Duckcloth...the blog

New Liberty Fabric

2012-01-19T21:26:00.001+11:00

We’ve just uploaded these new Liberty fabrics. These are printed on the standard tana lawn, so they’re very light weight and drape beautifully. Perfect for summer/autumn tops and dresses! They are part of the seasonal Liberty fashion range, rather than the classic range and are larger scale than the usual which makes them ideal for women’s clothing.

New Upholstery Fabric

2012-01-11T21:59:00.001+11:00

We've just received this gorgeous new Linen fabric. These are upholstery weight linens suitable for all types of upholstery and also curtains and blinds. The colours are beautifully earthy and contemporary. Our favourite is the striped one!

See more Upholstery fabric.

See the full gallery on Posterous

Muslin Restocked

2012-01-11T20:45:00.001+11:00

We've just restocked the hemp and organic cotton muslin. This is a nice light weight muslin which is a great multi-purpose fabric. Because it's organic it's lovely and soft, and it's also 150cm wide which is a bonus!

More organic fabric here.

New Organic Fabric

2011-10-27T10:01:00.001+11:00

See the full gallery on Posterous

We’ve recently topped up our Cloud 9 range of organic cotton fabrics with a few new prints. You find these in the Cloud 9 Organic category and also with other similar fabrics in the Organic Fabric category. These are really soft and lovely!

Stretch Fabric

2011-09-13T21:14:00.001+10:00

See the full gallery on Posterous

These are a few of the new stretch fabric prints we've recently added to the web site. They're part of the nani IRO collection. These are 100% cotton and really soft. Ideal for t-shirts for big or little people!

Corduroy Fabric

2011-09-13T20:36:00.001+10:00

See the full gallery on Posterous

I'd forgotten to blog about this new(ish) Liberty corduroy fabric. The designs are printed on a soft, velvet-like corduroy that is really light weight which makes it very versatile. They look great teamed with denim fabric.

New Alexander Henry Fabric

2011-08-26T13:10:00.001+10:00

We've just uploaded some beautiful new Alexander Henry fabric into the online fabric store. The colours in these are really fresh - perfect for spring!

Here are some of our favourites:

New Echino

2011-06-20T21:45:00.001+10:00

More new Echino fabric in the online fabric store!

See the full gallery on Posterous

New Echino

2011-06-20T21:43:00.001+10:00

More new Echino fabric in the online fabric store!

Denim Fabric Restock

2011-06-03T13:01:00.001+10:00

We've just restocked one of our best sellers in the Denim Fabric range. This Hemp and organic cotton denim is a nice light weight multi-purpose basic and is really good for children's or adult's clothing.

Alexander Henry Fabric Just Arrived

2011-06-02T22:08:00.001+10:00

More new Alexander Henry Fabric has just landed. We'll have it in the online fabric store very soon!

Denim Fabric

2011-05-16T22:01:00.001+10:00

We've just introduced a new range of basic denim fabrics to our online fabric store. These a really nice fashion quality denims that we'll continue to restock. There are four new fabrics in the range:

: Denim fabric 140gsm

Denim blue 140gsm - this is a beautiful soft, very light weight denim suitable for clothing, especially children's clothing.

: Denim Blue 260gsm

Denim Blue 260gsm - This is a fairly standard jeans-weight denim in a darkish blue. It's suitable for structured clothing of all sorts.

: Denim Blue 320gsm

Denim Blue 320gsm - This is a heavier weight blue denim suitable for cushions and upholstery projects (or very structured clothing).

: Denim Charcoal 340gsm

Denim Charcoal 340gsm - This is a nice darkish charcoal coloured heavy weight denim. It's suitable for cushions and upholstery.

All of these denim fabrics will fade with washing and wearing. They may also appear slightly darker online than they actually are (the 140gsm denim is is the lightest in colour). We're happy to send customers swatches of these. Just request them via our Swatch request form.

I was recently flicking through my copy of the Prints Charming book above (which I absolutely love) and I found this inspiring little footstool upholstered in denim, very cleverly screen printed on the reverse side and embellished with embroidery. Love it! A beautiful example of what you can do with classic denim.

Liberty Fabric

2011-05-08T20:50:00.001+10:00

See the full gallery on Posterous

Here are some new Liberty Fabric designs. We've had these in stock for a few weeks, but I'd forgotten to mention them. View the full Liberty Fabric range - it's one of our absolute favourites!

Upholstery Fabric

2011-05-08T20:31:00.001+10:00

We often get asked if we stock upholstery fabric. It's a tricky question to answer as upholstery fabric is traditionally very heavy and 100% synthetic. But we find that many customers are specifically not looking for this type of fabric. They're after something natural, more earthy looking and textured to suit a contemporary interior. So we've created a new category in our online fabric store for Upholstery Fabric. We'll continue to add fabrics to this ranged as they come along.

Organic Cotton Fabric

2011-03-30T21:59:00.001+11:00

One of our lovely customers, Marcia, sent us these photos of a beautiful cot quilt that her mother made. It's made from a Cloud 9 organic cotton fabric.

Marcia's mother said that she absolutely loved sewing with it. We often hear this about sewing with organic fabrics as they are softer than normal cotton and have a beautiful silky hand.

A big thank you to Marcia for sending these beautiful photos!

Childrens Fabrics

2011-03-30T21:26:00.001+11:00

The April issue of House & Garden magazine has this great little display of childrens fabrics. They made up some cushions from the fabric we sent them. Cushion 6 is a Liberty fabric - Liberty Fairford in pink, and cushion 5 is an Echino Flower Bed fabric. I love the way the whole scene has come together!

