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Hi and welcome…a quick word about this blog…
I'm a mad fabric collector but I've gone a bit overboard, so I've started this blog to re-home some gorgeous, top-quality fabrics at really great prices. Mostly ex-designer fabrics from places like New York's garment district and Milan's fabric mills, and mostly single pieces. Please see the 'About' and 'FAQ' at the top of this page for more info. (Australia only)Archives
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Anna Sui cavalli charmeuse cotton cotton voile crepe de chine designer dress embroidery flowers french georgette Gucci italian Italy Japan japanese linen M@rc Jacobs Marc Jacobs marni Milly Miss0ni Moschino NYC NYC designer Oscar de la Renta print rayon/lycra remnant scuba silk silk/lycra silk charmeuse silk cotton silk crepe de chine silk georgette silk twill stretch stripes thakoon viscose viscose/lycra wool woollen
Author Archives: liz
Petite flower silk crepe de chine
So sweet. Really. A lovely, delicate print of little cream flowers cascading over a deep lavender background.
Linen shot with pink weave
This piece is a dusky grey linen shot with woven pink and navy stripes. It makes me think of Morse code. I am pretty sure that there is navy thread in either the warp of weave of this linen. While I describe the base colour as grey, it has a blueish hue to it and catches the light in different ways.
Flowerburst Silk Charmeuse Lycra
This piece really is a veritable bursting profusion of stylised flowers in outline and in eggplant, caramel and kiwi over black. This is a beautiful silk charmeuse with lycra, giving the fabric wonderful stretch and give.
I’ve got a new Instagram page up and running. I’m still waiting for Insta to let me link the website so it’s not that streamlined yet, but it is something. Will you give me a follow and share my posts too? Thank you. The Insta handle is designer_fabrics_australia
We’re finally back!
There will be a new Instagram account soon where notifications of fabric listings happen. And please do join our Facebook page where posts, notifications and chatter all happen.
Little French Jacket Anyone?
Here’s the first of a few fabric pairings I will have to make the most perfect French jackets. These are, of course, styled on the famous Ch@nel couture jackets, which feature a tweed (mostly) outer fabric and a quilted lining…all hand-tailored and moulded beautifully to the individual. That’s the version that many sewists have gone to couture classes to learn about. It’s a wonderful goal for enthusiasts. Of course, there’s a simpler version to be had with a great pattern, and machine instead of hand-stitches, because…time.
I have collected authentic fabrics for just this purpose and have made a couple of French jackets which I have adored. But my sewing days are over I think. So I am letting these fabrics go. This is a length of Ch@anel wool blend tweed boucle, paired with a stunning ellipses silk for the jacket lining, quilted or otherwise.
Roar silk
I was going to say you can’t be too shy, wearing this fabric, but then I don’t know that’s true. Obviously this is an animal print, leopard, but it’s got a fuzzy abstraction to it and also muted shades are used so while the print has real presence, you could still cut and wear it in a regular way. But if you wanted to make this a stand-out print, you could of course go to town.
This is a designer piece and is a silk double crepe/viscose blend.
Fine Italian cotton via NYC
This cotton came from one of the higher-end shops in the NYC garment district which used to buy a significant lot of fabrics from the Italian mills that serviced the European designer community. It is a superb quality cotton, just so soft to the hand, lightweight but opaque. They got everything right with this cotton.
Flutter of hearts M1lly silk
Such whimsy in this delightful little M1lly silk featuring crowded hearts over a dark pebble background.
Readers to this group from way back will know that I have had a love of M1lly fabrics and I still have some to rehome. You can see how out-of-practice I am with all this as I managed to photograph the fabric upside down. I even managed to do this over the course of a few pictures. Sigh. However, I am taking this as a sign that this delightful print works well as a graphic idea rather than a literal depiction.
GONE NOW THANK YOU – Missoni returns
I only have a couple of Missoni pieces left and this is one of them. Featuring the signature zig-zag pattern and perfect blend of colours, the Missoni lengths are perfect for wraps but I especially love them for coats.
This length of Missoni is a wool blend, in perfect purple, aqua, ochre, black and brown zig-zag combinations.
A burst of spheriforms cotton voile
This fabric was an Australian or New Zealand designer. It might have been Trel1se C0oper, but a bit of time has past since I rustled through my (enormous) collection of fabrics and I just can’t remember. If it wasn’t them, it was a designer in that milieu. I so love the colours here: persimmon, wheat, duck egg blue and manila against a warm brown background.
