Tips for Sewing with Knits from FreeSpirit

Anna Maria Knits!

 

As the name might imply, Anna Maria Knits, is an essential grouping of color and form that perfectly suits the style and function afforded by the versatile jersey cloth. Each of the designs was derived from various collections, but all re-imagined as a group to offer a little something for everyone, ranging from sweet to sophisticated. Some of the simplest and most stylish fashion forms are created from jersey knit, and Anna Maria Knits provides a diverse group of designs well suited for casual tees, sassy leggings, charming dresses, inventive skirts, and more. Each of the three colorways inspires multiple mix and  match opportunities and gives the modern sewist confident choices to easily translate her favorite looks into home sewn projects.

Both Knit dresses are Anna's own pattern - Lemon Drop Dress (PTAH22)

 

Pretty Potent Museum Tunic

 

Pretty Potent Museum Tunic made in Voile from Anna Maria Horner's new Pretty Potent collection!

This a pattern from Anna's blog.

I’ve always considered sitting in front of a plant with a pencil and paper the best drawing class you can take. Looking to nature for inspiration and instruction on beauty is an old and welcome practice in all forms of making art. Using the natural world for healing is perhaps even an older practice. In my Pretty Potent collection, I drew inspiration specifically from plants and flowers that are often used for healing. While they possess properties to heal our physical bodies, the very beauty of the plants themselves seems intended to be a balm for the soul. Potent and pretty. The duality enchanted me. The three palettes of quilting cotton carry a healthy dose of color and the flannels, voiles and rayons are all colored specific to their many uses.

Pretty Potent Rayon Dress

The Socialite Dress made with Rayon fabric from Anna Maria Horner's new Pretty Potent fabric collection.  This is a pattern from Anna Maria Horner (PTAH01).

I’ve always considered sitting in front of a plant with a pencil and paper the best drawing class you can take. Looking to nature for inspiration and instruction on beauty is an old and welcome practice in all forms of making art. Using the natural world for healing is perhaps even an older practice. In my Pretty Potent collection, I drew inspiration specifically from plants and flowers that are often used for healing. While they possess properties to heal our physical bodies, the very beauty of the plants themselves seems intended to be a balm for the soul. Potent and pretty. The duality enchanted me. The three palettes of quilting cotton carry a healthy dose of color and the flannels, voiles and rayons are all colored specific to their many uses.

Pretty Potent Flannel Pajama Set

 

From Anna Maria Horner's new collection Pretty Potent... Pretty Potent Flannel Pajama Set!

Simplicity 1504

I’ve always considered sitting in front of a plant with a pencil and paper the best drawing class you can take. Looking to nature for inspiration and instruction on beauty is an old and welcome practice in all forms of making art. Using the natural world for healing is perhaps even an older practice. In my Pretty Potent collection, I drew inspiration specifically from plants and flowers that are often used for healing. While they possess properties to heal our physical bodies, the very beauty of the plants themselves seems intended to be a balm for the soul. Potent and pretty. The duality enchanted me. The three palettes of quilting cotton carry a healthy dose of color and the flannels, voiles and rayons are all colored specific to their many uses.

 

New from Jane Sassaman - Gregory's Garden!

 

A stroll through a gentleman’s wooded retreat reveals a refined taste for cultivating the garden classics. Forgoing the ostentatious, Gregory delights in the comfort of the old fashioned varieties and self-reliant perennials. The Gregory’s Garden collection captures this contented landscape which is ripe with graphic energy and rich in color. More foliage than flowers, some bold geometrics and an insect with “attitude” make this season’s fabrics a splendid mixture for crafting creativity. There is a particular passion in the vibrant jewel colored tone-on-tone patterns that will work wonderfully in both the modern and classic fabric stash. Sow some sewing excitement with Gregory’s Garden.

New FASHION fabrics from FreeSpirit!

The first Fashion fabric collections launching is Pretty Potent & Anna Maria Knits from the very talented Anna Maria Horner!

 

 

Pretty Potent features Rayon, Voile and Flannel

Anna Maria Knits features Knit

 

 

Two beautiful pieces made by Anna using her new fashion fabrics!  Stay tuned for more project and pattern ideas from FreeSpirit and Anna.

 

Cutie Pies & Lullabies from Kathy Davis!

It’s so much fun to think about the arrival of a new baby, and Cutie Pies and Lullabies is all about the warm and wonderful world of the nursery! With its color palette composed of sunny pastels, this collection offers a more contemporary view of the images we traditionally associate with our beloved bundles of joy. In this youngest-at-heart universe, classic baby icons appear in playfully random and graphic patterns. You’ll find everything from rattles, bibs and onesies, to ducks, kitties and teddy bears, from baby booties, buttons and bows, to puppies, toy trucks and airplanes. Whether you’re creating for a baby of your own or for a loved one’s new arrival, Cutie Pies and Lullabies is a joyful collection of fabrics just right for your next special project.

Erin McMorris's new collection Palermo!

Palermo is a new collection inspired by the color and pattern of Buenos Aires’ vibrant creative district. This exuberant mix of designs include botanical florals, hard-line geometrics and hand-drawn graphics in vibrant colors mixed with moody grays.

Get Into Fashion with FreeSpirit

 

 

“Fashion is not necessarily about labels.  It’s about something else that comes from within you”

– Ralph Lauren

Anna Maria Horner - Available July 2014
Zandra Rhodes - Available August 2014
Heather Bailey - Available September 2014

Joyful Holiday in July!

 

We just love the holidays at Kathy Davis Studios (who doesn’t?), and this year’s holiday designs are all about the JOY! This high-energy collection has a youthful, spirited vibe in colors that push the envelope just a bit beyond the traditional. Here, magenta is the perfect stand-in for red, the green is just a touch brighter than the usual evergreen, and the abundance of blues adds a cool winter mood to the mix.

Up Parasol from Heather Bailey

Take a stroll through lush summer gardens with Heather Bailey’s new Up Parasol collection. Pinks, blues, greens and tangerines combine for a fresh and lively palette. With layered florals and bold graphics, mix the pretty with the pop for modern projects from quilts and crafts to home decor and clothing. Combine Up Parasol with prints from Heather’s True Colors series for an expanded selection. Get inspired with yet another beautiful collection from this preeminent designer. 

We will be posting the patterns for these two beautiful projects on www.makeitcoats.com shortly.

 

Something special coming soon from FreeSpirit

 

 

“Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening”
– Coco Chanel

 

 

Something special coming soon from FreeSpirit, Anna Maria Horner, Heather Bailey and introducing Zandra Rhodes...

 

 

 

 

Grand Cayman from Marjolein Bastin

The inspiration behind Marjolein's Grand Cayman collection - When I was four years old I used to collect small stones, snail shells and of course every feather I could find in the garden. Now, decades later, as I walk through the loose sand I just can’t help myself and collect everything I can find for my home. I have collections of sea urchin shells, crab shells, conch shells and of course, glass and pottery shards that have been rolling in the waves for years and years. The blue color of the glass mirrors that of the ocean.  The beach is a lovely place to rediscover yourself; the vast mysterious ocean with all its secrets provides a calm feeling that puts your worries and concerns in perspective. These small treasures from the ocean are a reminder for your home, when you don’t have the opportunity to take a first-hand look.