Curtain Fabric - Ty Pennington Impressions

2011-03-16T16:57:00.001+11:00

So, who is the handsome man? And, what does he have to do with fabric?

Ahhh, well let me tell you...

Ty Pennington hosts loads of home renovation and DIY television shows in North America and the UK. He also designs furniture and home products for Sears and Howard Miller Furnishings. And in his spare time, he whips up a couple of fabric collections under the Ty Pennington Impressions label.

The fabrics we are stocking is the home decorating one (the other range is a lighter weight quilting collection). It's printed on 138cm wide curtain fabric. I really love this collection. Many of the home decorating fabric designs that come out of the US don't really suit the Australian colour palette, lifestye or general aesthetic. But this one does. It's really relaxed and contemporary and includes neutral colours at it's core, peppered with punchy spice and cool ice.

See the full fabric collection - Ty Pennington Impressions.

New hemp and organic cotton fabric

2011-03-08T22:17:00.002+11:00

See the full gallery on Posterous

I've just added two new hemp and organic cotton fabrics to the fabric shop. The Hemp and organic cotton textured birch has lovely variegated natural colours and is ideal for all sorts of home decorating, such as curtains, blinds, cushions, lampshades, slip covers and light upholstery. The Hemp and organic cotton stripe brown co-ordinates nicely with the textured one and is also a great home decorating all-rounder.

Nani IRO restock

2011-03-01T21:06:00.001+11:00

See the full gallery on posterous

These Nani IRO Fuccra floral designs have been really popular. We can't often restock this range, but we managed to get some more of these ones in the Fuccra Butter, Fuccra Teal, Fuccra Aubergine and Fuccra Grey.

Nani IRO Kaftan

2011-02-16T22:09:00.001+11:00

See the full gallery on posterous

Here's a sample project made from the Shearwater Kaftan pattern. We've made it up in the Nani IRO Stripe fabric in grey which makes it really soft and gorgeous to wear. I wanted to add a litte bit of detail with some hand stitching around the neck. So instead of using bias to finish the neckline, we made up some facing to give the stitching something a bit more substantial to attach to.

Fabric Sale

2011-02-16T17:40:00.001+11:00

See and download the full gallery on posterous

I've just added some new fabrics to the fabric sale section of our fabric shop. There are lots of interesting bits and pieces including some lovely sun-drenched Amy Butler designs, along with a few Japanese fabrics too!

Fabulous Christmas Tablecloth

2011-01-27T11:37:00.001+11:00

Christmas lunch anyone? This gorgeous Christmas table setting was created by Kaye (our also-gorgeous customer service person). Kaye used the striped design from our range of http://www.duckcloth.com.au/category/Sheeting/c205. This range is super-wide: a whopping 240cm! Although it's been designed for sheeting and doona covers, it's just a really nice, simple light weight cotton that you could use for anything - even children's clothing. Because it's so wide, it's without a doubt the best value fabric we stock, at $22/m.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

New Liberty of London Fabric

2011-01-25T22:00:00.001+11:00

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Here are a few of the new Liberty of London fabric rolls that have just arrived. The more I feel this fabric, the more I love it!

We've also restocked this best seller - Liberty Mauvey Grey.

Echino fabric bean bag

2011-01-20T15:01:00.003+11:00

Christina, one of our lovely customers sent in these gorgeous photos of a bean bag she made out of a couple of Echino fabric prints. I love it!

See the full gallery on posterous

New Multi Spots on Linen

2011-01-11T22:02:00.001+11:00

A few of my favourite new arrivals are these multi-coloured spots on a natural linen fabric. The spots are really fun but the natural linen base cloth gives them a nice earthy, natural feel. A great multi-purpose fabric, particularly good for cushions or curtains for a child’s bedroom.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Our blog has moved

2010-11-16T21:05:00.000+11:00

We've moved our blog to our web site here - http://www.duckcloth.com.au/blog/. If you subscribe to our blog feeds, please subscribe to our new feed by adding your email address in the box on the left of the page - http://www.duckcloth.com.au/blog/.

Thank you!

Cheesecake and Heineken

2010-10-14T23:07:00.002+11:00

Cheesecake and Heineken? Yep, that's what I'm eating for dinner at 10.50pm tonight (OK, there was soup too). I've been busy setting up our stand for Better Home and Gardens Live. It's on tomorrow through Sunday (15th - 17th Oct) at Sydney Olympic Park ('oh, you mean Homebush' as the Sydneysiders say).

I've left the kidlets with their Dad for four whole days. Heh, he won't know what hit him. So, if you're planning on going, please drop in and see us.

On the stand we'll have a little bit of this...

and a little bit of that...

Hope to see you there!

Calling all Melbourne Customers...We're Off to Market

2010-08-21T07:58:00.000+10:00

We'll be at Mathilda's Market on Sunday showcasing some of our children's fabrics and patterns. We'd really love it if you'd drop in and say hello!

Gift Voucher Winners

2010-08-10T11:46:00.001+10:00

Thank you SO much to all who participated in our recent survey! We had a fabulous response and were delighted with all of the extremely positive comments and constructive feedback we received.

It took some time, but we finally narrowed the shortlist to 5 lucky winners. Congratulations to Sonya, Jackie, Angela, Nina, and Christiane who each received a $100 gift voucher to our online fabric store. Happy shopping!