Breton stripes
This is a length of top-quality poly/viscose/lycra stretch fabric in classic black and white stripes. It really is superb quality. The handle, weight and drape are fantastic and will lend itself to tops obviously, but also to tunics, wrap dresses and so on.
GONE NOW THANKS Anemone silk georgette
Can you spot the anemone? I used to plant them for spring and they are the most beautiful flower. I’m sure that they must have been at least some of the inspiration for this beguiling print, those glorious shades of raspberry, musk, violet and magenta positively singing across the fabric.
The view above is of the fabric doubled. Being a silk georgette (with a gentle crinkle) the fabric is semi-sheer. When given a base under the fabric the colour has a chance to explode and really show off. That doesn’t have to be a lining or a second layer. You could wear a top underneath and drape a top in this beautiful silk over it and achieve the same effect. But if you did want to put a second layer to this fabric for a dress, top or skirt, you can see the effect it has.
(more…)GONE NOW THANK YOU Delicate grey quietly luxe knit
I’ve put up some pretty bold prints in the listings done today. Which seems like the perfect moment to introduce this beautifully understated luxe stretch knit. The base fabric is a delicate weave grey wool knit (probably a blend) over which the most beautiful silver filigree has been patterned and then highlighted with understated silver sequins. It is very beautiful indeed.
GONE THANK YOU Into the garden designer silk
Oh this piece is divine. It came from the New York City and I can’t exactly remember which high-end designer had this silk, either Pr0enza Sch0uler or JW Anders0n. I spotted this bolt in a whole tangle of fabrics and fell in love. Even when we had a lot of fabric stores in Australia we didn’t really see designer pieces like this.
GONE NOW THANKS – Armani red dimpled wool
Gosh this stunning red wool was hard to photograph. I am not selling the knitting yarn in this image but I found the only time I could get close to the true red colour of the wool was when another colour was laid against it to help the camera understand the colour values. While my photographing of this glorious Armani winter wool has failed this beautiful fabric, it means I am marking it at far less than I paid, so please read on.
Miu meets Sui
Thinking of tapping into the paisley-inspired prints dominating the catwalks and stores? This Anna Sui silk ticks all the boxes…
Roberto Cavalli green leaves silk
This fabric is the product of a hunt. I had seen a woman looking fab in this sensational green leaves top while she was at the stop light next to me. I could see the “Just Cavalli” signature in the fabric. Hence the hunt began.
I trawled the silk sections of a number of stores and asked widely. (more…)
Modern basketweave viscose/lycra
Hold off on emails until I put my hands on this one thanks. It is in the stash, I just have to locate it.
This is a really modern print, one that you can turn into an urban edgy look, or keep simple for a classic monotone that you can wear with just about everything because of the versatile black and white colours.
Deep jewel tones lava lamp viscose/lycra stretch
Looking at the photos I have taken of this one just now, all of a sudden it occurs to me that this pattern is reminiscent of the one made by a lava lamp. Or maybe not?
M!lly noughts and crosses Italian wool woven
Please hold off on emails until I locate this piece, which is certainly still in my stash. Thanks.
You see so many silks on this page but I’ve hardly had a chance to showcase my love of woollen fabric. And it’s a lot of love! This designer wool woven from the Italian mills is an example.
This weave in undeniably modern, combining as it does some traditional tweed weaves and then the polka dot weave in this colour-reversing noughts and crosses composition.
Liberty Art fabrics
I just need to check which Liberty cottons I still have. Please hold off on emails for the moment thanks.
I’m clearing my Liberty Art fabrics…at just $30 a metre. Liberty lovers will know that the regular price in Australia starts at $45+ and can go as high as $60+. I’m listing them all in this one post, so dive in and have a look.
SOLD – Colour Card Crisp Cotton
Sold thank you.
There was probably room for the word “crinkle” in the heading somewhere as well but that would have been taking it too far and the crinkle in the cotton is only a touch really. How can I name this fabric anything other than colour card as I see myself lined up in the paint section absorbing the panorama of paint colours…a process which I love, by the way, because the endless colour options are quite inspiring. But anyway, enough about paints, it’s all about the fabric!
SOLD – Hypnotic Black & White Marc Jacobs
Sold thanks very much.
Ok, so this has been one of my absolute fave fabrics for a long time. Again hailing from the NYC garment district, this is a fantastic designer fabric, Marc Jacobs, that can only have been inspired by hypnotic images, surely. Except better than them, the way the pattern is arranged and repeated in the length.
Soft animal print cotton
I need to check whether or not I still have this fabric. Please hold off on emails until I confirm thanks.
