Fave Fabrics and Books — by Guest Aunt Kelly Wilkinson

Fabric stores are dangerous-magical places for me, along with libraries and bookstores. I could spent hours sort of sleepwalking through the stacks in a lovely daze. Sort of like what these designs do to me:

Top Fabric: Nani Iro Fredonner Linen in Rose





Row by row, from left to right:
Pine in Chocolate, Joel Dewberry
Sweet Jasmine in Natural, by Amy Butler
Pear Tree Border in Light Grey
Swirls and Spots in Earth
Brown Underwater Sisters, Heather Ross
Foliage, in Blue and Terracotta

As to what to do with these fabrics, I’ve made pillows, tea cozies, and baby blankets. Even more ideas abound in my current go-to sewing books: Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross, Midwest Modern by Amy Butler, Simple Sewing with a French Twist by Celine Dupuy, and Sew Everything Workshop by Diana Rupp.

As for where to buy fabric, nothing beats picking it up and feeling its heft and texture in person. But if you don’t have a great fabric store nearby, or you want more options, you can’t go wrong here:
Purl Soho
Reprotdepo Fabrics
Sew, Mama, Sew!
And for our Aussie friends, Duckcloth in Melbourne.

And then, of course, there is the revolutionary Spoonflower, where we can all pretend to be fabric designers. And it makes things like this possible, which is pretty much the sweetest gift I’ve ever seen.

Find more of Kelly at Make Grow Gather.