Playing with Marina Grzanka poplins

It’s winter guys! And you know what that means – quilts, quilts and more quilts! There is nothing better than cuddling up under a quilt on the couch at night with the heater roaring. I mean we do it in Summer too because we are snuggle tragics here but it just seems so much more appropriate when the temperature actually drops.

Sadly we haven’t slid into winter all that gracefully this year. I have been sick, Hannah has been sick, we have all been tired. It has been a crazy start. I’m hoping though that that means we have got it all over the year and normal productivity can resume – I hate not being able to sew. Like really really hate it. I forget how important it is for my overall mental health to spend some time each day with my machine, it is my version of yoga. So for the sake of everyone lets hope that I get my daily fix in from now and can get back to my long to do list that is filled with new patterns, beautiful fabrics, velvet cushions and general prettiness. It is is shaping up to be a busy busy year.

And I have so much to catch you guys up on too – things I was going to share here today but that I think deserve a blog post of their own because they are big guys – BIG! I think that means you may need to expect a ridiculous amount of posts over the next week as I share all the happenings here. Just be prepared, that is all I am saying……

Now lets move away from my ramblings and get started on the focus today which are these gorgeous poplins by Marina Grzanka which are being sold exclusively in Spotlight stores Australia (you can find it here). Marina is part of Australian textile group Nerida Hansen Fabrics, who represent a large variety of talent world wide. It is always a pleasure to work for them and watch them work so hard for designers, helping them to develop business relationships that will see them flourish within the international world of fabric.

There is so much to love about this range – in its stunning navy, mauve and white pallet with hints of bunny. It is classically modern with some fantastic feature prints that shine beautifully without overpowering the simplicity of the range. And did I mention bunnies? I just love how they peek out from the 2 main prints.

It is funny how my creative brain works. When I first get my hands on fabric I usually know immediately what I am going to make with it, it becomes an image in my head and I seem incapable of deviating from it. I knew immediately this would be a triangle quilt and no matter how I tried to brainstorm other ideas, the idea of simplicity won out in the end. Honestly I am so glad it did.

I kept the quilting super simple too. Simply stitching in the ditch along each seam then doing another 1/4″ line on each side of it. When this quilt is washed those little triangles are going to puff up adding softness and dimension to the whole quilt.

To add to the set I made a simple apple pie cushion. As you all probably know I usually add pom pom trim and doilies to these but to be honest I just loved a pared down version with it, again both classic and modern in style.

And of course I had to make a bunny the feature for that centre button – there was no other option at all.

With the left over fabric I decided to make some fabric baskets, they are such a great addition to a nursery so made complete sense to be included in the set. I made them in the 2 main feature prints, they would look so gorgeous sitting on change table holding nappies, lotions and potions.

And because it is winter here I decided to complete my set with a sweet little moopy heat bag. I whipped this up quickly as a last idea so it doesn’t have its usual embroidered face but that doesn’t take away from the sweetness. The body of the moopy is felt with a lovely snuggly chenille body. I filled it with a removeable bag of lupin and dried lavender. Such a great way to warm a cot during the cold nights or press against sore baby bellies to help settle them. I love my moopies and am always sad I don’t get a chance to restock them often, it seems my never ending to do list is, well, never ending.

So there you have it, one sweet cot set perfect for a modern nursery. Cot quilt, cushion, baskets and a wee heat bag to complete the set. The colours are so pretty without being too girly with sweet classic designs that wont date. It was an absolute pleasure to work with this collection and make such a pared down set. Not my usual aesthetic for those of you who know me but that made it all the more fabulous to work with. After all, it is so easy to pigeon yourself into one are of styling so it is important to challenge yourself to think differently about yourself and your work.

Thank you so much Nerida for the opportunity to again work with your fabric house. I hope I get the opportunity again going forward.

xx Sarah

PS If you are interested in this set, you can purchase via the link here.