue" (below right, AUD $60) and are all available from www.duckcloth.com.au.

In a fun twist to this story, Sprout Design is currently working on a collaboration with a handful of Australian textile designers - including Lara Cameron whose work is pictured at the top of this post! The new fabrics are yet to be released, but Lara recently posted images of her design contributions on her blog, Kirin Notebook. The gorgeous print, "My Little World in Plum for Sproutdesign", is pictured below.

To keep up with the latest happenings at Duckcloth, you can sign up for the Duckcloth Newsletter, or check out the Duckcloth Blog at www.duckcloth.blogspot.com

I'm sure many of you are familiar with the friendly face of Aunty Cookie (as seen on her blog, www.auntycookie.com). Aunty Cookie is in fact Melbourne designer Shannon Lamden, who specialises in fabric design and illustration. Her product range includes hand-printed fabrics, bags, softies, original drawings, one of a kind fabric bunting and limited edition fabric craft panels.

The versatile fabric Craft Panels measure 75cm x 75cm and feature various character poses and squares of patterns - perfect for quilting, appliques and a multitude of crafty projects just waiting to leap out of your imagination. The fabric is a 200gsm cotton drill and has been hand screen printed using environmentally friendly inks. I love Shannon's distinctive drawing style & the expression on her characters' faces. The simplified lines work so well with the patterned areas (which are also picked up in the funky outfits worn by the cookie people).

Originally available in black on white or cherry on white, the Craft Panels are also now available in a blue colourway. Each panel is US $28, and as Shannon says, "This Crafters Panel is limited edition so what are you waiting for?".

If you're looking to make a larger piece, there are another two eye-catching prints currently available for purchase by the metre. (These are sold per 50cm/20" length for US $15. Fabric measures approx. 750mm wide, with the printed area measuring 700mm wide.) Pictured above is "Trinkets" which is available in fire engine red on white or light grey on white. "Butterflies" is pictured below, and is available in black on white or light grey on white. I love the subtlety of the grey prints, but I also love the contrast in the black & red... I just can't decide which is my favourite! Once again, these prints are limited edition & really something special.

As well as being stocked at Patchwork on Central Park, Arthurs Circus, Cocoon, Meet me at Mikes, Duckcloth and One Small Room, Aunty Cookie has clocked up over 500 sales through her Etsy store! No doubt, many of you have you have taken to the sewing machine with your own length of Aunty Cookie fabric - let us know if you've made something you'd like to show off!

P.S. I'm also looking forward to seeing Shannon's new designs which will be released in March - stay tuned for more!

I love shopping at Yoshi Jones in Newtown. The light-filled store is colourful & vibrant, bursting with great gifts to suit all occasions, and I know I'll always find gorgeous clothes that I love to wear... but apart from all those girlie things, I'm always impressed at the large selection of interesting menswear on the shelves. Yoshi Jones carries t-shirts aplenty, with screen prints guaranteed to please the boys. They also stock a unique collection of cotton shirts that are something else! They are designed & made in Australia by Yoshi Jones, using contemporary cotton fabrics sourced in Japan.

The striking patterns feature geometric shapes and colour palettes that work brilliantly. A couple of my favourite colour combinations include peach partnered with both warm & cool blue variants (as pictured at top) and orange, brown & aqua (as pictured below) both on a crisp white background. The various designs suit all tastes but mostly they are unique in a bland environment where the male shirt seems to be reserved for the conservative workplace.

The mens shirts are available in two different styles - fitted and a side vent style that can be worn with jeans, shorts or a skinny pant. (Perfect for all those summer celebrations!) There are both short sleeve & long sleeve options, and prices range from AUD $99 - $125. Pictured below is a detail from one of the shirts showing a more delicate design - both in its hand-drawn style and the mauve & eggplant colours - again on a crisp white background, punctuated by orange & blue highlights.

The fabric range is so eycatching it has appealed to men and women alike leading Yoshi to design a range of colourful shirts for us girls as well as the boys. This new range will be appearing instore throughout this month, so if you are in Sydney, be sure to check them out! The Yoshi Jones store is at 134 King St, Newtown (near the intersection of King St & Missendon Rd).

