Taking Flight Blog Tour

Today I have the absolute pleasure to be the first stop on a pretty amazing blog tour. We are celebrating the release of 2 phenomenal debut collections by Australian designer Amanda Brandl and it is genuinely my pleasure to introduce this amazing talent to you all. The two collections Amanda is releasing for local fabric house Kennard and Kennard Fabrics celebrate the beauty of Australia, in a vibrant and beautiful way. No brown to see here folks! Standardly Aussie fabrics don’t appeal to me all that much because there is usually a, dare I say it, tackiness to them. They are designed with the tourist in mind, not the local. Not these though. The colours are rich, the designs lovable and the fabric quality is divine. So many adjectives I know but honestly when it is a pleasure to work with something as a designer it is hard not to shout the experience from the rooftops. And it gets even better because Amanda is a lovely human as well – passionate, driven, collaborative and super super talented. Who doesn’t want to surround themselves with people like that in life?

Aren’t they stunning! Today I have chosen to work with Taking Flight – those cockatoos and magpies were calling me to make them into something pretty! And of course it had to be a quilt. I spent some time drawing up a simple yet eye catching design that, I think, really shows all the designs and colours well.

Oh vibrant colour how I love thee!

Now the best news before I continue is I decided to create a pattern for this quilt so you can make one too. Even better is we will be selling it as part of the kit with fabric included so you can make your own. It is a lovely size at 64″x 64″ (160 x 160cm) so a perfect throw, picnic blanket, you name it. And it is a lovely quick sew too  and beginner friendly. Yes all the boxes are ticked! You could easily complete this whole thing in a weekend. You can click here to purchase the quilt kit and it will be delivered to your door at the beginning of April.

Now a quick chat about our venue for today’s shoot. I knew as soon as I saw the fabric that Magpie Springs here on the Fleurieu would be the perfect spot. It is hard to describe the place really – it is an art gallery and winery that features a rock climbing wall so a fabulously eclectic and bohemian mix. From a photographic point of view it is a cornucopia of opportunities. In fact if you are an aspiring photographer there is even a photographic competition you can enter which has been known to create amazing opportunities for participants. There was literally a photo opportunity at every angle and I can see myself visiting there time and time again for photos. And if you are in the need for a beautiful venue then think about visiting here and meeting Avril – the wedding photos will be spectacular I promise!Right back to the quilt! You can see I created a diamond pattern behind the squares to add interest. I think it added layer and dimension to the quilt and allowed each of the fabrics to shine in their own way. I was surprised when the range arrived which my actual favourites were, turns out that yellow floral is to die for and of course the grey cockatoo is just the sweetest.

I quilted very simply using a grid pattern 2″ apart. When fabric is  this striking I don’t think you need much more than that.

And yes that is a piano by a dam. Because why not? Love this place!

I took more than 600 photos in an hour for this blog post. It is very very hard not to share then all with you let me tell you. I am trying hard to keep it do a minimum but there is just so much to see. Like the vintage woodpile.

Or the window frames everywhere.

The vines

This quilt shone every single place I put her. I could have stayed all day taking photos – although that may have meant you were reading all night as a result

As I guess you can tell it was my absolute pleasure to be part of this blog tour and I am so grateful to Amanda for the opportunity to write about her beautiful fabric, the fact I got to write a whole quilt pattern too was the cherry on the top. I hope you love the work and photos I have created today, I had a really creative spark through the whole process and I can not WAIT to work with Amanda and Kennard & Kennard again going forward. Or to photograph and Magpie Springs. Ladies and Gentlemen you have one happy little creative here today.

If you would like to follow the blog tour and see works from some talented ladies across both collections then you can follow the links here, I will add new ones each time the post is written so keep checking back.

Wednesday March 14th: Sarah Scott | Piccolo Studio
Thursday March 15th: Kylie | Wombat & Poss
Friday March 16th: Ali Phillips | Arabesque Scissors
Monday March 19th: Kellie | sewMimi.K
Tuesday March 20th: Robyn MacWilliam | Bumblebee Boutique
Wednesday March 21st: Michelle Hickson | Cole and Taffy
Thursday March 22nd: Anne Boundy | Said With Love
Friday March 23rd: Ange Hamilton | A Little Patchwork
Monday March 26th: Vickie Zaleski | Crocheting Vixen
Tuesday March 27th: Wendy Gontier |Wehago Designs
Wednesday March 28th: Elise Baek | Elise & Emilie
Thursday March 29th: Samantha Green | For The Love of Fabric
Friday March 30th: Sharon Burgess | Lilabelle Lane Creations
Monday April 2nd: Rose Johnstone | Threadbare Creations
Tuesday April 3rd: Jess & Laura | Two of a Kind
Wednesday April 4th: Raylee Bielenberg | Sunflower Stitcheries
Thursday April 5th: Blog Wrap up and thank you!

To purchase a fabric kit featuring pattern and fabric click here.

To purchase the fabric alone click here.

Okay I have to do it! One last pic before I go….

xxx Sarah

PS if you are on Instagram keep an eye out on a very special competition starting tomorrow morning to celebrate the blog tour and Amanda’s fabrics releasing.