Nani IRO Versatile Skirt

2010-07-31T12:11:00.001+10:00

Yet another Versatile Skirt in a quirky, abstract Nani IRO Fuukei print. The basecloth is a linen/cotton blend. You'd never know it was partly cotton though, it looks like 100% linen and the slightly open weave makes it drape beautifully. It was fun playing around with this print to decide which bits of the print to place where. A great design for spring!

Project details:

Versatile Wrap Skirt Pattern by Make it Perfect

Nani IRO Fuukei Blue on Natural Linen

New Nani IRO 2010

2010-07-19T12:51:00.000+10:00

We've recently uploaded the new Nani IRO 2010 collection to the store. It's mostly double gauze except for the Poster Fleur prints which are a lovely soft cotton and linen canvas.

Generally in the southern hemisphere we get summer collections in winter and winter collections in summer, but this particular collection has a couple of nice moody, winterish colourways (below).

Amy Butler Full Moon Jacket

2010-07-08T21:36:00.001+10:00

Now, I wouldn't necessarily think that this Amy Butler Full Moon Polka Dot fabric is a classic candidate for a jacket. If a customer asked me if it was suitable for a jacket, I'd probably say "You could try it, but I'd recommend something a bit heavier with a little more body." It seems though I'd just be being lazy. Check out this superfantastic jacket made up in this fabric by the Selfish Seamstress.

For more nitty gritty details, see this post here, and this one here.

How did she get it looking so fantastic? Along with the usual facing and lining, she also interlined each of the fabric pieces with muslin and top stitched with a double straight stitch! Respect.

Last Chance to Win a Gift Voucher

2010-07-07T21:34:00.002+10:00

We've had a huge response to our customer survey so far. Thanks to all those who've responded and given us such valuable feedback!

It closes at the end of this week, so if you haven't already, take the survey for your chance to win one of 5 $100 gift vouchers. It will take only 5 minutes of your time. We're not asking anything intrusive - just some general feedback on our products, web site and customer service.

Embroidered Linen

2010-07-05T21:50:00.003+10:00

We recently had these gorgeous linen designs embroidered in India to our specifications. These are really large scale prints, so they're perfect for blinds, curtains, cushions or table linen. The branches design in particular would look amazing slightly offset so the branches run down one side of the cushion rather than in the centre.

Market Skirt Pattern

2010-06-22T22:34:00.005+10:00

Here's a sample of the Market Skirt pattern made up in Amy Butler's Water Bouquet in the Midnight colourway.

This is a nice simple pattern with a gentle a-line shape. It's super-easy to make. No zips or waistband. Just elastic casing around the waist. Very comfy!

It also makes a great early pregnancy or postnatal skirt too. Because, let's face it, if you want to sew maternity clothes, there's not exactly a truckload of options to choose from.

The Water Bouquet is also available in the Mint colourway below.

Laminated Linen

2010-06-17T21:54:00.007+10:00

Laminated linen? Ok, so it doesn't make for a very exciting picture, but how practical is this? This morning's breakfast, last night's dinner, simply wipe it clean. Mess sorted.

It looks like a garden variety natural linen, until you touch it and realise it's coated. The coating is a thin matte laminate. Not too shiny. Not too stiff. Just right.

Laminated linen - available from our online fabric store.

New Organic Cotton

2010-06-13T09:35:00.008+10:00

We've recently added the latest release Cloud 9 organic cotton prints to the Cloud 9 category. The ones above are my favourites.

We've also added this new collection of organic cotton fabrics called Circa 50 by Birch Fabrics. They are printed on light weight base cloth which is so lusciously soft. Perfect for childrens quilts, quilt covers and clothing.

Echino Birdsong Versatile Skirt

2010-06-10T15:59:00.011+10:00

This truly is a versatile skirt! The Make It Perfect Versatile Skirt is by far our best selling skirt pattern. It's a simple wrap skirt that is super-easy to make: no zips, no buttons, no clips, no hooks and eyes, no fuss. It's great for both summer and winter skirts.

We've made this one from the Echino Birdsong fabric in green. You could tone it down a bit for winter with long boots and a cardi, or liven it up in summer with a t-shirt and flat sandals. There's a lot going in this and most of the Echino fabric prints, so I like to tone the rest of the outfit down with plain colours and shapes.

Project Details:

Make It Perfect Versatile Skirt Pattern

Echino Birdsong Green

Before Birch. After Birch.

2010-06-01T21:58:00.010+10:00

I love a before and after photo. Of anything really. Renovations, botox, weight loss....

So, here's a little chair that's actually gained weight and style. I picked this up ages ago on eBay for $3.50 and had it reupholstered in Lara Cameron's Birch print in Dusty Pink fabric. I'm really pleased with it!

It looks great in my baby daughter's bedroom, especially matched with these gorgeous fabric wall stickers from Love Mae (I used the tree with the birds and positioned it so the longest branch stretches over her cot).

Mae: I DO love you!

New Organic Cotton and Hemp

2010-05-31T21:55:00.015+10:00

We've recently added some new beautifully textured hemp and organic cottons to the store. These ones above are:
Hemp and organic cotton stripe indigo

Hemp and organic cotton denim indigo
Hemp canvas natural

The canvas is quite heavy at 350gsm and could be used for upholstery or other projects where you need a tough, textured natural fibre. The other two are lighter and very versatile. I particularly love the mottled colouring in the indigo denim. It's a nice soft one with a beautiful texture and would be lovely in clothing.