If you’d like to do an animal print but in a softer palette this fabric is the go.
M!lly silk twill – from Rococo to Baroque
I have to check whether I still have this piece. I suspect I have sold it. Hold off on emails for the moment thanks.
The M!lly designers certainly do a great job of mining classic design styles but giving them a twist to bring them completely up-to-date.
This silk twill epitomises that I think with its modern colouration and bold rendition of the graphics.
SOLD – Byron Bay floaty white cotton
Sold now thanks very much.
We are the start of the wrong season for this analogy but I’ll use it anyway because why not tuck away this length of perfect warm weather fabric as the seasons will change soon enough. This is a white cotton with that certain something that makes it an understated fashion fabric. It’s a lightweight breezy cotton with a delicate lattice or window pane weave and a slight crinkle…so much more than a just a white cotton and the sort of fabric that Easton Pearson would have worked with.
Aqua liliums silk/cotton voile
Please hold off on emails until I locate the piece, which is in my stash somewhere. Thanks.
I have hoarded this piece for a while; actually, I have hoarded 2 pieces of this lovely silk/cotton voile and I’m only relinquishing one of them.
This fabric was another one from the studio of a local designer; the one with the fantastic Armani-like taste. (more…)
Cheetah print silk/lycra charmeuse
Hold off on emails until I locate this piece. It is in the stash, just have to put my hands on it. Thanks.
It’s a designer one, from M!lly.
Animal prints can be as bold or understated as you wish. With this silk piece, I envisaged a classic shirt or simple top to be worn underneath a black jacket, or more casually, a cardigan.
Fleur-de-lys designer cotton
Need to check whether or not I still have this. Hold off any emails until I confirm thanks.
Thinking of making some really cool trousers, shorts (Bermuda or otherwise), a fitted dress, a sculptured skirt with lots of top-stitching or a sharp and perfectly tailored jacket…all or any of them? Well, this fabric from designer T0ry Burch is for you.
Behind the scenes with Mary Katrantzou
Mary Katrantzou is a digital print trailblazer. I’d love to find a video about the making of her digital prints. I’ll keep on looking, but in the meantime, here’s a short video of her studio.
Phoebe Philo…before there was Celine there was Chloe…
Phoebe Philo is well and truly anointed as queen of cool for the work she has done at Celine. Innovative silhouettes, high restraint, opting for less rather than more, though never ‘simple’, luxury fabrics, surprising twists, healthy doses of irony in the clothes…cool, cool, cool.
But before there was Celine, quite few years back, there was Chloe. It is quite a mark of her design prowess to be able to master aesthetics at such different points on the spectrum as Celine and Chloe represent. At its height and throughout many seasons, Chloe was the epitome of the feminine romantic. And the whole world was in love with what Phoebe sent down the runway. Especially this jacket…
Liberty Art fabric Widdas Waltz
I am not sure if I still have this fabric. Please hold off on emails until I have had the chance the check, thanks.
Liberty Art fabric with the name Widdas Waltz…
Scroll embossed black stretch fabric
I am not sure if I still have this piece. Please hold off on emails until I have had the chance to check. Thanks.
I have a piece of a really special knit. It approaches but is not quite the weight of a ponte but certainly in the medium weight group, and has a moderate stretch to it, just the perfect amount.
The embossed pattern and scroll effect is the really eye-catching aspect of this fabric though. (more…)
Deep burgundy, teal and magenta silk georgette
Please hold off on emails – I need to check whether or not I still have this piece. Thanks.
I’m rather partial to silk georgettes and especially like them when there are a couple of layers, especially a heavier plain colour georgette underneath. This seems to give the fabric a weight and swishy-ness that it a little bit irresistible and totally great to wear.
Autumn flowers silk
Hold off on emails please until I check whether or not I still have this piece. Thanks.
This gorgeous piece of silk is perfect for dressing up or down. Featuring a palette of autumn blooms in colours from auburn to cinnamon on a deep roast background, this will work for any number of dress designs, or tops and skirts…see the collage below.
I’ll call it a silk taffeta because it has a slightly stiff hand, but it is not quite as heavy and stiff as the true taffetas. (more…)
Rococo string of pearls M!lly silk crepe de chine SOLD
GONE NOW THANKS
Perhaps some of you may share the M!lly fabric infatuation that I’ve had? This one is a charm too.
This print is full of the whimsy that I love so much…
Stencilled flower red wool cotton SOLD
GONE THANKS
I am not going to be able to tell you as much about this fabric as I would like to be able to and for that reason will mark down the price a bit. I am sure there a name for the technique used in created the interesting effect on the fabric face.
