Recently I treated myself to a little parcel of Tana Lawn cotton from Liberty of London...
I didn't shop at the linked site but rather from Studio 39 Fabrics here in Canada, which stocks a swoony variety of Tana Lawn patterns (spoiler: one of these four is not Tana Lawn, just a print I absolutely loved for my evil scheme, detailed below.)
And can we also take a moment to admire the bonus gift of a bit of Tana Lawn Betsy tied into the parcel?
If you don't know this fabric, it's cotton in an incredibly thin and soft weave, patterned with the most colourful designs. I first stumbled across it at a jumble sale during the year I lived in England, where I picked up a skirt in what I now know is the Thorpe Hill pattern. It had to have dated back to the seventies, in an unflattering below-the-knee length which I shortened a few inches and wore long past the lining getting holes and into the fabric itself getting a bit weak. I mean, for such a fine textile, it is hard wearing!
But because it's so thin, it's also cool to wear even at high temperatures. At another jumble sale a while later I found a bright pink floral blouse in it and omigosh. So soft and comfortable no matter how hot the day.
I thought of this fabric during one of the cold snaps last month, when I started to dread the prospect of very hot weather when, rather than putting on another sweater, I will be stuck back in a rotation of cheap T shirts, sometimes two or three a day if I get out for a few walks. Le Sigh. Clothes are so much more interesting when you can layer them and combine fabrics, right? But in high summer, the only way to survive is in loose-fitting breatheable bag.
Evil Scheme Reveal: scarves made from Tana Lawn to tuck into my roster of cotton V neck Ts. Not hot, but outfit-making, and sun-protecting.
Ready for runway time?
Meet Joanna Louise...
And here is Wiltshire...
Plus the piece of resistance, a reunion with Thorpe Hill!!!
I was so excited to see this fabric and recognize my beloved skirt (which was a brown colourway, but no matter.) Of course I had to have it.
Bear in mind, most of these prints are available in a range of colourways, just like our beloved winter woolly yarns.
B L I S S
Before I finished my shopping I had also fallen hard for this Moonflower print designed by Kimberley Kight. (seriously, you should click on the link and then click on her name for the rest of the collection because it is a FEAST.)
How cute will this be on a not so desperately hot day with creamy linen floaty pants and a black linen top? Or the reverse. I have a lot of cream or black linen, it turns out.
Plus you know that pink selvedge is going straight onto some other project as a showpiece. It's too awesome to be wasted inside a seam, don't you think?
The Moonflower fabric is very affordable but the Tana Lawn... not so much. I could only spring for half a meter of each of that, which should be enough for an infinity scarf I can throw on and walk out with. Or a bandana plus maybe a little knit accessory pouch? This is tomorrow's problem. For now, let's just luxuriate in a couple more pretty fabric pix:
Today of course is VERY cold and tomorrow will be more so, which means I will not be sporting any of the cute outfits I am now excited to wear in July. Instead I am hunkered down inside to work on my current writing project, enjoying the sun pouring in through the windows, and grateful I finally finished fixing my super warm semi-felted sweater.
Really hope you have a lovely couple of days lined up, or at least some lovely moments to get you through if not. Thanks again for dropping by and I'll see you next Saturday!