Also new are these gorgeous Ink & Spindle fabrics on hemp and organic cotton. Birch red on cream hemp, Wrens red on natural hemp cotton, and Ginkgo lime and fuchsia on cream hemp.

Amy Butler Water Bouquet

2010-05-06T20:55:00.004+10:00

We sent off some of our Amy Butler Water Bouquet fabric to Inside Out magazine a while ago. And, here's the result - a beautiful contemporary quilt all styled up!

Retro Vespa Couch

2010-04-21T21:13:00.004+10:00

How fabulous is this retro couch? Ana, one of our lovely customers sent in this photo. She found the couch for $10 at the local tip and had the cushions covered in Echino Scooter fabric. The couch works brilliantly as part of their playroom. Thanks for sharing these Ana!

Indigo Inspiration

2010-03-31T20:53:00.006+11:00

Over the Christmas break, I read (yes, 'read' which is unusual for a design book) Sibella Court's book, Etcetera - creating beautiful interiors with the things you love. I absolutely loved it! Particularly the indigo blue and rustic natural colour palette which forms the basis of our Duckcloth logo and colour scheme.

Lucy from the Design Files has written two posts on Sibella, one here, and interview here. Sibella's Society Inc web site here.

Steph's Sensational Quilt

2010-03-31T20:39:00.005+11:00

Steph Bond, who writes the fabulous blog Bondville had this quilt made for her daughter's big bed. It's turned out just beautifully! Love the red and pink combination. Many of the fabrics were sourced from Duckcloth, some have since sold out and some are beautiful prints by Kristen Doran. I also love those paper pom poms. More on those here. Hmmm, it's got me thinking about how you could make them from fabric...

Read Steph's full post here.

La Dolce Vita

2010-03-25T21:28:00.009+11:00

A little bit art deco, a little bit asian, maybe even a little bit Florence, but beautifully feminine. Dolce is the latest collection by Tanya Whelan. It's printed on a light weight cotton and would be fabulous made into clothing, quilts or cushions. Sweet!

New Ink & Spindle Fabrics

2010-03-22T20:53:00.006+11:00

I've recently added these new Ink & Spindle colourways to the store. The Lace Fans at the top is a lovely new design in black on a natural hemp and organic cotton blend. We've had the ginkgo and birch designs printed in these new colourways: a gorgeous contemporary dusty pink and very deep inky blue. I'm really pleased with how they've turned out.

I particularly love the dusty pink colourway (and I'm not a particuarly 'pink' person). I'm having a chair for my daughter's room covered in the Birch Dusty Pink and will post photos when it's done.

New Echino Collection

2010-03-02T14:48:00.009+11:00

Well it's officially Autumn and the leaves are beginning to turn. Which of course is a nice little segway into these new leafy prints from Etsuko Furuya.

I've recently uploaded the new Echino collection to the store. These ones above are some of my favourites. This whole collection is printed on the linen/cotton basecloth which makes it very versatile.

The Birdsong print, in particular is really lovely. The fun part is deciding which part of the print you're going to use for which bit of your project. I'm currently making a versatile skirt out of the Birdsong green. I'll post a photo when it's done.

New Shearwater Kaftan Pattern

2010-02-16T12:05:00.012+11:00

While we're on the topic of floaty summer tops in Nani IRO florals, I've recently uploaded this fabulous new Make it Perfect Shearwater Kaftan pattern to the shop.

I've been waiting for someone to do a nice simple kaftan and Toni from Make it Perfect has come through with the goods!

I've made a few kaftans in the past but I've never been happy with the patterns I've used and I've had to tweak each one to within an inch of it's life to get a good result. I haven't tried the Shearwater pattern yet, but will try it soon. Toni describes it as "just the right balance between floaty and fitted" which is exactly the look I'm after. It's a great sleeve length for this time of the year: a long sleeve with a tab to button up to 3/4 length.

So, what fabric to use? I think double gauze is perfect or something else light like a voile or lawn to give the floaty effect. I probably wouldn't use quilting weight cotton if you're after the floaty effect. Even a slightly open weave linen like Fuccra Rakuel below would be nice.

Summer Fling

2010-02-16T10:21:00.006+11:00

As summer draws to a close, it's not too late for a summer fling! This one is made up in the gorgeous Fucccra Rakuel Floral from the Nani IRO collection.

I omitted the trims and sash from the pattern because I didn't think this fabric needed anything else. It looks great with jeans or long khaki shorts. The double gauze makes it really comfortable and I get lots of comments every time I wear it.

Who is Puti de Pome?

2010-02-04T11:06:00.009+11:00

Who is Puti de Pome?

Puti de Pome is this little dog. He's a citizen of the world...he loves playing his guitar in the Tulip fields of Holland...

...he quite often takes the long, long journey from Boku to Watashi...

...of course he's just as happy having a day out at his local park...

He's printed in an aged style on a beautiful textured, slightly open weave linen/cotton. He'd love to be part of your child's bedroom, covering a canvas or adorning the side of a bag. He wouldn't even mind being sat on as part of a bean bag or small ottoman. Just love him and talk to him occasionally and he'll be good to you.

New Puti de Pome collection here.

Green and Gold

2010-01-28T22:08:00.006+11:00

Whenever I think of the Australian colours (green and gold), I think of John Howard on his morning walk in his green and gold tracksuit. I know. Not pretty. Blocking that thought out now.

So, in the spirit of Australia Day (albeit a little late), here are a couple of new green and gold Joel Dewberry fabrics I've recently uploaded to the fabric store.

