Taking Flight Blog Tour

That’s the prettiest Australiana fabric I’ve ever seen! Those were my thoughts the first time I set eyes on the fabulous new fabric ranges designed by Amanda Brandl for Kennard and Kennard Designs.

Amanda, Aussie textile designer extraordinaire,  has designed two fabric ranges which are shipping to shops this month. The first is Bush Gum Blossoms which is full of soft hues of pink and cream, with pops of yellow, green, and blush pink. There are gumnut blossoms, pods, and eucalyptus trees. It’s sooo pretty! And you might think, they are more Michelle’s colours and prints, why didn’t she choose this line?

Well, the second range is called Taking Flight and is the collection I decided to work with. There are cheeky cockatoos and magpies, and native Australian flowers. The colours are rich and vibrant and include the most delicious teal and sunny yellow, alongside blue, red and mushroom. I thought I might step out of my comfort zone, and I just fell in love with the cockatoos!

I used to make lots of pretty dresses for my daughter when she was little, but those days are long gone. However, when my eldest son got married recently, I jumped at the chance to make the flower girl dresses. I really enjoyed it – I love making dresses for myself, and little girl dresses just sew up so fast!

So, when the opportunity arose to take part in Amanda’s blog hop, I just couldn’t say no! I decided to make a sweet little girl’s dress out of the bright and cheery teal cockatoo print, with splashes of the yellow tiny floral.

I chose an old faithful Simplicity pattern, 5483, which had seen much use when my daughter was little. I chose the short-sleeve option with the contrast collar and pockets.

I thought that cockatoo fabric was just perfect for a summer dress – I could just see my little friend, Miss J, looking so sweet in this dress! She was so excited when she finally got to wear it for the photos! And then she didn’t want to take it off – really, this fabric is so, so soft.

I just love a Peter Pan collar, and this one doesn’t disappoint. The pop of yellow in the pockets and buttons just sets off that teal cockatoo fabric beautifully!

I also decided to make a head scarf using the purpley-blue merry magpie print – how sweet is it?!?

After cutting out the dress, I was very happy to find that I had enough fabric left over to make a little purse. I had won the Purse Clasp Book in an Instagram giveaway by the sweet Elise of Elise and Emelie. Here it is – it’s sooo cute!!

It’s now living in its forever home with Amanda – I thought she might like to have a purse made out of her own fabric!

Here is where you can buy some of these gorgeous fabrics. And you can find a list of stockists here!

Be sure to check out the cutest little girl romper you’re ever likely to see that Robyn from Bumblebee Boutique made – it was her turn on the blog tour yesterday! And tomorrow, pop over and visit Ann from Said With Love – I can’t wait to see what she has made!

Here is a list of all the blog tour participants – definitely go and visit them and see all the amazing projects made from these fabulous Aussie fabrics!

Wednesday March 14th: Sarah Scott | Piccolo Studio
Thursday March 15th: Kylie | Wombat & Poss
Friday March 16th: Ali Phillips | Arabesque Scissors
Monday March 19th: Kellie | sewMimi.K
Tuesday March 20th: Robyn MacWilliam | Bumblebee Boutique
Wednesday March 21st: Michelle Hickson | Cole and Taffy
Thursday March 22nd: Anne Boundy | Said With Love
Friday March 23rd: Ange Hamilton | A Little Patchwork
Monday March 26th: Vickie Zaleski | Crocheting Vixen
Tuesday March 27th: Wendy Gontier |Wehago Designs
Wednesday March 28th: Elise Baek | Elise & Emilie
Thursday March 29th: Samantha Green | For The Love of Fabric
Friday March 30th: Sharon Burgess | Lilabelle Lane Creations
Monday April 2nd: Rose Johnstone | Threadbare Creations
Tuesday April 3rd: Jess & Laura | Two of a Kind
Wednesday April 4th: Raylee Bielenberg | Sunflower Stitcheries
Thursday April 5th: Blog Wrap up and thank you!

I’ve really enjoyed being a part of this blog hop. I’ve gotten to know Amanda, a brilliant Aussie fabric designer, and found some new makers to follow on Instagram. Making the dress was such a blessing, and Miss J (and then her little sister, Miss A) will hopefully get to wear this pretty cockatoo dress for many summers to come.

Till next time,