Shoreline and Aqualina

To welcome 2018, Hertex have brought out two new, fresh, easy-to-use, laid-back ranges: Shoreline an Aqualina. 

Shoreline is a salute to stripes. This poly/linen collection consists of timeless broad stripes, bold checks, skinny stripes, ginghams and "old-school" stripes (that's my name for them, at least - think school ties and blazer trim...). 

If like me you love the simplicity of stripes, this is a real go-to range that offers sludgy colours that eliminate the naivety that often comes with stripes that come in clean colours (think Coastal Maine and Martha's Vineyard rather than Brighton Beach deck chairs.)

Skinny stripes and pin stripes are a great way to break up plains and keep things interesting. From far, they read as a plain, and make less of a statement than bold stripes. I know I yammer on about the glory of fabrics that are gender neutral, but it's certainly becoming more of a thing in apparel, and stripes offer one solution, for your living environment, at least.

Of course, checks are indispensable if you're going for a rustic or country look, but they're not limited to that style. Couple a smart grey or charcoal oversized gingham with plains of the same tones, and you can easily swing a Manhattan loft look.

 Old-school stripes will never get tired and can bring a nostalgic mood to an interior.

Hertex has always been a market leader when it comes to supplying outdoor fabrics. Their new range Aqualina is a collection of outdoor woven designs that consist of chevron stripes, geometrics, plains and boucle weaves. Their composition is 100% olefin, which means that the fabric is strong, colourfast and resistant to mildew, sunlight and staining. All the designs come in 3 "natural tones" (Lava, Sand and Dust) as well as tones of blue (Fjord), Green (Forest) and Aqua (Spa). You can see the full range here.

Main patterned designs below are Thon, Mulino and Fjord.

The plains below are Vestlia, but check out the other plains Scandic and Ola on the Hertex website.

Till next time nerds, 

Keep up the feeling :)

Saint Siena and The Bakers Wife

The name of this blog post sounds rather like the title of a novel, but the short and sweet story is that over the December break, I fell in love with a new (new to me, at least) shop in Kalk Bay. Saint Siena is a visual and tactile feast and boasts clothes and fabrics that I'm totally mad about. It stocks a collection of clothing, interior decor pieces, jewelry, sunglasses, greeting cards and more.

I haven't paid much attention apparel on my blog, but that's because most of the clothing you will find in chain stores, is made from hideous synthetic fabric that makes me itch and perspire to even look at. While it's true that some stores stock delicious cotton and viscose apparel, you will seldom find 100% linen clothes.  (Take a drool at the texture of the linens below).

Ta daaaaa. Enter Saint Siena. The shop is a collective (more about the other designers later) and one of the designers I love is The Bakers Wife. The creative brainchild of Cyrille Carreon, her collection is comfy and sophisticated in an understated way. 

Her signature piece is the onsie, which comes with either full sleeves or spaghetti straps. I call it "beach-to-bar" wear (though in my case it's more beach-to-parent/teacher-meeting :) 

Her swing top/tunic is elegant and simple and you could rock this in both a casual or formal setting.  The raw edges are a fresh take on the linen look, which is normally super tailored. 

Not only are Cyrille's designs a delight, Cyrille is a delight too ~ I was lucky enough to catch a quick cup of coffee with her before the madness of the year began! 

If you'd like to read more about her brand, check out her website. Her designs are also available at the Mojo Market where in addition to her clothing line, she also sells a range of hand embroidered napkins.

Till next time nerds,
Have a magical week x
:)

twas the season to be jolly happy about fabric :) #passionproject

Howdy Nerds! 

And a HAPPY NEW YEAR to you all! Hope 2018 is full, fun and beautiful.

This was one of my best staycations ever because I got to hang at home with the family and get stuck into converting all the beautiful fabric donations into things that can be used. 

At the end of 2017, one of my last visits was to U&G and they were AWESOME about donating unused and discontinued sample pieces. Thank you so much lovely U&G Team - I can't wait to work with your fabric (<-- check out your fabric on the pink and blue quilt... so much of beautiful <3).

With the help of a brainy, brainstorming buddy, I paired fronts and backs to make 60x60 scatter cushion outers. 

Some of the fabric pieces were super strong and sturdy and whispered to me... I want to be a shopping bag or beach bag... So I made a few of those too (below).

Then, after much playing about, I planned the layout and pattern for two quilts. The fabric is the most gorgeous linen and cotton and heaven knows, it will be HARD to part with these quilts once they've been put together :)

If you live in Cape Town and know any sewing aficionados who would love to get involved in making up items, please get in touch via The Fabric Nerd's facebook page.  I would love some help from creatives who are zippy with zippers and nifty with needles.

Also, make sure you Follow and Like The Fabric Nerd Page on Facebook and SHARE SHARE SHARE The Fabric Nerd posts with your buddies because I'm planning a wee Giveaway... soon :) You can also follow the TEARS page on Facebook here --> https://www.facebook.com/TEARSAnimalRescue/ or check out their Website here -->  http://tears.org.za. 

Until next time nerds x