Happy Australia Day. Hope you had a good one. Or at least took a long weekend...

Action Pants

2010-01-04T22:25:00.010+11:00

Action pants? Yep. Give 'em a go. Hope you get some!

These are one of the new Bettsy Kingston patterns I've just uploaded to the fabric store. There are some great baby and kids patterns like the Peekaboo Dress below, and also a really nicely cut a-line skirt for women and girls.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-20T16:09:00.002+11:00

We're heading for the beach over Christmas, so all fabric orders placed will be posted the week beginning 11th Jan 2010. I'll still be returning emails and phone calls during this time.

Wishing you all the best for the silly season. Have a happy time!

Christmas...Ooh La La

2009-12-08T20:34:00.008+11:00

Let's face it, snow and holly are irrelevant in this part of the world. Haven't seen many reindeer round these parts either. So if you're looking for a Christmas tablecloth but you're not into the usual cliches, why not try this Ooh La La fabric in red.

The colours in this are really vibrant and, being red, it's a subtle nod to tradition. It's 150cm wide - perfect for most rectangular tables, so you'd just need to measure up the length of your table. You could even get away with leaving the ends raw so no need to drag out the Bernina. After all you've got better things to do at this time of the year. Now, where's my glass of vino gone...

Echino Restock

2009-12-04T09:28:00.006+11:00

These Echino fabrics were really popular when we first had them in stock. I think the combination of great 'boy' colours printed on a beautiful cotton/linen base cloth made them winners. Fortunately, we've been able to reorder them this time (which is unusual as Kokka will often only do one print run) and they're available here.

New Alexander Henry Prints

2009-12-03T10:20:00.007+11:00

I've recently uploaded some new Alexander Henry novelty prints. These are some of my favourites: Senor Burrito, Canyon Flutter in Pink, and Birdsong in Pink. I'm thinking...children's clothing, or a fresh, casual summer skirt in the Birdsong.

Of course, keeping the home fires burning is important too...

Home Sewing is Easy

Amy Butler Love

2009-11-21T18:29:00.010+11:00

I've recently uploaded the new Amy Butler collection, Love to the shop. I'm a bit partial to a bit of indigo in my wardrobe, so I do love the blues in this collection. Such a refreshing addition to the greens and pinks!

I also like the inclusion of the Indonesian batik print. Although this is not uncommon in this part of the world, it's quite unusual for an American designer to include this style.

These are my favourites...

Kristen Doran Hummingbird Fabric

2009-11-10T20:13:00.005+11:00

Apparently, a hummingbird's brain makes up 4.2% of its total weight (the largest proportion of any bird). Of course, that would explain why this hummingbird skirt looks so smart!

It's made from this Hummingbird fabric by Kristen Doran. Also available in olive and blue (below). Both are printed on a nice versatile cotton/linen base cloth.

It's Easy Being Green

2009-11-03T21:20:00.009+11:00

We recently had these two Pippijoe designs re-printed in a nice fresh, strong green to co-ordinate with our Organic Cotton Canvas in Leaf Green. It's printed on the cream hemp/cotton so it's very sturdy. Great for wall art.

We also received this new(ish) Pippijoe design called Tussock. Simple, stylish and in these two colourways, very sophisticated!

An Apple for the Teacher

2009-11-01T19:31:00.007+11:00

These gorgeous apple cards are made by Nathalie of children's party invitation company, Imprintables. What a lovely simple idea for an end of year thank you!

This fabric and this one and this one were used to make the vibrant red cards. Nathalie and her three beautiful boys are featured in the current Christmas issue of Real Living magazine and there is a template for the apple cards on the Real Living site here. Sweet!

Sweetie Petites

2009-10-26T10:25:00.009+11:00

How gorgeous are these dolls! I don't usually buy a lot of kits for the store as they're often a bit bulky to post, but I couldn't go past these ones. The artwork (by Lisa Tilse of The Red Thread) is amazing! You don't need to be a sewer either, it's just a simple row of stitching around the edge.

Gone Swimming

2009-10-26T10:19:00.004+11:00

I'll be swimming in Queensland until the end of the week! So we'll post all orders on Monday next week. If you're not in a rush, do place an order and take advantage of the 10% discount though.

New Shannon Lamden Fabric and Pattern

2009-10-14T20:56:00.008+11:00

I've recently uploaded this new apron pattern by Shannon Lamden into the shop. It works really nicely with the new colourways (above) in Shannon's Letterhead fabric. The Letterhead print would also be fabulous in a skirt or a panel in a skirt for a spot of industrial chic! Mmm, very Melbourne.

Dan300: Love your work

2009-09-13T15:17:00.007+10:00

So much style with so little fabric! Dan300 sell fabric (much of it vintage) covered button accessories including hair pins, hair bands, brooches, rings, and some very sharp cuff links. Their range is beautifully distilled into four mini-collections: Mod, Retro, Vintage Chic and Kiji. If you haven't seen their web site, I urge you to take a peek. It's just gorgeous.

Why 'Dan300'? It's the number plate from owner, Daniella Rosen's old 1981 model car. Heh!

Dan300 - love your products, love your packaging, love your web site, love your style!

Kristen Doran Cuckoo Clock Panels

2009-09-04T11:31:00.012+10:00

These new Cuckoo Clock fabric panels from Kristen Doran are just gorgeous. You could turn them into many different things, but I think they are perfect for a statement cushion to sit on an armchair.

