Known today as the “mother of modern weaving,” Dorothy Liebes had a monumental impact on textile design. She sparked a new wave of fabric production with her unconventional materials, unusual textures and boldly imaginative motifs. During her lifetime she became one of most successful and influential designers of the entire 20th century, with an incredible…
The Mid-Century Modernist: Dorothy Liebes
Around early April of this year, I was ruminating over what to make for my daughter to wear for my wedding that was to take place in May. It was quite serendipitous when I found out Fabrics-Store was releasing a new range of cotton printed fabrics as I had narrowed down my idea to a…
Recently I saw a beautiful, and perfect, pair of shorts that Claire made. Perfect defined as: what I have looked for in a short/pant but haven’t found yet. (Remember- I have been on the hunt for the perfect trouser pattern, and shorts make the cut since it’s basically the important part of the trouser.) Turns…
Summer is in full swing and if you’re like me, sometimes you just want to change it up and even out your strappy tank top tan lines (or you just want to feel a breeze on your back on a hot sunny day). I came across a ready-to-wear dress with a similar strappy backless feature…
One of India’s most gifted artists, Mrinalini Mukherjee tracked new and unchartered territory with her painstakingly intricate and monumentally scaled woven sculptures, that could each take her up to a year to complete. Working with dyed natural fibres including jute and rope, she created anthropomorphic structures resembling biomorphic forms, each one invested with its own…
Once again my daughters found the cutest top on instagram and asked “Do you think you can make this Mom?” Challenge accepted! This piece seemed like a small amount of fabric held together by tiny straps. I actually made two of these – one for Amanda and one for her friend. Thankfully they have similar…
Whilst preparing the interviews for Curated by You, one name, or rather one pattern kept popping up- namely the Zadie Jumpsuit. This prompted me to do a little research , and I was rather thrilled to find out that not only was Tara Viggo living in London as am I, but we happen to share…
American fibre artist Lenore Tawney is world renowned for her ghostly, ephemeral weavings and tapestries, which emulated the ethereal forces of nature, such as water, translucency and light. From the 1960s onwards she was one of a generation of textile artists including Anni Albers and Sheila Hicks who dissolved the boundaries between textile design and…
Tell us a bit about yourself and what you do. My name is Jessica and I’m 25 years old. I began sewing clothes in 2020 and sharing my makes on my Instagram account. What started as a hobby quickly and naturally turned into sewing custom made-to-order clothes! After a year of juggling my brand and my traditional…
When I first laid eyes on this fabric my heart beat faster. It’s rare to find large scale print fabrics. To see the scale of this print combined with this gorgeous floral, it was the fulfillment of my fabric daydream. Since sewing this dress, some evidence would suggest I’m not the only one taken with…
When Masha reached about working together with their new lightweight cotton line, I couldn’t say no. As anyone who has followed my journey knows, I live for natural fibers and am always on the look out for a fun print to incorporate into my wardrobe. As I was looking through the options, I found myself…
Tea towels are the small but mighty companions that so many of us take for granted, playing a role that is practical, utilitarian and aesthetic. For centuries these seemingly humble pieces of fabric have existed in our private day to day lives, evolving and adapting through the ages to suit our wants and needs. Their…
When working with natural dyes there are four different types of dye. Adjective dyes, these need the help of a mordant to fix the dye to the fibre. Substantive dyes, these have high levels of tannic acid which act as a natural mordant, fixing the dye without the addition of a mordant. Fugitive dyes, as…
The moment I saw the Sophie floral print fabric which is part of The Fabric Store’s new line of Faille cottons, my jaw dropped. The stunningly rich colours of the blooms against the black background reminded me of still-life floral paintings from the Dutch Golden Age. I completely swooned over this new line and all…
Shortly after taking on this project, my partner and I made a decision to give up our rent, take our 3 dogs and move across the province, from Cape Town to the Garden Route for three months. I started sewing this dress halfway between packing for the move. All of our stuff had to go…
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