Online Quilt Magazine April 2015
Online Quilt Magazine has found a designer who creates wonderful projects for sewers with Liberty of London fabrics.
Alice Garrett, owner of Alice Caroline sells a huge range of Liberty prints from the latest collections; sources limited edition prints; designs pattern kits and notions all with the classic Liberty style.
Alice’s love of Liberty fabrics grew from when she was just a child. Her grandmother was an amazing quilter who also loved those distinctive patterns, meaning that Alice has had a lifelong love of all things Liberty.
At her studio in the Cotswolds there is a riot of colour and texture. There are stacked rolls in her ‘Liberty Library’ of fabric, drawers packed with fat quarters, books and magazines to inspire, and jars of ribbons and buttons sourced from her travels. Being surrounded by such an array of pattern and colour means that Alice is able to design new projects for sewers that use the fabric in such a way that shows Liberty at its best.
Alice Caroline specialises in selecting fabrics from the main Liberty of London collection and combining designs and colours together to form their own unique brand. These are packaged together to give you a wonderful choice of colours for your sewing projects.
If you prefer to select your own fabrics for a special textile or quilting project, Alice Caroline offers a bespoke service where you can choose from a huge range of Liberty colours and patterns. They can also source rare and archive Liberty fabrics if you have a particular pattern in mind.
Alice loves the time of year when a new collection swatch book arrives at her studio. There is a lot of excitement in choosing the fabrics from the collection, and designing new projects for sewers from the fabrics is one of her favourite things to do.
The latest collection from Liberty is special – it is completely inspired by the 150th anniversary of the publication of the classic book ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’, which is being celebrated this year.
The collection really captures the book beautifully and has images of the riverbank where Lewis Carroll first told the story, pictures of the Mad Hatters’ Tea Party, stunning roses reminiscent of the garden of the Queen of Hearts and lovely well-known phrases from the book such as ‘Eat Me’ and ‘Drink Me’.
Well-known designers such as Lauren Child and jewellery designer Alex Monroe have designed fabrics in this collection, and one was even chosen by Kathryn Beamont, the English actress who was the voice of Alice in the Disney film.
The fabrics shown above are from the new spring / summer 2015 collection by Liberty Art Fabrics inspired by Alice in Wonderland. These are some of Alice Caroline’s favourites selected for you to inspire a new project.
Alice has also written a lovely new book called ‘Little Lady Liberty’ which has over 20 simple sewing projects for little girls. There is a wide variety of projects ranging from duvet sets and patchwork cushions to twirly girly clothes.
Author of Little Lady Liberty Alice Garrett said, “Little Lady Liberty has been inspired by my lifelong love for Liberty fabrics; the huge range of magical prints is perfect for making beautiful things for children. I love making and sewing a project with a beloved little one in mind, something they can play with or wear.
A gift like a dress, a toy, a cushion or quilt becomes woven into their childhood. All of the projects are named after little girls I know; for each one, I put together my favourite palette or prints and colours from new season, classic and vintage designs.
I’ve designed the instructions and step-by-step drawings to be accessible to beginners as well as more advanced sewers, so I hope anyone with a special little girl in mind can find a project they love!”
You can buy the book directly from Alice’s website – https://alicecaroline.com and visit her blog at www.alicecarolineblog.co.uk.