The ideal backing fabric would be the organic cotton canvas in red (above). Red is hard to match but this one is pretty close. Some other options are this beautiful textured grey linen to go with the grey/blue colourway. The organic cotton canvas in chocolate or leaf green both match the green colourway really nicely.

Mingle

2009-08-31T10:52:00.007+10:00

Here's another new Robert Kaufman collection called Mingle by Monaluna. It's a really fresh collection of soft but striking simple shapes in great colours. It's printed on light weight cotton and is ideal for kids' clothing.

New Erin McMorris Wildwood

2009-08-31T10:44:00.005+10:00

These are a few of my favourites from a new collection of light weight fabrics from Erin McMorris called Wildwood. These are really nice spring-style prints and as well as being suitable for general craft projects, would be particularly nice in some simple summer skirts or outfits for little girls.

Recent Press

2009-08-24T17:46:00.015+10:00

We've had lots of good magazine mentions in the last couple of months (see Press page for details). I particularly love this story 'Craft Stall Creations' created by Francesca Newby of Notebook magazine. The styling is beautiful and the projects (using Duckcloth fabric) are very cute (see Press page for full article).

Maria's Magnificent Jacket

2009-08-21T18:53:00.015+10:00

One of our incredibly talented customers, Maria, sent me these photos of an amazing jacket she designed and made using Echino Bird to Hang fabric in gold. I love the shape of the jacket and I particularly love the way she has quilted the fabric following the grey lines in the print.

Maria has just finished studying fashion design at TAFE in Brisbane and this jacket was part of her last collection. The collection was so successful that she won a scholarship to study fashion design in Paris! Congratulations Maria, and thank you for sharing these gorgeous photos.

Yak Hair?

2009-08-16T21:18:00.005+10:00

What looks like linen and feels like linen but isn't linen? Yak hair. Serious! I'm fascinated by this fabric. It's part hemp, part yak hair (well OK, it's only 10% yak hair). It's actually a really nice fabric. It has a nice texture, drapes well and has great natural colour variation. But, it's the yak hair that really gets me. I'm looking forward to saying to a customer, "Perhaps I can recommend the yak hair...". Heh.

Yesterday's Fibre, Today's Fashion

2009-08-16T17:45:00.006+10:00

We have these gorgeous new fabrics from the Ink & Spindle studio now available in the store. They are hand-printed in Melbourne on either a linen/cotton blend or a hemp/organic cotton blend. These natural fibres work so well with hand-printing and really add to its textural appeal.

I'm going to use the red Wrens print and red Bloem print to cover three canvases to hang in our hallway (wrens in the middle and a bloem on either side). I'll show the results when they're done.

Kaleidoscope Pattern Book

2009-08-12T09:51:00.004+10:00

I've just added the new Kaleidoscope pattern book by Melanie Hurlston (of Melly & Me) to the store. It really is inspiring! The projects are gorgeous and I particularly love the photography and styling in this book. Melanie's done a fabulous job of lifting contemporary craft into the realm of something really special.

Before and After

2009-08-10T13:46:00.004+10:00

I do love a good 'before and after' photo and here are some great ones. Lisa from Canberra's Got Style sent me these photos of an old chair and stool she rescued and reupholstered with the Anna Griffin Darcy Fez fabric (sorry, sold out). She's done a fabulous job yet again and the striking graphic print works really well with the simple lines of the chair and stool.

Thank you

2009-08-10T13:43:00.002+10:00

A huge thank you to everyone who left comments on the post about Maya below. To be honest, I didn't realise how many blog readers I had. You've shamed me into feeling I must update more often!

Maya

2009-07-13T20:52:00.005+10:00

Well, here's the end result of my week off! Little Maya Grace arrived safe and sound. 10 fingers. 10 toes. All good! Even the labour was quite civilised. Looks nothing like me. Spitting image of her dad.

Thanks for your patience during the week off. We're back on track now with orders up to date. The July newsletter will go out this week.

Taking a short break

2009-06-28T20:17:00.003+10:00

I'm taking a break this week (to have a baby). Please feel free to place orders. All orders placed after 12noon tomorrow (Monday 29th June) will be posted on Monday 6th July. I'll still be checking and responding to emails all week.

New Textured Cottons

2009-06-27T17:12:00.012+10:00

We've recently added these new textured cottons from Sri Lanka to the shop. They are woven (rather than printed) from a range of gorgeous coloured cottons which gives them a beautiful texture. They're perfect for all sorts of home decorating projects including upholstery (they will still feed through a domestic sewing machine though).

There are three stripes and three solid colours in the range.

New Nani IRO Collection

2009-06-16T10:58:00.009+10:00

The latest fabrics from Japanese designer, Naomi Ito have arrived and they're at least as gorgeous as her previous collections. There's a mixture of super-soft double gauze and some beautiful linens. The prints range from subtle florals to really unusual modern abstracts.

If you haven't sewn with double gauze before, I'd urge you to give it a go. Usually soft fabric lacks body, but because double gauze is actually two layers of fabric, it holds shape quite nicely.

So, what to make with it? It's ideal for clothing and light homewares such as quilts and cushions. Not only is it beautiful to sew with, it's just so comfortable to wear. Whatever you make, I'd recommend you don't mess with it too much...just keep it simple...an a-line skirt, a throw cushion for a bed, a little girl's gathered top or dress.

If you're looking for inspiration, one of our lovely French customers writes a blog called Les 4 rats which is sprinkled with stylish clothing and other things she's made from Nani IRO fabric (along with snippets of her life in France - just goregous!).