P.S. If you're a coffee lover, stop by Campos Coffee (a block down Missenden Rd) for the best coffee & beans ever!

Metremade - made purely for patterns. Graphic designers Liz & Tess, both from Melbourne, began the blog as an ongoing project to experiment with pattern design and regularly present new ideas without the restrictions of client briefs, deadlines & budgets.

As their ideas gathered momentum, the girls chose designs for the first range of Metremade yardages. The patterns are bold & contemporary and are printed onto white 100% cotton drill fabric. The two fabric designs on offer (pictured above and below) are Mr Mop and Take the Tube. The weight of the fabric is ideal for many uses - thick enough for homewares, quilts and handbags, but thin enough for a skirt or dress! The colours are great too - classic B&W and a lovely dark lime green.

Liz & Tess found the transition from paper & web-based projects to printing on fabric using a very hands-on technology a challenge, but one they are certainly enjoying. At the moment they're having fun exploring their new medium, and they would happily take custom orders or collaborate with people working in textiles or other mediums. They're also looking forward to future Metremade developments. As the business grows, they'd like to produce different multi-colour prints on a variety of fabrics for fashion & homewares. I'm looking forward to seeing what's next... In the meantime I may find some spare time to make a new Take the Tube tote in green.

You might also be surprised to find that the Metremade yardages are very reasonably priced. They are available for US $11 per half metre from www.metremade.etsy.com. (Fabric width is 65cm.) Not bad for small run original designs which have been professionally hand-screenprinted locally in Melbourne! Don't forget to check out the Metremade blog - full of colorful patterns including those scattered through this post.

Feel like adding some colour to this winter weather? Until the end of June, Lantern Paper is offering 20% off their beautiful stationery, journals, albums, binders and bags when purchased online at www.lanternpaper.com.au. (The only exception are the Lantern Bundles which are already discounted.) Pictured above are the Cloth Pencil Cases in "Red Circle", "Blue Motif" and "Green Broadleaf". They retail for AUD $14.95 and even come with silver eyelets for those who use ring binders. Below are the 21cm x 28cm Stationery Satchels featuring the gorgeous new prints "Dragonfly", "Sea Anemone" and "Bloom", each AUD $19.95. Perfect to carry your notebook + all your accessories.

I really do love small purses - they provide habitats for so many of my small accessories, odd keys, bobby pins, and a few too many credit cards. These vibrant creations are from Annalaura and they look fabulous. They're all handmade and the fabrics have been screen printed using hand-cut stencils. Annalaura treats each piece as an individual artwork and is inspired by the way the paper can be cut into tiny shapes and still produce beautifully neat and crisp prints.

The four designs pictured are all available from Annalaura's Etsy Shop and are: "Orange Pouch with Black Screen Printed Bird" (US $15), "Denim Pouch with Red Screen Printed Panel" (US $15), "Red Pouch with White Abstract Screen Print" (US $15) and "Small Olive Green Wallet With Red Screen Printed Flowers" (US $12). Well, I guess the last one is a wallet rather than a purse - but look at the lining! I had to include it with this post. Annalaura is an artist based in Melbourne who makes a variety of eclectic accessories featuring hand stitching, screen printing and applique. To find out more, visit www.annalaura.com.au or check out the Annalaura blog.

These handmade vintage wallpaper gift cards by Claudia Rossi will certainly make a gift unique! With bright, bold retro patterns and that wonderful wallpaper texture, they are bound to bring back some childhood memories. Such a clever idea... The cards are available from the Modern Times bookshop in Newtown for AUD $6.50 (phone 02 9519 6191). They are distributed by Aero Images, so for more info & stockists, visit www.aeroimages.com.au.

I just love these adorable underwear items from Jessie Tucker. They are made using panels of contrasting patterned fabrics and various screen printed illustrations. The backs are different fabrics again. They would make a perfect gift for a best friend! The designs pictured are from "The Adventures Of" series, the styles being "At Sea" and "Desert". Singlets are AUD $77 while knickers are AUD $52.