Something for the Weekend

As you know, I love getting nice things in the post, so you can imagine how excited I was when a package arrived from Ohio recently (complete with an Amy Butler sticker on the front)! "What was in the parcel?", I hear you cry...

... two new and fabulous patterns from the queen of design herself - Amy Butler. Woo hoo! The one on the left can be made into a dress, a tunic, or a long or short top. It's great to have so many options in the same pattern - especially good for someone like me who's hopeless at making decisions! I'm feeling all summery now (come on British weather, give us some sunshine!) I'm loving the bag too...a girl can never have too many. I think the sewing machine will be coming out very soon.

The only trouble is...I can't decide which of my favourite Amy Butler fabrics to use first!

Amy's book, 'Midwest Modern', is one the best reads I have on my bookshelves. It's jam-packed with inspiration and the most fabulous photography. I hope Amy won't mind, but I've taken some photos of the pages I like best from the book so I can share them with you...

How on earth does Amy keep her studio so tidy?! It's something I can only dream of!

I love these patterns and colours, they go together brilliantly. I'm far too conservative when it comes to putting different fabrics together but looking at these makes me think I'll try and be more creative in future.

You only have to look at Amy's fabric designs to know what inspires her! When I went to a talk she gave last summer, she said how much she'd enjoyed visiting Hidcote Manor Garden here in the Cotswolds.

Colour, pattern and everyday objects...I feel inspired to make collections of the things that appeal to me and display them in the house. They could change and move about as I find new things that inspire me.