Love, love, love this new jacket pattern

2009-06-06T18:16:00.004+10:00

After searching for ages for a nice jacket for my 3 year old daughter, it seems that clothing manufacturers don't think that girls need to stay warm in winter. I found lots of cool boys' jackets but the really nice ones for girls were super-expensive. So when Toni from Make it Perfect released this one recently, I was delighted! It's a snappy little jacket called Uptown Girl and is easy to make and reversible!

It's Our Birthday!!

2009-05-09T17:25:00.005+10:00

Yes, indeed. We're turning 2!

To celebrate, we're offering 20% off everything in store until 15th May (use promotional code vip509). It's been a huge month, after only just moving to a new location, we've been madly packing, packing, packing orders this week!

Thanks to those customers who have already taken us up on this offer. And thanks to those customers who have supported us over the past two years. We really appreciate your support and hope you stay tuned for more fabric goodies to come.

New Designs from Thea & Sami

2009-05-09T17:15:00.004+10:00

New from Brisbane designers, Thea & Sami (who write a great blog here), these gorgeous floral hand prints. The black is printed on cream hemp/organic cotton and the red is printed on the most beautiful soft, textured natural linen (image doesn't really do it justice).

These are home decorating weight fabrics, so cushions, slip covers, tablecloths, lamp shades etc would all work really well. The red on linen would also work well in a simple a-line skirt (see Thea's blog for a fabulous picture of a wrap dress in this print).

Winter Nesting

2009-04-20T08:56:00.004+10:00

One of our lovely customers, Jacky from Sydney, sent me these photos of two ottomans she had made up using the Kristen Doran Winter Nest fabric panels. They are absolutly gorgeous! Thanks Jacky.

New Year, New Fabikk

2009-02-06T07:49:00.011+11:00

Well, I've finally caught up after taking 3 weeks break over Christmas. I know, I know, it's February already!

We have more new fabirc in the store. My 2 year old daughter peers into the boxes, and says "More fabikk Mum". Yes, indeed, more fabikk!

Here are some of my favourites:

Baby Paisley from Prints Charming's new Paisley Garden collection:

Migratory birds from the new Echino collection:

Urban floral which comes in 4 colours (gorgeous medium weight cotton fabric from Japan):

Swirls and spots which comes in 3 colours:

Gorgeous 100% linen fabric in home decorating weight (comes in 4 colours):

And, my absolute favourite, this whimsical girl and flower print on linen:

To see what else is new, click here.

Christmas Break

2008-12-17T09:05:00.005+11:00

I'll be catching some sunshine at Noosa for 3 weeks over Christmas (can't wait!). You can browse and order from the shop, but orders placed after 12 noon this Friday (19th) will be posted on Tuesday 13th January.

Thanks for your interest and support this year. Have a Merry Christmas!

Sale, sale, sale!

2008-10-23T08:20:00.003+11:00

We currently have a childrens' fabric sale running until 2nd November. We're offering 20% - 30% off selected kids’ clothing and furnishing fabrics. Fabrics on sale include cute Japanese novelty prints, gorgeous Australian designs by Prints Charming, selected Moda fabrics and beautiful nursery prints by US designer Anna Griffin.

Amy Butler Daisy Chain

2008-10-15T20:56:00.009+11:00

Amy Butler's latest collection, Daisy Chain is now in stock. It's a nice one for summer with some lovely subtle florals and some stronger mosaic prints. There are some beautiful inspiring images showcasing the fabrics on her web site here.

Here are a few of my favourites...

Ingrid Anderson Textiles

2008-10-15T18:51:00.005+11:00

4 million. Yep. That's the population of New Zealand. On the world stage we Aussies know that our Kiwi friends box far beyond their weight when it comes to the good stuff in life, like food, art, fashion and design.

So, I'm thilled that we have recently started to stock these hand-printed textiles from Kiwi designer, Ingrid Anderson. These gorgeous bold designs are printed on extra wide medium weight duck cloth / canvas and are perfect for all sorts of home decorating projects.

Ten Sticky Fingers

2008-10-06T09:56:00.004+11:00

Casey from Ten Sticky Fingers sent me this photo to show what she's been making with some of the Swell fabric. I just love this combination of fabric and red detail! Casey runs the fabulous online store, Ten Sticky Fingers which sells all sorts of gorgeous hand crafted kids' stuff. Don't be surprised if you don't see these on the web site though, as she said so far she's sold more than she's made!

Amy Butler Gum Drops Pillow

2008-09-29T12:01:00.004+10:00

We had a few of the Amy Butler Gum Drops pillows made up for Australian House & Garden magazine. Here is one of them featured in the August issue. Looks great with that fabulous pink chair!

We have three of these in various fabric combinations to give away. I'm going to make a special offer to our newsletter subscribers in the October Newsletter so if you're interested...stay tuned!

New! Anna Maria Horner Drawing Room Fabric

2008-09-14T11:47:00.011+10:00

We've had heaps of new fabrics delivered recently and I'm in the process of loading them into the store. Already up and available are some gorgeous colourful home decorating prints from Anna Maria Horner's Drawing Room collection. Some of my favourites from this collection are:

Also new is a cute and quirkly little range called Park Slope by Erin McMorris. This range is perfect for clothing, and would be especially nice in some crisp little summer outfits for a little (or big) girl.

I particularly love the pebbles print and the tiny birds print.

