Modern Retro Textiles

How cute is this elephant? You can buy the pattern for "Phoebe" from gorgeous on-line store Modern Retro Textiles.  The pattern is only one of many from creative sisters Melly and Me.



Modern Retro Textiles is based in Victoria, Australia and owner Samantha Millis runs her business from home while looking after two little ones, like many of you out there. She has assembled an eclectic selection of fabrics both modern and vintage, pattern books and other goodies for sewing enthusiasts.

I am proud to have printed our "Marguerite" design exclusively for her store in this lovely aqua colour on hemp/organic cotton.



Thank you to all who have commented on my giveaway and as a result we will be listing the fish tea-towel in our on-line store soon. I have also diarised Monday as a "do not disturb Thea" day so that I can finally create a new Thea & Sami fabric design. The new fabric will be based on the popular new fish motif.

We will soon be printing our interior design fabrics on 100% organic cotton canvas.

Great Balls of Fluff!

Do you know what this is?


Until today, I never knew that angora rabbits could look like giant balls of fluff! I do hope that most of you, unlike my husband, realise that this is the front end of the animal.


This variety is looking more like a rabbit as you can see the bunny ears.


This cutie is my personal favourite.


And this is the rabbit shearing. The rabbit must be safely tied down so that it doesn't move and be harmed. Angoras must be sheared regularly otherwise they overheat and can also die from digesting too much of their own fur when grooming. Rabbits are incapable of vomitting so this is a real problem. Photo is courtesy of Juliation Blog and more information can be found here at Angora.

Giveaway Day is Here!

Yay! The great blog giveaway is today. Thea and Sami is offering you 3 possible choices.



First up, is our adorable "Pets and Bones" design, hand-printed here on hot pink cotton poplin with water-based, white ink. I am giving away half a metre of this, enough to make something cute for you little munchkin or to use for a fun project.



Offer no. 2 is the "Pets and Bones" design, hand-printed in black on white cotton poplin. Another half-metre of this fabric will be given away.

And be one of the first to own our freshly-printed "Loads of Fishes" linen tea-towel (not even listed yet). Hand printed by me in red. All inks used are solvent-free.

To participate, I would appreciate feedback on our products. Please visit the Thea & Sami on-line store and then comment here on your favourite item or what you would like to see more of. I will be randomly drawing 3 winners at the end of the day on May 31st (US eastern time) And yes, I will post anywhere in the world because it would be mean to exclude anyone.

You can nominate which item you would prefer. To double your chances, please blog about this giveaway but make sure to let me know that you do, so that you don't miss out on your extra entry.

If you love what we do, please be a sticky beak and follow my blog.

Want a chance to win more goodies? Visit fellow Aussies Edward and Lilly, Emmstarr and Handmade Bits and Pieces. For a complete list of giveaways (over a 100), visit Sew, Mama, Sew.

Coordinating Fabrics

New products have been listed in the Thea & Sami on-line store and will continue to be updated throughout the week.



My favourite fabric at the moment is our 'Marguerite' design hand-printed on this beautiful yarn-dyed, woven organic cotton.



Also offered unprinted, this limited-edition, organic fabric in Mocha is available for purchase exclusively from Thea & Sami.



The Navy and White printed "Marguerite" linens, used for our tablecloths, are also newly listed.

 

You can coordinate any of the printed linens with the unbleached natural linen at the excellent price of $35 AUD per metre. This price includes free postage within Australia (not applicable to wholesale orders). This is a lovely medium weight linen suitable for both homewares and apparel and can be used in many projects.

All of these fabrics are machine-washable.  As with all our fabrics, swatches are available for preview.  The cost of swatches are deducted from future fabric orders.

Check our on-line store for the new Mushroom Print hemp/organic cotton canvas bags and & craft kits.

New Kid on the Block

This is cutie patootie (I love saying that) Madeleine and she is modelling these funky pants created by her clever mummy, Petra Jones.



The pants have been included in the new Mooce range and are featuring Thea & Sami's "Pets and Bones" design in black organic cotton jersey.



