Fabric Focus: Brandon Mably

You have probably figured out by now that I love things with a bit of pop or edge or umpf (I apologize for the highly technical language here!).  Something that makes the ordinary a little less ordinary, something that makes you look twice.

Brandon Mably's cotton fabric designs certainly have umpf.

Brandon Mably - Flora Grey

Brandon Mably - Bones Blue

Brandon Mably - Herringbone

Brandon Mably - Splash Orange

I love the way he uses color contrasts and the rough edges to his lines.  The fabric is beautiful without being too pretty.

I've seen folks using his fabric for kids' clothes (the dots) or quilts, but I think they would be great for women's clothes and accessories, too.  You'd need to be careful - a little Brandon Mably goes a long way!

I can picture these prints as a spring/summer skirt or handbag:

Brandon Mably - Bones Yellow

Brandon Mably - Scales Blue

Brandon Mably - Fish Lips Grey

Brandon Mably - Wrinkle Red

And for the super daring I can imagine mixing up some of his fabrics for a funky tunic, like this one I made from the Sew Serendipity tunic pattern (Amy Butler fabrics here):

I used the Scales Grey print to make bias tape trim for a skirt (see here).  And here's a sunglass case I found on Etsy from seller TheCraftQueen:

His bio (from www.brandonmably.com):

"Brandon Mably designs knitwear patterns for Vogue Knitting and Rowan Yarns, and leads workshops in knitwear design and use of colour throughout the world.  For over a decade, Brandon has been the Studio Manager of Kaffe Fassett Studio in London England, and has worked closely with Kaffe in the design, creation, and execution of knitwear, tapestry, patchwork, mosaic, and mixed media artwork. While working side by side with Kaffe, Brandon has honed his unique style of bold design and vibrant colour."

Vibrant.  Yes.  And umpfy.  Definitely umpfy.

New bag, new skirt

This was a fun sewing week.  I figured out how to work with loose-weave wool, made a new bag, and finished work on an experimental skirt for my friend Diane. 

Diane is fun to sew for because she has a good sense of style and what works for her, but she also likes to experiment.  She picked this Amy Butler fabric and wanted a fun skirt made out of it:

We kicked around a bunch of ideas and finally decided on a grey yoke and hem band to frame the fabric, and some slight gathering at the top of the skirt to play with the lines.  At the last minute I decided it needed a second hem band and here's how it turned out:

I also tried out a new bag design based on a request from K, who attended the first skirt party.  She wanted a clutch with Joel Dewberry's woodgrain fabric.  And here it is:

I made two to make sure that I got the technique down.  I may keep this one for myself or put it up on Etsy as my shop has been looking a bit bare lately!

All in all, a fun, challenging week!  I'm going to finish up working on some other bags this weekend and then next week I'm on to designing a yoked pencil skirt.  B picked out some fantastic fabric for these that I'm excited to work with!