Stay tuned for more new fabric soon!

Magnolia Square

2008-09-02T09:26:00.023+10:00

Brooke from Magnolia Square has just written a lovely post on the Magnolia Square Snippets blog about Duckcloth. Thanks Brooke!

I'm a big fan of the beautiful Magnolia Square pop-up market (if you live in Melbourne you're probably already aware of it) and I try to attend most of the events. The next one is in late November.

The Magnolia Square team also writes a gorgeous blog, Magnolia Square Snippets which focuses on many of the retailers who attend the market, but also showcases other retailers and talented designers (mainly from Australia).

Here are some of my favourite Magnolia Square retailers:

Fat Bird Farm - beautiful screen printed birds on natural linen mixed with vintage fabrics.

Memi Designs - more geogeous textiles.

GforGeorge - colourful magnetic boards with fresh fabric-covered magnets.

Est - These guys were doing beautiful soaps and all things natural long before it became the trend of the moment. Their products are amazing!

Chook Leaf - amazing leather shoes for kids (and only slightly more expensive than the garden variety Clarks). These are so good that I've seen adults with tiny feet try them on!

So if you've never been to Magnolia Square, I highly recommend getting along to the next one which is on at the end of November.

Shameless Self Promotion

2008-08-18T22:25:00.007+10:00

Nothing like a bit of shameless self-promotion! The current issue of Australian Notebook magazine has a beautiful story on Fabric Craft using Duckcloth fabrics. Notebook also has a shiny new web site here.

Floor Cushions

2008-08-18T21:59:00.002+10:00

Very nice floor cushions in the current edition of Australian InsideOut magazine. Second from the top is The Cut Cloth in Pod Stone fabric. Very bottom right is Shibori in Hokey Rust.

Weblog Awards

2008-08-14T17:50:00.011+10:00

The gorgeous Ninaribena from Canberra's Got Style nominated me for this blog award:

Thanks Ninaribena!

A little white ago Clara of the Mimi Kittini blog nominated me for the Arte y pico award.

If you read Spanish, you can read about it here. Thanks Clara and my apologies for taking this long to respond!

So, I'm going to combine both (possibly against the rules, but intended in the very best spirit). The deal is you:

put the award logo on your blog

link to the person you received your award from

nominate at least 7 other blogs

put links to those blogs on yours

leave a message on the blogs of the people you have nominated.

Here goes...I'd like to nominate:

Nikkishell of Mixtape fame

Tiel from TskTsk - artist/illustrator extraordinaire

Belinda from Tuttifruiti - designer, sewer and maker of the world's most beautiful cushions

Pip from Meet Me at Mikes - the woman with her finger on the pulse

Jhoanna from One Red Robin - designer of the most gorgeous softies

Di from The Cut Cloth - fabric designer with the most immaculately sewn projects

Toni from Make It Perfect - pattern designer, seamstress and chef

New Echino Fabric

2008-08-08T08:11:00.014+10:00

The current Echino colleciton is still dribbling in. We've added a few more of these fabrics here. I wore this skirt to a trade show recently, and I had about 10 different people ask me where I got it from. It was amazing!

This range is a good all-round fabric which can be used for so many different things, big or small...

House & Garden Mention

2008-07-24T09:59:00.001+10:00

House & Garden magazine has a list of online shopping sites this month (including Duckcloth). Thanks House & Garden!

Leopard Skirt

2008-07-15T20:16:00.006+10:00

Finally! Another project. A simple A-line skirt made from this Burda pattern using Echino Leopard on Natural fabric with a panel of Panther Mustard at the bottom.

This fabric works well in clothing as the linen content makes it drape nicely. It's a particularly good weight for a skirt and irons up nicely. There's a lot going on in the pattern so I tend to tone it down a bit with a black cardi and black boots.

The Cut Cloth

2008-06-18T12:55:00.007+10:00

We've just started to stock fabrics from the new Western Australian label The Cut Cloth.

I just love the beautiful, muted colour palette. I keep thinking about how it would be just perfect in a beach house, or any modern Australian style home.

If you're not a sewer, but like the fabric, you can buy cushions, hats, bags, belts etc from their online store here http://www.thecutcloth.com/home.php. If you're interested in the fabrics, stay tuned as we'll have some more of the collection in the coming months.

Diana from The Cut Cloth also writes a beautiful blog with lots of lovely projects (like those pictured here) at http://thecutcloth.blogspot.com/.

Taking a Break!

2008-06-06T21:37:00.004+10:00

I'm heading north to Queensland for a week. Why? Well let's face it, it's 26 degrees up there today and 13 degrees here!

All orders placed between Saturday 7th and Friday 13th June will be posted on Monday 16th. So, if you're not in hurry, why not take advantage of the 10% discount during next week and order away!

New Australian Designs

2008-05-30T14:15:00.009+10:00

Lots of new stuff in the shop including some gorgeous new stuff from the Aussie girls. Here are some of my favourites...

The last two are printed on hemp/cotton and 100% hemp. I'm madly in love with hemp at the moment. It has such a gorgeous textural quality, a little more earthy than natural linen, but every bit as sophisticated.

Interested in using hemp fabric? Here are some bits of trivia about this much-misunderstood fibre:

hemp is one of the strongest and most durable of the natural fibres
it's use dates back 10,000 years to the beginning of pottery
in Elizabethan times, farmers were fined for not growing hemp
it grows well without fungicides or pesticides and produces a significantly larger crop than either cotton or flax (linen) when grown on the same land.