Moda Fabrics Grace Collection

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Hi everybody,

I hope you are doing well. It seems there is a heaviness in the air with all that's going on in the world right now, but I wanted to remind you that it is okay to take a break from the troubling news for your own sanity. 

Perhaps my post today will lift your spirit a little. 

I finally received 🌸 Grace 🌸 by Brenda Riddle for Moda fabrics. These pretty cottage style floral prints herald springtime and include a soft color palette of blush, duck egg blue, willow, sunbeam yellow paired with an airy linen white. They are like a breath of fresh air! The pastel colors lend themselves beautifully to Easter sewing crafts 🐣

Below I'd like to share some of the gorgeous items all handmade by the talented Alex of @die_ahlecks

who joined my sewing team recently. Check out these adorable notebook covers with matching bookmark. And aren't those hearts adorable? The basket is such a pretty storage idea and vase cover is a nice way to spruce up a simple vase.

Sweet fabric hearts are perfect gift idea

I love this quilted place mat!

Finally, a stunning set of patchwork pillow covers - the left one done with traditional patchwork squares, the right one done with a Dresden plate. I'm in awe of the Alex's craftsmanship. 

If you've read this far I hope you feel inspired to try your own springtime sewing - all of the above fabrics are available at my website Duni's Studio. They are premium quality cotton at 115 cm (44") wide and I sell them from 25 cm (10") upwards. Until next time, love

New Year, New fabrics

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I know I've been missing in action for weeks on end, but I didn't want to miss the opportunity to check in and wish my readers a happy and healthy New Year!

This year feels like a fresh beginning, especially after the last two months of 2021 were a bit of a struggle personally and professionally. Obviously we're still battling the pandemic and its consequences, such as shipping issues - partly the reason why I haven't received any of the new fabric collections (which I had announced in a previous post). As longtime readers might know, fabrics are the heart of my business. My entire market strategy revolves around fabrics, so while I understand the situation it's not any less disappointing.

Anyhow, back to new beginnings..,.

I have since made peace with the fact that my new fabrics, which were supposed to arrive in late summer will most probably arrive in springtime. Good thing they are floral! Ironically, I did receive a small shipment of summer fabrics in winter. Go figure ;-) 

So if, like me, you are craving a pop of colour and freshness, feast your eyes on "Summer Picnic", designed by Melissa Mortenson. Inspired by a breezy summer picnic, this line features red cherry and strawberry prints along with vintage style summery flowers. It's perfect for quilting, children's apparel and home decor.

I also wanted to share some beautiful items all lovingly handmade with these fabrics. I have linked up the Instagram accounts of all three crafty ladies - there's a bunch of handmade goodness you might want to check out.

Lella of @sediart_lella went all out on the picnic theme creating this amazing picnic blanket, a cute bunting plus adorable little bread baskets trimmed with pompoms. 

Corinna of @mietzomat made a beautifully quilted wash bag in coordinating cherry and gingham prints. There are handy compartments on the inside, and it is decorated with a perfectly matching cherry trim. This retro style bag will sure look pretty on the dresser! She is currently working on a big picnic bag as well as a quilt, which as you can see in the photo has been kitty-approved :)

Kathy of @waldhauskitz made two adorable containers with the red cherries and gingham, a set of beautiful pillows - stitched with "sweet dreams" and cute hearts and this amazing decorative balloon that would look perfect in children's rooms. I love the mix-and-match feel of the fabrics on the balloon and all the thoughtful details.

A big THANK YOU to all three crafty sewists for sharing their unique work and inspiring us all!

The entire collection is so bright and fresh and I certainly feel cheered up just looking at it. These fabrics are premium quilting cotton at 44" wide. I sell them from units of 10 inches. All subsequent units will be cut fresh from the bolt in one continuous piece. As always, if you have any questions regarding this fabric collection or shipping, simply drop me a line at my email info(at)dunistudio.de

Attention US customers: if you prefer to shop on Etsy - there's a special deal waiting for you over there. (this does not apply to my own website). Contact me if you have any questions!

Closing this post with a photo of a gorgeous quilt designed by Melissa Mortenson.

I hope you enjoyed this post. Thank you so much for reading along. Wishing you all a wonderful weekend ahead and stay safe!

New fabrics coming to the shop soon!

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Hello everyone on this grey September day.

