Fabric Freedom Florals

Fabric Freedom produce some amazingly good value fabrics. We’ve got several of their collections available on the website, but these florals are my favourite.

Oriental Florals

This craft cotton includes a wonderful fabric imprinted with large peacocks surrounded by various flowers using a range of greens, blues and neutrals, with some metallic gold to give the fabric a pinch of sparkle.  There is also a
a lovely uniform flower pattern using a range of greens, blues and neutrals, with some of the fans outlined in metallic gold, and a small flower pattern using a range of greens, blues and neutrals, with some of the flowers outlined in metallic gold.

Tropica

Inspired by the rich colours of tropical destinations, this fabric features pink flamingos hiding amongst tropical leaves in shades of green and blue,
beautiful peach/orange flowers adorned on a pale background with tropical leaves surrounding them, exotic flowers in red, purple and yellow adorned with turquoise green leaves on a background of warm yellow, and
tropical leaves in tones of green, blue, peach and cream along side small flowers in yellow and peach.

Woodland Florals

A unique collection including dark blue coloured fabric imprinted with flowers and leaves, pink coloured fabric with different coloured leaves,
blue coloured fabric imprinted with white leaves and an adorable
soft light green coloured fabric imprinted with leaves and hearts. Something a little more subtle for your Valentine’s Day gifts!

Heritage Floral

New to our website – the Fabric Freedom Heritage Floral collection. This orange and white blend has navy and orange floral sprigs on a white background in an almost zig-zaging pattern, pink seed heads and leaves on a vibrant orange background, and white leaves and flowers on a rich orange background. Just £7.60 per metre!

Any of these collections would work really well in a traditional herringbone quilt, contrasting with a white background. Try this easy free pattern from Micheal Ann Made http://www.michaelannmade.com/2014/01/summertime-herringbone-quilt-now-free.html

You can find all of our Fabric Freedom collections on our website here.

Sashiko

Sashiko is a form of Japanese folk embroidery which uses running stitch to create a beautiful textured patterned background. Originally used to create strong repairs and produce hard-wearing home textiles, the designs are now mostly used for decorative quilting.

I’ve become slightly obsessed with Sashiko stitching after purchasing some pre-printed fabric last year. It requires a minimal amount of equipment – you just need a long sashiko needle, cotton embroidery thread, and some indigo fabric. Something hard wearing, such as a linen, seems to work best. You can use a tradition white embroidery thread, but I’ve also had good results using pale coloured variegated threads. Anything that provides a contrast to the dark background looks amazing.

The simplicity of loading the needle with running stitches and then pulling through becomes almost like a form of meditation. I’ve yet to finish my completed panels into anything worthwhile, although bags, purses and cushions are quite appealing! Perhaps eventually I’ll complete enough to make into a quilt. Simple Sashiko by Susan Briscoe has some inspirational ideas, plus instructions and tips to make your first project a success.

Susan Briscoe recommends marking out your designs using tailors chalk, although this idea can be a little nerve-racking. Templates are available to make the process easier, and work just like a stencil. Sew Easy have a great value starter kit available which contains fabric, templates, thread, needles, and a fabric pencil to mark it all out with, which seems a much simpler option.

You can find it here, along with many other Sashiko options and tools –
https://goo.gl/ie8Ktw