Dream Flowers Fabric Book and Thread Collection

Before I had even finished the recent 100 Days of Organic Applique project I was already planning something very similar. In fact I had already created the first ‘page’ for a new book of Organic Applique with Embroidery.

And now the Dream Flowers fabric book is complete and ready to share! 

Here is the first page or block I stitched a few months back as a starting point for Dream Flowers. At the time I was discussing a new thread box with Aurifil.

I wanted to produce a mixed weight collection which included the threads I use for my Organic Applique with Embroidery. I also wanted a more subtle mix of shades than my other wool thread collections. This week the new box was revealed and here it is with that first page on the cover!

The box includes 4 spools of Aurifil 80wt cotton, the perfect thread for organic needle-turn applique, and 6 of my favourite 12wt wool threads which add a gorgeous soft texture for embellishing the applique. I have also only included shades that aren’t available in my previous wool thread collections, so if you are collecting threads with these boxes you will be getting all new colours!

The Dream Flowers box will be officially available to buy on August 1st but I am offering a special pre-order price for all orders placed by end of day July 31st. Save 15% off the usual price if you order now!

Head over to my website here for more info or to purchase.

While you are there you might like to check out my new mixed weight bundles of both Manchester and Essex Linen.

I just started to stock the Manchester fabric as I use so much of both these weights in all this organic applique and I get so many enquiries about where to get hold of them.

But that’s enough advertising my wares! Let’s take a look at some more Dream Flowers instead…

If you remember last month I shared the 100 days fabric book I had created in this post. I said at the time that I would be using this as a kind of sketchbook and source of inspiration for future projects. Well that’s exactly what I did for these Dream Flowers.

I looked through the 100 days mini blocks and picked out all my favourite flower based motifs and then extended these to fit the large scale.

The 100 days blocks are 4″ and these Dream Flowers are 7 1/2″ (finished size). This large spikey topped flower (left) was one of my favourite from the 100 Days Project and I kept it very similar for the new book (right) and just included these elaborately curved leaves and an extended stalk.

It was a joy to revisit these flower designs, and a good way to gently wean myself off the 100 day addiction!

I used a different subtle shade of Essex Linen for each background and took the smaller pattern pieces mainly from my scrap box. They are all a mix of Essex, Manchester and Alison Glass Kaleidoscope Wovens. Unfortunately it is no longer possible to buy the Kaleidoscope Wovens wholesale in the UK or I would have added them to my shop stock.

Unlike with the 100 days, which was totally freehand, I did draw up patterns for all of these Dream Flowers, not necessarily the template pieces but a pattern of the design which I could reproduce at a future date.

I haven’t decided yet whether selling patterns for these organic applique projects is what I want to do though.

I am currently more interested in teaching this as a technique so that you can all create your own unique versions rather than replicating mine. I will be teaching this as part of the ‘Keepsake Fabric Book’ class in Term 3 of The Thread House Academy. This class won’t be released until the end of this year so a bit of time to wait yet!

Once all ten ‘pages’ were complete I started work on the cover. This has a very similar look to my previous books, a mixture of applique and embroidery worked in Aurifil 12wt wool, and I like the style I’m achieving with these.

I am looking forward to having a little shelf full of these books to display together soon!

I was contemplating what to put on the back cover when I cam across this old embroidery from a workshop I taught at myBearpaw many years ago. The subject was ‘Text Embroidery’ and this sample is a quote by David Bowie which really spoke to me. I think this must have been 2016 and I stitched this in honour of David after his sad passing at the start of that year. 

It was worked in the DMC Perle cotton #8 that I used before I discovered Aurifil #12 for my embroidery needs. The size fitted perfectly and the sentiment too. I love that I have finally managed to preserve this here. This is one of the things that first got me making these fabric books, as a way to ‘keepsake’ precious stitching and textiles.

I also ‘preserved’ a little strip of precious Jane Churchill ‘Indian Summer’ curtain fabric from my remaining scraps for the spine.

If you are heading to Festival of Quilts next month you will be able to join me on the Aurifil stand for a demo on organic applique along with a look at this book in the flesh! Sign up to my newsletter with the widget at the top of the page to get full details when I send them next week.

I do hope the fabric book and accompanying thread collection helps inspire you towards some creative stitching this summer!