It is noticeably cooler and the light is fading fast these days. Soon the leaves will turn yellow, then brown and finally fall. I must say, although I appreciate the coziness of the Fall season, ever since I started painting again I'm aware of how short the days are now. I don't know about you, but I can only paint in natural light.

We've made quite a bit of headway in our garden, but it's going to be a while yet, before it looks presentable. Leo, of course, likes it messy. It was fun to watch him play and jump on the small mounds of earth :) 

Anyway, on to shop news!

I've been patiently waiting for new fabrics to arrive and I'm hoping for a September/October delivery. Keeping my fingers crossed. Here's a sneak peek of what's coming:

From German manufacturer Acufactum

From US Designer Brenda Riddle

Summer Picnic from Melissa Mortensen

I'm also awaiting the arrival of a few select novelty fabrics. I don't usually carry novelties, but the theme of the fabric collection is all about "sewing and handmade", so I thought they would fit in perfectly.

In my paper section I have recently received these fun items from German company Krima & Isa

And finally the most exciting news! As long-time readers may know, I have been carrying the gorgeous nostalgic and retro style fabric collections by popular US Designer Tanya Whelan for as long as I can remember. After a hiatus for a few years Tanya is back! She's now an independent designer and will be re-releasing the all-time favorite "Barefoot Roses", re-named "Barefoot Roses Classics". Sewing enthusiasts in the US are lucky, as the fabrics will already be rolled out in November. For the rest of us we will need to be patient and wait until March 2022. So, if you've missed out the first time, here's your chance to grab some of that yummy rose print fabric with additional color aqua to choose from!

That's it from me. Thanks for reading along! Have a wonderful day and weekend ahead. By the way, I have opened a new instagram account (English) for the sole purpose of showcasing my journey in art. In case you're interested and want to take a peek. You'll find me @duni_studio_art

Spring Summer Fabrics, Tilda & Life lately

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Tilda fabrics / Tilda Stoffe

Hello everyone,

high time I dusted off this little blog of mine! First and foremost I truly hope that you and your families are well and safe. This is a challenging time for all of us and I acknowledge that it is more so for some than others. Please don't despair and please let's be kind to each other.

Back in January my friends in Hong Kong alerted me to the fact that there was a deadly virus coming out of mainland China and that the original whistleblower had been detained and information suppressed. (no surprise there). So I told my close friends and a few family members - but I don't think I was taken very seriously. Regardless, I kept monitoring the situation closely and noticed that more and more cases were being reported from around the world. At some point in February I decided to order surgical face masks. They never arrived. I was able to secure a few from the local pharmacy, but they told me there was a severe shortage everywhere. By March, with the devastating news of virus-related deaths coming out of Italy and the new "hotspot" in Austria...well, by this time no one, at least in Europe, doubted that this was a pandemic. By the end of March Germany finally issued a stay-at-home order (way too late in my opinion) and obviously all big events, including the annual tradefair that I had been attending for the last 10 years, were cancelled. Followed by school and shop closures. I think April is the month when the rest of the world finally woke up that this was deadly serious and afforded a global effort to combat.

This moment in time is a test for humanity. Will we become more nationalistic? Will there be class warfare? I think it's up to each of us to maintain a standard of decency within our communities. It's also wise not to put too much faith in our respective governments. As seen in the last couple of weeks some of our so called leaders are not invested in the welfare of the citizens. Best to rely on your own common sense. I live in the state with the second highest infection cases and rising. Our MP insists on opening up the schools/shops/public spaces right now. Our MP doesn't know how to wear a face mask. He wants to become the next chancellor?! Well, not with my vote, that's for sure.

handmade face masks

While things look dire economically, perhaps it's time to re-evaluate consumerism. Perhaps focus on quality rather than quantity? How about raising wages for essential workers? When all this is over (fair warning = it's going to take longer than you think) we, as a whole, must understand that our previous way of life is no longer sustainable. There are a lot of good people out there who have been trying to implement changes for the better, but it's a slow process. Plus it's the politicians/governments that make the big decisions - that ultimately affect us all. If you are lucky to live in a country that (still) allows voting - don't waste this privilege please.

Shop News

As I already mentioned in my newsletter as well as in my Etsy shop, unfortunately due to the pandemic shipping to USA, Australia and some areas of Europe has been temporarily suspended. This is because the postal service is not working at full capacity at the moment. I am checking daily to see when it's going to open up again. Fingers crossed it will be soon. 