Part of my exciting news this week is that more people are choosing to buy and use our fabrics in their own designs. I have asked Petra to answer a few questions about her label and inspirations:

Why did you start your label?

I have had an interest in fashion design all my life. After finishing my studies within the industry, life’s long road directed me away from my true passion.

During my pregnancy I had the opportunity to re-visit my dreams and I made the decision to pursue them. I started doing some clothes designs for my baby girl and to say I had a revelation would probably be an understatement. Before I knew it I had a bunch of designs in my hand and my dreams started to form into reality.


Where does the name "Mooce" come from?

When thinking about a name I couldn’t help but draw from within my own family. My husband and I spend so much time adoring our baby, giving her kisses and cuddles, so I thought what a wonderful name (Kisses and Cuddles that is). Inspired by my native language ‘Czech’, Mooce (pronounced Mutzy) loosely translates to kisses and cuddles, so there you have it.


What other products are included in your range?

My range includes selections for both boys and girls and also fashionable gifts and accessories perfect for baby gifts or first birthday presents. It is fun, cheeky, stylish fashion exclusively designed and made in Australia. I pride myself on quality, unique designs and good quality materials to make beautiful clothing for children.


Where can we buy your products?

Currently, you can buy some of my products at my ‘Etsy’ shop or ‘Made it’ shop.


What else can we expect from Mooce?

It is very exciting times as I have been madly working on my website which hopefully will be launched in June 2009. As soon as that is up and running you can go to www.moocebaby.com.au to buy my full range of products.

For those living in Brisbane I will be attending the Mathilda’s Market in July and November this year – make sure you come and say hello!

Thanks Petra.

As with all Thea & Sami fabrics, the design is hand-printed with water-based, solvent-free inks, safe for babies and the environment. This is the "Pets and Bones" in green organic jersey.

Look out for new fabrics being updated this week in our on-line store.

Sunday Brunch

Oh, I wish it was Sunday again as I don't feel rested at all. Hubby and I have been screen-printing fabrics every Sunday afternoon as I need the (free) help to catch up with work and to pay my bills. I feel so tired and this week is going to be a very busy one with exciting things happening that I will reveal as they occur.

I do love to have brunch on a Sunday and there are so many great cafes around Brisbane that we never run out of places to go. Yesterday, we had brunch at one of my favourites, the Fish Cafe in Manly on Moreton Bay.



This was the view from our table before it started raining again.


Good coffee is very important and this one was exceptional. I always have a latte with skim milk and sweetener so that I can artificially feel better about indulging on...


arguably, the best blueberries pancakes in town topped with mascarpone cheese - YUM!

Rainy Day Printers

Is there a better way to celebrate your 12th birthday than to spend a day screen-printing? Cutie patootie Erin Wilkinson was our youngest participant ever, thanks to super-cool mum Jackie who brought her along to yesterday's printing workshop. This is one of Erin's masterpieces. I bet her school friends will be jealous of her one-of-a-kind fashions.



Jackie played around with positive and negative images to screen-print these ghosts.


Our other cutie was Carmen Perkins who needn't have worried that she wasn't artistic because at the end of the day, she took home this adorable paper dolls t-shirt.



Roomies Chris Campbell and Sharon Porter took home these original linen tea-towels.



Stay tuned for new Thea & Sami tea-towel designs.

It's Over To You!

Who are you?


I am borrowing this great idea from Michelle over at Design Evolution and asking you to introduce yourself. This is a great opportunity to de-lurk and tell me why you like to visit, how you got to this blog and what you wish to reveal about yourself. Feel free to provide a link to your website or blog so that we can all get to know one another in this wonderful on-line craft and design community.

If you don't want to provide a link, that's okay, just say hello.

So a toast to all you lovely sticky beaks! This is Australian slang for somebody who sticks their nose into somebody else's business. Of course, I mean it in the nicest way possible.

Stay tuned for new pics to come from tomorrow's screen-printing workshop.

