Gifts at Materialise

We have a lovely range of handmade gifts and christmas decorations in store at Materialise with the emphasis being on handmade. I get a bit tired of all the mass produced stuff at Christmas time.

 Here is a selection of some of our lovely Liberty wrapped baubles

 Some have been embellished with semi precious stones for a little bit of tasteful bling.

Make this fast and fun Christmas stocking. Easy to follow Pattern & Instructions is available 

Then fill it with cute and crazy little things such as this cool shower cap. Also available for big hair.

Many more gorgeous stocking fillers can be found like these little pin cushions, also pure linen aprons, tea towels and there is always a gift voucher if you can't decide. We also have handmade earrings and bracelets.

 I've made some Flea Market Style cushions using some of the beautiful Japanese fabrics we have in store. 

 Each cushion has a boho feature panel

 They are just simple and would make a beautiful gift for someone special and would look great in a contemporary home. So if you are looking for something you just can't find to finish off your Christmas shopping, come into Materialise......

Here is the artichoke in full bloom in my garden. The colours are electric and so inspiring.

Materialise will close for a Christmas break from Christmas Day and we will re-open again on Monday January 6th. 

Wishing you all a very merry and relaxing Christmas. 

New Patterns

Just in time for Christmas we have two new patterns.... 

In stock now is the ever popular Frou-Frou Skirt. A favourite pick in many little wardrobes because it feels so nice for little girls to wear.  

The Little Lady Sundress caught the eye of many customers who came into the store and has been requested by many. The pattern for this frock will be available this coming Saturday. 

 I have made some subtle changes

 Improving the frock and making the finish on this dress one of my best so far. 

I have also included an option to make it into a top. I think it will look amazing with cute little shorts or jeans.

Exciting New Arrivals

Our newest arrivals are a stylish selection of japanese prints which we are all completely in love with..... And it's not hard to see why, these very wearable timeless cotton prints are proving to be quite popular.

More like a tana lawn than a quilting weight, these Japanese fabrics really give Liberty tana lawn a run for its money without the Liberty price tag. When these fabrics arrived the ideas just flowed.......

All are perfect for clothing (especially the dark chocolate & dark pink spot!) Lizzet and I are completely smitten with it, infact we bought it because we both loved it so So SO much that we got it for ourselves & didn't really mind if no one else liked it. (I have a pair of pants in mind plus a playful pant suit for Liberty and Lizzet is thinking a blouse.....)

This week Helen came in and did a few classes and learnt to make these gorgeous cushions as a special gift for a family member.

 Helen's brief was grey couches in a minimal home and little boys, so the new Japanese fabrics that we featured a few weeks ago on the blog worked a treat.

 I think you will agree they are simple yet eye catching and perfect for a home where patchwork isn't wanted as the focus.

Rather the focus here is on stylish, modern and beautifully made........

If you are looking for some great ideas to make some gorgeous Christmas gifts for your family and friends then pay our store a visit, have a chat with us and workshop an idea that you would like to create & we will help you bring it to fruition........

Christmas is in the Air!

Here are a few of the projects we have been working on to get you in the mood

I wanted to make something fun for my little girl for Christmas. Lizzet suggested I do something fun like this so I tried it and I love it! I used the japanese linen spots. I have written the pattern & instructions and will have them in the shop possibly tomorrow if I can get my hands on an A3 printer this arvo.... 

I didn't quite cut enough fabric for the back piece so I decided to add a funky red heel and I think it really works.

Lizzet also made something fun for her babies. Fur babies that is! We already have orders for them. They are so cute!

Hilda made this funky patchwork stocking showing you how to incorpaorate a lovely selection of ribbons 

To suit the more traditional palette Hilda also made this stylish number complete with mini, mini me bunting

I recently recreated an owl mobile that my Mumsy had made when my older brother was born and I loved them so much I thought why not make some Christmas tree decorations. That way I can still decorate the bottom of my tree with toddler friendly ornaments... 

This cool guy is one of the three wise men...!

Introducing Elf Owl

& Angel Owl

Complete with Halo...

They are super easy to make and really fun and I have also done the pattern & instructions to make these too. This would be a good project to do with children as it is all handsewing and employs some really fun, simple techniques.

Fresh New Things!

Beautiful fresh florals, multi stripes and dots just arrived....

 Retro honeycomb spot is a really good blender. Great boy colours too!

French Vintage fabric range: we have added a few new designs.

 The artichoke's in my garden. Can't wait for them to flower... If you love colour it's pretty mental.