We can all use a bit of cheering up! Cute unicorn stationery available in my online shop. 

Stationery

Since most of us can't get ahold of face masks a lot of people (myself included) have been sewing them. Some of us have been sewing batches of fabric face masks for hospital staff, children's cancer units, care facilities etc. What an amazing joint effort. Check out Pinterest for plenty of free patterns. There are several types of fabric masks: simple rectangular ones with loops for attaching to your ears, the curved ones with either fabric ties that go around the head or elastic loops.
Good news for all those who want to sew up a batch of face masks, but don't have time to trace the pattern. Sometime in the next two weeks I will be getting in fabric panels with the masks already printed on them! The kit includes the elastic. The masks are double layer and feature funky prints including a rainbow one and a solid color lining. Simply cut and sew. Yay!

coming soon!

I've also received some new whimsical fabrics by Daniela Drescher for acufactum. They are based on her children's books and feature all sorts of sweet details.

acufactum fabrics

And here are some more new arrivals. Pretty pastels in pink, robin's egg blue and natural.

Rue 1800

And lastly, some items I made in the last month or so...

Oh, and one last thing. I think we should refer to social distancing as physical distancing. Describes it much better, don't you think? Thank you for reading along and wherever you may be in the world please take care, stay home and stay safe.
#standwithsmall

New fabric line, Handmade, Life lately & more fabric!

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Hello lovelies!

true to my new motto of "blogging without obligation" this happens to be only my second blog post this year. I admit it feels kind of weird after blogging three times per week for years. If you follow my business account on Instagram you'll find that I have been working on several projects which I'm excited to share here on the blog.
US fabric designer Tanya Whelan, who switched to a different manufacturer last year released a new collection - Janey. These fabrics have such a happy vibe and feature her signature nostalgic rose bouquets in fresh aqua, vibrant pink and red plus fun rose cameos on gingham. It took a while for these to arrive over here in Germany, but when they did I couldn't resist making a little something.

I honestly wish I could sew more, but since I'm still experiencing pain almost every day in varying intensity I can only do as much as my body will allow. As you can imagine I have seen one doctor after the other, sat for hours in stuffy waiting rooms and argued with (at least) one of them. It's frustrating, but I've vowed not to let this, whatever *this* is, become the focus of my attention. Nope.
We've had a weird summer, alternating between relatively cool, rainy days and exceptionally hot days. And two weeks in July were absolutely scorching. Every day I had to fill those water bowls that I had placed in shadow-y areas in the garden for the thirsty birds. Speaking of garden. Earlier this year we decided to turn ours into a low-maintenance one. Right now it's a pretty muddy mess - Leo loves it :) Ever seen a cat roll around in mud?
Also our upper balcony is getting a make-over! I know I mentioned this around three years ago, but you wouldn't believe how difficult it is to find and coordinate contractors. So far we've had a new balcony door and the electrical stuff installed, but the big part, the actual renovation is only going to start early next year. Still, I'm so glad we've made progress and finalized our design.

Over the summer my illustrator friend Siobhan and I collaborated on a cute new post card range!Check out these vintage style numbers cards. Coincidentally, I turned fabulous fifty this summer and I spent my birthday weekend in my favorite city Amsterdam. Too bad it was raining, but I enjoyed the scenery, the flower market and the food none the less...and how cute is that hotel kitty?

In additional fabric news, I don't know how I could have missed out on these whimsical fabrics by German company acufactum for so long. Particularly as the company headquarters is only about an hours drive from my home! These are selling really well in my shop. The delicate motifs featuring dainty girls, pretty flowers, birds, magical fairies and little mice are original illustrations by Daniela Drescher. There's also a matching range of satin ribbons. It's all so cute! I made a little zip pouch and tried my hand at stitching letters by hand.

Coming soon, hopefully beginning of October is another new fabric range, which has gained a huge following in Europe in the last ten years or so - the popular Tilda fabrics designed by Norwegian Tone Finnanger. She has published a number of craft books and is known for her sewing patterns for soft toys, home decoration and colorful quilts. Super excited to be receiving "Old Rose" this Fall.

There's some other items coming this Fall as well, but I'll keep that under wraps for now :) Take care everyone and thank you for reading along! Till next time...