May Giveaway Day

How exciting!  Sew, Mama, Sew is organising a world-wide giveway day and Thea & Sami is participating.  Pop back here on May 27 for a chance to win some hand-printed printed fabric for a special project.

If you want to give something away then head to Sew, Mama, Sew and sign up! It's a fabulous opportunity to promote your goodies and maybe win something. Thanks for the heads-up to Edward and Lily.

Badge of Honour

Custom-made, is there anything more exciting? I recently sent some hand-printed fabric scraps to the multi-talented Sophie Isobel knowing full well that they would be made into something wonderful. In return, I was rewarded this week with my own "I heart screen-printing" brooch. Perfect for a fabric printer and an honour for me to wear. I can't wait to see what Sophie does with her remaining Thea & Sami stash.

The brooch made its debut today at the Metropolitan South Institute of Tafe (MSIT) when I spoke to a group of fashion students about our green business practices. The other guest speaker was Kelly-Ann Wickham, passionate owner of Bliss Ecowear, Brisbane's first boutique dedicated to eco-fashion.



The brooch came wrapped in this, typical of Sophie's romantic style.



I seem to have collected many badges lately including these that were made for the Stitches and Craft Show and for Mix Tape by Justin Telfer, co-founder of Mix Tape Zine which I, as slow as I am, only recently discovered and subscribed to. It really is a must-read for all craft lovers.




I was also the lucky recipient of this adorable camel brooch, made from one of those cocktail swizzle sticks and given to me at the Stitches and Craft Show by Craft Laboratory researcher Danielle. She is such a sweetie.

The red crochet flower is now a brooch that I pin onto my garments with a safety pin. However, in a previous life it, and three others like it, was attached to a bright lime-green vintage crocheted cushion. Nobody can accuse me of being a chromophobe but this was one ugly colour-clashing creation. I have since discarded the cushion and wear the adorable flower.

If you haven't already, I strongly recommend that you visit Sophie's blog: Her Library Adventures.

Feather Your Nest

Brisbanites in the know will be aware of Nesting Bird Interiors, the hippest place in town for beautiful homewares and hand-made gifts. Owner Danielle is an astute hunter and collector and supports local design.



New stock in store includes Thea & Sami hand-printed tablecloths. For store location and more information, visit Nesting Bird Interiors.



Our 'Marguerite' print is especially elegant printed in white on natural linen.

Barbie Falls To Pieces

Barbie turned 50 this year and she has gone to pieces over it.

I have happily discovered Brooklyn designer Margaux Lange who uses Barbie dolls' bits and pieces to create her amazing art jewellery.



I'd like to creep my husband out with a pair of these Barbie Smile Cufflinks.



How about this Barbie Hand Hinge Bracelet?



And of course you wouldn't want to waste those impossibly perky breasts so here are the Barbie Have A Heart Bust Necklaces.



You will never run out of hands with the Barbie Crescent Hand Necklace.

To view more fabulous creations and to purchase your own, visit Margaux's blog Midge's Mind. Images are courtesy of Margaux Lange.

Pretty Girls Printed and Printing

I want to share more inspiring images from the Thea & Sami Introduction to Screen-Printing Workshop last Saturday (see previous post). I love these printed designs so much; all made from cut stencils.



This pretty face was printed with white ink on black organic linen.



The lips were printed on the calico provided for the class and used for lots of fun experimentation. Both creations are by Celena.



This is Katy (on the left) and Celena showing off their printed fashions. Katy was one of my most enthusiastic printers of all time. You can see heaps more pictures of the day on her blog What Katy Did Design.



This is the closeup of Katy's adorable "Windy Daze" design. What a great teacher I am!



Whose bright idea was it to take this photo? Never stand next to a super model - you will only look shorter and dumpier than usual (and I'm having a bad hair day). You may recognise Celena from a certain breakfast cereal commercial. I'm not saying which as they aren't paying me to advertise here.

Are you jealous of all the great screen-printing that goes on in our studio? Then contact me (Thea Samios).