Shagreen/ A Closer Look Fabrics- In Stores Soon!

Hi again!  This is Part 3 of our lil series on the inspiration for A Closer Look fabric line by La Todera for Clothworks.  ( Part 1- Salt,  Part 2- Purl )


Let's talk about the third group of fabrics in 'A Closer Look' called 'Shagreen.'

Snippets of 'Shagreen' fabric

As a texture freak, I'm always on the lookout for unusual textures.  Shagreen is for sure one of my faves :)
What is Shagreen you ask?  It's tanned shark or stingray skin- see the real McCoy below.  

Apparently, Shagreen was first used by the Chinese for decorative grip material on sword handles.  (FYI, if you ever see one of these at a garage sale, you should grab it right up- you'll be an instant gazillionaire...)

Read more about Chinese swords here

Also found covering antique lighter cases, clutch purses, and other decorative delights.

I first saw Shagreen on the wallet my husband bought for himself about 15 years ago in Mexico.  He's still using it- it's amazingly durable!  He likes it not only for it's good looks, but for the texture-he likes the 'grippiness' of the leather and swears it helps his wallet stay put in his pocket.  

Shagreen wallet available here

I'm on the lookout for my own :)  In the meantime, I ran across these iPhone case available here.   Aren't they devine?  And easy to find when my phone disappears into that black hole I call a handbag!

 

I have a thing for Shagreen, and maybe you do too!  

Like the other textures in "A Closer Look",  A closeup photo (of hubby's famous wallet!) was blown up, 'cartoon-ized' and recolored in 6 fantasy shagreen colors (raw shagreen is always grey- yawn.)

Shagreen fabric by La Todera for Clothworks

Of course, now that we've brought Shagreen fabric into the world, you can always make a Shagreeny quilt!  To me, that kind of beats a dinky Shagreen lighter case, don't you think?  

To check out all of the Closer Look fabrics, pop on over to Clothworks.  Available in stores soon!

Purl/ A Closer Look Fabrics- In Stores Soon!

Hi again!  This is Part 2 of our lil series on the inspiration for A Closer Look fabric line by La Todera for Clothworks.

Want to see the first installation?  Check it out here.

Let's talk about the second group of fabrics in 'A Closer Look' called 'Purl.'

Purl was inspired by jersey (knit) fabric magnified.  The reverse side of a tee shirt under a magnifying glass!  In fact it's magnified so much that it looks like the 'purl' knitting stitch.  (Title! Title!)

Are you old enough to remember Shaker knit' sweaters front the '80's? 
Does it remind you of that texture too?  The purl texture was digitized, blown up, then recolored like a  hand colored vintage photograph.  

Want to check it out?

Snippets of 'Purl' fabric

This fabric will make any project look a little vintagey, a little funky.. something like the colorized parts of Wizard of Oz!

One of my all time favorite movies.   Of course this would surely break all kinds of copyright laws if we actually did it, but if you'll indulge me, I'd like to unofficially name each color of Purl after things from the movie:

Glinda Pink!

Purple Horse Purple

Dorothy's Dress Blue

Oz Green and Yellow Brick Road Gold

Thank you!  I feel much better!

So, you know how you distress paper for your scrapbook projects?  Put a crackle finish on a hand painted frame?  This is what this fabric could do for your sewing project!

The bonus is that the fabric that Clothworks chose to print all of A Closer Look on is fantabulously silky cotton fabric.   It's de-luxe!!

 Collage of 'A Closer Look'

See it soon in person at a quilt store near you!

Actually, we just heard from Clothworks that  Bear Patch Quilting Company will be carrying the entire line of 'Purl!'   Give them a holler to get the whole collection for your stash :)

Salt/ A Closer Look Fabrics- In Stores Soon!

Folks always seem to want to know about what inspires a fabric line.  So I thought maybe I'd give a lil glimpse into the crazy part of my brain that thinks up fabric patterns!

First off, let me just say that when Clothworks asked me to design a line of 'funky basics,'  I was thrilled.  You can see from my flower patterns that I design a lot of smaller items that look best done in tonals and textures (as opposed to ginormous prints.)  I wanted an alternative to solids and batiks, know what I mean?  So the idea for the Closer Look line had been simmering on the back burner of my mind for awhile.

You can see texture and pattern everywhere you look.  Some of the MOST amazing patterns are the ones you might see under a magnifying glass. (Title-Title!  -'A Closer Look!')

Collage of 'A Closer Look' swatches

There are 4 designs in A Closer Look- 'Shagreen,' 'Purl,' 'Air Dots,' and 'Salt.'  


Let's talk about 'Salt.'

'Salt' from 'A Closer Look' collection by La Todera for Clothworks

Salt is a pile of salt crystals magnified about 100X.  Then digitized, recolored, put into repeat, and voila!  The result is a subtly shaded fabric with funky interest upon closer inspection.

The color are high pastels. I selected colors that might be hard to find in other pastel lines.  They are just a bit vintagey- They remind me of an illustrated children's book from the seventies!  From a cornflower blue, a slightly acidy yellow and bubble gummy pink, lime green and fuchsia, to a yummy slightly dusty turquoise.

Also included are a light grey that has a range of greys like a Carera marble, and a dark grey that is the perfect cold grey that looks great with pastels.

By the way, if you are crazy about crystals like I am, check out these images from the Crystal Caves in Chihuahua, Mexico! 

Cueva de los Cristales, Chihuahua Mexico

The caves were discovered by miners looking for lead in 2000.  At the moment, you can only be in the caves for under 10 minutes at a time due to the extreme heat (a nearby hot spring keeps it at a steamy 140 degrees with 90- 100% humidity.)  That wouldn't stop ME.  A visit to these amazing caves is totally on my bucket list!!  Who wants to go with me??!!