It seems to me that a process has been used to fuse a felted-like layer over a base fabric in this stencilled flower effect.
Designer duchess silk satin – black with embroidered flowers
I had fantasies for this fabric, absolutely harboured it…and with the delicate white and yellow centred embroidered daisies strewn across the fabric face, I knew that I would choose some white and yellow contrast silks and work them all into some lovely dress crafted from this great, great fabric.
I’m not even sure that it is possible to wander into a store and hope to see a designer duchess satin anymore?
Italian tweed/bouclé wool woven in complex purples & blacks SOLD
GONE THANKS
Bouclé and tweedy woollens are amongst my most favourite fabrics in the whole wide world. An in my ideal world, I would have the time and fancy to sit down and pad-stitch and steam shape top quality woollens to my heart’s content.
In real life, the woollen is a little less violet than in this image, a softer, deeper colour. But this image is good to show the depth and complexity of the weave and amazing woollen threads that have been brought together here.
Truly elegant grey & black double crepe de chine silk SOLD
GONE NOW THANK YOU
I bought this beautiful and very high-quality silk…
…with a dedicated project in mind…
Japanese embroidered kimono silk roll SOLD
GONE THANKS
Here’s something a bit different. Are there any lovers of vintage Japanese kimono silks out there?
If you are not familiar with the world of the kimono silks here’s another fabric avenue to become infatuated with :))
Italian designer deep crimson roses wool woven SOLD
GONE NOW THANKS
Now I know none of my images will be able to capture the full beauty of this stunning wool woven. Trust me, it is swoon-worthy.
This image captures the tone and colours of the fabric as much as my camera will permit. The actual colours are deeper and moodier and even closer in the tonal range than depicted here as my camera just loves to pick up the reds and highlight them. I don’t know how to adjust that!
Silk/lycra georgette with swirling aqua & blue graphics SOLD
GONE NOW THANKS
No surprises that I have a fondness for lovely little silks and here’s another one. Again, it’s a silk georgette/lycra straight from the garment district in the city that never sleeps.
Silk for afternoon tea at Miss Havishams SOLD
GONE NOW THANKS
Hmmm, what is that with the title…maybe this is the by-product of doing a lot of listings in a very short time. But I look at this beautiful silk and I see the antique, fading and slightly shabby looking paisley print and imagine afternoon tea at Miss Havisham’s dilapidated mansion.
Designer flowers silk/lycra georgette SOLD
SOLD NOW THANK YOU
Softer shades of maize, sand, nutmeg, willow green and lagoon blue blend beautifully in this silk georgette.
They are actually very Australian colours, even though I snapped up this lovely fabric in the NYC garment district.
Blue Persian tile linen SOLD
GONE NOW THANK YOU
I think this linen is very ‘Marant”, at least I had an idea of taking inspiration from this great designer’s jackets and pants when I contemplated this fabric.
Multi coloured polka dot designer winter wool GONE
ALL GONE NOW THANKS
Oh what fun this fabric is! This fabric is how you make sullen winter days a whole lot brighter…
Designer silk charmeuse in washed out limes GONE
GONE NOW THANKS
Here is a remnant piece of a glorious Ver@ W@ng silk charmeuse.
This silk is an Italian beauty.
Stunning graphic cotton Anthr0polgie
Please hold off on emails. I am not sure that I have any of this incredible cotton left. I will amend this post once I know.
This fabric is a big wowee. The colours are so brilliant and the graphics are fascinating.
Obviously this one is for lovers of prints, but if that’s you, the timing couldn’t be better because there’s simply fabulous ideas for eye-catching prints out there.
Edgy black/grey Italian jacquard weave plaid wool blend SOLD
ALL GONE NOW THANKS
Ok, the fact that I am listing this fabric means that I am now just reaching for the first fabrics that come to my hand, even if I adore them, rather than sorting into ‘I can part with/I can’t part with’ lots.
This is a designer fabric with a capital “D”, sourced from a sample room of a top NYC designer.
Bargain corner – fabrics up to $20 or more now all for $8/m
PLEASE HOLD OFF ON EMAILS FOR THESE LISTINGS, I HAVE TO CHECK WHAT I STILL HAVE AVAILABLE. THANKS.
Ok, here we go with a pile of fabrics that are all worthy of their own feature posts, but I’m running short of time and I’m happy to mark them down for a bargain price in the interests of keeping the fabric moving now. There’s a very big bundle of fabrics here now, please read on!