 Cornflowers..... one of Mums favourites

Japanese Fabrics - Just arrived!!

I don't think , Lizzet, Hilda or I have ever been this excited about a fabric delivery before.... The new fabrics that have just arrived are seriously yummy.

The Linen Spots..... That you all know and love that just we just can't keep on the shelf have arrived in an amazing selection of colours. A beautiful dark rosy pink, amazing dark purple, Sky Blue, Lime, Red and Multi, just in time for christmas stockings..... Yay!

These beautiful indigo's remind me of fabrics that I bought when I first started the store and they were winners back then too.

 This very cool japanese print in soft grey, blue, red and purple works back perfectly with these two tweedy style fabrics with the exact same colours. We even ordered them on different days and they couldn't be more perfect together. 

This very popular japanese shibori style print was so popular the first time around it would have been rude not to get it again for all those that missed it the first time. It works beautifully for sashings, skirts, you name it, this is a very versatile cloth.

 We often find ochre yellow and brick red are just what is needed to make a quilt sing......

 These beautiful soft florals are amongst our fave picks. The soft grey background on the cloth in the middle makes this one a winner especially when mixed with the colours used in the florals.... I can see a little outfit for my little Liberty girl coming on.....

The simple things in life often make us the happiest. However sometimes finding those simple things can be quite hard. We now have a beautiful Japanese lawn available in plain colours that is the same weight and quality as Liberty tana lawn. For all our customers who have been wanting to mix their Liberty prints with a plain this lawn is perfect for that. We have chosen a selection of colours and will build on this as this cloth gains momentum. You'll be amazed by the price too!

Cushions, Quilts & more

When Lizzet showed me this picture the other day I thought it was straight out of the pages of a magazine. This is one of Lizzet's latest creations from the book Pillow Pop and it's a bit eye catyching. 

Made using a cool selection of blues, Lizzet's fave colour palette she found she had to add a few lighter shades of blue to brighten the dark blues and greys. Combined with a beautiful natural linen, the hand quilting is a joy and makes all the blocks merge beautifully together.

 Julia who is new to Perth and new to sewing came to Materialise and made this pretty little dress for her little girl Penny who is 1 year old. Julia has done a magnificent job both selecting the colours and making this fun little summer frock. 

 We changed the pattern slightly and added this tiny binding around the armholes, neck and hem & we both felt it finished the dress off beautifully. Very simple yet very stylish.....

One of my long standing clients Helen came in to Materialise recently and made this gorgeous Liberty quilt for a new baby about to arrive in her family. This quilt is very similar to one from the book Quilt Love which has been very popular recently; both the quilt and the book

 Helen has selected a lovely selection of purple tones mixed with this beautiful fresh yellow. 

As we all know Liberty doesn't produce a heap of yellow fabric from season to season but when they do they are pretty magic and get snapped up straight away. 

 Helen's piecing is very relaxed and shows the fabrics off to their fullest. Helen chose the beautiful 100% wool wadding that we stock at Materialise. The wool gives a beautiful softness and lightness to the quilt and also the 'puff" factor that so many people love.  Then she used Aurifil thread for the quilting. These beautiful Italian made threads are amazing, they really sink into the fabric and become one with the quilt. We don't use anything else at Materialise now. Any new bubbas and new mumsy would love, Love, LOVE it!

Hot off the Press! - Cute Comfortable Pants Pattern

YAY! We are so very, very excited to announce that the first pattern in our new series of childrenswear patterns currently in work, arrived in store at Materialise this week. These super stylish harem style pants are unisex, very easy & so so quick to make plus I have found them extremely versatile and useful in my little girl's wardrobe. I have made them in a selection of fabrics ranging from brushed cotton to a slightly heavier drill, Liberty twill and Liberty Tana Lawn - (shown above & below). 

 I often go hunting for them in the washing because they are so comforatble & so easy for Liberty to wear and depending on the fabric I have used to make them they can either be a casual muck around pair of pants or something a little more dressy while still enabling Liberty to run around and just be really comfy. They have received a lot of comments whenever she wears them beacuse they just look so good. . The most popular being "Do they come in my size"? (Not yet but they will!) Currently they go up to a size 5 for little people.

This week when new fabrics arrived I just couldn't resist making Liberty a new pair these cool pants for her to wear as the weather gets warmer & to celebrate the arrival of the pattern & just because this fabric is so well suited to this pair of pants, that it would have been rude not to.....! Come in & take a look at the samples we have made for your perusal. For those who really love this fabric, we also  have Jelly Rolls in this range.