All in the Family

Saturday at the Stitches and Craft Show saw some family participation. Voyt Reich, my other half, quickly learnt the difference between linen and hemp to man the Thea & Sami stand while I showed a full house how to screen-print their own fabric designs.



I was delighted to see my young nieces visiting the show and having loads of fun in the Reconstruction Zone. 9 year old Eleni Samios spent hours in there and chose her own fabrics to sew this wrap skirt herself and demonstrated how to wear it to best show the coordinating floral panel. She also hand-made a small cushion with buttons. Eleni now thinks Brother sewing machines are the best and that the day was the most fun craft day of her life!



Younger sister Alexandra glued fabric patches and buttons on to her skirt (not quite finished here) created with help from the bigger girls in the Reconstruction Zone. Green is her favourite colour and she too managed to coordinate her outfit with success. Our crafting future looks bright, don't you think?



And this is Judy modeling our Fabulous Wrap Dress. The fabric is our Marguerite design, hand-printed on organic linen. She is an antique beauty from circa 1930s. When I told a group of school girls this on Friday, one looked at me and asked if I had been around since the 1930s? Geez! Do I look that old or is basic arithmetic just not being taught in school these days.

Sunday is the last day at the craft show. If you are in Brisbane, please come along and support independent design!

Organic Cotton Jersey

Thea and Sami hand-printed organic fabrics have been featured for the second time in a great American blog called Crafting for a Green World. Check it out here.



Speaking of organic fabrics, we are now offering organic cotton jersey fabrics for sale on our website. This is the fabric that we are using in our new range and is the softest fabric ever! With no pesticides used in the crop production and no nasty chemicals in its finish, these fabrics are ideal for sensitive skins, particularly babies and children. Good for you and the environment.

The range also includes organic cotton/spandex that is ideal for leggings and fitted tops such as our Va-Va Voom top. In keeping with safe environmental practices, the white fabric is bleached with hydrogen and not chlorine.

I have shown an example of nicely this fabric drapes and we have a lovely range of feminine styles coming soon in these lovely organic fabrics.

The Fashion Shoot

I can now officially add fashion photographer to my ever-expanding roles within the Thea & Sami organisation. This was our low-budget photo shoot from last Sunday afternoon taken in a local Brisbane park.  The models were not professionals either but local natural beauties Belinda (on left) and Jade.  You will have to stay tuned for more revealing shots (of their faces that is).

This is a sneak preview of what we have been up to with our hand-printed organic fabrics. Thanks to feedback from Allyson, I have decided not to use the Hemp/PET that I originally planned to use for the wrap dress but am substituing that fabric with a hemp/organic cotton muslin of similar weight.  The black & white version is printed on organic linen.



We took the photos by the Bulimba Creek at Minnipi Parklands (click for deer sighting) and had to share the floating platform with a nice old man who was fishing for catfish.  I think he was quite excited to be sharing his space with such lovely ladies.



Our Va-Va-Voom top (I just came up with that name) is made of organic cotton/spandex and we are making an initital small batch for the Young Designers Market in Brisbane on the 8th March and to the Stitches and Craft Show in Melbourne next month.



And here is the elusive Emily Tappenden who posed for a location test shot while waiting for the models to arrive. She later realised that this photo would probably end up on my blog.  Emily is responsible for all the styling and patternmaking of this collection.  It truly was a collaboration between her and myself and it has been very exciting seeing our sketches finally come to life.

It is noteworthy to point out that Emily only graduated last year from the Fashion programme at the Metropolitan South Institute of TAFE.