From the Temple Garden collection by Philip Jacobs for Snow Leopard Designs, produced by Free Spirit fabrics, 'Goldfish and Maple' (first photo) features maple leaves against a deep blue background, where goldfish are swimming. The design was inspired by antique Japanese fabrics and chiyogami printed papers, which are more subtle than the metallic printed chiyogami popular today.
I can see the legacy of the kind of fabric designs that Philip used to work with when he designed home dec fabrics back in the 1980s, so for me this print is a dream come true! I love those Japonisme/Chinoiserie furnishing fabrics, but they are very large scale compared to patchwork fabrics, often with the motifs quite spread out, so not easy to work into a quilt, plus of course the colour palette isn't as bold as I generally like in my quilts. With the denser motifs and stronger colours, Philip has created a fabric that will be at the top of my stash, and I hope you'll like it as much as I do!
The other photos show the rest of this fabulous collection.
Quantities are limited, and I may not be able to reorder. There was anticipated to be such a demand for this range, that I ordered my stock almost a year in advance.
Watch Philip introducing this amazing collection here on YouTube!
Philip Jacobs has been designing fabrics for over four decades and is a highly respected textile artist. He takes inspiration from many sources including nature, antique fabrics, and Japanese and Chinese traditional designs. Well known for his exquisite floral fabrics, his draughtsmanship is second to none. He designs for two patchwork fabric brands, Snow Leopard Designs (his solo work) and the Kaffe Fasset Collective (KFC!). Read more about Philip's work on the Snow Leopard Designs Facebook page.
Printed on patchwork weight cotton, this fabric makes an ideal coordinate for my sashiko panels, and the colours can be matched from my extensive range of sashiko threads. Free Spirit fabrics are printed on a 68 count cotton rather than the 60 count used for many other brands, meaning they are slightly finer than many patchwork fabrics and are also suitable for making clothing.
111cm (44in) wide.
100% cotton
NB - sold by the half metre, so order '2' for 1 metre, '3' for 1.5m etc.
