Liberty Love

Last weekend I was in central London and thought I would pop into Liberty. I’ve never been before, despite passing it loads of times and hearing all about it from everyone who sews.

Can I tell you a little secret? Promise you wont tell anyone? Okay, I’ve never been to Liberty because I always thought the much swooned over prints were a bit too twee for my taste*.

They are pretty, but never something I would wear or use**. Or so I thought until a few weeks ago I found this in Fabrics Galore:

Pink and purple Scottie dogs!! 🙂 I was planning to make this into a Sorbetto (or modification) but I can’t bring myself to cut the dogs.

So, after deciding that Liberty prints weren’t that bad, I popped in for a little look…

I had heard that the shop was pretty, but I didn’t realise quite how it would be inside! The creaky wooden staircases, the beamed ceilings and cosy corners, and all the cute displays were lovely. While I am still not sold on their range of fabrics, I could have browsed the haberdashery and trimmings all day, and just spent time getting inspired.***

So, did I find anything to buy? Of course I did! I feel like a proper blogger now that I can say I have a paper Colette pattern (after months of adding them to online baskets, but never getting to the check out as I didn’t have enough to make the most of postage costs). I got the Colette Ginger skirt pattern after seeing lots of inspiration on the sewing blogs, including Karen’s effortless summer skirt and Pincushion Treat’s denim skirt – it looks like it will be a great basic pattern with lots of possibilities for fun!

I also picked up a bold aubergine remnant, some of which is at my sewing machine waiting to turn into a pocket on something tomorrow.****  I will definitely be popping back again, if only for the pretty purple bags in my favourite colour (to match the prescription sunglasses I ordered today).

*All from Liberty website
**Okay, maybe I am generalising a little bit. I do have a fat quarter my mum bought when she visited Liberty (I guess in the 70s from the design) that she kept and never used. If I remember the story correctly, I think she went to visit the shop and wanted/needed to buy something as a keepsake, but never dared use it. Hmmm… is that a genetic trait? It had been sitting in my stash for years so I decided to make a little phone cover from it.

Vintage Liberty fabric for a modern phone.

I saw some similarly constructed phone cases, in a spotty fabric, on sale the other weekend and had a peek at the price – £12! Mine was made from scraps of fabric and a button, so let me know if anybody wants a tutorial for making these phone/gadget cases.
*** Is it just me, or does anyone else like spending time just browsing in craft stores? If I am early to meet a friend, I can happily spend half an hour just stroking all the yarns in a shop, even if I have nothing to buy. Its almost like visiting a museum, but a fun one with interactive exhibits.
**** I love having exciting pockets in regular garments! Even if nobody else knows they are there, they just make a handmade item even more special.

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